RSS: Subscribe to this blog and other websites

If you find yourself frequently checking the same websites for new content, such as on this blog, for example, an RSS reader might be for you. RSS is basically a simple way for websites to announce whenever their content has been updated. If you are not familiar with what it is, you can read more details about it in this c|net review. Most sites nowadays have RSS feeds to which you can subscribe and then check all your favorite sites from one convenient location. So how do you do it? Well, a good start as always, is a Google search. But here are some recommendations.

Web-based
The easiest way to subscribe to RSS feeds is to use your internet browser. Here is an example of what happens if you direct Firefox (if you are using Internet Explorer, click here) to an RSS feed:
The "Live Bookmarks" feature allows you to add a dynamic bookmark to your list, which will automatically be updated with all the latest available content.

As you probably have noticed, it will also allow you to subscribe to the feed via a web-based reader. You can add to the list in the preferences. I use Google Reader, which can be nicely integrated into Google's personalized website, but the two most popular web-based readers are probably NewsGator and Bloglines. Both are easy to use, so check them out to see what you like best.

You can also use stand-alone applications, which can display your newest feeds right on your desktop or in your menu bar. Here are a couple of suggestions.

Mac OS X
If you are a Mac user, you can use Safari's built-in RSS support, which is actually rather nice, so check that out first. Another great little app is RSS Menu, which does exactly what it says. Definitely worth a try. Lots of other choices are available here.

Windows
If you are a Windows user, first go here, then proceed as above.

Recommended RSS feeds
Here are just a couple of RSS feeds I would recommend to get you started:
benjamin.richter—This excellent blog.
cyclingnews.com—A third-party feed for CyclingNews, which does not offer its own. Twice daily news from the cycling world.
The New York Times most emailed articles—Typically the most interesting articles from the New York Times.

One more thing. . .
The big news in Minnesota last week, was of course that high school wrestling had to be suspended for eight days. All the wrestlers were giving each other herpes. I don't even want to begin to speculate how it all got started, but the important thing is that everyone is now back on the mats.