My Relationship With RSS
Yesterday I posted my ramblings on media consumption and briefly mentioned that I'm doing an algorithm fast in 2026.
That was entirely enabled by RSS. Specifically, by using two RSS readers.
I've used RSS for a while. But, I've always found it to be a tool that led to overwhelm and forced me to keep my subscriptions list very thin.
In late 2025 when I realized I could keep my main reader (Feeder on Android (F-Driod)) for my sparce list of sources that I wanted to read every post from, and use a second reader (Capy Reader on Android (F-Droid)) for all of the loud sources that I wanted to keep up with but just skim headlines (so news, hackernews, and bear discovery). At the same time, I also discovered that YouTube channels are plug-and-play for most RSS readers. So, I began 2026 free from algorithms and infinite feeds!
But, it didn't last super long. My secondary reader still felt overwhelming and too much to keep up with. I gave up on it and moved back to scanning text.npr.org, hackernews, and bear discovery from my browser. This felt better. These pages are still (personalized) algorithm free and aren't infinitely scrollable. But, this was still a bit unsatisfying because I needed to manually check each page, and I was still vulnerable to feeling like I needed to constantly check things to make sure I didn't miss anything.
In combination with my ramblings from yesterday, I moved back to my secondary RSS reader, and cut out a lot of the news sources that were making it feel overwhelming.
Then this morning I checked my main reader and saw a post from The Old Man and the Screen. His article combines thoughts inspired from my post and Terry Godier's new RSS reader Current.
Naturally, before reading The Old Man's article, I read about the new app.
And oh, my goodness.
I love it! It's exactly the tool I've always wanted.
Terry's metaphor of content being a river with velocity where things come and go is amazing. It feels natural and intuitive.
No notes.
Well. I have one note. And, I guess it's a big one. It's Apple only. :(
As a Linux and Android user who uses, as much as possible, free and open source software I can't actually use my dream information consumption tool.
I'd be fine using (and paying for) this proprietary tool, but I can't even do that. I'm not willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars joining the Apple cult just for a single app.
Here's to hoping Current comes to Android, and here's to dreaming an open source version/clone comes to F-Droid.
But now let's see what The Old Man has to say.
He gives a great run down on the purpose and function of RSS, though he has a different take on Current than I do, sort of.
He's absolutely correct in stating that Current's extra layer of automatic curation is disrupting the purity of RSS.
But... Maybe there is no but. Maybe again he has the wise take I need.
In his response to my article, he clarifies the information/nicotine connection in a way I really like.1 It's partially about the negative effect these habits have on us, but it's also about how they consume our most precious resource, time.
I turn to media when I don't have energy to do anything else or can't sit with boredom.
I like Current because it lets me keep the addict behavior without the burnout of unread count obligation. My main RSS reader, tailored for intentionality, doesn't let me mindlessly consume. I like Current because it lets me have my habit and feel better about it. Current makes me think I could have my addiction under control.
Maybe it's a good thing Current is Apple only.
I like The Old Man's metaphor:
if news is cigarettes, RSS might be a calabash pipe,
I'll extend it and call Current a cigar.
For now I think I'll just stick to my pipe, my main reader.
Maybe I'll see what it's like kicking the habit all together.2
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