Maintaining server, blog and updating WordPress 6.4.3

| January 31, 2024

Full back up of MyDesultoryBlog.com and updated WordPress. Maintenance and Security Releases Version 6.4.3 addressed some security issues and fixed 21 bugs. For more information, see the release notes. Version 6.4.2 addressed a security issue and fixed 7 bugs. For more information, see the release notes. Version 6.4.1 addressed 4 bugs. For more information, see […]

A WordPress 6.4 update along with Linux and SSL headaches

| November 10, 2023

It is not a normal Tech Friday kind of week as I had some SSL problems (still do) for a few domains that I service and a Linux server update problem (primarily related to MySQL database problems).  All in all I’m busy with double checking my backups, archives and snapshots to be sure there is […]

Tech Friday 2: Testing X.com API after new updates

| November 3, 2023

Simple test for my automated MyDesultoryBlog’s X.com account after an API update. This WordPress plug-in using a newly updated service should start to work again. This post will probably be deleted although since I like the Elon Musk ani-gif, I might just keep it. Will this feature work again? 

It is not Tech Friday, but doing a WordPress update anyway

| October 16, 2023

Nothing important, but I wanted to backup the MyDesultoryBlog database and then update to WordPress 6.3.2; it is the first update since the PHP change. Thankfully all is running smoothly and the update took. All is well with the blog. 

Searching MDB: Current blog calendar navigation tip

| October 3, 2023

Let’s just call this a PSA since I’ve been busy rethinking My Desultory Blog themes after updating to PHP 8.2 and how at least use the thousands of old blog entries for reference … or more precisely, remembering things! Anyway, the monthly “Archives” section is the same (select a previous month), but the “Calendar” was […]

Call this a Tech Thursday update: Finally updated to PHP8.2

| September 28, 2023

It is not Tech Friday, but I’ve been fighting through the nightmare of updating my blog’s very OLD modified WordPress theme so I could update it to PHP 8.2 running on my server (manually modifying theme code). Believe me, it was not without pain and suspect this is not the end of things (still problems, […]

Tech Friday: Update to WordPress, theme and plug-in failures

| August 11, 2023

As My Desultory Blog approaches 8000 posts, it has become increasingly clear that tags and categories are becoming worthless. Besides having too many, they are all too full and do little for me to find anything (or anyone else). The search feature has always been a problem and makes it difficult for even me to […]

Tech Friday: Adding a date to the search results

| June 30, 2023

Such a simple fix; why did it take me so long to add a bit of code to the “non-supported” WordPress theme that My Desultory Blog has been using since nearly the beginning in 2005? Ugh, well it is finally good to have a “DATE” listed when using the search box. Also while checking my […]

Blog update and testing after Linux and WordPress update

| May 19, 2023

The Linux server and WordPress version was updated this afternoon; Comet cache cleared and backups done. Hopefully all is as it should be on MyDesultoryBlog.com.  Since I’ve been sitting on this interesting outdoor stove project video for a while, I’ll include it below the break as a test both of the update and autoplay. 

Tech Friday: WordPress 6.2 and testing odrive with MarsEdit

| March 31, 2023

One of the untouched add-ons to my computer life has been the cloud component odrive. It took me a while to add it to my new Apple MacBook Air M2, but while messing with a few upgrades this week, decided it was time to add it. First, WordPress came out with their 6.2 update so […]

A March snow, tweaking MarsEdit 5 and Kid-genuity

| March 12, 2023

Now that I own a MacBook Air M2, it is time to get it set up for a few of the daily computer chores … like posting to My Desultory Blog. I’m still trying to get comfortable using MarsEdit5 blogging app, but do enjoy the ability to be able to write custom macros that helps […]

Tech Friday: Looking for an Open Live Writer-like app

| January 20, 2023

While watching NFL playoff football this month, I started looking for a app like Blogsy or BlogPad Pro that was available “in the old days” in order to post from my iPad. Unfortunately it is looking as if fewer and fewer app developer are focused on blogging software.  My preferred software “was” Microsoft’s Windows Live […]

