I (feed) read, so you don't have to

I spend a lot of free time during the day surfing through my Google Reader and I come across a plethora of Web sites, stories, links and videos that I otherwise would never see. If you don't use Google Reader or another RSS feed reader, what are you waiting for? For the uninitiated, it's a fantastic way to aggregate the new content of Web sites that you check on a regular basis. Rather than using bookmarks or favorites to visit each site individually, your RSS reader will show you which of your favorite sites have new content and provide you with summaries and links to that content. Click here for more basic info about RSS. Like so many Google products, Google Reader will change your life if you let it.

In the mean time, enjoy the fruits of my labor with some interesting links I discovered today.

Brother, can you spare a dime?
This guy can't. He somehow landed the job of carrying the world's most expensive dime across the country. The saga of the $1.9 million dollar dime is laughable enough on its own, but the reporter decided to use a somewhat strange tone and included such winning lines (not quotes, mind you) as "Feigenbaum did not actually take the dime out of his briefcase, as it is suspicious to stare at dimes." I was not aware of this.

InDecision 2008
Don't know your Huckabee from a hole in the ground? Print out this handy chart to see who's running and what they stand for. Surprisingly, some key candidates are listed as "unknown" on some key issues. Journalists, isn't it your job to help fill in these blanks? Get busy.

Facebook Foibles
Poor Caroline Giuliani. She simply attempts the 21st century version of rebelling against her Dad and now the whole country is scrutinizing her Facebook profile. But you know what? I don't really care if she's "One Million Strong For Barack." All I really care about is whether or not she "will go slightly out of her way to step on that crunchy-looking leaf." Let's stick to the issues here.

More Love for Google
Lifehacker (awesome site with tips and shortcuts for computing and life in general)chimes in with a link to a Google Cheat Sheet that includes a list of all the Google products, as well as "advanced search operators" that help you improve your search results and find exactly what you're looking for. Check out the section for using Google to find (free) music and movie files that are just sitting on people's Web sites, waiting for you to find them.

To see more, click on the "Matt's Shared Items" link on the right side of this page. I frequently update that as I come across links that I like. Also, if you have any suggestions for RSS feeds that will rock my world, tell me about it in the comments.