Cell Surfing & Template Issues

As I've mentioned earlier, I'm not surfing on the computer much these days. Instead I loaded a whole bunch of URLs into my cell phone so I can surf whenever I've a moment waiting with the kids, etc. I can't post comments from the phone, but I do manage to keep up with nearly everyone.

There are a few interesting notes. Some custom templates will show up without background interference. CindyS and Jenster come to mind immediately. As do Marg and Karen. Some templates show up with :P all over the background (eyes closed, tongue out smileys). These are blogs with a slight background detail. The smileys render the text unreadable. KristieJ's blog does this. :( Other custom templates, like Tara's, only show her photos and no posts.

So the long and the short of it is- I am keeping up with you via cell if your blog's template cooperates with my phone. However, if you've a custom template it's iffy and I may only get to visit you once a week or whatever and only from an actual computer.

Speaking of RSS feeds- many US print media websites are behind the times. Slackers. Only one or two or three feeds. Max. The Brits are much better at this kind of stuff. For example- the NYT RSS feed only has one or two pages of links (5-10 articles). C.S. Monitor? No feeds. Might be my cheapie cell phone, but even so, I'm surprised the major U.S. print news outlets are so far behind. The digital (tv, cable, online only, etc) media are up with the times. BBC, IHT, etc. have signifigantly more content online. The mainline print outlets are going to go the way of the dinosaur if they don't keep up with the times more & better. London Review of Books has a monthly feed, even.

I guess I'm just a news junkie. But the good old boy new guys? They'd better hop on the bandwagon & quick, before the parade passes them by. The sad thing about all of this is, I'm not a digital native- by a long shot. The digital natives at my house only read an actual newspaper for one thing. The comics. Any news they get online or from the tv or from their phones.

Cell phone fun

So, you remember I said I'm not on the 'net much 'cuz of burnout? Ok, yesterday I discover my cell phone has RSS capability (at no extra charge! YAY!). Meaning, I can list a bunch of sites I want to keep track of & the phone stores it- saving me precious hunt & peck typing time, not to mention crackberry thumb (an authentic disorder, BTW). Unlike my Brother, living among the golden waves of grain, who could type 100+ wpm. Or at least, he claims he used to.

Anyhow, I've had fun entering sites & blogs & whatnot into my little phone so I can keep track of youse guys even while away from a full size 'puter. Only one or two hitches. One:I can't leave comments. The phone claims the sites have unauthenticated security certificates. Whatever. So, Jenster's adorable rant about her motormouth kid? Couldn't leave a sympathy comment. Two: some sites whose entries have hyperlinks won't come up. Example- Smartbitches won't come up either on the 'net (the phone surfs too) or on the RSS aggregator. However, Tara's blog comes up on both the RSS and on the phone's 'net fine even with hyperlinks (which work, BTW).

I'm not complaining. The phone was cheap (less than $100), as 'net capable phones go. So a glitch or two, here & there? No biggie. Son #2 has loaded Lemonade Tycoon onto it & plays it in the car. Also. The younger two kids have already beaten the other game (Tropical Madness) I put on it & now regularly beg me to pony up the $$$ for more games. Any reccs for cell phone games with great graphics? That my kids won't beat as soon as its loaded onto the phone?