Tech Friday: Moved my blog to an AMD Premium server while updating the OS to Ubuntu 22.04.1

| December 9, 2022

About this time of year the handful of servers that I maintain need to be looked at a little closer. Often I’m only doing the minimum maintenance, updates and backups … because there are often problems after an update. Pointing being, maintenance on this server have been getting over looked and put on the back […]

Leftover “Tech Friday” thoughts for Saturday morning

| June 18, 2022

Not that I was bored or anything while running on generator power for 24 hours, but last week’s outage had my small load-sharing Raspberry Pi “server farm” (semi-joke) that I run at the house (see Brenich.com), in need of service. One thing lead to another and I ended up tinkering a bit more with this […]

Blog database backups and WordPress 6.0 <= done!

| May 25, 2022

Generally I don’t rush to updated software or computer operating systems, but noting that WordPress 6.0 has “400 bug fixes” had me deciding to backup the current MDB install and updating. So far, all good. WordPress 6.0 includes more than 500 enhancements and 400 bug fixes. This page highlights several key advancements aimed at making […]

We can hope that April 2022 Flurries don’t kill May Flowers

| April 18, 2022

For a day after Easter, the weather sure doesn’t look like spring! https://myarchive.us/mp4/April2022FlurriesBringMayFlowers.mp4 Also testing WordPress automated mp4 plugin with added gray vs black border than my normal hardcode video from iPhone7plus in slow-motion with poster image below the break)

Tech Friday: Just a 2022 WordPress.org update

| January 28, 2022

In an attempt to start 2022 off right, I’ve updated MyDesultoryBlog.com‘s WordPress to the current 5.9 … along with the interface that I’ve never learned to use or appreciate. Someday perhaps? Since this was a pretty short Tech Friday blog entry, I’ll include a JAMA guest link from my daughter that reminded her (and me) […]

Logging in and adjusting to new My Desultory Blog security

| October 5, 2021

I received an email from a regular blog reader questioning the new Sign-In feature that I implemented last month; it hinders anonymous viewing on My Desultory Blog for some posts. Yes it is a restrictive change, but it is not all that cumbersome once you are “Sign-In.” The WordPress security is minimal and the only […]

Tech Friday: An update to WordPress and added spam security

| September 10, 2021

In the never ending battle to thwart spam and fill WordPress and server vulnerabilities, a few new tools were added this week to MyDesultoryBlog.com. This security and maintenance release features 60 bug fixes in addition to 3 security fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. All […]

Tech Friday: A housekeeping update and WordPress 5.7.2

| May 14, 2021

MyDesultoryBlog.com was overdue for a backup and since I stepped away early from my desk on Thursday, I figured the end of the day was a good time to sync online and offline storage (the backups make for a sluggish computer and data connection). Besides backing up data, it also seemed like a good time […]

Backing up, updating Linux and installing WordPress 5.7

| March 10, 2021

After having a server glitch and failed update this morning, it seemed like a good time to backup, updated Linux and test  WordPress 5.7 “Esperanza” with a post today. For the most part everything has been running fine since setting up SWAP space, but any issue triggering a crash makes me question what I’m missing? […]

MyDesultoryBlog maintenance and WordPress 5.6.2 update

| February 28, 2021

Just marking server and blog updates to end the month of February 2021. I’ve put this WordPress 5.6.2 update off a few weeks in order to be sure I had a full backup, etc. Note to self, check on the Seagate hard drive attached to the iMac as Time Machine backups have been regularly failing […]

Tech Friday: New audio player for blog with CSS tweaks

| January 8, 2021

A simple blog upgrade project that I’ve been contemplating for a while now was one of my 2021 New Year’s resolutions … so I’m worked on it this past week’s Music Monday post. I’m not sure how long the new button and player will remain unchanged since I seem to keep testing and tweaking it;  […]

