"I have been working feverishly on a library-related RSS feed portal, similar to the Blawgistan News for legal weblogs. The 'Library Feed Portal' (I don't have a good name yet) will be your one stop shop for your library weblog needs. If a library weblog has an RSS feed, it'll probably be in there (At this point, I am not including any feed that comes from News Is Free - to be explained at a later date). Look for a beta version to be released sometime in mid-March. I hope to have it ready in time to show off at Computers in Libraries. Stay tuned..." [Library Stuff]

I'm re-posting Steven's post because I've seen his project, and it rocks! For those of you that don't run your own news aggregator but want to take advantage of RSS to help keep up, this site will be for you! I did two happy dances for this one!

"His cousin (my eldest) Aryeh - IMes with four windows open at the same time.  They're both members of Generation ICQ." [Marc's Voice]

Oooh - I like that. I'm going to have to start using the term "Generation ICQ!"

There's an interesting cross-blog discussion going on about RSS. Follow the links:

• "Maybe one day Corante will get RSSfeeds.  I almost completely missed this Part II.  Almost nobody reads blogs anymoe.  Everything comes in through RSS." [Marc's Voice]
   
• "Actually, a tiny technical elite reads RSS. Everyone else reads on the web. Maybe that will change. I'm not sure." [EVHEAD]
   
• "If I grab an RSS feed of his site, half the pleasure of visiting is taken away from me.  The issue of RSS is about more than just textuality.  Websites are still to some extent billboards, as they were back in 1995.  But the slogan is often, 'Come for the scenery; stay for the entertainment'." [three legged pi]

Of course, all of you know where I come down in this debate. If you're a casual blog reader, then that last course of action is for you. But once you start reading 20+ blogs on a daily basis, an RSS news aggregator becomes a huge advantage. There's no way I could read 190 sites consistently and thoroughly without one. So at some point, you have to decide what's more important to you - the style or the substance. In my case, it's the substance.

And Corante, my foot is tapping while I continue waiting to read your content....

Verizon Begins Compliance with FCC Rule

"Verizon Wireless has begun complying with a federal mandate that requires wireless carriers to let customers keep the same cell phone number if they change service providers, a representative said Tuesday.

Despite its leadership role in the industry's fight against the Federal Communications Commission's "number portability' requirement, Verizon sent letters to rival carriers this week notifying them that they should 'be ready to allow their customers, should they choose to come to Verizon, to bring their numbers with them,' Verizon Wireless representative Jeffrey Nelson said.

All wireless carriers have until Nov. 24 to comply with the FCC mandate, which is meant to conserve the shrinking pool of 10-digit phone numbers assigned to North American wireless users....

A U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to listen to carriers' arguments against number portability on April 15, Nelson said....

The letters Verizon sent to rivals are part of the FCC method for complying with its mandate, Nelson said. T-Mobile sent rivals similar letters, according to Nelson." [CNET News.com]

Can we please speed this up? "You hear that, Mr. Cellular-Carriers? That is the sound of inevitability." Stop acting like the entertainment industry, recognize the profits awaiting you on the other end, and get on with it already.

Not Only Have I Seen the Future, I've Got It Ringing in My Pocket

"The brave new world of cellphones has finally arrived in the U.S. I'm not talking about what are currently referred to as "smart phones" or "communicating PDAs," which are basically miniature computers--relatively expensive, hard on batteries, and designed more to run PC software than to succeed as phones. I'm talking about real, honest-to-God, lightweight, pocket-sized cellphones. They look and feel every bit like the cellphones we've gotten used to over the past few years. But they also have the capabilities of computers, with enough memory to store and run programs, and small color screens with pretty good resolution. They can transmit and receive data, much the way computers do when they're plugged into a local area network....

The next-generation cellphones will lead to what might be called the convenience revolution. Play interesting games when you're bored. Find out about the weather or traffic right where you are, right when it matters. Locate that new store you've heard about while you're walking around downtown. To be honest, half of what we do with personal computers now no one really foresaw back in the early 1980s. And I can't tell you half of what cellphones will do for us in the year 2010. But I can tell you I'm excited about the possibilities." [Fortune, via Gizmodo]

And where do library services fit into that picture? There's the obvious stuff like virtual reference, searching the catalog, and accessing databases, but what about other options like location-based services and checking out a digital song or video to listen to/watch on the phone? Can we envision library services via a smartphone in 2010? Don't forget you'll have petabytes worth of storage accessible from that phone, too!

So Diane is actually leaving Suburban Library System after all, so we have an ad posted for the SWAN Services Director. Here's a blurb:

"Position responsible for the administration, development and evaluation of SWAN Services including computer operations, consulting, technical support, training, and data entry for member libraries. Administers up to thirty."

To qualify, you need a MLS from an ALA accredited graduate school and eight years library work experience which includes "four years administrative experience and four years library automation management experience." You can read the whole job description or view the job ad.

We're pretty proud of SWAN, so they're looking for high quality candidates. And if you get the job, you get to work with me.  :-)