Rotacoo

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I’ve just managed, for the very first time, to get my Google Reader unread count down to zero. And I’m very proud of this achievement.

I’m not the best at keeping on top of my 257 feeds, and having recently moved house I’ve been without the internet for a week or two. So the unread count was waaaaay over 1000, which is where Reader just calls it “1000+”. This is presumably because it thinks you’ve given up trying to read everything.

The reason for undertaking the mammoth task of actually reading my feeds was today’s announcement that top Mac newsreader NetNewsWire has been made freeware, along with web based access via Newsgator and syncing between computers.

I wanted to move my reading to NetNewsWire, but OPML (the standard file format for describing feed subscriptions) doesn’t support keeping a track of what I’ve read. So to make the jump I had to get everything read, and then start afresh. Which is what I’ve done!¹

Oh dear, NNW tells me I have 20 unread posts in the time it took to write this post…

We seem to have been neglecting Rotacoo recently, having posted nothing of worth for the whole of June & July. I shan’t bore you with the usual excuses of work, holidays and commitment to Google Sightseeing.

Some interesting things that I’ve wanted to post somewhere:

• Varnish Cache: The saviour of Google Sightseeing’s load issues, the Varnish “HTTP accelerator” (or reverse-proxy) needs more exposure for Wordpress bloggers outgrowing their hosting platforms.

• On Sunday afternoon I conducted a short poll of those carrying books around the baggage reclaim area of Heathrow airport. The results were 9 Harry Potter to 4 “other” books. No surprise then that it’s already the best selling book of all time.

• Giant rubber duckie: I love oversized things as “art”, and this Rubber Duckie is possibly the best ever. Please someone get an aerial shot for Google Earth.

• Tomorrow is Oxford Geek Night 3 which I’ve been looking forward to since May. As an added bonus the first drink is on Google!

FON is the world’s largest Wi-fi network, based around home and business members sharing part of their network connection, and then in return receiving free wireless from other users on the network.

The location map shows where you can get your free internet, or if you opt to share your connection but not utilise the network yourself you can earn some cash. The money comes from users on the flip-side who use the network but don’t share their own connection.

It all seems like a good idea, but what makes it better is that the Spanish firm is offering free wireless access points to US, UK and Canadian residents. All you have to do is enter your details and promise to join the Wi-fi sharing scheme.