1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,040 Welcome to the deep dive. You know, in today's world, keeping up with news and info 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:05,600 online, 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:10,720 it can feel like trying to drink from a fire hose, right? Oh, absolutely. It's just 4 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:11,520 this constant 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:16,000 flood. Overwhelming is definitely the word. Yeah, exactly. How do you actually stay 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:16,640 informed on the 7 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:21,680 things you care about without just drowning in it all? It's a real puzzle. And that 8 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:22,400 feeling of 9 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,970 just being bombarded. I think most people feel that way. Totally. Which brings us 10 00:00:26,970 --> 00:00:27,600 to why we're 11 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,900 doing this deep dive. We're looking at a tool designed to, well, put you back in 12 00:00:31,900 --> 00:00:32,720 the driver's 13 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:39,170 seat. Today, it's tiny, tiny RSS or key TRS. Right. Think of it as maybe your 14 00:00:39,170 --> 00:00:39,920 personal command 15 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,620 center for news. Exactly. A highly organized one. And our info today, it comes 16 00:00:43,620 --> 00:00:44,480 straight from the 17 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:48,740 source, the project's GitHub repository and their official website. Yeah. Those are 18 00:00:48,740 --> 00:00:49,360 really the best 19 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,780 places to get the facts on what it is and what it can actually do for you. Okay. 20 00:00:53,780 --> 00:00:54,720 But before we dive 21 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,880 right in, just a quick word about the supporter of this deep dive, safe server. 22 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:01,200 Safe server provides 23 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,820 hosting for exactly this kind of software and they support your digital 24 00:01:04,820 --> 00:01:06,960 transformation. You can find 25 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:14,320 out more at www to safe server dot de. Good to know. So our mission today is pretty 26 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:15,120 straightforward. 27 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:20,070 We want to break down what tiny, tiny RSS is, why it could be really useful for 28 00:01:20,070 --> 00:01:21,040 staying informed, 29 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,370 especially if you're someone who likes to learn efficiently. And we want to make it, 30 00:01:24,370 --> 00:01:24,640 you know, 31 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:29,470 so easy to grasp, even if you've never touched anything like this before. Perfect. 32 00:01:29,470 --> 00:01:30,000 So let's kick 33 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:35,300 things off. Fundamentally, what is tiny, tiny RSS? Okay. So in simple terms, it's 34 00:01:35,300 --> 00:01:36,880 basically a website. 35 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:42,130 Well, a web application that you run yourself. It lets you read and organize news 36 00:01:42,130 --> 00:01:42,560 from all your 37 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,380 favorite websites. So it brings the news to you. Exactly. All in one place. It uses 38 00:01:46,380 --> 00:01:46,960 these things 39 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:51,530 called RSS feeds and Adam feeds to automatically collect the latest updates. Okay. 40 00:01:51,530 --> 00:01:52,320 RSS and Adam 41 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,800 feeds. Let's pause there. For someone totally new, what are those like, uh, website 42 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:57,440 subscriptions? 43 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,520 That is a great way to put it. Imagine your favorite sites have this, um, special 44 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:02,000 background 45 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,620 update channel. When they post something new, they also send out a little notice on 46 00:02:05,620 --> 00:02:06,240 this channel, 47 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:11,240 this feed. Ah, okay. And a feed reader like tiny, tiny RSS subscribes to those 48 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:12,480 channels for you. 49 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,400 It's just sits there and gathers all the new articles or posts as they come out, 50 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,240 like getting a personalized newspaper delivered made up only of the sources you 51 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:20,560 picked. 52 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,240 That makes total sense. So I'm building my own custom news stream basically. 53 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:29,040 Now you said it's self hosted. What does that actually mean for the average person? 54 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:29,920 Not a tech 55 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:34,420 expert. Right. Self hosted means you install and run the software usually on a web 56 00:02:34,420 --> 00:02:35,040 server. You 57 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,120 control instead of using a service run by some big company, like having your own 58 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:39,760 bookshelf, 59 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,270 instead of using the public library. Exactly like that. The big advantage is 60 00:02:43,270 --> 00:02:44,160 control 61 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:49,300 your data, your reading habits. They stay with you. It boosts your privacy because 62 00:02:49,300 --> 00:02:50,080 well, there's no 63 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,270 third party tracking what you read for their own purposes. I see. So if owning your 64 00:02:54,270 --> 00:02:55,040 data matters, 65 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,440 this is a big plus. A huge plus for many people. Yes. And I also saw it's free and 66 00:02:59,440 --> 00:02:59,920 open source 67 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:04,350 software. What's the significance of that? Why should I care? Well, free means 68 00:03:04,350 --> 00:03:05,040 obviously 69 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,640 it doesn't cost money to use the software itself. Open source means the actual 70 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:09,600 computer code it's 71 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:15,360 built with is available for anyone to look at, use, even change if they want to. 72 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:16,560 And that usually 73 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:21,240 leads to a strong community. People use it, find bugs, suggest improvements, even 74 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:22,320 help develop it. 75 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,510 It's more transparent and often more trustworthy because of that openness, kind of 76 00:03:26,510 --> 00:03:27,120 a collective 77 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:32,340 effort. Got it. Free tool, community support. I host it myself. Total control over 78 00:03:32,340 --> 00:03:33,040 my news. 79 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:38,840 Okay. Let's connect this back to that feeling of being overwhelmed. How does TTRs 80 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:39,360 actually help 81 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,960 manage the information flood? What are the killer features for say our learner 82 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:44,720 persona? 