A review of blog software options.
Monthly Archives: May 2004
Medical Encylclopedia: Stye
Medline Plus is a nice goverment service. Looks like I need to apply hot compresses 4 times per day.
Broke the Site
In setting up the new Mac to host MovableType, I ended up wiping out all of the MT and MT-Static code from the existing site. (Folders had same names and I thought I was operating locally.) A quick restore from the backup copies on Yoda along w/ some file permission setting (chmod 755) got things back up.
iTunes Party Shuffle
iTunes has always had a shuffle option that will randomly play songs from your song library, playlist, or CD. With version 4.5, there is an improvement on this concept with “Party Shuffle.” This special list creates a dynamic playlist. It will show the last X songs played and the next Y songs coming up. It optionally gives weight to highly rated songs. This is not that different from shuffle (which is still there) except I’ve found it very useful to go back and see what just played or what is coming up.
In this snapshot, the entire album Dark Side of the Moon (46 minutes) entered the shuffle because I imported that as a continuous song (no tracks.)
Unlocking iTunes Songs
This article tells how to unlock iTunes songs so that they can be played anywhere by the person who bought the tune (your personal information stays embedded in the tune):
How to play purchased music on other systems – Engadget – www.engadget.com.
The instructions are based on using a utility called HYMM (Hear Your Music Anywhere…. which looks like HYMA to me.)
UPDATE Jan 3, 2008: iTunes gets updated so often, Hymm has not been able to keep up, and no longer works with newer versions of iTunes.
An alternative is to “burn” your iTunes songs to a virtual CD (so you don’t have to waste a real CD) and then reimport them. Here is an article on that approach:
How to Unlock iTunes Songs Without Burning a CD
MT’s $10 Per Person Works!
Six Apart responded very quickly to the new licensing complaints. They said they did not realize how many people were using MovableType for small groups like families. Now I can pay a reasonable price (around $100) for 5 users and then add users at $10 per. So a family of 10 can be legal under $200. MovableType is so much more useful than Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, I can’t complain.
Move Family To WordPress?
I feel SixApart has deceived us in a HUGE way. I have 8 family members maintaining 10 blogs on an iMac running MovableType. MT’s new license would require me to “turn pro” and pay upwards to $700. Good grief! It’s just a family blog.
C A R T H I K . N E T ?? Moving from movable type to WordPress
Anti-Barbie
There is an Anti-Barbie website, although given how much they’ve put on this site about Barbie, I’m starting to wonder how anti-barbie they really are.
Why You Don’t Want Bullfrogs
Carol claims Bullfrogs do not eat fish. If you’ve seen the Discover Channel special on Bullfrogs you find out they eat just about anything and everything. Like a snake, they can stretch to eat things as big as themselves!
I’ve included a link to the full article at the end of this excerpt. The 3 mile thing makes me worried our bullfrog may come back.
Why you don’t want a bullfrog in your pond
1. Bullfrogs eat desired wildlife like birds, small
mammals, dragonflies, butterflies, native
frogs, fish and turtles.
2. Bullfrogs reproduce prolifically. One egg mass
will typically contain thousands of eggs.
Bullfrogs spread to neighboring wetlands
and gardens. The thousands of eggs hatch
into thousands of tadpoles, and the tadpoles
transform into thousands of juvenile bullfrogs,
which may disperse as soon as the rainy
season starts. Some of these frogs travel
over 3 miles in search of a new home.
3. Bullfrogs, unlike native leopard frogs, have a
loud call that may disturb you or your
neighbors at night.
Full article w/ photos: Pond Pests.pdf