Goodbye, Google Reader

"From your 145 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 4,712 items, clicked 190 items, starred 0 items, and emailed 1 items. Since August 27, 2009 you have read a total of 161,244 items."

I started using Reader as a college junior. It permanently changed my information consumption and use by making it possible for me to store up and consume data whenever I had time. I use it to find posts to make myself, on this blog and on my own RSS feed of interesting article. Here are the replacements I've considered:

• The Old Reader - it works, but slow updates and the interface isn't pretty
• Curata - no way to show unread
• Feed.ly - ok, but only works on my modern laptop and I can't figure out how to click throuhg efficiently.
• Digg Reader - no way to show unread
• AOL Reader - no access yet
• Newsblur - I like this one the most, and am currently paying $2/month for it. For something that I spend hours on, its well worth my time.

Ultimately, I'll keep trying out The Old Reader and Newsblur. I think the winner will be one of these. For now, I'll miss Google Reader's analytics, seen below. Do note that these are based on my computer's local time, so things read on the west coast at midnght show here as 2 AM. :)

Beep Beep, work being done

Fresh from asking someone else about their blog (which uses Wordpress to manage content, a system I like), I took a quick look at my own layout and I think it could use some work.

But Blogger gets major tips for allowing me to list pages on the top. In any case, this will be a work in progress for a few days, so please pardon the mess as I experiment.

Follow the Feed

Readers will want to remember the feed of links on the right hand side of this page, which is updated much more often than the actual blog with articles and other sites of interest to me (though not always endorsed).

Rankings, philisophical

I'm out of writing power, so here's a preview list of the topics I'll hit tomorrow:

• Williams's way of dealing with the rankings
• How Williams policies improved our standings
• How other schools have done much worse stuff
• The impact of low "reputation" response rates.
• Poor incentives and their consequences.
• How rankings get used.

This will probably be followed by a post about why Williams is the best college in the country for all of its unquantifiable factors.

There is having >0 time, there is having 0 time, and then there is Will.

I'm going to love all of the stuff I have tomorrow, but meetings at 9:30, 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:30, and a three hour rehearsal at 7 are going to be wearing.

I wish I could blog, but don't have time.

If anyone has ideas about why I randomly got Vertigo Sunday night in my room, I'd love to hear them.

EDIT: In response to the comment, yes, this is entirely my fault. In fact, I could not show up to everything but the 4, 5, and 7 things without much in the way of repercussions - but it's talks like I anticipate over lunch or dinner that give my time at Williams meaning, and talks like what's tomorrow at 9:30 and 11:00 that build my connection to this school.

Perhaps I'm wrong to moan; my life is certainly wonderful compared to what most have. But I can't shake the feeling that I'm getting myself into a hole, a little, and I really didn't anticipate being double scheduled. I usually avoid that, but I think it's the meds messing me up.

Excited.

I can now share any page on the internet on my blog with one click. Amazing! Thanks Google!

No more random quoting

I can now directly share items with you, so there's no more need for random quoting. Just look up! (PS - yes, I wish there was a ay to do content, but I can't find it. All help appreciated.

Another Hiatus

I can't feed the beast with so much else to do for Winter Study - I'll be back, blog!

Back in Vermont

I'll miss all of the Coakley action. See you in three or four days.

(for anyone curious - I'll be living in the backcountry, snowshoeing around and living without running water/power.)

300 Blog Posts to read....

I'm back from Vermont with some great stories, but my non-electronic life currently has too many weights, and catching up on e-mail/Facebook took too much time. I'll post when I can, but for the moment, read about Haiti, and please be thankful that you have the fortune to live elsewhere.

Also: Yay Ed Burger. He's a huge asset to this school, and I benefit from every moment we spend together.

Off Campus

No posts for the next three days, as I will be in Vermont investigating the Northeast Kingdom (and on the road when this post goes live.) Have a good midweek, all.

