Well, rather than celebrate freedom for a single day, I've been shooting for longer-term independence...from my computer. And wouldn't you know it, it's working. More time for my son, my wife, my sleep cycles, my reading habits, exercise (not nearly enough, but some is more than none). On the flip-side, less time for feeds, podcasts (although the commute provides ample time for that, I'm trying to mix in more music with my relentless "content consumption") and blogging.

Some time ago, I wrote about trying to reduce the number of subscribed feeds in my Bloglines login. It was at 220+ when I wrote that and I got it as low as 160. I am experiencing a bit of what I will call "feed creep" as that number has quietly climbed back to 174, largely due to my recent interest in Second Life.

Second Life was actually a big part of my need for independence. I found it totally consuming and I struggled to find balance between my so-called "first life" and this highly immersive and engaging environment. Initially unable to do so, I fled. And now I am hesitant to return, greatly enjoying my new-found freedom.

But while I battle my computing demons, the Carnival rolls on. Anali has Carnival of the Infosciences #43 waiting for you over at Grumpator. We took a break this week, but next week, the Carnival travels for the first time to InfoTangle. Ellyssa would love to get your submissions for next week by this Sunday at 6 PM. Send them to ellyssakroski (at) yahoo.com. Since there was no Carnival this week, consider the past two weeks open for consideration.

By the way, did anyone notice the Internet Spotlight column in Public Libraries magazine for May/June? Many thanks to Mr. Cohen for drawing some much-needed attention to our little traveling show.

I now return you to the silence.