--- title: "Remixing and Speculation on The Future of RSS" date: 2005-01-20 author: "Richard MacManus" categories: - name: "ReadWriteWeb" url: "/category/readwriteweb.md" tags: - name: "2005" url: "/tag/2005.md" --- # Remixing and Speculation on The Future of RSS Amazon DevCon is happening right now and happily the [Amazon Web Services Blog](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://aws.typepad.com/aws/) is [blogging it](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://aws.typepad.com/aws/2005/01/amazon_devcon_s.html) in “near-real-time” (hat-tip to [Greg Linden](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://glinden.blogspot.com/2005/01/peeking-in-at-amazon-developers.html) for linking to it). I haven’t browsed through all the notes from day 1 yet, but I feel compelled to post about [Rael Dornfest’s speech](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://aws.typepad.com/aws/2005/01/amazon_devcon_r_1.html) on the subject of “remix: beyond rip, mix, burn”. Some real gems in this… –> Rael: “Remixing requires good source, inspiration, skill, trial and error, magic, and some combinatorics.” I had to look up ‘combinatorics’. The [Wikipedia definition](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combinatorics) is too complex (but no doubt correct). I like this simpler, user-friendly, [definition of Combinatorics](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://www.uvm.edu/~dhowell/StatPages/Fundamentals/Glossary.html): “The branch of mathematics dealing with the number of different ways objects can be selected or arranged.” –> Rael on data remixing: “Remix your data. Scraping begat XML which begat APIs. Hacks led to standards which led to business opportunity. Syndicated ecommerce. Google/Amazon/Alexa, Amazon/eBay for buying and selling, etc. Creative commons, Salesforce, Blogger/Typepad, Technorati, Feedster, Bloglines. Delicious, feedburner, typekey. Glued with JavaScript, Perl, Python, PHP as glue. Lesson: There are parts of the platform that you don’t have to own.” –> The following has got to be the most concise attempt yet at explaining how blogging is impacting on journalism (and there have been a lot of non-concise attempts!): “Blogging \[is\] remixing journalism” –> On RSS: “RSS reinvented syndication, \[it’s\] not a remix. RSS is still an approximation of something, not sure where it will go. Tiny compared to where it will be. Everyone monetizes RSS. Perhaps a bubble already.” –> Finally, here’s the speech in a nutshell: “Rules for remixing: \* If it ain’t broke it soon will be \* Need to focus on why it is broken, how is not enough \* Look to the alpha geeks \* If you are an alpha geek, look to the consumer \* Remix even if you have no ear for music \* Keep it open and hackable \* Think of the end-to-end \* If it ain’t broke, it soon will be” ## Information Remixing Note that a lot of Rael’s speech referenced hacking, as befits a conference for Web Services developers. But the highlights I’ve picked out are just as relevant to *Information Remixing*, which is I guess my forte. I frequently talk about remixing (ref: a search of my blog [ for the word “remix”](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://www.google.com/custom?domains=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.readwriteweb.com&q=remix&sa=Search&sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.readwriteweb.com&client=pub-6582307370950827&forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GALT%3A%23008000%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23336699%3BVLC%3A663399%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3A336699%3BALC%3A000000%3BLC%3A000000%3BT%3A0000FF%3BGFNT%3A0000FF%3BGIMP%3A0000FF%3BFORID%3A1%3B&hl=en)). For example, take this excerpt from a post I wrote [nearly a year ago](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/001810.php): “We can mix and match RSS feeds as we (the “consumers”) see fit. Perhaps future generations of tools like [Blogdigger Groups](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://groups.blogdigger.com/) will allow us to mix and match microcontent, much like a DJ scratching a rap song on top of a Beatles melody.” In 2005 we’re starting to see tools that make such remixing of data possible – and that’s exciting. e.g. did you know that in [PubSub](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://www.pubsub.com/) you can create custom RSS feeds using [combinations of](https://web.archive.org/web/20060508061246/http://www.pubsub.com/booleanhelp.php) topics, people, sites, data types, and other things. ## Future of RSS – One Scenario Here’s a prediction from me on the future of RSS: in the not too distant future, more people will subscribe to **topic/tag/remix feeds** than feeds of actual people. Is that a scary thought? *Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/remixing_and_sp.php))*