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WordPress update

I updated to WordPress 2.3. It went pretty well, with one exception.

My host, Yahoo!, does not allow .htaccess files. It developed a plug-in to provide for pretty permalinks. Without using their plug-in WordPress’ permalinks options (besides default) do not work. The problem is described in the WordPress help forums.

For the time being I have disabled my pretty permalinks.

We will see if Yahoo fixes this in short order – but I have my doubts. Many of their promises about automatically updating WordPress were never kept…

I will also play with their plug-in, and see if I can fix it.

Sorry for any problems related to my permalinks. If I cannot resolve this I will be seeking another host. Things should not be this difficult, with workarounds and plug-ins to handle things most folks just handle.

Update:

Mark Jaquith of Mark on WordPress discusses WordPress 2.3 Canonical URLs and the problems they may cause.

He has a one line plug-in that disables canonical URL redirection.

I installed the plug-in and reactivated the Yahoo! plug-in. Everything works now. I will use this until Yahoo corrects its issues – or until I move to a different provider.

Everything Else,

To tell the truth

No, I am Matt Mullenweg.

I took the Technosailor self importance test and the following was the result:

You are most like Matt Mullenweg!

You are most like Matt Mullenweg. Though you recognize your authority, you do not relish the idea of using your power too aggressively. Instead, you rely on peers a lot. You do participate in the social media world, but it is not something that occupies a lot of time. You most likey devote yourself to projects that you feel passionate about and tend to evangelize those things quite a bit.

For those who don’t know, Matt Mullenweg is the founding developer of WordPress. Cool…

Also, I loved To Tell the Truth. Watched it with the family every evening.

An interesting aside, Kitty Carlisle Hart, who featured prominently on To Tell the Truth was a great patron of the arts right here in Albany and served on the New York State Council of the Arts. The Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre at the Egg is named after her (a very nice venue).

Everything Else,

On Spong’s Jesus

Ben Myers dissects John Shelby Spong’s Jesus for the Non-Religious at Faith and Theology:

Bishop Spong’s Jesus may be useful and consoling, then, but he is not especially interesting, much less unique. He poses no threat, no challenge. He makes no demands. He tells us nothing that we didn’t know already. And for just that reason, it’s hard to see why —the non-religious— —“ or anyone else, for that matter —“ should have any special regard for this Jesus.

Check it out…

Everything Else

Pope Approves Pig Latin Mass

A decidedly off-color story from Postcards (not for the impressionable or the anathema throwers). I laughed till it hurt, especially:

Pursuant to the pope’s decree, however, priests will no longer have to get permission from their bishops in order to say the mass in Pig Latin. What’s more, any folksongs sung at mass must be translated into Pig Latin, and any wishing of peace to one’s fellow mass goers must be rendered in Pig Latin also.

Not surprisingly many progressive Catholics greeted the pope’s decree with dismay.

—’Owinblay in the Indway,’— just doesn’t convey the same message as ‘Blowin’ in the Wind,’— said Father Bud, director of the Neumann Center at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.

What’s more, Jewish leaders complained that the inclusion of an Oodgay Idayfray prayer for the conversion of the Jews was —a slap in the face to Israel— and could lead to —serious military consequences— if it isn’t removed at once…

Probably more shades of truth here than in many MSM stories.

Everything Else,

Further adventures in food

Nicole’s Italia

On Thursday my daughter graduated from kindergarten. After graduation mom and dad took her to Nicole’s Italia. We held her Christening reception there not all that long ago (so it seems…).

I’ve always found the food there to be of high quality at a reasonable price. The owner is typically on-site and he’s really a wonderful and generous host.

My wife had Chicken Parmesan, and it was perfect. I had Veal Saltimbocca which consisted of a veal cutlet sautéed in a Marsala wine sauce on a bed of spinach and covered with a layer of prosciutto and provolone. Also excellent. Their children’s menu is extensive and includes every kid’s Italian favorites plus the typical kid’s standbys.

If you are in the Capital Region and in Guilderland, stop by at Nicole’s in the 20 Mall (2080 Western Ave., Guilderland).

Jesse’s

I love Texas Hots. For the uninitiated Texas Hots are hot dogs covered in Texas Hot Sauce, onions, and mustard.

