Yesterday I switched my blog reader from Bloglines to Google Reader. (If you don’t use a blog reader or aren’t certain what one is, perhaps you’d find my short tutorial on blogs to be helpful.)
Four of my friends and former seminary classmates in Greenville just persuaded me. (They also happen to be bloggers: Brian Collins, Phil Gons, Matt Hoskinson, and Mark Ward.) After a day using Google Reader, I’m sold (though it took a little work to figure out how to set it up for maximum efficiency). The shortcuts are great, especially hitting the j-key to advance immediately from blog post to blog post.
Kudos to Google for another free first-class product.
Google : Internet :: kudzu : southeastern United States
Earlier this week in “Review article: PNTC, BECNT, and NIGTC in Libronix,” I referenced a 19-page review article I wrote earlier this year. Page 83 of that review includes a paragraph I’d like to follow up on:
“2. Readability: Electronic commentaries are more readable than print commentaries, especially those printed with tiny fonts (e.g., some footnotes). I frequently adjust the text’s font size depending on how far away I am from the screen and how tired my eyes are. I nearly always display the table of contents on the left side of the screen, which allows me to (1) see the logical flow of a commentary, (2) expand or collapse certain sections of the table of contents by clicking on the plus and minus symbols, and (3) jump directly to other sections. I also strongly prefer reading an electronic commentary on a large, good-quality LCD screen rather than a print commentary. At my home office, I currently connect a 22-inch LCD screen to my 17-inch laptop, which allows me to have multiple programs open on different screens. For example, when I am working through electronic commentaries, I prefer to have Libronix open on my 22-inch screen and other programs (Word, Outlook, Firefox, etc.) open on my 17-inch screen.”
Adding a second screen to a personal computer (laptop or desktop) is very easy to set up. For those using Microsoft Windows XP, plug the second screen’s cable into your computer, right-click on the desktop, and select Properties | Settings | monitor 2 | Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor. (For those using Vista, right-click on the desktop, and select Personalize | Display Settings | Monitor | Extend the desktop onto this monitor.) Then adjust the screen resolution to the right setting, which may involve a bit of trial and error. When the screen resolution for monitor 2 is right, click Apply | OK. (Cf. Microsoft’s directions.) I highly recommend this!
