I’ve lost track of the number of blogs that I follow, and there is one reason that makes this possible from a time management perspective: Google Reader.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that many popular blogs feature an odd orange icon or allude to subscribing to their “RSS Feed.” “What is RSS,” you ask? Well,

RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, blogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it. RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site’s email newsletter.

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I don’t understand the outcry from some quarters that, “There’s nothing to watch on Netflix Instant.” I couldn’t disagree more. There are currently 37 films in my “Instant” queue that — if there were but world enough and time — I would be watching immediately. To name only a few: Meek’s Cutoff, Biutiful, Rabbit Hole, and Antichrist.

For anyone unsure of what to watch next, Netflix provides tons of recommendations (click on the “Watch Instantly” tab), but most additions to my queue come from one of my favorite podcasts Filmspotting. I also have no need in particular to be a shill for Netflix, but I do think that — even with their recent tone-deaf price hike — it is still one of the best deals out there, especially if you cancel cable, as we did years ago. In my view, they waited far too long to raise their rates, then fumbled an attempt to make up the difference all at once.

But on to the fun part! The following are some of the shows or films that I’ve enjoyed streaming some or all of at some point in the last year. My “top ten” are bolded:

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This list is in alphabetical order (because agonizing over a precise order would take out all the fun). Also, I am limiting myself to DVDs received in the mail. I will post a follow-up list sometime this week with my favorite Netflix Instant streamed in the past year. This list also excludes some great films I saw in the theater this past year, which could perhaps be another future list.

I also have to give credit to one of my favorite podcasts Filmspotting, which keeps my Netflix queue filled with an abundance of riches. However, the following is biased toward television. We haven’t had cable in years, are content being a season behind on most shows we follow since watching on DVD means no commercials! Not having cable also focuses and limits my time spent in front of the TV. The Slate Culture Gabfest podcast also has excellent coverage of both films and television.

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