What’s going on in the wide world of blogs this week? Let’s find out.
Having recently flown across the Atlantic, I found Darren Barefoot‘s post on the best time to buy a plane ticket to be of particular interest. In his highly unscientific experiment, he found that the difference between buying three months in advance and buying the day before… was just $50. I’ve seen both bargain basement last minute deals and hugely expensive last minute fares, so I suppose it can go either way.
Speaking of travel, Buzz Bishop is leaving for Scotland this week and he plans on bringing four travel guides. These are actual printed books, though he’ll still have a series of apps on his iPhone for self-guided walking tours and so forth. He says that he still doesn’t trust digital, but I found for my trip that I relied far more on my smartphone than on the physical books we also brought along.
What about when you’re staying closer to home and trying to minimize your carbon footprint? This was on the mind of Karly Pinch as she and her partner were deciding on their wedding venue. They wanted to keep thing simple, hosting the ceremony and reception in the same place, and they wanted to keep environmental considerations in mind too. Local beer at a local brewery and restaurant that is easily accessible by public transport? Sounds like a win in my books, Karly!
What did you want to be when you grew up? Graeme McRanor wants you to read his essay on his lack of early aspirations, his misguided adventures through Mexico and how, now, he’s 42 and he just wants to “do everything because I don’t want to regret anything.” He’s right. Committing to a career while still in grade school “seemed like an awfully big decision.” I thought I was going to be an architect, but I guess I’m building something else these days.
You may have heard that Google Reader will be shutting down on July 1st. Sharon Hurley Hall explains how you can continue to read her blog when that happens. You can visit the site directly, of course, but you can also migrate to Feedly, get updates via email, or get the blog on Kindle. All three of these options are available for Beyond the Rhetoric too, as well as staying updated via Facebook and Twitter. I’m sad to see Google Reader go, but it’s not the end of the blogging world.
Thanks for including my post, Michael. You’re right, losing Google Reader isn’t the end of the world (even though it seemed like it at first). I’m a little more concerned about the possibility that Feedburner might disappear, though there are plenty of alternatives for that, too.