About a year ago, I wrote how I had completely sworn off instant messaging, and how, despite its fast-rising user base, I had no intention of using Twitter. And so far, I haven't given in to the siren song. While I hadn't expected to ever gain a Facebook account, and eventually succumbed, Twitter has remained on my personal "Do Not Call" list.

Meanwhile, as I remain a Twitter luddite, others swear by it. I find myself occasionally checking in on the Twitter streams of friends and others like Allen Stern, MG Siegler, Steven Hodson and Robert Scoble. I see quick conversations they have with Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins and Hugh MacLoed and Jason Calacanis, as they share ideas, comment on the news of the day, and spam each other with the latest blog URLs. I see them Twittering from my FriendFeed and on my Spokeo.

Yet as far as Twitter is concerned, I don't exist. I'm not part of the conversation. Do I need to be? Or can I remain, as MG Siegler called me, an "Anti-Twittite"?

Last night, I wanted to write to Mark Hopkins at Mashable in response to an article he'd posted. But, without his e-mail or cell phone, the only way I could get through to him was through a public comment on his blog. I could have used Twitter... in theory, but then, I'd have to sign up just for that one off, and I expect it'd be a slippery slope before I started adding everybody I knew to follow, and began measuring my self worth in the numbers of people I followed or followed me on Twitter. Not good.

So I was this close to finally giving in and signing up, just like I gave in on Facebook. Just like I gave in on getting a Nintendo Wii after listing it in my Ten Geeky Technologies Not Coming to Our House post back in March of 2007, along with Del.icio.us and Flickr. But I didn't give in. This time. For I believe, outside of the occasional focused conversation, Twitter remains a noisy, ineffective tool for typical communication.

So... for those of you who swear by it. Tell me why I'm wrong. Please. Tell me how you use Twitter, and why I should join you. I'm listening.

Just ten days after we saw the debut of ReadBurner, a site which tabulates the most popular shared feed items from Google Reader and displays who is sharing them, we see yet another entrant into this space, as yet untapped by Google, in "Shared Reader".

The site's slogan? "What shared mosts in Google Reader makes sense".

The site debuted today. See: "SharedReader *beta Launched", where the author, Dennes B. Abing, writes, "SharedReader just burst out of nowhere." He also announced the launch by Twitter at 6 a.m. Pacific this morning, but with no followers so far, it's a wonder if anyone was listening.

While ReadBurner is now in "Public Alpha", Shared Reader says its in beta. While that typically means the development is further along in the process, Shared Reader, so far, looks to be trailing ReadBurner in total overall features. Over the last week, Alexander Marktl has separated feed items by language (English, Persian and Asian for now), has posted RSS feeds for popular items in each category (today, this week and all time), and has continued to hone the interface. Meanwhile, Shared Reader simply shows both "Recent" and "Popular" items, with the correct sharer, along with an entry form to add your shared items feed.

Despite the two sites' differing approaches and appearances, the early returns are similar. Shared Reader currently shows a post by Mihai Parparita on the Official Google Reader Blog, "There's a feed for that?!" as the most popular shared item, with 11 shares. ReadBurner shows the same item as most popular, with 16 shares. The second item is also the same between both sites, by Boing Boing, titled, "Ford: Car owners are pirates if they distribute pictures of their own cars".

Both sites also share some overlapping shared items feeds, contributing to the parallels, while it looks like ReadBurner's headstart has the site out in the lead in terms of total shares and feeds.

While ReadBurner and Shared Reader are working to give us the long-awaited answer to a single site that shows most shared items from Google Reader, acting in effect as a substitute for TechMeme or Digg, I wouldn't anticipate that others are standing still. Mario Romero, creator of the wildly popular FeedHeads application on Facebook, recently wrote me to say. "I've also been working on some new stuff...", which we're looking forward to. And I still expect Google Reader to finally come out of their shell and become the authority on this soon.

