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Matching entries from Ye Olde Rad Blog II
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...
The Bug's 3rd Birthday: Throwing Rocks in the Water at the Newport Back Bay
The Bug is 3. The highlight of his b-day came at the Back Bay, where we thru rocks off a bluff .. into a canal below .. on a gorgeous winter afternoon in sunny SoCal. At first, he couldn't reach...
The Bug Turns 3 Years Old
The first three years (they say) are "most important" .. developmentally. The Bug will be 3 this week. (Can you believe it?) I feel good about his development, especially considering the challenges we've faced. So I won't say it's been...
Still Reading Andy Budd's CSS Mastery Book
I'm still reading CSS Mastery. (Finished another chapter today.) Easy to see why everybody raves about it, and why it still sells so well, despite being 2 years old (an eternity in the tech world).Andy Budd takes you straight to...
New Years 2008!
2008 Happy New Year. Mine was low-key. (No hangover today.) Spent the evening at Tom's. His wife whipped up a yummy batch of organic veggies (with dijon mustard & lemon) for dinner. Healthy stuff. I like hanging out there cuz...
Text-to-Speech Programs Software + AT&T Natural Voices
Quiet Christmas here in Radland .. with the Bug gone for the holidays. I miss the little guy. Come to think of it, I've never yet seen him on Christmas. There's something I can look forward to. Maybe next...
Learning About Web Hex HTML Color Schemes on the Winter Solstice
Winter solstice yesterday. Shortest day of the year (for those of us living in the northern hemisphere). The word solstice comes from a latin term » solstitium, meaning sun stoppage. Extra cool with a full moon tonight.The exact time (when...
Andy Budd's Book: CSS Mastery
Still reading CSS Mastery. Very rich. It's much smaller (thinner) than the Head First book on XHTML+CSS I read earlier this year (only 250 pages vs 650), yet reads more slowly, because it contains much food-for-thought (regarding styling techniques).On nearly...
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 ...
Matto's Mantra & Downloading Free Books from Wowio
Back when I was living in Pennsylvania, a friend there (Michael Matto) was fond of saying » "You'll be the same person 5 years from now except for: 1. the books you read, and 2. the people you meet." Along these lines, I stumbled upon a new site yesterday called » Wowio, which offers free books (for download, PDF format). I was skeptical at first, but it actually seems legit. You have to register (via valid email addy), and you can only download 3 books/day (enough for even the most voracious reader).
The Neck, Web Master Skills & Holy Frijoles
My neck is finally (after 6 weeks!) starting to loosen. I can turn my head side-to-side without pain, tho full range-of-motion remains elusive. Tilting » right-ear toward right-shoulder .. is the movement I now find most difficult. Feels like a steel cable (tendon?) connects my left shoulder to the base of my skull (on left side), restricting this (right-ward ») motion. Forcing this movement causes swelling (the next day) where my neck (left-side) connects to my torso. The swelling (raised ~2 inches) looks scarier than it feels. Nevertheless, I'm hesitant to stretch very far in that direction (.. like they want me to).
Continuing to Enhance Web Master Skill Set (XHTML, CSS, Dreamweaver)
Learning lots about (X)HTML, CSS. & Dreamweaver. For example, I finished reading the Head First book (cover-to-cover, all 650 pages). Currently half-way thru the Lynda.com Essential training video for Dreamweaver CS3 (Creative Suite 3). Also reading the Missing Manual on Dreaweaver (~1,000 pages), which goes into more detail than the video. All great stuff. Was surprised to read over at Coding Horror that the average programmer reads less than 1 (technical) book per year.
My First Halloween with the Bug (Dressed as Dorothy) + First Physical Therapy Session
Took the Bug trick-or-treating for Halloween. (A first for me.) He was dressed in a Dorothy costume (à la Wizard of Oz), complete with ruby slippers. Not an outfit I would've selected, but that's what he was wearing when I picked him up. Did it make me uncomfortable to see my boy wearing a dress? Uh, a little. But he's only two. If he were five, maybe I'd be more concerned. Everybody agrees on one thing » he would've made a cute girl. =)
Few Things Worse Than Losing Your Kids
Normally I couldn't care less about Britney's latest escapade (having enough problems of my own). But today's article caught my attention, cuz she lost her kids. One line in particular jumped out (4th paragraph): » The joke's over. At least for now. Because there are few things are worse than losing one's kids. This is an issue (sad to say) I've been preparing for. Naturally, I'm hoping for the best. But the decision is out of my hands. So I need to prepare for the possibility things don't go my way. (Sukus maximus.)
