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July Braindump

NPR API OMG

If you’ve seen me in person even once, odds are you’ve seen my Chicago Public Radio hat. I’m just a bit of a fanboy.

Imagine my surprise when I saw NPR come up in the ProgrammableWeb “New Programming APIs” RSS feed. But strewth, it’s true! So take a moment (if you are so inclined) and check out the NPR API Overview.

Some initial thoughts:

• ”The default format of the results is NPRML…” - Seriously? Your results are so different that they need their own markup language? Granted, it’s a subset of XML so it doesn’t sound too crazy, but that’s alarming.
• It has a lot of features to return queries against their story database as RSS feeds. That means you could theoretically set up some crazy feed that just gets stories that involve Barack Obama, oranges, and the movie Homeward Bound.
• “… audio from most NPR programs dating back to 1995.” Hot damn, thank you technology.

Another Reason I’m Not Playing WoW

Level 70 = 480 hours. At my probable rate of about three hours a week, I would make L70 in 37 months, with a total subscription fee of about $480 USD.

I think I’ll stick with Rescue: The Beagles.

On a side note, that blog, We Can Fix That With Data, is great. It combines interesting MMO facts with interesting statistical facts. It’s enjoyable if you enjoy either, a must-read if you enjoy both.