83 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,320 One of the biggest things right off the bat is organization. You can create folders 84 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:48,720 and folders 85 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,600 within folders, subfolders. So you follow tech, maybe some finance blogs, cooking 86 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:53,920 sites. You can 87 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,240 put each category in its own neat little box. No more giant messy list of 88 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:58,320 everything all at once. 89 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,340 That already sounds way more manageable. What else helps keep things, you know, 90 00:04:02,340 --> 00:04:02,640 sane? 91 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,690 Well, we mentioned aggregation, pulling everything together, but there's also 92 00:04:05,690 --> 00:04:07,040 something called OPML 93 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:12,240 import and export. OPML? What's that? It's like a standard format for lists of feed 94 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:13,360 subscriptions. 95 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,600 So if you're already using another news reader or you find a curated list somewhere, 96 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,000 you can usually export it as an OPML file. Then boom, you import that into tiny, 97 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:23,120 tiny RSS 98 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,440 and all your subscriptions are there. No need to add hundreds of sites one by one. 99 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:31,630 Okay, that's a huge time saver, especially if you're switching over. What about 100 00:04:31,630 --> 00:04:32,160 sharing? 101 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,640 If I find a gem, can I easily send it to someone? 102 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,640 Yeah, definitely. There are multiple ways. You can get a unique URL for an article 103 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:39,280 to share. 104 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:44,000 There are plugins, add-ons that can connect to social media if you want to post 105 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:44,560 something there. 106 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,320 You can even export certain feeds you've curated yourself. Lots of options. 107 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:52,320 Nice. And you mentioned plugins and themes too. Sounds like customization. 108 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:56,160 Exactly. Plugins add extra functionality, maybe things like specific sharing 109 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:57,840 options or integrations. 110 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:01,760 Themes change how it looks, the colors, the layout. So you can really make it feel 111 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:03,040 like your space. 112 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:09,530 Okay. Another feature that caught my eye was embedding full article content. How 113 00:05:09,530 --> 00:05:09,840 does that 114 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:15,840 help streamline things? This is really useful. It often uses something called readability, 115 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:19,830 or specific instructions for certain websites. Instead of just showing you a 116 00:05:19,830 --> 00:05:20,800 headline and maybe 117 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,640 the first paragraph, forcing you to click. Click out to the original site. 118 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:29,840 Right. It tries to grab the entire article and display it right there inside tiny, 119 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:30,720 tiny RSS, 120 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:35,760 cleanly formatted. It means much less clicking around, less distraction. 121 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,320 You can just read through your stuff much faster. 122 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,600 That sounds brilliant. Cuts down on tab clutter too, I bet. 123 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,280 What about seeing the same story from five different sources? That gets old fast. 124 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:49,520 It does. And TTRS has a really clever feature for that called deduplication. 125 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:50,640 Deduplication. Okay. 126 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:54,690 It actively tries to identify articles that are basically the same, even if the 127 00:05:54,690 --> 00:05:55,520 wording is 128 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:59,520 slightly different. Sometimes you can compare images and it hides the duplicates. 129 00:05:59,520 --> 00:05:59,920 So you only 130 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:03,120 see that news item once. Really respects your time. 131 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,880 Very smart. I also saw keyboard shortcuts listed. That's always a plus for 132 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:08,000 efficiency fans. 133 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,600 Oh yeah. If you like to keep your hands on the keyboard, you can navigate, 134 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:15,440 mark things as read, star items, all much faster using shortcuts. 135 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,280 Big productivity boost for some people. And it even handles podcasts. 136 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:23,760 It can, yes. You can add podcast feeds, just like news feeds, and manage them 137 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:24,400 within the same 138 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:28,170 interface. Listen to episodes, keep track. It brings your text and audio 139 00:06:28,170 --> 00:06:29,520 information together. 140 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,960 Wow. Okay. That's actually quite a comprehensive feature set. 141 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:38,000 Now let's touch on the technical side, but keep it simple. It mentions PHP and AJAX. 142 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,120 What does a beginner need to understand about those? 143 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:46,000 You really don't need to understand them deeply to use it. But think of PHP as the 144 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:46,560 language the 145 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,800 software is written in. It runs on the web server. AJAX is a technique websites use 146 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:51,440 to feel more 147 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:52,880 interactive. How so? 148 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,920 Like when new articles appear in your list without the whole page needing to 149 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:56,960 refresh and flicker, 150 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,020 that smoothness that's often AJAX at work. It just makes the user experience feel a 151 00:07:01,020 --> 00:07:01,840 bit slicker. 152 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:05,680 Okay, standard web stuff behind the scenes. What are the requirements? 153 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,600 Web server, database? That sounds like it could be a barrier. 154 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:11,120 It can sound intimidating, I get that. 155 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:11,760 Yeah. 156 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:16,000 Basically, you need a place online to run it. That's the web server. It needs PHP 157 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:16,640 installed on that 158 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,980 server, and it needs a database like a digital filing cabinet to store all your 159 00:07:20,980 --> 00:07:21,920 feeds, articles, 160 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:22,720 and settings. 161 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,280 So how does a beginner actually get that set up? 162 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:30,240 Well, many web hosting providers offer plans that already include PHP and a 163 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:30,800 database, 164 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:35,500 commonly MySQL or PostgreSQL, which T-Tarsase uses. You'd look for a host that 165 00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:36,640 supports those. 