Memories of Another Day
In a few weeks the Bug will be moving far away. While the thought of that may be too horrible to contemplate, I'll always have yesterday as a happy memory I can return to .. whenever I miss him. Last night I had a dream about the Bug frolicking in the fountain at Steinman Park. Mom was sitting at a table nearby, smiling, as she silently ate a salad. What do you suppose it might mean? Yes, life can suk at times. Yet I'm grateful for the memories .. especially when they're all we're left with.
What Drove McCandless "Into the Wild"? » A Film by Sean Penn, based on the book by Jon Krakauer
As with Krakauer (and countless others), the story of Chris McCandless struck a cord in me. I have the book here in my hand. The cover says: In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possesions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter...
More Goodbye Tears + "Dada's poops are stinked up!"
Last week I mentioned how the Bug cried when I brought him back to his mom .. and how that threw me for a loop, seeing it was a new development. This week wasn't such a shock, tho yesterday, again, brought more goodbye tears. (The Bug rarely cries. Real tears are rarer still.) Yet surprisingly, I'm still struggling to get a handle on this new twist. As we were leaving, another girl, who I've chatted with several times, walked over and told me she lived nearby, and that she had lots of cool play-stuff (e.g. jungle-gym, etc.) in her backyard, and that I was welcome to stop by with the Bug whenever I wanted (even if she wasn't home). While she scribbled her address on a piece of paper, the Bug shouted, "Dada's poops are stinked up!"
First-ever Mountain Bike Ride during Heat Wave Impairs Cognitive Function
At the coffee shop yesterday, I let my rock-climbing buddy (Tom) talk me into a mountain bike ride (my first ever). Unfortunately, yesterday brought a record-breaking heat wave. It was sooo freakin' hot. Tom estimated 105 degrees on the trails where no breeze blew. We didn't get started until after noon, finishing 3 hours later » smack dab in the heat of the day. (We stopped to fix his broken chain, then later, my flat tire.) This was the most physically stressed I've ever been. I actually noticed myself suffering impaired cognitive functions. For example, while Tom was fixing my flat, he told me to drink more water. So I walked over to *his* bike and picked it up, thinking it was my own.
Hasta la Vista, Baby
Received a certified letter from the bug's mom, saying she is moving to Michigan. (A few thousand miles away.) Such threats are nothing new, but this is the first time I received an official notice. Ironically, I have a sense of peace about it. Perhaps it's just a defense mechanism kicking in. (I don't understand it, myself.)
Best Book for Learning Cascading Style Sheets » CSS Mastery by Andy Budd
With my current book (on XHTML/CSS) coming to a close, I've been cresearching books that deal solely with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) ... .. to determine which one might represent the next step in upgrading my web meister skill set. Here's what I found. Let's begin with end. The best book (for me) would be » CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions .. by Andy Budd (from Brighton, England. His blog is » here.). Sample chapter posted » here (600-KB, 20-page PDF dealing with Layout).
Download Classic Books (for Free) from PlanetPDF + Military-style Mass-Innoculations
Link worth bookmarking » PlantetPDF. Contains 7 pages worth of links to books (all free) .. with authors such as Dickens, Homer & Dostoevsky, and titles like Dracula &
I've never seen those skulls before. Now I see them twice in the same day .. from two seemingly unrelated sources. What are the odds of that? Small, I assure you. Very small. What might it mean? I have no idea. Why would he put that picture on his web site? On the main page, no less?
These weird coincidences don't occur all the time. But when they do (like now), they tend to come clumped together in bunches. I seem notice them most when I'm in love, tho (unfortunately) I'm not in love right now. I have no answers .. only observations and questions. Remarkable how much better I feel whenever I work-out. I even feel better about myself (psychologically).
