revjim.net

I love "LifeHacker":http://lifehacker.com/, but I really wish I could find an "only interesting stuff" filter for it. I don't care about Mac Software, iPods and the things you can do with them, technical HowTos and Cheatsheets that cover fairly obvious technology, unimportant or obvious research, obvious tips and tricks for daily life, write ups on how to make something utterly trivial look fancier, and reports of local events that I couldn't possibly attend or care about.

But I still read because, when I do find something interesting, it's really, really interesting. Like these tidbits:

* Make Right-Clicking in Windows faster by "disabling the SendTo menu":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/windows/windows-tip-disable-the-send-to-menu-157977.php.
* Does an RSS reader make life on the web more livable for you? If so, how do you deal with sites that don't offer an RSS feed. You can "track website changes with FeedWhip":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/news-aggregation/track-website-changes-with-feedwhip-157963.php and get update reports via email. Or, "use DeltaSpy":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/news-aggregation/track-web-site-changes-with-deltaspy-158016.php to track website changes and get all of the updates you're interested displayed on one page. Or, see them in your RSS reader just like everything with "FeedYes":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/rss/create-an-rss-feed-without-an-rss-feed-159455.php.
* Do you cook often? Learn "how to peel a potato in one easy step":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/cooking/video-demonstration-peel-a-potato-in-one-step-158620.php from the same people that taught us to "fold a t-shirt":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/household/folding-tshirts-fast-151214.php with lightning speed: the Japanese!
* Edit digital photographs quickly and easily with "Pixoh, the online image editor":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/photos/edit-pictures-online-with-pixoh-158753.php.
* Did you know you can now "send money using PayPal and your mobile phone":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/paypal/paypal-via-your-cell-phone-162417.php?
* Learn how to "repair a drywall hole":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/household/weekend-project-repair-a-drywall-hole-164828.php, "get in on the Yahoo! Mail Beta":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/yahoo-mail/get-in-on-the-yahoo-mail-beta-169223.php, "overcome procrastination":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/procrastination/wikibook-on-overcoming-procrastination-169192.php, "build a loft":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/how-to/how-to-build-a-loft-169215.php, "save money on your taxes":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/taxes/tax-tips-own-your-own-business-169450.php, and "wake up and GET up when you really want to":http://www.lifehacker.com/software/sleep/how-to-get-up-when-you-really-want-to-169533.php.

As you can see, LifeHacker is a great resource. But I find myself *dreading* going through it because there are a lot of posts on any given day and over 75% of these posts are not anything I'm interested in but I have to read in to each entry in order to determine that.

This is why I'm always trying to find new ways to separate the things that I write, the images that I display, and the information I provide on my website(s). Sure the "write for yourself" mantra is certainly one worth repeating, but, without organization and clear thought there's no point in putting your writing online, as it's unlikely that anyone else will ever bother to comb through it all to find the bits that are interesting to them.

Yes, I comb through LifeHacker, and that fact that I do so despite the trouble it presents is an argument against separation. However, I don't imaging everyone is as diligent as I am about looking for useful information. On top of that, I imagine there are lots of good things on LifeHacker that I miss entirely, because I was either skimming too fast, didn't read the right words within the first few seconds, missed a link burried in the article, or simply gave up on LifeHacker that day because its folder was more than I could bare to look at.

So if you find something interesting at "LifeHacker":http://lifehacker.com/ be sure to let me know. I may have missed it.