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Yet another TiVo lovefest, from the NYTimes. I’m a believer, but this kind of fawning article makes me wonder. We’re still only on the first generation, really, of this kind of technology. Think how bad TV must have gotten to make people appreciate their TiVos this much!?!

Vin Crosbie, who is fearless about his public prognostications, reminds fans of RSS that it’s not the solution to all the problems of publishers.

Today’s RSS is merely another method of pushing whatever content the publisher (be that a newspaper publisher or a blogger) wants, when instead the real solution is to give whatever the user wants.

I would concur, but RSS is not a technology. It’s an embodiment of the true separation of content from presentation. That separation is incredibly enabling. I believe it accelerates the personal aggregation of information in ways that portals and personalization engines (and aggregators/newsreaders) are only beginning to explore. Today, as Vin cites, most publishers (broadly) are pushing out categories of information without concern for individual audiences. But the next step, where those categories of information are honed and shaped by the individual to suit their needs, is already starting. The mix between what individuals want packaged for them and what they want to choose for themselves is yet to be determined. RSS as a phenomenon isn’t taking sides, and it’s early in this next phase. All of a sudden, more building blocks are available, of different shapes, colors, and sizes. The resulting constructions will vary in their suitability, but we’re leaving Levittown, at least for long enough to see what other kinds of ‘house’ we might like for our personal information needs.

I know I want a big basement and a big attic, but I’m a pack rat. What do you want?

I might have a reason to read this document, and — who knows — try and apply some of its knowledge at work. I won’t pretend to be excited. “Vocabulary Mapping for Terminology Services” isn’t on any bestseller lists I’ve seen.

At an eye appointment this afternoon, my eyes were dilated. I dislike this step, even though it’s normal, as it leaves me unable to read for a few hours thereafter. In my rush to get back online, I took the step of bumping up the font sizes in all my applications (Mail, Safari, NetNewsWire)… and it was good. It’s actually got me thinking that I need to do this even when my eyes are not recovering from dilation. Anything to limit the fatigue of staring at a screen all day can’t be bad. Would be an interesting experiment to see if we set the default font size one larger at work and see if traffic went up just from that step. I think this post is yet another marker of age, and I’m not quite 33. Oh well. My three-year old boy can almost count to 33, and he certainly think that’s a big number.

I’m reading the Apple KnowledgeBase note for the Mac OS X 10.3.3 update. I have not yet installed it, but I am thrilled to read this bullet item.

Addresses an issue in which Mail could unexpectedly quit when marking some types of unsolicited messages (or “spam”) as Junk.

I haven’t been hit by this problem for some time, but sure would be pleased to know it’s gone forever.

Review the fun(ny) images here. I’ve linked to the one I liked best, but try those Back and Next links, too.

I much prefer the word “customer” or “reader” to label website, uhhh, users. But I think it’s still an apt description most of the time. “I am USER, hear me roar!” hits most of the hot buttons, don’t you think?

I don’t think I’ve worried about spelling since third grade. Watching the documentary Spellbound can certainly change your perspective. The movie follows eight children preparing for, and competing in, the National Spelling Bee. I had heard that the finals of the Bee are covered live by ESPN, with very high ratings. This movie shows why. Kids and their parents are consumed by this competition, and it highlights the best and worst about academic achievement. Spelling is hardly the ticket to greatness, but it’s easy for everyone to imagine and understand, so the movie invites just about anyone to participate. If you watch the World Series or the Super Bowl, you don’t feel like you could be part of the action. Watching people spell words, you know you could do some of this, if not with the skill displayed at the national finals. Fun, fun movie… especially appealing for parents. Where’s the line between reinforcing education and pushing too hard? Most of these kids seem to dance on that line.

FYI, the winning word the year of this documentary was logorrhea.

Final note: I wonder whether the filmmakers followed more than these eight kids and just were fortunate to choose one of the winners, or whether all the filming was done after the event? It certainly seemed chronological, with various vignettes prior to the competition. But there are 249 finalists, so choosing the winner (even though she was a repeat finalist) seems fortunate.

Hypergene points out a recent (February 29) study released by Pew Internet & American Life Project, stating that 53 million Americans have produced content online. That’s 44% of adult (18+) internet users in this country. The definition of content is quite broad, but I agree with the inclusiveness. Most of this is about connecting and communicating. As the tools get easier/better, this number will only rise. Most of the content is much like this blog… of interest to the author and a select few (maybe), but in aggregate, it’s pretty telling how many people will create, even when it’s easier to just consume.

I’ve read several of Patricia Cornwell’s mystery/crime thrillers involving the coroner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Last weekend, with lots of travel time to fill, I picked up The Last Precinct off the bargain rack in the Tampa airport. Hardcover, so not perfect for travelling, but at least I was sure that it I hadn’t read it. It was, mostly, the usual page-turner. It took a few dozen pages to get going, and I was amused to realize that I had read the previous novel in the ‘series.’ So, despite my spotty history with the twelve Scarpetta novels, I understood several of the references to earlier events. With the rise of the TV show CSI, I’ll bet these novels got an even bigger boost… although I’ll bet the popularity of these novels helped get CSI on the air. Death is many things, but rarely boring.