I was doing my morning trawl through my rss feeds on my favorite aggregator, Bloglines, when I saw the above picture on the Consumerist’s feed. I will talk about Bloglines and the Consumerist in a second. First, why did this picture take me aback? Because when I was a freshman in college I received a care package from my then-girlfriend Rachel and my friends Marty Quinn! (yes, the “!” is part of the name) and Andrew Mayan that contained pictures of them screwing around with a Ronald McDonald bench statue, and one of the pics was identical to the one above. I will try and find that picture and post it here for comparison.

Now, Bloglines. If you use rss feeds, skip this paragraph, if you do not know what I am talking about, prepare to have your internet browsing world changed forever. Over a year ago I started using Bloglines to subscribe to rss feeds. Rss stands for ‘really simple syndication’, and it is just that; a way to subscribe to content that is really easy. Podcasts are rss feeds with video. Most websites now have an rss feed or two that allows you to get all the new content without visiting their site (this very blog has one, look on the right sidebar). Bloglines is one of hundreds of rss feed aggregators, basically these are applications that allow you to see all of your favorite feeds in one place. Bloglines is a web-based aggregator, which means you can go to the site, log in, and view your feeds from any computer. I prefer this to other methods because I use so many computers, and installing a feed reader or setting it up on each computer is just not really feasible. Ok, so how does that change the way one browses the internet? Simple, I only visit one website directly, and it shows me all the new things that have been added to the other sites I enjoy. All the info in one easy place, and only what I have not already read. Its genius. Of course I click on stories and that opens new tabs (If you don’t use tabbed browsing you’re a schmuck) so I do visit other sites, but everything is in one place, and instead of surfing around all day, I can look over at Bloglines while my computers rendering or what have you, scroll down a few items, and return to work.

Now, the Consumerist. They are a fantastic consumer advocacy blog that has done some great things. They were huge in getting the AOL retention scandal into the spotlight, and may have had a big hand in AOL’s recent implosion. I read their feed every day, and I cannot recommend them enough. They also may have had a big hand in bringing Hasbro to their knees over the Oozinator, if nothing else they are the place for Oozinator mockery. They were even nice enough to post our own Splooginator video, for which I am very thankful. Go show them some love.