Epnix.Com

OK Trying a different theme. The rounded one was nice, but I was never a big fan of the way the post titles came out. Suppose I Could fix it, but.. eh I was suppose to be calling it a night a hour ago.. So I’ll try this one for a bit and see if I like it or not

…. or two weeks untill New Years.  Pick your favoret holiday and go with it.

 I love the guide on the WordPress site (the makers of this blog software) regarding upgrading to the latest version.  It reads: 

The latest stable release of WordPress (Version x.x) is available in two formats from the links to your right. If you have no idea what to do with this download, we recommend …

I really wish there was a nice little software update that I could run, cause I do know what to do with the download, just after work and the party, I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with it.  The problem is, I know me.  If I don’t take care of these things like this right away, they tend to hang around for a while, like months on end.

I guess I could follow the directions and get a free WordPress blog.  Of follow the link that came after recommend to their partners that do facebook hosting and take care of every thing (except mods probably).  I guess (warning matrix reference)  I took the red pill.  I know what having some fasion of control over the software means.  The customization that is possible, which is normaly restricted when you use a free service, or a paid we-take-care-of-everything set up.  Granted yes, I haven’t really delved into it to much but that’s not the point.  The point is, the possibility is still there.  To not have the possiblitly, would just fester in me untill I just went out and got my own set up any how. 

So in the end,  I got over it and upgraded the blog software.  It’s not like it was all that diffacult, more time consuming.  The theme or layout is the same, so it don’t look any different to the viewer (especially if you are viewing from facebook).  It’s definitely different on the admin / author side of it. It’s all nice and good, but I don’t want to bore those who don’t care about it.  If your interested go to wordpress.org I’m pretty sure they have some screen shots somewhere.

You know, (well ok you probably don’t know unless you can read minds… which if you could I’m sure there are some Government agencies that would LOVE to write to you) I had no intention of doing some drawn out tech post, but I guess that’s where my mind was at.  I was going to talk about my facebook experience (as I really got started with it 18 days ago), or Winter driving. Actually now that I think about it a little more It was going to be a rant about the latest from the Nanny State of New York, and why I’m a step closer to moving out.  But I’m going to save that for another day (who knows maybe tommrow) as it’s time I got to sleep.

As always I’m trying something new with the blog site. In the future I would like to make a blog that is on one particular subject, instead of the digital playground that I use this one as. I’m constantly changing things around, trying out this feature, or that software, or some other plug-in, all this just to see how well it works, or how easy to use. This way when the questions come I have a chance at having answers, cause don’t you know, since I work in some aspect of the IT industry that I know EVERYTHING electronic. Another rant for another day…

Anyhow the test for today is using Microsoft Word 2007 to post to my blog. Word does have a blog post template, believe it or not. I’m sure the intention was for SharePoint or Microsoft live, instead of WordPress. Especially now with all the features that the WordPress editor has and how yes, having all the “power” of Word to edit my post, still seems to fall short.

Well let’s run it through its paces.

Let me make this “heading 2″

I’ll put some sort of chart here

I guess I’ll add some smart art here.

And a normal picture

Eh good enough for now, let’s see how well this posts.

EDIT*******

Well I went to post this, but apparently adding pictures is an entirely different challenge. For now, the results are this. Only use word if you feel like making a post and not opening the browser or anything like that. I suppose you could type it up somewhere else, and then load it once you got to an internet connection. Say you were on a hike of some form no internet access but still wanted to keep a daily log. A stretch probably, but you never know. There is a spot in the Account section for picture settings. I’ll check those out and see if I get any better results.

Well the Facebook import was nice, in that it brought in the text of the post (well as well as this post, depending if I decided to turn it off or not) the only “downside” is if people choose to comment it would only be on the facebook page, and not part of the blog, unless they click like 2 or 3 more times just to get to the blog to post there.  

Now the plugin only brings the title of the blog post over, to actually read the blog you have to click to like to be here.  This puts people on the blog if they want to comment, but, since I’m looking at both positives and negitives, causes the window to leave facebook (instead of opening a new window).

I guess what I was hopeing for was someway there could be a 2 way inforamtion flow between facebook and wordpress so that comments could make it to the blog (as if they where being posted on the blog itself) just like the blog post is going from the blog to facebook.

