NSLog();

As you likely know, I've recently converted from MovableType (MT) to WordPress (WP) here at NSLog(); primarily as a "test run" for eventual movement of The Sand Trap. The move was not without its difficulties, and even as I write this entry days later, I've still not truly completed it.

Having used MT for so many years, I've come to understand it rather well. Unfortunately, it's that understanding that led me away from it. But having all that experience with MT made the differences between MT and WP stand out quite quickly.

What follows are lists of the good and the bad, my likes and dislikes less than a few weeks into using WP as my blogging platform.

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 1384); »

I'm going to enable Gravatars as soon as you can sign up again. I'm not sure what maintenance they're doing, but it appears to have been going on for quite some tim.

I've enabled (or am in the process of enabling) a bunch of WordPress plugins ((like this footnotes plugin)), as suggested by the many kind folks in the comments to my query entry. I will be using this entry (and the comments section) to try a few out, so if things are wonky for a few hours, please let it slide. 🙂

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 118); »

WP-Cache purports to support the ability to publish certain things dynamically (like my rotating header images), yet this functionality seems broken in version 2.0.17.

From the WP-Cache site:

<!--mclude file.php-->
<?php include_once(ABSPATH . 'file.php'); ?>
<!--/mclude-->

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 170); »

My friend Aaron pointed "FBOBunnies" out to me with one simple comment: Apple has some weird sample applications.

Indeed, they do. But this one niftily shows off the OpenGL framebuffer objects (FBO). The frame rate drops substantially when you hit the space bar to capture a screenshot of the window, though, so there's still room for improvement, Apple!

This reminds me: the best thing about Calico (as I've taken to calling Mac OS X 10.5, since I can't remember which damn cat we're on now) may be the development tools. I can't wait to get my hands on the next versions of XCode and Interface Builder.

P.S. The FBOBunny makes me hungry for chocolate. It's too bad we don't have any here in the house.

Today, as I complete my move away from the wretched and steaming pile of doggy doo that is a MovableType installation with more than 20 entries or 50 comments to WordPress (which has plenty of quirks of its own), I notice this: Vox is now available.

Hooray for SixApart, Ben, and Mena (seen at right prompting the pooch to "produce" more code for MovableType). Now, with yet another subscription service to complement TypePad, they can further ignore all of their non-subscriber-based software, like MovableType.

What finally pushed me over the edge? A combination of things. Mainly the knowledge that, despite 6A knowing that scripts like mt-search.cgi were glacially slow and resource-intensive (while the same search in the admin area is rather speedy) for about a year now, they've done nothing about it. I'll only stand for such blatant neglect, for continually being given the bird, for so long before I leave if only for the sake of change.

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 255); »

Yes, one of the first things I ever did with my blog was rotate images. Everyone did in 2002 and 2003, didn't they?

Well, with the current theme I'm using (and in the process of hacking… which will resume as soon as I clear up about 300 more entries that WordPress hosed over on the import), it's easy, so they're back. I have about 50 or so right now, though WP-Cache will probably show you the same one on each page, so reloading won't do you much good.

This has come in handy the past few days. If only I could do it with regular expressions… and if only I knew regular expressions! 🙂

update [table_name] set [field_name] = replace([field_name], '[string_to_find]', '[string_to_replace]');

Works like a charm… though I'm not entirely sure how to replace line breaks. Some of my MT entries have four line breaks where they should have two.

I'm looking for recommendations on good, useful, and fun WordPress plugins. Lay 'em on me (in the comments). Thanks!

As I sit here and edit countless WordPress post after countless WordPress post, it occurs to me that it would be awfully nice if the "enter" key did the same thing in a textarea as the "return" and enter keys do in a text field. In other words, submit the form (which, in WordPress, would be "Save").

The return key, after all, can be used to enter line breaks. Maybe the Saft fellow can glom this into a later update or something - with a preference to use the standard behavior, of course.

I noticed today while doing some editing here on the WordPress version of NSLog(); that some of my image data was removed from my entries. Specifically, class="" and style="".

I default my images in my blog to right-aligned and borderless. Occasionally I specify class="bordered" and style="float: none; margin-left: 0;" as the image and entry warrant.

This code, which appeared just fine in my MovableType export, was stripped when imported into WordPress.

In talking over AIM with Jesper about this problem, he said that it appears to be a result of the add_filter('content_save_pre', 'balanceTags', 50);" code in wp-includes/functions-formatting.php, balanceTags.

Literally. His post on the topic may be the most amazing thing I have read all year.

I'm renewed in my focus to get WordPress to work here at NSLog(); and, eventually, at The Sand Trap. Why?

% uptime
10:02AM  up 53 days, 19:41, 1 user, load averages: 52.10, 79.45, 53.96

Seriously. Why? About 40 instances of my mt-comments.cgi (not the actual name of them) were running. I've renamed it - along with the TrackBack and Search scripts - pending further… whatever. Perhaps I'll re-enable it later this afternoon as a test, but for now, it's going to remain disabled.

If you'd like to comment, please email or IM me. The info is in the sidebar under the buttons.

John Siracusa gets through an entire article on the Wii's lack of hardware, uhm, "progress" without mentioning the sound system. He talked only of the graphics "wow."

What gives, John? Do you play games with the sound off, or do you think Dolby ProLogic cuts it six to seven years after the PS2 came out with on-board optical digital audio?

Apparently, launching yourself in the air and putting two helmets on a QB's helmet is legal against the Steelers.

Nice special teams today, Steelers. Really great. And if Ben keeps getting hit in the head, he can join them in special ed.