R. Walker September 2013: RSS experiment, "Insights Per Minute" on Design Observer
Hi everyone. Happy Labor Day — and for that matter, Happy September.
1. After fielding many inquiries about whether my Yahoo News column has a dedicated RSS feed (it does not) I've decided to beta-test a possible solution. I have a spare Tumblr that I basically snagged as a placeholder ages ago, and since that has an RSS feed, maybe it will provide a suitable workaround. Before I announce it publicly (and/or run it past my boss), I'm hoping some among you might be interested in trying it and letting me know what you think. Here's the link: http://robwalker.tumblr.com/rss.
I've spot-tested it a little through my own Feedly account, but I would definitely value any feedback about how it works for you, what you think of the way I'm handling, etc. I'm very open to suggestion. (Right now this is just Yahoo stuff — not sure if I should work in links from elsewhere.)
2. I also want to mention that we (meaning my editor, really) tweaked the format of my weekly Procrastinaut roundup of the very best ways to squander your cognitive surplus. I think it looks a lot better. In any case, if you look at this week's list, don't miss the top item — amazing.
And of course the Procrastinaut Tumblr continues to be a lot of fun. I should note that I got to talk about that and other interesting matters on a recent episode of Mark Frauenfelder's excellent Gweek podcast (where my fellow guest was Adrian Tomine!).
3. Design Observer has just launched "Insights Per Minute," a series of 60-second audio essays. The first one, by Jessica Helfand, is on (fittingly enough) brevity. Future contributors include Ricky Jay, Alice Twemlow, John Maeda — and me! Soundcloud users can follow here.
Speaking of Design Observer: I wrote there recently about the Foam Number One Hand, and about a cache of photos rescued from an old hard drive that capture one curious element of life in late September 2001.
4. Finally, if you missed it, the second installment of The Workologist came out last week in the Times Sunday Business section. Getting lots of good questions but always looking for more.
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That's it! Procrastinaut tips, other feedback, and your news of note all welcome at: rw@robwalker.net
Enjoy the weekend!
rw