---
title: "Unread (835)"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2026/05/unread-835/
last_updated: 2026-05-11
---


I am amazing at practicing Inbox Zero[^1], as well as "RSS Zero": I tend to read
_all_ RSS posts I am subscribed to, from 700+ feeds.

This works well _mostly_ thanks to [miniflux global blocklists]({{< ref "2024-12-28-miniflux-global-blocklist" >}}),
which allow me to intentionally exclude topics I'm not interested in[^2].
It's a very basic form of filtering yet it's quite effective.

That said, sometimes life gets busy and the unread posts counter explodes. As of
today, I have almost 1,000 unread posts.

I do not feel comfortable with the idea of "RSS bankruptcy", which boils down to
marking all posts as read.

At the same time, catching up with everything after the counter exceeds a
certain threshold transforms the RSS consumption activity from a pleasant
leisure activity into a burdensome (and long) journey to reach zero again.

Still, I refuse to use Gen AI to summarize the state of affairs of the unread
posts — this would completely degrade the reading experience and nullify the joy
of using RSS in the first place.

[Currents](https://www.currentreader.app/) proposes an interesting middle-ground
to address the situation:

> Every RSS reader treats your feeds as a to-do list. Current doesn't.
>
> There are no unread counts. No badge of phantom obligation. Just a river.

> Reading should feel like floating, not drowning.

I've been meaning to incorporate it into my reading workflow.
However, I do not want to switch to Currents; I am quite happy with Miniflux.

[^1]: Realistically it's more like [Inbox
    Ten](https://boz.com/articles/inbox-ten).

[^2]: e.g. Gemini, crypto, NixOS.