Updated: 4/3/2005; 3:02:00 AM.
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Tuesday, January 11, 2005

RSStress.

On the Scalability of Feeds & Aggregators

“The increase in the number of feeds will leave many users frustrated, as there is a limit to the number feeds one can scan and read. Current numbers suggest that readers can handle 150-200 feeds without too much stress. But users will want to read more and more as new interesting feeds become available and they run into the limitations of the metaphor of current aggregator applications. The current central abstract of aggregators is that of a feed, and there is a limit to how many individual feeds one can actually handle. Aggregators will need to find ways in which the users can be subscribed to a select set of feeds because they want to read everything that comes from these feeds, but also subscribe to a much larger set of publishers for which the feed abstraction may not be the right metaphor. Aggregation, fusion and selection at the information item level instead of at the feed level seems to be a first abstractions to investigation. ” [All Things Distributed, via del.icio.us/rss]

I’m seeing this myself, as I’m starting to hit a wall at around 250 feeds. The second generation of aggregators (that should also include more advanced authentication) can’t come fast enough.

I look forward to reading Werner Vogel’s full analysis on this issue, which of course means I have to add his feed to my aggregator. Wait a minute….

[The Shifted Librarian]
9:50:35 AM      Google It!.

Libraries, Women, and Tech.

New Gender Roles in Digital World

“In a couple of cases, women are embracing new technologies faster than men.

‘The good news is that women are closing the gap,’ said Genevive Bell, a cultural anthropologist who works for chipmaker Intel. Overall, women are using technology nearly as often as men, Bell said, but they are using it differently.

In a Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Intel, women were more enthusiastic about Wi-Fi than men, and they said they planned to use it in different ways….

Women and men want wireless access in airports, but more women than men said they want wireless Internet access in their doctors' offices and at salons….

Bell said women tend to use technology in ways that make busy days more manageable, which is why cell phones, laptops and wireless Internet access are popular, she said….

‘Women tend to have more interest in communicating, so it makes sense that they would tend to be heavier users of mobile communications features such as text messaging,’ Enpocket President Mike Baker said.” [SignOnSanDiego, via textually.org]

These findings aren’t really new; rather, they’re just confirmation of an ongoing trend. Women also use libraries more than men do, so you have to ask yourself if we’re doing enough to help them use library “technology in ways that make busy days more manageable.” My answer is no, we’re not, and we need to change this. Provide Wi-Fi for these women when they are in the library, educate them about RSS to help make their information flow more manageable, send them text alerts from the catalog and the reference desk, provide better virtual reference services so we’re wherever they are when they need us. There’s so much more we could do.

[The Shifted Librarian]
9:49:05 AM      Google It!.

Distance Learning and eLearning in European Policy and Practice: The Vision and the Reality - European ODL Liaison Committee. eLearning in 2000 and 2004: Two Different Pictures: When the so called “Lisbon Strategy� to make Europe the most competitive and socially inclusive economy in the world by 2010 was defined the need to include education and training as a key component [Online Learning Update]
9:46:18 AM      Google It!.

Adding Pizazz to Your RAM [Slashdot:] fast forward this development to usb memory stick and you have a very simple and inexpensive communication device ion your keychain -- BL

9:43:24 AM      Google It!.

Child warning over mobile phones. Parents should ensure their children use mobile phones only when absolutely necessary, an expert is warning. [BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition]
9:37:47 AM      Google It!.

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