Updating WordPress to 5.5 "Eckstine" and an idiom phrase

| August 14, 2020

Friday afternoon was a day of server housekeeping, along with the week’s usual billing and accounting. It was also time to update this blog’s WordPress plugins and to the current version called “Eckstine” 5.5. In WordPress 5.5, your site gets new power in three major areas: speed, search, and security. Thankfully after the move to […]

A long winded reader answer with a bit of my Internet history

| June 20, 2020

A couple weeks ago I shared an old automotive link from MyDesultoryBlog.com on Twitter and one of my automotive buddies sent me a private message asking about the name of my blog (now nearly 7000 posts). The conversation had me contemplate the early decisions and thoughts .. or lack of thought .. when all of […]

TechFriday: Blog housekeeping and a WordPress 5.4.2 update

| June 19, 2020

Way too often those who maintain their own web servers and computers grit their teeth and cringe when it is time to update and upgrade. A month or so ago I replaced one of my servers (the one this blog is on) and suffered through the anxiety of getting everything working again. I generally follow […]

Tech Friday: A webserver update and a budget retirement RV

| May 8, 2020

Actually this is just a filler post while working on server upgrades. Hopefully when finished, the new server will be fully up-to-date with Linux (Ubuntu Bionic Beaver 18.04), PHP 7.2 and a current LAMP stack set-up. WordPress will finally be able to be updated to 5.4.1 and maybe eventually bring back a cache to speed […]

Protecting privacy with a web browser – a BRAVE new world

| March 6, 2020

My buddy Jeff Pitts, who has recently moved from IT to  a job focused exclusively on cybersecurity for a worldwide company, tends to error on the side of caution when it comes to privacy practices. He has moved entirely to the Mac (we used to have a  fun debate when he was a 100% PC […]

An awesome down the beach Florida sunset Fly By [video]

| November 20, 2019

Actually needed a short video for testing the updated .mp4 embed code for WordPress.

Server updates, out-of-date WordPress plug-ins and a test video

| May 23, 2019

It is time to work on a few long in the tooth server updates and one of them isn’t compatible with my “old” WordPress video plug-in – it is no longer supported. There are several options that I’m testing both for my site as well as customer installs so am testing one of them with […]

WordPress update to 5.1.1 – testing the Editor Performance

| March 15, 2019

Just upgrading blog to WordPress 5.1.1 and needed a little text copy to try out the new editor (below). It does seem a bit snappier? BTW, did you know WordPress now powers over 1/3rd of the top 10 million sites on the web? Site Health With security and speed in mind, this release introduces WordPress’s […]

Tech Friday – Finally fixed the slideshow plugin for WordPress

| December 7, 2018

A couple years ago I added Simple Slideshow Manager to MyDesultoryBlog as a way to include a series of photos in a single post. Having “attempted” different approaches that fail in one OS, Browser or device before the above plugin seemed to work … that is, until it didn’t. Having posted to the forums, trying […]

Preparing HTTPS server and site security for the eventually day

| July 25, 2018

While doing a bit of server housekeeping on the CPP servers and preparing for the eventual push to make all websites secure for users, I ran across a helpful Qualys SSL Labs site to check on certificates, etc. If you are working to get websites updated and compliant for the day ALL site will need […]

A morning of backups, archiving and updates

| April 7, 2018

After an exchange of text messages with my cousin regarding old 35mm slides that her father and my father had taken through their lifetime (all YEARS ago), I mentioned I might try to digitize them someday and that if she wanted me to keep them I would. That triggered the back up and archiving bug […]

WordPress post scheduling problem?

| January 7, 2018

After tweaking WordPress last week with AMP plugins, I noticed several posts were missing their schedules. I added a Schedule Post Trigger plug-in that corrected that issue, but never deactivated it after removing both AMP plug-ins. This past weekend, scheduled posts were not triggered at the correctly dated times so am testing with this post […]

Tech Friday: Played with AMP plug-ins for blog but gave up

| January 5, 2018

In order to improve efficiency on WordPress sites (my customer installs) I often experiment with updates on my personal MyDesultoryBlog first since very little on this site really matters for paying customers. So over the Christmas and New Years holidays I fiddled with a few highly recommended updates to the LAMP server and WordPress installs. […]