Why I blog

I don't think that what I have to say is important, always right, or even of moderate worth, but the space is here, and the hosting is free.... I think I write today more for my future self, as a chronicle of what has happened and will happen. We'll see what direction this takes in the new year.

Happy New Year...in one minute.

Yes, this post is pre-scheduled. :D

New Posts Below!

I screwed up, and published some posts for tomorrow under today's date. Therefore, look below to see them.

No Internet!

Christmas Day brought a different sort of gift: a tree fell down the block, pulling over a few utility poles and some cables out of homes, along with parts of the walls. Whoops. No one was hurt, but AT&T is taking is sweet time getting everything restored, so I sit at the Coffeeshop, catching up with Facebook messages, notifications, wall posts, and Twitter feeds, as well as 109 blog posts on Google Reader.

I'll be drafting more in the future, but these three days have been a reminder: as much as I value my online activities, life can go one without them, and is often simpler for it.

Check Twitter for links...

I have too many friends to see and errands to run to keep up a 4 post/day pace. The buildings series will continue, but please consider the blog to be on a bit of a holiday break.

Ephs top Learfield Sports Directors' Cup competition after fall season

CLEVELAND, OH -- The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced today that the Williams College Ephs lead the NCAA Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings at the conclusion of the 2009 fall championship season.

Points are awarded in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup competition based on an institution’s finish at NCAA Championship events. This fall the Ephs scored in five of the seven NCAA team championship events.

Williams, winners of the last 11 consecutive Directors’ Cups and 13 of the 14 awarded in NCAA Division III, tallied 367 points to post an 18 -point lead over runner-up Calvin College (MI), which has accumulated 349 points. Washington University (MO) holds down third place with 319 points. Messiah College is in fourth place with 290 points and Johns Hopkins University is fifth with 278 points

Archrival Amherst and Middlebury are the other two NESCAC teams in the top 10. The Amherst Lord Jeffs are sixth (225), while the Panthers of Middlebury are in 10th with 197 points.

Leading the five Eph scoring teams was men’s cross country, which accumulated 90 points based on its second place finish at the NCAA Championship Race. Men’s soccer’s third place finish added 83 points, while the women’s cross country team contributed 66 points with an 8th place finish.

Women’s cross country is the only Eph fall team to score in all fifteen years of the competition. The Eph women harriers have finished in the top 10 every year except 1997 when they came in 14th. Additionally the women’s team has finished in the top five nine times and won the NCAA title in 2002 and 2004.

Women’s soccer and women’s volleyball both chipped in 64 points with 9th place finishes.

This marks the seventh time in the 15 years that Williams has led at the end of the fall season and it is the first time since 2004 the Ephs held the lead this early in the academic year.

The Ephs 367 points is just nine short of their all-time fall best of 376 posted in 2002.

Top 10 NCAA Div. III Teams – Fall 2009

1.   -- Williams -- 367

2.   -- Calvin  (MI) -- 349

3.   -- Washingtion U. (MO) -- 319

4.   -- Messiah (PA) -- 290

5.   -- Johns Hopkins -- 278

6.   -- Amherst -- 225

7.   -- Christopher Newport (VA) -- 224

8.   -- Salisbury (MD) -- 214

9.   -- Lynchburg (VA) -- 200

10. -- Middlebury -- 197

Left: Volleyball 9th at NCAA

Right: Women's Soccer 9th at NCAAs

Women's Cross Country 8th at NCAAs

Finals

4 days of reading period. 6 days of finals. That's 10 days of 240 hours, and somehow I don't seem to have any of them free. Regular posting shall resume in a few days, though the buildings series is still set up.

Question

Blogger has this neat option to "Monetize" my blog, which means that I could stick on ads in the bottom of the column at no cost but a bit of bandwidth. If you can see the feedback buttons below, click "I approve" or "I disapprove" to signal approval or disapproval. Thanks!

The Beginning

Below are 10 posts originally from Ephblog that I think represent my best reflective work. They are saved here in case anyone wants background on my writing style or views. All 200+ posts from Ephblog can be found here.

Happy Reading!