When it comes to cutting edge tech, I know some people feel that the drum beat to use what's new and improved can get a little loud and too proud. I still have freinds and acquaintances who have as yet bought a dvd or dvd player, of course video ditributors are still banking on them. And I have to confess that I still have in my possession some 8-track tapes, but then I'm dating myself as partially retro-age.

As a source for daily or recurring news and info that you want to read on a constant basis with all the sources out there comes the most dreaded side effect called spam. Most people would rather do without than to have to clean their in-box or use a browser with incessant popups getting in the way in order to find info or read the latest news.

Simple solution that is virtually spam-free - RSS or webfeeds, I can hear the cutting edge naysayers shanking their heads vigoroursly. But, let's look at two sources for news and info to see if we can win the argument.

RSS and television are our two sources for this comparison. The two are used for receiving info that is new or updated regularly. Television news is broadcast wirelessly everywhere for you to change channels when it suits the remote control in your hand. RSS/webfeeds are broadcast using XML, Atom or RSS tech with the added feature of you setting the channel for what you want to read or receive. Television news is now broadcast 24/7. RSS is delivered instantly as changes are broadcast over the Internet.

Some don't understand the tech behind RSS and avoid using it to recieve spam free news. Email news is 2-way as it is used to send and receive info, RSS is one way - you get what you ask for..and that's all. With email you have to climb thru all the other clutter of wanted and unwanted emails until you find news/info you can use for the day. RSS readers or aggregators display what is subscribed to for the day and dependent on the source can sometimes be updated several times a day.

Is RSS something I need? Maybe.

If you are on vacation and the flight you had scheduled has been cancelled, when would you like to find that out? You are planning a vacation and want to rent a compact or possibly upgrade - think it would be a good idea to know how many compacts are available or if any upgrades are available with and added savings for being a subscriber to their RSS feed?

With RSS the info is sent when needed, is not buried under other messages and still won't get blocked by a semi-concious spam filter.

My RSS reader is for numerous news subscriptions, notices from several websites that I visit regularly, blogs and press releases. The overly bloated email box is for clients, and family, especially for my college students who send me updates when their "investment" fund has run out of money.