One student frustrated by his blog confesses:
"Apparently I am a huge moron and I have failed at creating this blog much like I fail at almost everything else I do. Actually I don't fail at everything. Yesterday I beat Kenneally 22 times in a row at Mortal Kombat."
There is a simple lesson here about optimism and the human spirit. ;)

One blog name towers above the rest. One blog name to rule them all.
Click here.

BTW, the usefulness of the newsbrowser is that you guys can trade tips, insights, and gossip without me having to vet it first. I am trying to sift through the blogs and add links to posts that I think are interesting, but there is a lot that I miss. Email or IM me if you think there is a particular post I should pay attention to or link to.

A potential issue with NewsCrawler is detailed in Em Fitz's Blog. Though it seems to be the easiest newsbrowser to get working, it might expire after two weeks unless you pay. I'd like to hear more about this from NewsCrawler users.

Do you want to click on a link and have the page open in a new window? So you don't lose the page you're on? A simple solution can be found at Denison in It's Fourth Incarnation.

Here's a conversation from a dialogue between a bat and a bj. This made me laugh.
BAT: im jumping in now BAT: haha..why do people say that MEEMS: say what? BAT: im not really going to "jump" in MEEMS: if you did you might fall MEEMS: or slip on the wet floor MEEMS: and hurt yourself BAT: haha..yes you are right BAT: that would be terrible MEEMS: really it would make more sense if you said: MEEMS: i am going to carefully step into the shower BAT: hahahah BAT: ok..i am going to carefully step into the shower

I notice that several of you have links that appear side-by-side in your "Links" column rather than above-and-below each other. There is a simple solution for that. In the template type the following string after each link or on a new line by itself between links:

<BR> It's that simple.

It seems that NewsCrawler is becoming the newsbrowser of choice for class. Several students now have it up and running. Directions can be found on T-Walk's Blog. Another student relates that she has tried more than one newsbrowser and confirms that NewsCrawler is the easiest. See Allison's Blog.

Scurrilous Sites
Take a gander at this--it doesn't offer a feed, but it is fun. Narcissistic, gossipy, elitist, centered on NYC ongoings. Gawker.
Yet Another NYC site. Trashy webzine. This one is bad. I'm giving you candy--it will rot your teeth! Vice. Especially check out the "Do's & Don'ts." One of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. If you need more, there's an archive. WARNING: The Do's & Don'ts are not for the meek!

Now that ya'll are getting your news browsers online, you can look around for good feeds. Most of these are in RSS, but you can subscribe to them because most news browsers that read Atom (a newer format) will also read RSS (the original format for blog syndication) and OPML (yet another format). Enjoy. So check your favorite web sites; many sites now offer a feed.
Examples
New York Times
Salon
Motley Fool

FRIDAY CLASSES CANCELLED!!
Due to inclement weather (it's not supposed to break 13 degrees tomorrow) I will not be holding Friday classes (1/30/04). I live in Columbus and tonight there is snow and ice on the roads. The temperature will be too low for salt to melt it off in the morning, and Highway 161 will almost certainly be treacherous. This is a personal decision; Denison is still open tomorrow. This applies to my classes only unless you hear the same from other professors. I will continue to communicate with you through email, IM, and this blog over the weekend. I will probably give you a further assignment due on Monday in addition to the news browser/atom feed assignment.
One more thing: Make sure you familiarize yourself with all the new posts on this blog. You are responsible for knowing everything on it. Check it every day. If you have a question, check here first for the answer. If you still can't find an answer then you may contact me via email or IM.

Nice pic of Bob Marley on Slave To The Traffic Light.
Confession: I was so into Bob Marley when I was 19 that I sold everything I owned (not much at the time) and moved to Jamaica for a couple of months to learn to play reggae. For me Bob Marley will always be reggae, no one after comes close.

Moblog provider TextAmerica"has been selected to provide the moblog platform for SignOnSanDiego.com, the web site of The San Diego Union-Tribune (California).
SignOnSanDiego.com will initially use the platform to gather camera phone images of news events taken by their readers and post them directly to the Internet."
SignOnSanDiego.com reaches 1 million unique users each month.

For the first time in The States, a major newspaper uses a moblogging solution online for more interactivity with its own readers as well as readers can take phonecam pics to be online on the newspaper website.

Read the Press Release there.

[Smart Mobs]