Shirts fit more snugly (in chest & shoulders). Arms hang a bit heavier. Each step flows more easily, propelled by stronger legs ("wheels"). .. when in walks Jarrod (a regular there, who teaches Criminal Justice at one of the local universities).
On our table he laid a copy of today's Los Angeles Times, and points to an article titled (big letters) » War protest in O.C. ends in 6 arrests. (Front page of the California section - Part B. Yeah, he was one of the 6.) Broke up recent blog entry (about Navy Nuclear Power school) into two parts. The original grew too long for a single page. Also added heading titles (not needed with shorter entries).
Still reading Head First XHTML/CSS book. Learning about CSS. Already know most of this, too, but definitely best chapter yet (far as learning useful info).
Also .. been trying to get off the bean (as you might recall). Not going very well. The mere idea of quitting makes me wanna drink more .. (cuz I can't be sure tomorrow won't be the day I really quit). The Wikipedia entry for the US Naval Nuclear Power School says » "It is regarded as one of the most difficult academic programs in the world."
The words in the world caught my attention.
Never quite sure how much I can (.. or can't) say .. cuz the curriculum is comprised, largely, of material labeled confidential (big red stamp). Half-way thru new (650-page) Head First XHTML/CSS book. Completed first 7 chapters, which cover all things pertaining to HTML/XHTML (the *structure* of a web page, such as setting up » headings, paragraphs, images, links).
Chapter 8 (« 3-MB PDF), which I'm starting now, begins discussion of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which is cooler than (X)HTML, cuz it deals with *presentation* (as separated from structure). Played Rad-dad the last few days. This was the first time I changed *no* poopy diapers. Woohoo! All poopies went in the toilet. (A beautiful thing.) Let the celebration begin.
He seems to enjoy this new activity. "Dada, come look," I hear him call from the bathroom. Eyes gleaming with pride. High-fives ensue. Quickly tho, he dismisses me with a wave » "Dada go away." (Plea for privacy.) Sometimes he even slides shut the door behind me. Been studying new "Head First" book on XHTML/CSS .. currently ~200 pages into it (1/3rd way thru), now reading chapter 5.
Haven't seen much new material I don't already know (having learned most of my tricks from viewing the source of other web sites). Tho I have learned bits-n-pieces of cool info from the book, especially regarding the names (terms) of things (.. which I've been using for years). Been reading a new book on XHTML/CSS. O'Reilly claims its books in the Head First series represent a "learning experience." (not a reference)
Slow down. The more you understand, the less you have to memorize. Take time to ponder the implications of what you're learning.
Pictures help you learn better than text, cuz the brain is tuned for images (not text).
Spent the first full weekend with the Bug (Fri-Sat-Sun) in several months. I had previously been donating my Saturdays to his mom .. but decided, recently, to take more time with the little guy.
Never ceases to surprise me how much depth to the relationship it adds by spending consecutive days together. Nothing like a big chunk o' time to develop the father/son relationship & bond. Very satisfying. While researching what books might help, two stood out:
Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML, by Eric & Liz Freeman, Dec 2005, 694 pgs
HTML, XHTML, and CSS, 6th Ed, by Liz Castro (Barcelona), Aug 2006, 456 pgs
The Head First book has an Amazon.com Sales Rank of 1154 (at time of this writing, rankings fluctuate constantly). The Castro book comes in slightly higher at 1110. Both are Amazon BestSellers. Took the Bug to the movies today. (A first.) Seems like a small thing, but felt like something big.
We saw Surf's Up (dude). Strong reviews. A flick about penguins who surf. Pretty funny. Made me laugh out loud several times. Been upgrading my web master skills recently, to include proficiency with HTML, XHTML, CSS & Dreamweaver. I'd also like to become familiar with JavaScript, PHP & SQL-based databases, such as MySQL.
Like most people, I learn best by doing .. by having a project to which I can apply my new skills.
I'm finding these newfangled XHTML/CSS pages significantly more complicated to work with than the old (simple) HTML ones I used with the original Rad Ghost guide. 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.) 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?" Been dealing with an assortment of life-challenges recently. Consequently, I've been feeling blue and generally crappy (both physically & emotionally).
