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RSS Bandit + Google Reader

I use a program called RSS Bandit to track all my RSS feeds. It lets me upload the read/unread status of all my feeds to a central server and then pull that status down to other machines to sync up. It's a manual process, but it's a nice way to get a good rich UI application synchronized across multiple machines.

The latest version makes syncing even easier. It uses Google Reader as the middle man. It's similar to checking your email with Outlook instead of using the web mail equivalent. Anything you do in RSS Bandit gets done in Google Reader so no matter where you are or whether you use RSS Bandit or Google Reader, all your feeds are the same and it knows which items you've already read. Very nice! I've never been a big fan of the Google Reader interface and definitely prefer the RSS Bandit application. This gives me the best of both worlds.

Most of you know that I'm a pretty big Live Search supporter. It only makes sense to support the company that pays me. I admit that in the beginning it was pretty bad, but now I'd say it's at least on par with Google, if not more advanced in some areas. Anyway, I always try to use the Microsoft offering, but in areas where we don't have an offering, I reluctantly log into Google. Do you like how I have to rationalize this to myself?