Open source RSS readers you can install on your server

The shuttering of Google Reader did a lot to wake up the up-until-then quite stagnant area of RSS reader applications. I’ve written before about the various online service that sprung up to replace it. When it comes to my own use of RSS, I’ve decided to forgo the comfort of using an online service for the security of knowing that a service I run myself will never be shut down without my say-so.

Here is a list of several Open Source web-based RSS readers that you can install on your own server or in an application hosting service such as OpenShift (OpenShift in particular, offers a free account which is perfect for personal use).

The end of the age of forgetfulness

Facebook had added keyword search by post content to the site. You are no longer allowed to forget anything, or rather, not allowed to have anything you said forgotten.

I’m actually not surprised. If anything, I am surprised it took them so long, I simply assumed they could search the stuff all along. But now, it seems that everyone else can, too.

Flowchart – What kind of beer to drink

My taste in beer tends to be very simple, there are a couple of brands I like and anything else I typically find to be not to my liking. This chart, however, provides an interesting consideration. Who knows? I might end up being useful at some point.

Managing time and the importance of work/life balance

This week saw multiple stories published in various outlets about issues surrounding out perception and management of work and leisure time in the modern world.

This Wired story presents that case that allowing employees more flexibility with managing their time has sound benefits for the business.

Cory Doctorow linked to a “The Economist” story detailing various research results that deal with the modern perception of time, its value and its scarcity.

And lastly this TechCrunch post discusses the issue from the point of view of a startup founder.

Company training and a trip to Munich

I recently had the pleasure of having my company ship me off to Munich for some training. Due to some flight scheduling issues, I ended up with a couple of free days in which I could tour the city.

When I came back I decided that simply writing up the story would be kinda boring, so instead I played with Google’s new “My Maps Pro” feature and created a map of my trip with my story embedded in it.

The map has different layers for different days of the trip, with the most location-rich day being Wednesday when I did most of the touring. Please take the time to switch between the various layers to see the different content.