Lewies Blog

It appears that everything imported correctly from my Blogger.com account. The last thing that needs to be done is adjusting the templates. I’ll have to learn a few things regarding how this is done.

The thing that helped me the most was regarding a script to import haloscan comments. I have over 2,000 comments there and I didn’t want to leave them behind. The instructions were easy to follow.

Tags: Importing, Data, WordPress, Templates, Blogger.com

Dates appear to be working correctly in my test environment. There are two steps that I needed to take. The first was to make sure that dates are sent as UTC format over the XML-RPC API. The second step was a handy little Time Zone plugin. Once activated, I entered EST5EDT for my Time zone. I was also able to enter America/New_York and it handled it the same way.

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Since I had worked on a project involving the Atom API, I already have all of the data on my local computer from my blogger.com account. WordPress provides a few standard APIs over XML-RPC. This is great because I also have some code laying around to interface with it.

I’ve gotten all of my posts exported into a test environment at home. I have been noticing that the dates are not always rite. I’ve also had problems navigating pages in the month view of the archives. It keeps wanting to go to the main index page rather then the month archive.

I spent most of today working on categories. Since I had tagged most of my posts with Technorati tags, I was able to use them to determine what category the post should go in. I got a little carried away with the categories and now I’m trying to consolidate them into more generic categories to compact the list.

Tags: WordPress, Atom API, XML-RPC, Exporting, Categories

I maintain a small directory of blogs in Virginia. I decided to give this directory a little RSS feed so that people could load it up into there news feed programs. Now when a new site is added, you don’t have to go to the directory to find out about it.

RSS Feed

Validate my RSS feed

Tags: RSS, Virginia, Directories, Blogging

I’ve been considering moving my blog over to my domain name at lewismoten.com. I’ve had the domain name since forever. It used to point to one of my computers at home. My cable company got a little smart and I ended up paying a web hosting company for a small spot to point it at rather then my home.

My little spot on the web over there doesn’t get much attention these days. I guess it is because I’ve been neglecting to use it. I’ve done quite a few PHP experiments with it, but other then that, it has been setting in the dark.

I wanted to move my blog over to the domain, but Blogger seems to have problems creating a few files and bombs out halfway through publishing. Recently, I’ve started looking at other blog hosting options. I looked at Movable Type, but the Atomic Bombshell has been having a lot of anxiety problems with it. She has switched over to wordpress and best of all, it is free.

I tried setting up wordpress myself, but I need a MySQL database. Since I went with the cheapest plan when I first setup my website, I don’t have a database. So come Monday, I’m going to consult with my hosting provider and see what my options are.

Tags: Blogging, Hosting, Databases, Blogger, Movable Type, WordPress, MySQL, PHP

I had started browsing through a few old data CD’s last night that I had made about six years ago. I had burned most of my artwork and projects that I had worked on as well as everything on my desktop and document folders.

It is funny how one can go through old data and get enjoyment reminiscing about past projects and triggering old memories. It is almost like going through an old photo album. While I’m doing this, a little voice keeps popping up in the back of my head - “You’re a dork“.

One of the images that kept popping up was variations of my own personal trademark. I came up with a sketch of it back when I was getting my higher education. I had partially forgotten about it. Here is a sample of those images along with a few others that I’ve had on my flickr account for a while now.

I also found a few variations of some of my websites as they had been changed over the past years. It was interesting to look at the source code and browse the databases. Back then, blogs were known as news applications. I remember being confused trying to figure out what the difference was between the two when I first started noticing the term. Today blogging has evolved and news sites are starting to adapt and merge with the trend.

Tags: Backups, Data Recovery, Artwork, Trademarks, Blogging, News

Aurora from the Atomic Bombshell told me about a site called Blog in Space. I keep thinking of a skit on the muppets about Pigs in Space. The idea is that your blog can be broadcasted into outer-space so that extra-terrestrial beings could read it - free of charge. Just make sure that you don’t provoke any of our friendly aliens into hostile reactions to our mother planet.

If your blog is worthy enough, the nice folks might even rate you as “Most Likely to be Contacted“. Aurora informed me that her own blog was picked to be featured tomorrow. She claims it was picked for its outstanding ability to potentially provoke alien responses back to planet Earth. I think there are many conspiracy theories behind closed doors in the government regarding how she is singled out among many. Either way, Kudos to her because she really deserves it.