Testing with CloudFlare to secure and speed up blog

| December 31, 2017

After installing Cloudflare in hope of adding another layer of security to WordPress blogs, I noticed a couple issues with sluggishness compared to my own DNS. I wish it were quicker, but something isn’t right since instead all aspects seems slower after switching. Even after bypassing the caching feature things continued to run slow. Once […]

Testing WordPress 4.8.2 prior to updating clients

| September 20, 2017

In looking at a few improvements and bug fixes, it also looks like the “widget” process has seen a few changes. Will test the Video Widget in the center column of the blog. So far so good — targeting Friday for customers if all goes well.

TechFriday: Open Live Writer to WordPress plug-in problem

| January 13, 2017

Twice now I’ve found myself unable to post to my WordPress blog. Once a few years ago using the windows based Microsoft Live Writer (now defunct) and recently using the open-sourced Open Live Writer. The “Invalid Server Response – The response to the blogger.getUsersBlogs method received from the blog server was invalid:” error pops up. […]

Setting up WP-to-Twitter after the demise of TwitterFeed

| December 14, 2016

This is a test post after setting up the well documented WP-to-Twitter plugin for WordPress. So far so good. I’ll be tweaking a few of the options over the next few weeks. EDIT 2/17/2024: Updating to XPoster after a server fail.

Testing HTML5 Compact Audio plugin for WordPress

| November 14, 2016

As part of getting a handle on the Amazon S3 costs, it is finally time to move into the 21st century and eliminate the old-school audio player on MyDesultoryBlog. I attempted to go with an HTML5 player a few years ago, but struggled with using it especially with different browsers. A few years later, everything […]

Behind on WordPress updates — Themes, plugins and WP 4.6.1

| September 7, 2016

Updated WordPress to 4.6.1 and some housekeeping. All running as it should. Summary From the WordPress 4.6.1 release post: WordPress versions 4.6 and earlier are affected by two security issues: a cross-site scripting vulnerability via image filename, reported by SumOfPwn researcher Cengiz Han Sahin; and a path traversal vulnerability in the upgrade package uploader, reported […]

Open Live Writer – WordPress and a computer problem

| June 30, 2016

Tinkering with a new notebook computer (tomorrow’s post) and a few Open Live Writer issues. This is at test image with the scaling set to 100% — makes no difference.  Next step is to look at the WordPress style.css to see if there is anything that might be causing display issues.

Updated to PHP 7.0 on the Raspberry Pi 3

| April 8, 2016

American Pi (richcorbett.us) is up and running PHP 7.0 on this Raspberry Pi 3. So far no issues with the Iconic One WordPress theme, handful of plugins or the speeds on this Apache2 server (is it faster?) Click to check PHP Version

Tweaking Apache2 on the Raspberry Pi 2 

| March 16, 2016

Updated a bunch of plugins and WordPress themes on a couple of my personal servers … prior to making any mods to my clients sites. I’m pleased with the efficiency improvements after Apache2 configuration changes last week keeping it from hogging to much memory (no restarts since!) In this same trend continued to tweak things in order […]

Tinkering with Blogsy and chimney chase home repairs

| December 21, 2015

Another excuse to try to get Blogsy, the blog posting app on my iPad, to include photos without posting them to Flickr or Google (the two options besides “normal WordPress media” built into Blogsy). Unfortunately the suggestion from the programmer was to use a separate sFTP client — very cumbersome and not the way to […]

Digital Ocean switch notes to self – all good as of 12/10/2015

| December 10, 2015

I move my WordPress  blog to Digital Ocean‘s smallest cloud based Linux server and the move is now complete, I think.  Everything seems to be working as it should, although I’ve experienced a couple snags. All posts have been consolidated (except this one) under the RichC user_id and I’ve updated to WordPress to 4.4. The Linux “swap” as been set […]

