3.16.2007

a nice real life proof.

It was with some hesitation that I switched from a massive list of blogs that I would read in tabs, to a single list of RSS feeds that I check, dealing only with new material. The reason against the switch was something vague about being a design enthusiast, and wanting to see content in it's original context. This is still true, to a point. But RSS is faster, easier, and helps me to avoid missing new content.

It has also made something clear to me.

One of the major anti-internet arguments I hear, in relation to news, is that endless niche production means that unless you want to, you will never have to hear something you disagree with. While I usually counter by saying the same applies to television, the switch to RSS has made it clear that there is some serious inbreeding in my information feed, specifically relating to design. Today I actually went back and checked to make sure that I wasn't just re-reading the posts from earlier in the day, as the images were exact, and the text was, though different, identical in meaning. On the plus side, the blogs I read are meticulous about linking back to where they found things, so I can see how the inspiration or interest spreads. At the same time, I've found a little network where I'm reading a bunch of people who are reading one another.

At the same time, I can hardly see a downside to only being exposed to good design.

I won't even go into the blogs I read that deal with politics, because, as mentioned earlier, no one reads the political coverage that they strongly disagree with, in the same way I wouldn't watch Fox news. The issue, in my mind, is more that I am running the risk of being trapped in a limited web of new material for inspiration. Obviously, I need to read more blogs. Or go outside. Maybe when the weather changes.

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