Day: July 7, 2004

News.com Extra launched earlier today. The public explanation spells out what we’re doing. I would add only that the end goal is to save readers’ time. News.com reporters and editors do their damndest to get you the best story as fast as possible on every tech story that matters. But no one is as big as everyone, so News.com has always pointed out to other stories of interest. Extra amplifies that, applying the concept to individual stories, in addition to “unattached” stories, as you find in More news around the Web. Also, Extra includes some general news (yes, aggregated via RSS) and a group blog for the editorial staff called Missing Links. Maybe it’s too much. Maybe it’s not enough.

But if it saves the reader time, we’re doing something right. Send feedback; I’m not the only one eager to read it.

After my own challenges booking travel, I found Steve Yelvington’s question pretty interesting: “Travel bookings: Do humans do it better?. If you want something a direct flight, the answer can certainly be yes. And, as Steve points out, most software isn’t designed expressly to get you the best deal… just a deal via their site, whether airline or outsider. I’ve some tickets to find for August, and I’m not looking forward to it because once again it’s not a hub destination. The destination is worth it, but the journey can sure take it out of you. (Is that supposed to be a larger metaphor? Nah.)