Sharpening the Lens: How I Reclaimed My Information Diet with RSS
Every day, we’re faced with a firehose of information. Algorithmic feeds on social media and news platforms promise to show us what’s important, but it often feels like they’re optimizing for outrage, distraction, or someone else's agenda. The result is a sense of informational whiplash—drowning in noise while suspecting we’re missing the signal.
A few years ago, I decided to consciously step off this treadmill. I didn't disconnect entirely, but I changed how the information came to me. My solution was a piece of technology that’s been around for over two decades, yet feels more relevant than ever: the RSS feed.
The Four Freedoms of RSS
RSS, or "Really Simple Syndication," lets you "subscribe" to websites directly. Using an app called a feed reader, you get all the new posts from your chosen sources in one clean, chronological dashboard. It’s a simple concept, but its benefits are profound.
- Freedom from the Algorithm: This is the most important one. With RSS, there is no secret algorithm deciding what you should see. You subscribe to what you value, and you see it all, in the order it was published. You become the editor-in-chief of your own news feed. No rage-bait, no promoted posts, no content that vanished because the platform decided you weren't "engaging" enough.
- Freedom from Distraction: Social media is designed to be a slot machine of likes, comments, and retweets. An RSS reader is a calm, focused space. It’s just the content—the article, the essay, the research—stripped of the distracting social scaffolding. It’s a space built for reading and thinking, not reacting.
- Freedom from Digital Amnesia: Ever try to find a great article you scrolled past on a feed days ago? It’s often impossible. With an RSS reader, everything from your subscriptions is saved, searchable, and organized. You don't "miss" things. You can read them when you're ready, building a personal library of ideas that matter to you.
- Freedom to Support the Open Web: Subscribing to a writer's RSS feed is a small but meaningful vote for the independent web. It builds a direct connection between you and the creator, bypassing the giant platforms that control content distribution and take a cut of the value
How to Get Started (It's Easy)
- Get a Feed Reader: There are many great options available online. I personally use Slack, which isn't built specifically for RSS, but it does include an RSS feature that shows the feed in chats
- Find the Feed: Search RSS Finder and input the website URL.
My Current Lens: A Tour of My Subscriptions
To give you an idea of what's possible, this is the feed I've curated for myself. It’s heavily skewed towards technology (especially AI), rational thinking, and finance.
Here is my current subscription list, organized by category.
Category | Title | Introduction | RSS URL |
AI & Machine Learning | AI Futures Project | Explores the future of artificial intelligence and its societal impact. | |
AI & Machine Learning | Apple Machine Learning Research | Official research publications from Apple on machine learning and AI. | |
AI & Machine Learning | Epoch AI | Blog | Research and analysis on AI progress, trends, and forecasting. |
AI & Machine Learning | Google DeepMind Blog | Updates and research from the forefront of artificial intelligence at Google DeepMind. | |
AI & Machine Learning | Hamel's Blog | A machine learning engineer's insights on building AI products and practical MLOps. | |
AI & Machine Learning | Lil'Log | In-depth explorations of machine learning concepts and research. | |
AI & Machine Learning | METR | Focuses on the evaluation and understanding of advanced AI systems and their potential risks. | |
AI & Machine Learning | Forethought | Discusses AI-powered solutions for customer service and knowledge management. | |
Rationality & Forecasting | Astral Codex Ten | Scott Alexander's blog on rationality, science, medicine, and futurism. | |
Rationality & Forecasting | Don't Worry About the Vase | Zvi Mowshowitz's blog with extensive weekly AI updates and analysis on various topics. | |
Rationality & Forecasting | Forecasting | A substack dedicated to the art and science of making accurate predictions. | |
Rationality & Forecasting | LessWrong | A community blog focused on refining human rationality and decision-making. | |
Rationality & Forecasting | Overcoming Bias | Robin Hanson's blog on moving beliefs closer to reality by tackling cognitive biases. | |
Rationality & Forecasting | Samotsvety Forecasting | A forecasting group's blog detailing their predictions on various global and technological events. | |
Rationality & Forecasting | Slate Star Codex | The original influential blog by Scott Alexander on rationality and a wide range of topics. | |
Technology & Startups | 阮一峰的网络日志 | A popular Chinese blog covering technology, web development, and current affairs. | |
Technology & Startups | Data & Analytics Archives - Building Nubank | Insights into the data and analytics practices at the financial technology company Nubank. | |
Technology & Startups | Y Combinator Blog | Official blog of the startup accelerator, with advice for founders and news from the startup world. | |
Technology & Startups | Simon Willison's Weblog | A weblog focused on software development, data journalism, and web architecture. | |
Technology & Startups | Paul Graham: Essays | Influential essays on startups, technology, and programming from the co-founder of Y Combinator. | |
Technology & Startups | ★❤✰ Vicki Boykis ★❤✰ | A machine learning engineer's blog on recsys, MLOps, and the tech industry. | |
Technology & Startups | ZhiZhi Gewu | A Chinese-language blog about technology, startups, and personal growth. | |
Economics & Finance | Marcel’s FinTech LATAM Newsletter | A newsletter covering the financial technology landscape in Latin America. | |
Economics & Finance | Musings on Markets | Finance professor Aswath Damodaran's blog on valuation, corporate finance, and the news. | |
Economics & Finance | What's New With Episode Six | News and updates from a company providing modern payment and ledger technology. | |
Science & Philosophy | Bayesian Spectacles | A blog exploring topics through the lens of Bayesian reasoning and probability. | |
Science & Philosophy | Shtetl-Optimized | Scott Aaronson's blog on quantum computing, computational complexity, and physics. | |
Science & Philosophy | Steve Brunton's Lab | Research focused on data-driven discovery and control of complex dynamical systems. | |
Science & Philosophy | Stephen Wolfram Writings | Essays on computational thinking, physics, AI, and the nature of reality. | |
Science & Philosophy | What's new | Fields Medalist Terence Tao's blog on his current research and other mathematical topics. | |
Science & Philosophy | Variance Explained | A blog focused on statistics, data analysis, and making sense of data. | |
Broad Commentary & Geopolitics | ChinaTalk | Explores the intersection of China, technology, and US-China relations through podcasts and articles. | |
Broad Commentary & Geopolitics | Cold Takes | Thoughtful and distanced views on current events, culture, and analysis. | |
Broad Commentary & Geopolitics | Gates Notes | Bill Gates's personal blog sharing his thoughts on philanthropy, technology, and global issues. | |
Broad Commentary & Geopolitics | The Power Law | Peter Wildeford's Substack about exponential technology and its collision with human systems. | |
Broad Commentary & Geopolitics | Spencer Greenberg | A podcast about ideas that matter, covering psychology, society, science, and technology. | |
Singapore Real Estate | EdgeProp.sg - EdgeProp Singapore | A portal for Singapore property news, market trends, and real estate analytics. |
