Taking control of my information stream

[afuna]

I'd love it if I find an RSS reader that filters out information based on criteria (like keywords). I hacked together something that almost worked for NetNewsWire, but it also picked up all articles that had those "share on Facebook" links at the bottom.

Since that didn't work out, I've gone ahead and dropped the worst offenders -- those RSS feeds that update often, and update often in reactionary fashion about topics that don't interest me. I have however kept those feeds that are low-volume and tend to be thoughtful.

So RWW is out the window; Daring Fireball is quite happily in.


I've also cut out one of my mailing lists, again for flooding of reactionary updates. I'm looking at you, mailing list which erupted into a language war after several months of low activity! Or... or maybe I'm not looking at you, since you're not coming into my inbox anymore. (Blessed blessed silence \o/)



A while back, I read an article which talked about happiness. I can't find it anymore (unfortunately, because it made a couple of good points), but the two things that stuck with me are: you need to let go of things you don't use, and you need to use the things you're saving up.

I'd gradually been getting rid of clutter in my room by throwing out old stuff I would never use again. After reading that article, I also started using the stuff that I've been saving just in case. So the lotion bottles in my room from birthdays/Christmases? Finally being emptied. The assorted ingredients in my refrigerator? Finally being used or in some cases thrown out because they'd gone bad (oops). The "good" yarn? Finally being knit (\o/)

Using stuff is not waste. I need to remember this (more importantly need to convince my mom): using stuff is not waste.


I've been trying to do the same thing with my information stream: I've been unsubscribing from places I only ever skim "just in case there's something interesting" (non-pro-tip: no, there won't be). I've also been actively clearing out my open tabs and emails instead of saving them up.

Maybe at some point I'll start reading fic again? :x I stopped years and years ago because I kept saving up the good stuff, and then I'd lose everything when my browser crashed under the sheer weight of tabs.


Ebooks are a boon *_* I used to be unable to put down books once I'd bought them, because I had to make them worth the price and cost of storage. Now, I consider my time more valuable than the cost of the book meaning, if I don't like it, I make myself put it down and move on to the next book, which I might even enjoy, rather than struggle through this one.

I can do this to paperbacks now (with a lot of regret), but I practiced ruthlessness first on ebooks.

The other thing great about ebooks is that it's just as easy to get the other books in a series once you have one of them. No more having holes in series because the bookstore doesn't have book 2 in stock \o/

This is assuming the publisher has deigned to publish the books in ebook format. But then, I take care to only buy from publishers that actually seem to value ebooks -- BAEN and O'Reilly leap to mind. I'll need to look for more eventually but these two are keeping me happily occupied for now.


I like that I can now afford to value the content of books more than the actual presence of them :-)

Comments

[shinsetsu]

Secondhand bookstores are great too. You get what you want half off, and if you don't like it or just want to return it after you are done, you can do so for book credit. :)

[tyggerjai]

"But if I use it, I won't have it any more!"
"Why do you need to 'have' it if you're never going to use it?"
"But ... but... if I *use* it, I won't have it any more!"

Yeah, got a storage unit full of stuff back home for that reason, and we have, apparently, happily lived without the bulk of it for the last 3 years or so. Go figure.

[jumpuphigh]

I'm ruthless with my ebooks as well. Don't like it after the first page? Delete. Move on. I have ummmm let's go with 'a lot'* of ebooks that I haven't read.

*'A lot' may be an understatement.

Read It Later

[pne]

I've also been actively clearing out my open tabs and emails instead of saving them up.

Maybe at some point I'll start reading fic again? :x I stopped years and years ago because I kept saving up the good stuff, and then I'd lose everything when my browser crashed under the sheer weight of tabs.

Read It Later is my friend (especially in Firefox - the Chrome extension I have is a bit clunky, and feels a lot slower than the Firefox one).

Though depending on your information habits, it might not be yours - it makes it easy to create huge stockpiles that you only chip away at slowly.

But at least you don't lose everything if your browser crashes.

[starshadow_rivaulx]

the two things that stuck with me are: you need to let go of things you don't use, and you need to use the things you're saving up.

I had this epiphany when I became a fan of the show Clean House. For quite a while, I had stockpiles of stuff that I couldn't get around to sorting, for one reason or another - and then I realized that it came down to the old budget-preparation guideline: "If you don't use it, you'll lose it."

So now my inventory of beauty and health-care products follows this rule: one in use, two or three in the cabinet. Buy one unit of whatever is removed from the cabinet (because how long does it take to use up a bottle of lotion anyway, especially if you've got the economy size to begin with).

BookSale is my best friend, especially since I have committed to buying as few "new" titles as possible until I have made headway in my to-read cabinet.

During the mid-year and year-end general cleaning, everything culled goes into trash or donation or recycling bins. Even though I emerge from each session exhausted, the lightened feel of the rooms is a satisfying thing.

*toasts you on your decluttering*

[jeshyr]

Yay for lightening mental and physical loads - funny how they often go hand-in-hand isn't it.

You reminded me that my RSS is very very much due for spring cleaning too, thank you.

[helens78]

I loved this:

the two things that stuck with me are: you need to let go of things you don't use, and you need to use the things you're saving up.

This inspired me to dig out some yarn I'd been hoarding in the closet and see if I could start making something out of it. ♥!

[afuna]

Oh! I have never heard of book credit before! I should see whether we have any similar systems here *_*

[afuna]

Heeeheehee. Exactly!

Also the: "but I might just need it in $rare_circumstance!". And then when $rare_circumstance happens, completely forgetting that it's even there in the first place.

(Describes about half the junk that's piled up in my room right now).

Re: Read It Later

[afuna]

*nods* Yeah I have Read it Later, too (the chrome extension is clunky ugh but it's okay if I just need to bookmark the item quickly).

Huge stockpiles that I never chip away at at all -- that describes me perfectly! OTOH, it's also less in your face, so it's less guilt-inducing, and therefore less stress *g*

[afuna]

*cheers to you too*

[afuna]

Mwah. Glad I could be of service.

And yes! And sometimes not even funny, sometimes just a relief.

[afuna]

\o/!

And I knooow. I wish I could share that article with you because it said it so much better, but when I read those two points I just sat up straight and stared at my monitor for a couple of minutes (and then I started cleaning up. Mm cleaning up)

[afuna]

*'A lot' may be an understatement.

*giggles* I can believe it.

[jumpuphigh]

I just started rereading all the Vorkosigan books in preparation for reading Cryoburn. My reading for November is covered.

Re: Read It Later

[jumpuphigh]

There is an ePub maker took that you just save as a bookmark and you can translate any mostly text page into a book to be sideloaded onto your reader. \o/ Read It Later just stressed me out cause the list just got longer and longer.

http://dotepub.com/

[afuna]

Ahahaha oh yeah that would do it.

I am slowly going through the books, but only because I don't want them gone all at once. (Only different from hoarding in that I'm actually reading the books a little at a time *g*)

Re: Read It Later

[afuna]

Oh hm! Useful, thanks.

Oooh interesting, I think it goes off what you see so you could use it to sideload content behind adult content barriers. Potentially also locked content, though I wouldn't be comfortable doing that since it's being sent off to a third-party server.

But stuff behind an adult-only interstitial, hmm, which Read it Later can't handle, hmmm.