Tags: Aliens, Alien Contact, Broadcasting, Space, Extra-Terrestial, Blogging

Well, it appears that I have been tagged with a meme. It shouldn’t be too hard though. I have been instructed to list the last 5 tracks on my iPod in shuffle mode. It hardly requires any work from me. Anyway, here it goes:

1. Time Baby ii on The Crow
2. All Is Full Of Love by Björk on Homogenic
3. Happy Birthday by The Birthday Massacre on Nothing And Nowhere
4. Breathe by Telepopmusik on Genetic World
5. Not Gonna Get Us by t.A.T.u. on 200 KMpH In The Wrong Lane

That was easy enough. Now I need to pick 5 friends. If any of you don’t have an iPod, don’t fret. Here are the instructions provided on the original post:

Don’t worry if you have’nt got an iPod, you can still play along!
Go to the nearest cupboard you can fit your head in and then hide your face in shame for not having one of the nicest little devices on the planet! “Who’s a naughty boy….. tut tut tut…”.

I don’t see the resoultion in there, but my guess is that if you have iTunes or some other audio sofware, then you can pick the last five on a randomized list of all of your songs. Ok, let’s get this done. (Lewie closes his eyes really tight.) I cast my misfortune on the Atomic Bombshell, Krozy, Russel, and Jenny.

Tags: Memes, iPod, Music

So I was browsing technorati the other day with blogs that link to mine. A new one showed up called Kapil’s Korner. Kapil leaves comments on my blog from time to time and he wrote something about the website statistics counter that I use in his post, “The Sunday Punch“.

Along side the mention of the counter, he also talked about a few other things that he uses with his blog such as 43Things, Blogrolling, and Tag Cloud. I knew about 43Things and Blogrolling, but Tag Cloud was new to me. I went on over to the website, created an account, and submitted my blogs feed.

Almost a full day later, the service started assigning a few tags to my blog. Two days and I had over 250 of them. The service is pretty cool. Not only do they give you a page to land on, but they also have javascript that you can display on your own blog. Also, they create the tags for you.

Technorati on the other hand, requires you to explicitly identify text as a tag. You may have noticed all of my tags at the bottom of each post. Technorati also doesn’t generate tag clouds on a per-blog bassis. I’ve been working on my own little programs to automate the process of creating tag navigation on my blog, but it is tedious.

Well, so far I like the service. It is creating tags that I hadn’t thought of. I wonder what it will look like as time progresses. An interesting note is that the bottom of each page states “Content Analysis powered by Yahoo! Search“. I wonder how that is done exactly.

Tags: Tagging, Tag Cloud, Services, Free, Blogging

This … is a meme. The rules are quite simple and I suggest that you go ahead and read them and come back here if you would like to participate. My interviewer was Aurora Borealis.

1. I notice you have many varied interests, but what would you consider to be your one real passion in life?

I would have to say free spirited programming. There are no deadlines. There is no pressure. All that that I have is my enthusiasm to make something with my mind and a keyboard. All this is awesome, but the best part is that I can stop and go onto something else that catches my attention without any worries. Even the people at work compliment me on my passion to program.

2. Of all your electronic gadgets, which ones are so essential that you can’t imagine life without them?

Does a computer count as a gadget? For a long time, I would have said my XM Radio. I would listen to it on my commutes and during work hours. The unit would go where I go and fit into all the accessories that I purchased for it. Ever since I got my free iPod, that has changed. Now I have radio on demand. I listen to what I want to listen to when I want to. I never realized an iPod would change my life so much or I would have gone out and purchased one a lot sooner.

3. If we find life on other planets, what would you hope we could gain from interaction with extraterrestrials?

Culture. Any time one civialization met up with another in our own past, culture was a very strong influence. It would be interesting to see what they eat, how the dress, what form of music they enjoy and what they do for fun. How do they travel to work? How is the political system structured? Do they have a form of currency? We could learn from them and adapt our own culture to benefit.

4. How do you think your everyday life will look ten years from now? Any significant changes?

There are always changes. 10 years ago, I did not exist. In my place was an entirely different set of cells accumulated into a human mass with the same identity under our government. 10 years from now, I will not exist - however the inventory of my soul will carry on and form the next “me”. I think the next “Lewie” (let’s call him #4) might be a manager in the field of technology, or perhaps even have a college education of some kind. If this isn’t the case, then #4 will probably be retired somewhere in an RV crossing the country with my wife.

5. You may be my most loyal reader. What made you want to keep reading Atomic Bombshell?

Maybe it’s that Bawidamann Pinnup. Not really, but I do enjoy the layout of a professionally done template. I keep comming back to Atomic Bombshell because the reads are pretty good. Since I list my favorite blogs in alphabetical order on my blogs sidebar, you are usually the first to read through since you update regularly. Last but not least, we tag each other with comments often enough through our blogs, image libraries, and other services that it is hard not to be loyal.

Tags: Interviews, Questions, Answers, Blogging, Memes