The internet changed for me the day the Reader died. Actually, in hindsight, for me personally, internet died when the Reader died.

Yep. My aspirations about how the internet was going to enable a brighter, better future for people, were instantly transformed, and instead we saw the power of tech corporations acting in their own interests. How naive I was.

Google shutting down Reader did encourage me to learn to host my own services though, which I am pretty thankful for.

be proud of your own imitative, not thankful for the boot to the ass.

Google did nothing to help you , but your response to the dire situation is to be commended.

I believe it goes both ways. Sometimes the boot in the ass is what triggers initiative. Most people won't do something for no reason.

There are decent alternatives. Personally I use newsblur, and I like having a feed that contains only sources I've chosen.