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New Rad Blog » Upgraded to Movable Type Open Source (MTOS 4.1)
This will be the final entry is this particular blog (Movable Type 3.35). I just installed Movable Type Open Source v4.1 .. which is the *first* open source release from Six Apart (makers of Movable Type). This is a big...
Six Apart Releases Movable Type Open Source! (v4.1) Woohoo!
Now that the forum-update (to YaBB 2.2) is complete (first things first), my attention turns to Ye Olde Rad Blog .. for which I've used Movable Type (since 2003), and been waiting patiently for the release of v4.1. (Cuz it...
Upgraded Rad Community Forums to YaBB v2.2 (Sorta)
Finished upgrading the forums last night. Did not go as smoothly as I'd hoped. Seems we lost about half our members (1100 to start) and ~25K posts (33K to start).This sux. Now you know why I dread upgrades. Yeah, I...
Preparing to Upgrade the Rad Community Forums to YaBB v2.2
I'm preparing to upgrade the Rad Community Forums to YaBB 2.2, which was released November 8th (allowing time for them to correct any glitches discovered since the new release).We currently use YaBB 2.1, which was released more than 2 years...
Movable Type v4.1 vs Expression Engine v1.6
I've been looking into installing the latest version of MovableType (blogging software) .. which happens to be v4.1 .. which is currently in beta3, which was released 2 days ago.The main reason I'm waiting for v4.1 is cuz (copy-n-paste from...
First Trip to the Gym Since Hurting Neck in Mountain-Biking Accident
Returned to the gym yesterday. First time since I went sailing over the handlebars and landed on my head. It's been 10 weeks.Felt good to throw around some iron. Everybody came up, asking, "Dude, where you been?"Felt stronger than I expected....
Warning: Excessive Server Usage
Received a notice yesterday .. from my web host (Lunarpages), which begins » Warning: Excessive Server Usage Your account is using excessive resources, causing a significant degradation of services on the server. This is a shared environment and we can not allow one user to utilize the majority of resources, as it affects all users adversely. Because of this, your site has been temporarily moved ...
5 Reasons Why You Should Back-up Your Hard Drive with a Cloning Program such as Norton Ghost
So how do you protect yourself against hard drive failure? There are various ways, with each method offering a degree of protection. But the *best* way to protect your data and your operating system is with an imaging/cloning program .. such as Norton Ghost (distributed by Symantec). An imaging/cloning program is like an insurance policy » hopefully you never have to use it. But if you do, you're glad you have it. One dead drive is all it takes to make a believer out of most people. Smart people learn from the mistakes of others.
First Day of Summer; Rad-mobile Passes CA Smog Check
Summer solstice tomorrow. First day of summer. Longest day of the year (or shortest, if you live south of the equator). Sun enters sign of Cancer. The exact time (when the sun reaches its northern-most position, and turns around to head back south) will be 2:06 PM Eastern daylight time. That's 5:06 for us Left-coasters. I hope this summer isn't oppressively-hot, like it was last year. In other news, the Rad-mobile got smog checked today, something we do here in California every two years. Takes 15 minutes. Costs $60. Car passed, easily, with less than half the allowable emission.
YaBB Forum Security Vulnerability Patched
A security vulnerability was reported for the forum software (YaBB v2.1), as posted at iDefense Labs... ... which allows attackers to register with Administrator privileges by "setting the values of certain variables to contain certain characters." (Nice of them not to spell-out how to implement the hack.)
Installed Norton Ghost 12 & Created Back-up Image, called a Recovery Point
Installed Norton Ghost 12 last night, and (successfully!) created my first Windows-based back-up image (which Symantec terms a Recovery Point).
Six Apart Releases Version 4.0 (beta) of its Movable Type Blogging Software
Six Apart (6A) has released version 4.0 (beta) of its Movable Type blogging software, with a final Open Source version scheduled for release this summer. Sweet! There will also be a separate commercial version (with tech support) released along with the eagerly-awaited open source version. The big question on everyone's mind seems to be > "Will an open source version allow Movable Type to make up ground it lost to WordPress (very popular open source blogging software) following 6A's decision to license v3.x?"
Rad-mobile Won't Start Wet | Changing Spark Plugs on a Porsche 911 Carrera
Last week, I parked the Rad-mobile (aka Porsche-bago) under a tree that's flowering & dripping sap. So I decided to hose it off. Unfortunately I sprayed too much water on the engine (which sits in the rear, on a 911, with vents for the A/C cooler). It wouldn't start.
