The 617 blog now has an RSS feed, which is very pleasing. And they have been linked through Matthew Yglesias’s blog, so there should be a few people trampling through their corner of webspace soon.

The utility of RSS feeds is that it lets those of us with an RSS reader know when there’s been a new post. What’s an RSS reader? Well, it’s a program like FeedReader. What’s FeedReader? Over to them…

Feedreader is a freeware Windows application that reads and displays Internet newsfeeds aka RSS feeds based on XML.

It supports all major RSS formats – 0.9, 0.91, 1.0 and various extensions such as Dublin Core and Slashback. Feedreader utilizes advanced caching methods to reduce bandwitch usage, making the program ideal for mobile communication.

FeedReader’s display is much like Outlook Express, so the effect of having it is much like getting an email any time a blog you’re following is updated. The only downside is that the blog has to have an RSS feed, and now 617 has such a feed. (My feed is here, in case you’re wondering.)

FeedReader is freeware, but if you like it I’m sure they wouldn’t object to small donations to keep upgrading the product.
In other news, I’ve added a reading list to the right-hand column. If the pictures mess up the display let me know and I’ll try and tinker with it. It looks fine on my display, but previously there’s been some problems with pictures on Macs.

And if you want to buy any of those books, if you do so by clicking through the links on the right (each of the pictures is linked to that books page on Amazon), I get a small commission. Not that I actually need the money being a rather well-paid Ivy League professor and all, but if you were buying the books anyway, wouldn’t you rather have some of the $$ go to me rather than the Amazon empire?!