166 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,160 Often, they have control panels that might even help you install common software. 167 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,280 So check the hosting provider's features list, basically. 168 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,800 Exactly. And there's another option too, Docker. I saw that mentioned. 169 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,120 Right, Docker. What's the deal there? Is that easier? 170 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:51,440 It can be for certain people. 171 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,920 Docker is like putting the entire application and everything it needs into a self-contained 172 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:56,240 box, 173 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:01,520 a container. If you have a server that can run Docker, deploying T-Tars this way 174 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:01,680 can 175 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,360 sometimes simplify the setup because it bundles everything together neatly. 176 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:09,040 It's maybe a step up technically from shared hosting, but it's very popular now. 177 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,720 Okay, good to know there are different paths. So if someone's listened to all this 178 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:13,200 and thinks, 179 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,160 hmm, maybe I should try this, where do they start? 180 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:22,880 Best place is the official website, ttrs.org, tt-rss.org. 181 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:23,360 Okay. 182 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,800 You'll find everything there, detailed guides on installation for different setups, 183 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,080 frequently asked questions, the lot. 184 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:35,520 Is there a way to just kick the tires, see what it looks like without installing 185 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:36,000 anything? 186 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,240 Yes, absolutely. They offer a public demo instance. You can log in right on their 187 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:40,560 website. 188 00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:44,400 The login is usually demo for the username and demo for the password. 189 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:44,880 Oh, cool. 190 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,040 You can click around, add feeds, see how the interface feels. 191 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,000 Just be aware it resets regularly, like every few hours, 192 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,400 so anything you do there won't be saved long term. 193 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:54,960 But it's perfect for a no-commitment trial run. 194 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,320 That's fantastic. A try before you install option. 195 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,200 What if you do install it and get stuck or have questions? 196 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,400 The community forums are your friend there, linked from the main website. 197 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,360 Lots of helpful users, and the developer hangs out there too. 198 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:11,600 You can ask for help, report bugs, share tips. It's a really supportive community. 199 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:16,480 Great. And it seems like the project is alive and kicking, actively developed. 200 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:20,640 Oh yes, very much so. You can see the development activity on GitLab is constantly 201 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:21,680 being improved. 202 00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:25,200 And because it's open source, there are ways for people to contribute back too, 203 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,560 like helping translate it into other languages or, if you're a coder, submitting 204 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:30,320 improvements. 205 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:32,640 Right, that whole community aspect again. 206 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,160 Okay, let's start to wrap this up. 207 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,920 For that person feeling totally swamped by online information, 208 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:39,840 what's the single biggest takeaway? 209 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,160 Why consider tiny, tiny RSS? 210 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,520 I think it really boils down to one word, control. 211 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,680 You get to decide what you see, when you see it, and how it's presented. 212 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:53,680 It's about shifting from being passively fed information by algorithms 213 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:56,800 to actively curating your own intelligent news flow. 214 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,600 Taking back control, making it efficient, making it private. 215 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:04,240 Exactly. It turns information consumption from a chore, potentially, 216 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,960 into a more focused, less noisy, and hopefully more insightful activity. 217 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:11,520 It might have a bit of a technical hurdle to get started, 218 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,080 compared to just using, say, a social media feed. 219 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,200 True. There's a set-up step involved, if you self-host. 220 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:19,840 But the payoff sounds like a significantly calmer, 221 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,000 more personalized reading experience. 222 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,560 That's the goal, absolutely. And with that demo, 223 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:27,680 you can judge the interface part for yourself very easily. 224 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:29,680 So, here's a thought to leave you with. 225 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:34,640 Imagine having all the news, blogs, updates, everything you genuinely care about, 226 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,720 all gathered in one place. Filtered, organized just for you, 227 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,640 completely free from the noise and bias of platform algorithms. 228 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,480 What kind of connections might you make? 229 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,320 What deeper insights could you uncover 230 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:48,800 when you're truly directing your own information stream? 231 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:49,760 Something to think about. 232 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,280 Definitely. You can find out more about Tiny Tiny RSS 233 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,040 and try that demo over at tt-rss.org. 234 00:10:57,040 --> 00:10:59,680 tt-rss.org. 235 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,880 And finally, a huge thanks again to Safe Server 236 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,600 for supporting this deep dive into better information management. 237 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:07,520 You can learn more about their hosting solutions 238 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,080 and how they can assist with your digital transformation 239 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,480 at www.safeserver.de.