Via ReadWriteWeb.com’s Marshall Kirkpatrick, I learned about — and downloaded — a new “Adobe Air” application called Snackr that is total news-junkie crack. I’ve already had to turn it off because it’s one of those things that sucks out every last ounce of attention span your soul can muster.
It turns any OPML file (in this case, a file that lists the source URLs of RSS feeds) into an animated screen ticker that runs along any edge of your computer’s desktop. Imagine a stock ticker, but with news headlines from the web sources you’ve designated. At any point, you can click on the headline and ticker stops and reveals the summary excerpt of a post. (Later: Actually, the full feed is displayed — even more amazing.)
In other words, it’s like an RSS reader that is set up in a River of News mode, but in this case, the headlines are actually flowing.
On second thought, for those who attempt to describe RSS as a “push” technology, ala ““PointCast,” this will be your best example, so far.
On third thought, it turns every thing you follow online into something like a giant animated twitter feed.
It’s cool, but don’t download it. It’s crack, I tell you. It’s crack.
