Google Reader died in 2013, a moment that many Very Online rue. Google killed a service that was able to connect people easily to all of the information sources that they wanted to follow, and even if there wasn’t a social network, or monetizable ads, or anything like that, it was a very useful service.… Continue reading I’m going back to RSS (for now)
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How to use Companies House to search for UK private company filings
In addition to being a prospect researcher, I have been a desktop Linux user for the past 15 years. Over that time, I have used many of the most popular distributions, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, Debian, Linux Mint, and more. However, right now I am back on Ubuntu, which is probably the most… Continue reading How to use Companies House to search for UK private company filings
Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority compels arbitration between Bell’s Brewery and Loveland
Starting in January, beer drinkers around Richmond noticed that the beers of Bell’s Brewery, known for favorites such as Oberon and Two Hearted Ale, where no longer appearing on the shelves of grocery stores or at restaurants. Later, in February, we learned that the loss of Bell’s was not just limited to Virginia, but also… Continue reading Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority compels arbitration between Bell’s Brewery and Loveland
Host your podcast on the Internet Archive for free
Finding a good place to host your podcast can be a struggle; the struggle is doubled if you want to find a place to do so for free. I have been producing Filibuster, the premier podcast about D.C. United, for the past 4 years, and in that time we have switched hosting providers twice (and… Continue reading Host your podcast on the Internet Archive for free
This is what happens when you cut a library’s budget
As I talked about in my letter to the Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, and the Secretary of Education, Dietra Trent, the Library of Virginia has been forced to make massive and devastating budget cuts, which account for 12% of their total staff being laid off. The other shoe has now dropped: the Library will… Continue reading This is what happens when you cut a library’s budget
My letter to Terry McAuliffe and Dietra Trent about the importance of the Library of Virginia
Below is a letter that I wrote to Governor Terry McAuliffe and Secretary of Education Dietra Trent about the proposed layoffs at the Library of Virginia. 26 state employees have to be laid off state-wide, and out of that number 15 are currently proposed to come from the Library of Virginia. It is unfair, inequitable,… Continue reading My letter to Terry McAuliffe and Dietra Trent about the importance of the Library of Virginia
Using a Western Digital My Passport Ultra on Linux
I’ve been trying to build a home file server, mostly to store backups, using a Raspberry Pi and a Western Digital My Passport Ultra as the main storage unit. For years, I used an old Compaq desktop tower as my backup computer, but the fact that it won’t turn on and the fact that it… Continue reading Using a Western Digital My Passport Ultra on Linux
Hosting your website on a Raspberry Pi
A couple of years ago, I hosted this website and a couple others on my first-generation Raspberry Pi. However, it didn’t quite have enough power to even support my light usage, and so I went over to DreamHost (started with a very cheap promo deal, which went up to $120 in my second year). This… Continue reading Hosting your website on a Raspberry Pi
Prospect research as an alternative career for archivists and librarians
This is the text of a presentation as written that I gave at the Fall meeting of MARAC in Roanoke, Va., on October 9, 2015. I adlibbed some, but it is pretty close. My name is Ben Bromley and I am a development research analyst with Virginia Commonwealth University. While this may seem to be… Continue reading Prospect research as an alternative career for archivists and librarians
Various methods of creating podcasts
Having been the producer of Filibuster – The Black and Red United Podcast, for over 70 episodes, I have gone through a number of methods of recording, most of which have annoyed me in one way or another. People keep asking me, though, how we do this podcast, so I figured I would lay out… Continue reading Various methods of creating podcasts