why knowing is everything

i am delighted with google right now. finally, they have updated their RSS feed feature so that it will tell you exactly how many headlines you have waiting for you. before, if you had more than 100, it would give you a little "100+" nonsense, and make you whittle down your list under 100 to find out. WHAT BULLSHIT. i have to read 1,000+ headlines a day and i'd like to know how much progress i'm making. sure, it doesn't change the fact that i'm still going to read them all, but knowing how close to the end i am gives me a little kick in my step.

it's the same concept behind the countdowns on the metro. if you think about it, knowing how many minutes until the train comes is pretty useless. by the time you can see the electronic sign, you've already paid. you're already down there and it doesn't really change much of what you can do. but there's comfort in KNOWING that the train is 2/10/17 minutes away.

comfort in irrational things. the downfall of the human race.