Month: March 2005

ecto and WP at loggerheads

gpshewandotcom » Blog Archive » Ecto 2.2.4 and WordPress 1.5:

I’ve had some problems posting to WordPress from Ecto. Not showstoppers, just annoyances really. Whenever I tried to post something new, or edit an existing post I had the following error thrown back at me:

Method “metaWeblog.editPost” produced a server error: “Sorry, your entry could not be edited. Something wrong happened.”

Me, too. This took a couple of days to show up, for some reason. Dunno why.

Anyway, there is a patch, but for some reason, it doesn’t install. Gary was gracious enough to send his patched functions-post.php file, and if all goes well, this post will go up without that error.

The patch that Gary used was for another bug, it looks like.

Continue reading “ecto and WP at loggerheads”

AdSense’s new transparency

Google’s new ToS: Now you can say how much you make:

Cory Doctorow: Glenn sez, “Google updated its AdSense TOS and now lets its affiliates discuss what they make:

You agree not to disclose Google Confidential Information without Google’s prior written consent. ‘Google Confidential Information’ includes without limitation: (a) all Google software, technology, programming, specifications, materials, guidelines and documentation relating to the Program; (b) click-through rates or other statistics relating to Site performance in the Program provided to You by Google; and (c) any other information designated in writing by Google as ‘Confidential’ or an equivalent designation. However, You may accurately disclose the amount of Googleâ’s gross payments to You pursuant to the Program.

(Thanks, Glenn!)

Trouble is, I’m not sure I want anyone to know how anemic my revenue stream trickle is.
Continue reading “AdSense’s new transparency”

how can we make authentication commonplace?

Pharm Policy:

A similar problem holds for secure email. I could digitally sign my outgoing email, but this wouldn’t do much to prevent forged messages in practice. A forged message would of course be unsigned, but unless unsigned messages were rare, nobody would be taken aback on seeing one. But if almost all messages were digitally signed, than an unsigned message would be rare enough to arouse suspicion, and might trigger a prominent warning from the user’s email program.

Is any application vendor interested in pushing this as a strategy? What if you could simply block all unauthenticated email and be assured being spam-free?

Now playing: Lost in the Supermarket by The Clash from the album “London Calling” | Get it (2)

time to do some good

Tour de Cure::
Tdc

Join us for an exciting day of cycling! The Puget Sound area Tour de Cure features scenic routes designed for every level of cycling expertise with 25, 50, 70 and 100 mile options. The 25 mile route contains a few rolling hills along Lake Samammish. Cyclists opting for the 50, 70 and 100 mile loops will enjoy some challenging climbs and exhilarating descents during a beautiful ride in the countryside. All route options are well marked and fully supported with rest stops, SAG support, great food and a finish line celebration. Each mile you ride and every dollar you raise helps in the fight to prevent and cure diabetes.

Watch this space for opportunities to sponsor and motivate America’s Worst Cyclistâ„¢ in the Tour de Cure . . .

no silver bullet

Kids in the City

Yglesias says: (3)

Having been raised in Manhattan, I firmly believe that it’s not only a good place to raise children, it’s a fantastic place to raise children. If you can afford it, that is. Which is, needless to say, a very big if.

I don’t have any wee ones, but one thing I will never understand is why suburban America is almost universally considered to be the ideal place to raise children. Yes, the money issue in cities is real, so I understand why people choose the suburbs over the city, but the money isn’t the reason which is usually given. The entire suburban aesthetic is thought to be good for kids. Don’t get it.

This and the followup remind how glad I am we stayed in the city. The idea that city life == high risk of victimhood is bogus. Crime happens in the same places in every city, in and around taverns, in low-income or housing projects, and in the homes of the victims and perpetrators. That’s not to claim that there’s no risk in a city, but the the good things that kids (and adults) can be exposed to and be part of far outweigh the perceived risks. And that can’t be said for the exurbs.

But then, I still labor under the delusion that I have a lot of parental control and influence over what goes on in my house. I’m not letting MTV or Nintendo raise my kids . . . .

flying lessons

My Eight Year Old got his first R/C plane for his birthday and we took it out flying today.

Hbz4600-450

I can recommend this as a great starter plane. It’s fully assembled (except for the wings: you strap them on with a pair of rubber bands) and it’s dead easy to fly. It made four flights before coming in for a very hard landing (learner pilots need to lay off the throttle when a crash is imminent: that spinning prop does no good when it meets styrofoam flight and control surfaces) and is now needing repair.
Db Images Mag-Park05

An ideal place to learn the basics of flight would be in the old hangars at Magnuson Park.

what happens in AIM doesn’t stay in AIM

AIM owns you.:

“You waive any right to privacy.” AOL has just updated the terms of service for Instant Messanger, which include agreeing to the new requirement that AOL owns everything you write, has the right to reproduce it at will, and that you waive all requirements for prior approval to do so.

Nice. Like I ever use it anymore, but what’s that about?