So you can imagine my surprise to hear so many people commenting this past week (some guys, but mostly girls) how "good" I look.
"Say what?" I feel like hammered dog-krap, and naturally suppose I look the same (like krap). Tho apparently not. Tomorrow (Monday) is the site's 7-year anniversary. If you enjoy the study of math & numbers like I do, you probably know the number 7 is often associated with notions of completion & perfection.
Seven years ago tomorrow, I acquired the domain name radified.com. Following day (June 5th), site went live (online).
You can read the very first Rad entry at the bottom of this page (archives for June/July, 2000). Fortunately I learned a thing or two since then (tho much of it the hard way > trial-n-error). As you might've noticed, we've been having problems with the new server, or its associated network.
The site was moved to a new server on May 11th. On May 22nd, we started experiencing problems with laggy page-loading times and (more recently) complete site outages, as described in this thread > New server response time pauses. 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: 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. 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... 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.) 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: 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). 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. Today is my favorite party of the year > Teri & Alan's annual Cinco de Mayo party. Good food, good people, great location (right on the beach in Laguna). I'm here now .. connected to their wireless network.
This is my 4th year at their party. I originally met them cuz they wanted someone to build them a PC designed to edit digital video. That was right up my alley, after having dated a Film school student for several years.
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. 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. Back when I first launched Radified (summer of 2000), I purchased a web-hosting account that provided 350-MB storage space .. for $32/month (less discount, if you paid a year in advance).
Today, I received a note from the girls at Lunarpages, saying they raised the amount of disk storage for clients enrolled in their Basic hosting plan .. to (an incredible) 350-GB (still $6.95/month). 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. 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.) Regulars might recall a dream I had last year, in November (the 14th, to be precise) .. which said .. well, here are my exact words:
Had a dream last night that Barack Obama was on the verge of becoming the first black president (way ahead in the polls), but was assassinated right before the election (similar to what happened with RFK). The dream seemed real. Would be weird if it came true. 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.) 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 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. Synchronicity, Coincidence & the Sedlec Ossuary
Exercise, Bizarre Dreams & Advanced Web Construction
Jarrod Arrested for Protesting the Iraq War
Various Topics » Nuclear Nightmare, Learning XHTML/CSS, Trying to Quit Coffee, Dog to Wed in Prague
United States Naval Nuclear Power School | An Inside Look - Part I
Mid-way Review of Head First XHTML/CSS Book
Musings on Being a Part-time Dad & Milestones in Potty-Training
First Impressions of Head First XHTML/CSS Book
Theory of Learning Behind the Head First Series of Books (from O'Reilly)
First Full Weekend Visitation in Months | Fireworks
Best Books for Learning the Basics of Web Site Design (XHTML + CSS)
The Bug's First Theater Movie (Sorta)
Upgrading Web Master Skills | New Technologies Presenting Challenges
YaBB Forum Security Vulnerability Patched
Six Apart Releases Version 4.0 (beta) of its Movable Type Blogging Software
When Feeling Bad = Looking Good | AKA The Black-belt Syndrome
Radified's 7-year anniversary | A brief history
Problems with New Server or Associated Network
Learning Dad Tricks & all about Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
Proficiency with Software & Setting Root Password for MySQL Database in phpMyAdmin under WAMP5
Site Move to New Upgraded Web Server Complete
Moving Site to New Upgraded Web Server
Installing Drupal 5.1 Content Management System (CMS)
Further Research of CMS Programs Suggests Drupal Better Option
Comparing Drupal vs Joomla Content Management Systems - Part II
Cinco de Mayo 2007 (Laguna Beach)
New Domain Name: hardnuf.com (Adventures in Fatherhood)
Dell Computer Selects Ubuntu for its PCs Pre-installed with Linux
Lunarpages Web Hosting Increases Storage to 350-GB
Lightbox2 Image Overlay (JavaScript)
Comparing Joomla vs Drupal Content Management Systems - Part I/II
Disturbing Dream: Barack Obama Assassinated
Using Google's AJAX Search API
Dialing In Movable Type blogging software
First Post with Movable Type v3.35
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