Learning Dad Tricks & all about Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
Been playing Rad dad last few days. The bug is getting to that age where he knows what he wants (and what he doesn't want). No longer can I just grab him and do what I want. Now he must be dealt with. Been looking into Virtual Private Servers (VPS) .. by trading emails with Lunarpages support to learn how that deal that works. Odd how Basic Hosting (which I have now) comes with 350 gigs of storage (which few will ever use) & costs less than 10 bucks a month. Yet a VPS account only comes with 20 gigs storage (still way more than the 2 or 3 I need) .. tho costs $40/month. Seems like the numbers are backwards (you pay more, but get less). So I asked why. Their response:
Proficiency with Software & Setting Root Password for MySQL Database in phpMyAdmin under WAMP5
A big part of Indulging Your Technolust involves learning how to use cool software. Once you have your hardware dialed in, and your system backed up (crucial step), it's time to become proficient with your favorite programs. After you install WAMP (running as localhost) you'll notice in phpMyAdmin (where you set up your MySQL databases) a warning that says you have no root password, saying this is not secure and should be corrected soon as possible.
Site Move to New Upgraded Web Server Complete
Test of the new Rad server. If you can read this, you're getting the *new* server. Could be my imagination, but this one feels a little zippier. No? The new Rad server is a Dell PowerEdge 2650 (PDF), sporting dual-Xeons @ 2.8 GHz, with 6 gigs memory & SCSI RAID disk storage, running...
Moving Site to New Upgraded Web Server
The site move to a new, updated server (mentioned yesterday) involves a new name server (they say), which means the site might (not sure yet, I asked) be unavailable for a period of time following the move. Okay, they said the new name server *will* need to propagate, which means the site will be unavailable for 24-72 hours, depending > this stuff. (The Rad server is physically located downtown Los Angeles.)
Installing Drupal 5.1 Content Management System (CMS)
Stayed up late ('til 1AM) and installed Drupal last night. (Eyes are burning.) The word installation is deceptive, cuz Drupal really installs itself. Simply upload the files to your server, point your browser to the directory where you uploaded Drupal (in this case, to newly created subdomain > http://cms.radified.com), and a screen pops up, asking for 3 bits of information:
Further Research of CMS Programs Suggests Drupal Better Option
Been learning more about Drupal, Joomla and Content Management Systems in general (CMS). Also been updating the comparison I documented last week (as I continue to learn more) > Comparing Joomla vs Drupal Content Management Systems (CMS).
Comparing Drupal vs Joomla Content Management Systems - Part II
This entry is continued from Part I > Comparing Joomla vs Drupal Content Management Systems - Part I You can actually TEST various CMS'es at > OpenSourceCMS, log in (as administrator) and take them for a test drive. Every two hours, the site wipes your changes and starts everything over from scratch. Pretty cool. You can also demo Joomla! here.
New Domain Name: hardnuf.com (Adventures in Fatherhood)
Recall a few days ago? When I mentioned the idea of getting another domain name, so I could split-out site content related to my adventures as Rad-Dad? I've since been pondering various domain names, such as rad-dad.com (which is already taken, tho I could buy it for a price) and radfather.com (which is available). But none felt right. Until today.
Dell Computer Selects Ubuntu for its PCs Pre-installed with Linux
World's 2nd largest PC manufacturer, Dell computer, will be offering its PCs (both desktops & laptops) with the Linux operating system. They've partnered with (London-based) Canonical (founded by South African Mark Shuttleworth) to offer the Ubuntu distro.
Lightbox2 Image Overlay (JavaScript)
Test of Lightbox2 Image Overlay JavaScript (by Lokesh Dhakar, from Boston). Click the thumbnail image (of the Newport Back Bay) to your right, and a larger version *should* pop-up .. in a cool-looking overlay, with the rest of the page assuming a smoked-glass appearance.
Comparing Joomla vs Drupal Content Management Systems - Part I/II
Thinking of splitting-out site content pertaining to my experiences as a dad .. to a NEW site, such as raddad.com (oops, that domain name already taken) .. or rad-dad.com (uh, that one is also taken). Anyway, I'll find some new domain that will work. (Cost ~$10/yr, and I already have tons of content I could transfer.)
Using Google's AJAX Search API
Test of Google's AJAX Search API, which lets you insert Google elements into your web pages (using JavaScript code). Pretty cool. You first have to sign up for a license key. (Google gives you a big, long key, ~100 characters.)
Dialing In Movable Type blogging software
Been dinking around with my new installation of Movable Type (v3.35), configuring both the display page (the part you see) and the admin interface (where I compose entries).
First Post with Movable Type v3.35
First post with v3.35 of Movable Type blogging software (uh, I mean, publishing platform) .. which represents the latest release from Six Apart (on 12.april, see here). My old blog (v2.63) is still > HERE (same place it's been last 4 years). I installed that version in May 2003, and never upgraded (didn't wanna do anything that might risk losing hundreds of posts) .. until now.
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