The Sift

999: End of the Experiment

2011-12-23T23:20:00.000-08:00

So when I started this a year ago, I was looking for an outlet for all the interesting things I was reading about that I thought others would be interested in as well. I had hoped organically it would gain a following, get some search love and that it would be this quirky little thing that people followed in RSS.

It would be a quick daily hit of stuff they'd find interesting. I'd sift through everything and bring out the most interesting pieces. Curate, if you will. I love that word.

It would get it off of my blog and give it a place to live on its own where people who didn't know me and didn't care about my little goings on could still get this without getting me.

And, the new American dream - Google would display ads on it and I'd become fabulously wealthy and be able to quit my job and start volunteering where I had previously worked. (The difference being shorter hours.)

Well, as it turns out, the traffic never materialized, so no ads were shown, so no money was made. As I head towards the new year, I have to take stock... what is the value of my time, and more importantly -- is there things I'm not doing that I'd rather be doing?

Turns out that the value of my time far exceeds any money I might have generated from this site. And for lack of money, the site has also failed to make me famous, even in tech circles. Ok, fine, this isn't good enough to get to there, but yeah, this has become a time-suck.

So, I'm going to set this adrift. I'm not going to immediately press the big red delete button, but I'm going to stop actively maintaining it. I'm going to stop trying to find content to fill a post each day and I may even stop reading some blogs I've felt compelled to read just because they were good sources of content for a blog. Or least I can stop starring stuff and just read or not read it and move on.

So those of you that were along for the ride or dropped by once or twice, thanks for the visits.

Cheers.

362: Microsoft

2011-12-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

ENGADGET -- Microsoft launches ExcelMashup.com, looks to make spreadsheets both hip and exciting

MASHABLE -- Want to Use Xbox Live? First Agree Not to Sue Microsoft

MASHABLE -- Microsoft Brings iPad Support to OneNote

ENGADGET -- Windows Defender beta gains 'offline' functionality, can run sans-OS

ENGADGET -- Microsoft adds open standard support to Messenger, third-party clients now welcome

361: Google

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

GOOGLE OPERATING SYSTEM -- When Recent Searches Change Your Google Results

GOOGLE MOBILE BLOG -- Google Currents is hot off the press

MASHABLE -- Google Launches Schemer, an Activity Recommendation Engine

GOOGLE OPERATING SYSTEM -- Changing the User Agent, a New Google Chrome Feature

LIFEHACKER -- Google Extends Free Voice Calls in Gmail for All of 2012

360: Food, Health, Exercise and Medicine

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

LIFEHACKER -- How Shopping for Groceries Online Saves Time, Money, and Hassle

MASHABLE -- Jawbone Launches the Up: Will This $99 Wristband Rule Your Life?

LIFEHACKER -- How to Ask Your Doctor if a Test Is Necessary

ENGADGET -- High school senior kills cancer with nanotech, still can't legally drink

LIFEHACKER -- Make Your Own Personalized Cookie Cutters from a Simple Foil Pan

359: Entertainment and Technology

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

Unless you follow the technology news, you might not have heard of Carrier IQ. But it's on your cell phone and your provider (or the phone's manufacturer) put it there. It's probably harmless and actually beneficial but when it was discovered, the company did a horrible job of explaining who they are and it spun into a mess. Here's some more information on that company and some other technology and entertainment articles.

MASHABLE -- Angry Birds Celebrates 2nd "Birdday" With New Levels, All Episodes Unlocked

ENGADGET -- China Telecom looking to expand into US consumer market, eyes 2012 launch

MASHABLE -- 80% of Smartphone Users Multitask While Watching TV

MASHABLE -- Understanding Carrier IQ: The Most Detailed Explanation So Far

MASHABLE -- Sony to Launch Internet-Based TV Service?

358: Cars

2011-12-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

We'll be some big changes in cars in the next few years as some truly game-changing options start to appear like on-window GPS (Waze, get in on this!) and air-free tires.

ENGADGET -- BMW 3 Series gets 'full-color' heads-up display

ENGADGET -- Nissan Leaf EVs to join NYC taxis

ENGADGET -- The Detonator brings electric biking to bots, looks pretty bomb

ENGADGET -- Bridgestone rolls with air-free tire concept

ENGADGET -- Tesla Motors spills its guts for showroom tour, visitors wonder where the gas tank's hiding

357: Apple

2011-12-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Apple is on a roll and the rumors (mini iPad! TV!) continue to heat up.

MASHABLE -- Hidden iOS 5 Feature Offers Tons of Beautiful Emoticons

ENGADGET -- Apple's founding documents pull in $1.6 million at auction

ENGADGET -- Apple reportedly discussing its 'vision for the future of TV' with media execs

MASHABLE -- iTunes Match Goes Live Internationally

MASHABLE -- Apple Rumored to Release ‘iPad Mini’ in Late 2012

356: Advertising, Marketing, News and Media

2011-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

What would you pay for online access to every issue of Vogue? Probably not as much as they're charging. WordPress finally wakes up and realizes there's a big opportunity to make money awaiting it. And soon commercials won't be so loud (do people still watch them? We DVR everything.)

MASHABLE -- WordPress.com Intros Ad Program, Disses Google AdWords

INSIDE SEARCH -- Highlighting journalists on Google News

ENGADGET -- Ads will possess your phone using subliminal sound waves

MASHABLE -- 120 Years of 'Vogue,' Online for $1,575

MASHABLE -- FCC Mutes Loud TV Ads