I fell in love with Texas Hots back in Buffalo. You can’t drive 10 miles without running across a hots restaurant. I always thought Louie’s was the best (they even have a Wikipedia entry). In Buffalo, Hots restaurants were typically run by a Greek family, in Louie’s case, the Galanes family.

There’s also the world famous Ted’s Hot Dogs which was started by Theodore Spiro Liaros in a small shack under the Peace Bridge in Buffalo. I ate there after many a trip to Crystal Beach.

Anyway, there was nothing to compare to Louie’s or Ted’s here in the Capital Region, that is until Jesse’s opened.

Jesse’s is a Texas Hots lovers dream come true. Located at 1800 Western Avenue, on the side of Cosimo’s Plaza in Guilderland, Jesse’s fulfills my need for Texas Hots.

Jesse Caprotti Jr. opened the restaurant this year bringing his family’s Texas sauce recipe to the area.

During the 1960’s and 70’s, and up until their passing, Jesse Sr., and Betty Caprotti’s successful stand in Kingston, NY served the same Texas Hots, using the same family recipe, to locals.

You will always find Jesse Jr. in the kitchen and his family, including his daughter Colette at the counter. They are wonderful folks, and if you’re miles from Buffalo or Kingston, you couldn’t find better than Jesse’s.

Everything Else,

I done be tagged…

The Young Fogey tagged me for the ‘Eight things about me’ meme

Here are the rules…

  1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
  2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
  3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
  4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

And without further ado, here are my answers…

  1. My musical tastes are eclectic. Rock, Pop, Classical, Christian, Rap, Heavy Metal, Chant, Ethnic (African, Caribbean, Polish – of course – but all types including Polish Pop, Rap, Metal, and Folk, plus many others) and yes, Polka…
  2. I can’t Polka
  3. I love Morris West’s works.
  4. I overdo it for guests (old Polish proverb – when guests are in the house, God is in the house).
  5. I’ve always wanted a Jaguar and a sporty convertible
  6. I wrote an MS Access database program to spec for a Canadian fisherman.
  7. I love rubrics – and often mess up anyway. I accept this as God’s little lesson in humility.
  8. I grew up in a house full of women and believe women are the underpinning of society.

Eight more people: Bernard Brandt, Fr. Martin Fox, Fr. Deacon Raphael, Deacon Dan Wright, Ben Johnson, Huw, Edward Yong, and the crew over at Broadway Fillmore Alive.

I will not leave random, irrelevant comments on peoples’ sites, so consider the link your tag.

Everything Else,

Three axis political quiz

Fr. Jim Tucker of Dappled Things points to a three line political quiz.

I took the quiz and found that I am a “capitalist-leaning libertarian” which is composed of (as defined at the quiz site):

Libertarian – Many people in the US Libertarian Party are minor heretics or simply adhere to certain social controls while remaining otherwise nearly anarchical. These people, in addition to a number of especially independent Democrats and Republicans, fit into the libertarian category. They do not seek the philosophical uber-consistency of the anarchists, but they propose most or nearly all of the same ideas and policies. Someone in the ACLU or the Republican Liberty Caucus would likely fall here.

…and

Capitalist-Leaning – Many Republicans and some Democrats fall here, and support balanced budgets, tax reform, free trade agreements, estate tax repeal, and spend more time talking about the problems of small business than raising the minimum wage. They like to push middle class tax cuts and associate economic success with production, wealth, and especially with high rates of consumerism and ownership.

I think it kind of fits my blue-collar ethnic upbringing.

Everything Else, ,

WordPress fun (and widgets too)

The latest version of WordPress is out. I’ll be doing the upgrade to WordPress 2.2 in the next few hours.

Along with other great improvements, the latest version of WordPress support widgets right out-of-the-box. The gurus at WordPress are on an enhanced roll-out cycle. Stay tuned for more great innovations.

In honor of the release:

I’ve upgraded my release of the Imieniny widget plug-in to beta 0.1.

I am also releasing a new widget, the Gadu-Gadu widget plug-in. The widget is for folks who use (or would like to use) the Gadu-Gadu IM client.

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