So now the decision for me, it really doesn’t matter where comments are at.  It’s not like I’m trying to generate revinue from my blog and have to show traffic numbers.  So weather or not people actully get to my blog site really don’t make much of a difference.  I do like the little wordpress / wordbook icon that shows up from the plug in, as oppose to the generic note icon from facebook.  Yes its nice to see the full text on my status, but I think a short blurb is a little bit nicer to everybody.  As long as I keep the titles stright, people would know if they want to take the time to click though.. and I suppose I could put either some form of javascript back button, or a least some link back to facebook just to make life easyer if anybody clicks thought.  BUt on the other hand, WHEN would I make these thigns… I know me, that time frame is anywhere from a few days to a few years.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…..

As stated in my last post I started to use Facebook. Now this is all rather new to me and I’m still trying this and that out.  For example, I had found a plug in that when I posted an update on this blog it would make a update on my facebook page.  Nifty huh? well appearetnly there is also a way for facebook to go out and import the the same information… no plug-in needed.  Experience tells me that most apps behave differently, so I’m willing to bet the the plug in, and the import don’t deliver the content to the face book page the same way.  So I’m testing both items… the facebook import and the wordpress plugin (It’s called wordbook, I’ll link it here as soon as I’m done) to see which I like better. 

And here we go!

OK, if anybody was following this blog they would know that I don’t update often, mostly cause I get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of web places I “need” to be at.  Flickr, Facebook / MySpace (pick your favorite but don’t involved me in the war between the 2) Twitter and so on.  All these different places to let people know what I’m up to leads me to a choice.  Let people know what I’m doing… or actually doing stuff.  Well apparetnly most of the time I tend to be doing stuff.  OK I’ll admit it’s mostly work and PC games, but still.  It all seemed a bit time consuming.

Well hopefully after a few more plug-ins and so on, I’ve found a way to keep up with at least 2 items at the same time.  Guess we’ll see how well this works.  Now I just need to link the blog to the Flickr Account and do something with twitter, and maybe…. just maybe I can keep the zero people who want to keep up with me informed as to what I’m up to??? Wait.   I’m doing this Why again?

Google released thier browser Chrome.  So far, I’m very impressed.  Which puts me in a bit of a quandry.  I have IE7 cause well it’s part of windows, and there are some sites that I’m forced to go to, that will only work with it due to ActiveX Stuff.  I’ve always been a fan of Firefox, since it relased, and outside of those sites I HAVE to use IE7 for Firefox has been my big go-to browser.  Now it’s beeing put on the wayside in favor of Chrome.  One of them have to support ActiveX in someway shape or form, so I can ditch IE7 and go between 2 good browsers.

2nd Thing, Warhammer Online launches in a few weeks, Fallout 3 in a little over an month, same with Red Alert 3, Why can’t games that I’m looking forward to playing spread thier launch days out a bit more.  Ugh! so annoying, wish I had more time and a larger gaming budget… Stupid responsibilitys

Got to love it, well, OK as the one NOT going back to school, it’s easy for me to love the start of the school year. For my Eldest son, it’s a slightly different story.  I don’t think he absolutely hates the idea of being back at that place were they make him learn stuff.  He just wishes he could get rid of the work, the tests, the homework.  I think he’d be happy with a social experience, with lunch and gym…. Actually, I’d go back if that was the case

I do have to wonder though, is the school “system” really the best way to educate kids.  This is not a “lash out question” about failures in education, just generally wandering along my favored topic of: could we make this better.

Now we get to the point where I have trouble keeping up with blogging, where I sit here for a hour planing out a “grand” idea.  So I think I’m just going to post this and stop and think about, instead of sitting here for a hour, and not actually posting anything at all for 6 months.

Catch you later.

MIke

Ok, it’s12:34 am, magic number, best go off to bed, I will have to say, setup was a breeze for the most part of word press.  I did run into a few snags, but I think that was due to me trying out a few other systems, and compairing WordPress and WordPressMU (I was looking at mu for a different project, but was testing it here. Now on to the importent things… plugins and Themes

Hmmm, what’s the difference between Categories and Tags??? Eh, save that for tommrow.

So ok, I know I mentioned that I’ve never been the best for keeping up with the blog. I think that september was probably the best I’ve ever done. Now it’s feburary, and oddly enough, I have nothing to rant about. Really I’m sure if I put some effort into it I could probably come up with something. But really, it’s just too cold to think at the moment. hehe can’t wait, in around 6 months it will probably be to hot to think, always a excuse looks like.

GERRRR, ok found something that’s annoying me, I can’t log in to my flickr account to update thoes photos. Well not so much update as to add new ones. Trying to remember which account I used for a e-mail account. Though there are a few that I can rule out, still I have away to many of them to keep stright if I’m not logging into them on a weekly basis. *sigh*

Finaly got into the account, uploaded another 100mb of photos. Ok so I’m off for the night.

Later