With pretty much all of prime-time TV on hiatus for the foreseeable future, we only have a few options as far as our TV watching goes. We could stop watching (not going to happen), we could lower our standards in regards to which shows we watch, pick up new shows, or start using our TiVo and Apple TV to pick up movies.

Luckily for us, Apple made that decision much more clear today - with the company finally announcing movie rentals on iTunes, months after we recognized the market opportunity for Apple to crush Netflix. Making the announcement even better yet, the update is free, even for us "Version 1.0" Apple TV owners.

Steve Jobs said Apple had failed in bringing Web video to the big screen. As we'd said many times before, he said customers wanted movie rentals. We didn't want to buy our films. We wanted to watch them once, and throw them away. Today's announcement offers exactly that - and we can make our selections via Apple TV, without ever needing to download directly onto our computers.

Now, we've gone from having no good new content on our TV to a seeming infinite, near-instant repository for quality films. While we haven't yet updated our Apple TV to get there, we already recognize the benefits. And while Apple made many other announcements today, covering the iPhone, the iPod and new laptops, it's the addition of movie rentals to iTunes that will have immediate impact on the way we take in media.

In one day, the Apple TV went from the endangered list to the must-watch list. Boom.

It's MacWorld Expo time again. Though the Steve Jobs keynote is less than an hour long, we've already seen the debut of wireless network storage via Airport Extreme, the introduction of movie rentals from iTunes, and an SDK for the iPhone. Not bad. But while we're out here, there are hundreds in San Francisco sitting on every word. Here's how you can identify them...

1) The True Believers

These are the best-known people, those who revere all things Apple and Mac, and are ready to buy just about anything Steve Jobs announces, even if it's as lame as iPod Socks.

2) The Mac Rumors Psychos

This group is made of a subterranean group, who always expects announcements so ridiculous that its impossible to satisfy them. As they spin themselves into a froth shortly before any major press event, their wild predictions (a sub-zero gravity desktop, telepathic interfaces, etc.) are so nutty that even Apple's ground-breaking announcements frustrate them. Every keynote is the "worst keynote ever".

3) Ye Olde Macolytes

Believe it or not, this group will tell you they have been using the Mac since the mid-1980s, and they have yet to see a good reason to upgrade to Mac OS X. They like the features of Mac OS 9. They like their Apple LaserWriters. And they love Quark. Yet, for some reason, they go to the show. Go figure.

4) The Corporate Spies

As Steve Jobs speaks, technology leaders from Silicon Valley and beyond are looking to see where the industry is going, and how they can best copy Cupertino. While Microsoft is famous for this, more and more companies are watching Jobs' presentation style, and wishing they could command the same kind of respect and awe.

5) The Windows Bigots

While they'll be watching with the same intensity as The True Believers, this group is a grumpy lot. They know they made the right decision when they went with Redmond, and they know the Mac is just a toy anyway. Besides, whatever Apple comes out with, Microsoft will get close enough to in a few months.

6) The Secret Mac Wannabes

A quieter lot, this is the potential user base for Mac switchers. Watching each new application on the Mac and the iPhone fills them with frustration and jealousy. They look down at their Dell or HP, and start doing the math in their heads as to how quickly they can trade up to a real computer.

7) The Bloggers and Rumormongers

For more than a decade, there has been a cottage industry of Apple rumor sites, guessing Cupertino's every move. Now, with blogs being so simple to start, everybody thinks they have an Apple audience, and there are dozens and dozens of live keynote sites. (The best are still MacRumors and Engadget)

8) The Curious iPod/iPhone Owner

Millions of iPod and iPhone owners have likely never owned Macs. But they love their gadgets. Now addicted to the Apple look and feel, industrial design and simplified software, they want to see if the Mac is a good option for them as well.

They're out there. Maybe you're one of them. And surely, you know some of the people who fit this mold. Just watch TechMeme and TechCrunch and MacRumors and AppleInsider and Engadget and Digg and Gizmodo for the after-effects as each of these groups clash and try to have a civilized discussion. It usually doesn't work.