My WordPress blog is still not back to normal

| December 6, 2015

Slowly but surely I'm rebuilding the archives and associated linked images from my old back ups for MyDesultoryBlog. There may be a reason to keep things in multiple locations BUT it does make upgrading servers a bit more difficult. The long story is that through Consolidated Printing and Publishing, I have worked with the same […]

TechFriday: Tweaking WordPress with plugin A3 Lazy Load

| June 19, 2015

Plugins for CMS like WordPress are a dime a dozen and many improve the look and use of a WordPress.org blog, but usually at a sacrifice of speed. Recommending them is not usually something I would do … believing that a lean and fast site is better than bulky and slow sites. Unfortunately I’ve fallen […]

Simple security is often overlooked on WordPress

| May 15, 2015

Check out these five security points if you use a WordPress website: Don't Use “Admin” or “Administrator” as a Login Name Use a Highly Secure Password Keep WP and Its Plug-ins Up-to-Date Backup Your Site Install Security Plug-ins Source: Envisionitsolutions  

Shuffling widgets and adding a WordPress tag cloud

| March 23, 2015

I spent a few minutes updating and cleaning up some of the tags on MyDesultoryBlog this past weekend … more of a maintenance thing than anything essential. Part of the reason was that I am still learning about Blogsy as a blog writing and editing tool, but also just to clean things up. I realized […]

Update Benny bring WordPress 4.0 to MyDesultoryBlog

| September 5, 2014

Now running WordPress 4.0,  “Benny” (for Benny Goodman) … send me a message if there is a problem on my site.

Archive: Organizing lines aboard Encore and blogging code

| June 16, 2014

Some time ago I purchase a couple Command Brand Bundlers with the idea that I could use them for cords and coils and then a few months ago I saw a fellow sailor using them on a boat to organize lines. I’m not sure how well they will stand up to the sun and elements, […]

Archive: 9 years, 4000 blog posts and 10,000 gallons of gas

| April 9, 2014

I’ve hit a milestone on My Desultory Blog  – 4000 posts since I started in April 2005. Amazing to have been blogging daily for that many posts; it doesn’t seem possible? Obviously those who regularly check in know there is very little of earthshattering significance (ok, nothing of significance), but since it is purely a […]

Amateur Radio WordPress widget and vanity call signs

| November 26, 2013

Short on time for today’s post although I did add an Amateur Radio HF Propagation widget to my WordPress sidebar. I’m not sure cluttering up the screen with more data is a wise thing, but for now it helps to know which HF bands are open. Continuing with the radio theme, I applied for a […]

The layout and columns on my blog in 15 points

| October 19, 2013

After offering a little tech help to a computer novice setting up email and an a few bookmarks, my friend asked me why some web pages are so “busy and confusing.” He was refering to the columns and underlined words in of all places … MY BLOG. Hmm … is it that confusing I wondered? Maybe because […]

Latest WordPress upgrade to 3.6 and plug in changes

| August 4, 2013

It has been a few years since the automatic update from WordPress.org failed on my server … and only after the fact did I regret not doing a full backup prior to attempting the update (really, I’m posting just to see that all is working after the upgrade). After downloading the new install files and […]

Updating WordPress to 3.5.2 as well as misc plugins

| June 21, 2013

Doing a little late Friday afternoon updating for several of the WordPress blogs that I maintain as the new 3.5.2 is now the current version. Along with that, plugins are next to follow, of which I’ve updated a couple installed on my server. Thankfully the blog has been running without a hitch recently a testament to this […]

Tech Friday: Frustrated with WordPress search options?

| June 21, 2013

Are you frustrated with the basic search feature available in WordPress? If so, join the club. I’ve been back and forth with several different search plugins and have even tried customizing my own using a Google API. Unfortunately none of them worked well for me when I was searching my own site for items that […]

The Jawbone Jambox and testing the WordPress Postie plugin

| March 20, 2013

The addition of a new bluetooth Jambox speaker has certainly improved the audio quality of my iPad … AND the new Postie plug-in for WordPress looks to be a great replacement for Posterous (shutting down next month). Here’s a 2 minute snippet from the iPhone of a post to our EAA284 site. Let’s see if […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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