Blogography Logo
spacer

   

WordPress

Posted on February 8th, 2014

Dave!In my earliest days of blogging (back before it was even called "blogging") there wasn't any software to help you out. My first blog, "DaveWorld," was entirely coded by hand. Any time I wanted to add something, I'd have to manually edit the HTML code. This was a cumbersome process that was way too much work, so the blog died a slow death and was eventually deleted. My second effort, "DaveBlog," was created on the Blogger platform. This made things easier... but writing was still a chore. And customizing the look of your blog in any meaningful way was nigh impossible.

Then the husband and wife team of Ben & Mena Trott came up with Movable Type and everything changed.

With Movable Type, all the technical crap required to run a blog vanished. Third-party blogging tools like "Kung-Log" made writing a breeze. And since everything ran on templates using a dead-simple coding language, customizing your blog was a piece of cake.

Blogography was born, and I have Movable Type to thank for it.

Eventually Movable Type was sold. An Open Source version was released (and powers my blog to this day), but the focus of the platform was steered towards "professional" and "enterprise" environments, so development of the "free personal" version stagnated. An effort to create an independent version (called "Melody") died. Third-party support dried up.

Movable Type as a viable platform for small bloggers like was coming to an end.

And now the Open Source version is being suspended.

In order for me to keep using a supported version of Movable Type, I would have to purchase a 5-user "Pro" license for $600.

Well fuck that.

So now I am forced into something I should have done a long time ago... changing blogging platforms. I toyed with the idea of switching to Ghost, which looks to be coming along brilliantly, but my only real choice is the 10-ton gorilla of personal blogging: WordPress.

Which is not easy.

My webhosting company, Media Temple, doesn't allow software processes to last long enough to export all my data. So I have to hire a third-party to convert my entries and comments.

And, of course all my templates will have to be converted. The cost to hire somebody for the work is outrageous, so I'm having to do it myself. It's not rocket-science, but it's slow-going. Very slow-going. Everything I learned when building DaveCafe on WordPress has long-since been forgotten. And so I'm starting from scratch.

And so there goes my weekend. But the blog must go on.

Yay.

Tags:
Categories: Blogging 2014Click To It: Permalink  9 Comments: Click To Add Yours!  

   

Opinionated

Posted on January 11th, 2014

Dave!I have no opinion on ketchup brands. Heinz, Hunts, Del Monte... whatever.

I have a very serious opinion on things that matter. Like taco sauce (La Victoria), cola (Coke), toilet paper (Charmin), and handbags (Dooney & Bourke).

And while having opinions is all well and good, sharing opinions can sometimes get you into trouble. Well, not "trouble" per se... but opinions can certainly get you unwanted drama. Especially if you share those opinions with the entire world on the internet.

This morning I went to approve some comments on my blog. One of them gave me an error, so I clicked through to see what was wrong. My guess is that the comment was too long, as I was having to scroll through pages of it before I got to the end.

Apparently somebody took issue with my opinion that Lost was one of the shittiest television shows ever to air on television because, after a great start, the writers didn't know what they were doing or where the hell they were going with the story. The point of the comment, if I had to guess, is that I am "too stupid" to understand how great Lost is, so my "opinion is invalid."

And so I started dicing up the comment so I could get it to post it over several comments... all so I could type some snarky one-sentence response to their ten-page rant. But then I realized just how much I don't give a crap over this person's opinion of my opinion, and just deleted it. That'll teach you to call me stupid, you stupid-head!

Or probably not. Because internet, and all that.

Just five years ago, I would have not only figured out a way to post that comment, but would have written an equally-long point-by-point response justifying my opinion. I don't know what's changed in me since 2009, but I can't fathom doing that today. I just don't care enough to put in all that effort over a television show that ended ages ago.

Especially a show that ended so badly.

Oops. There I go again.

Tags:
Categories: Blogging 2014Click To It: Permalink  6 Comments: Click To Add Yours!  

   

Truth

Posted on January 9th, 2014

Dave!"Dave 2 will be the first to admit that his blog is mostly crap. But there's some interesting stuff in there if you're willing to dig through all that crap." — StuckyTruth

"Too much work." — Sam R.

If that doesn't sum up Blogography, I don't know what does.

Thanks for putting up with my crap, fearless reader!

Tags:
Categories: Blogging 2014Click To It: Permalink  8 Comments: Click To Add Yours!  

   

Dave13

Posted on December 31st, 2013

Dave!For those who only read one of my posts each year... or anybody wanting a recap of the past year here at Blogography... this post is for you! As usual, I've jettisoned loads of the usual junk so this entry is "mostly crap" instead of the "total crap" they usually are.

It wasn't the greatest year for me, but there were some definite highlights worth remembering. I'll probably stick mostly to those...

   


JANUARY

• Wrote a five-star review for one of the greatest books ever written...

Curious George Goes to the Hospital

   

• Made a case as to why Scotty (from Star Trek) is one of the baddest mutha-fuckers in the galaxy...

Scotty fires!

   


FEBRUARY

• Threw my tall hat into the ring in an effort to become the new Pope...

Dave for Pope 2013

   

• My second tattoo! Had the first part of my forearm band inked...

Tattoo One

   

• Partied like a rock star at Jester's birthday party.

   

• Had one of my photos appropriated by the disgusting homophobic bigots at the "National Organization for Marriage."

   


MARCH

• Wrote a rap about my bitter disappointment in receiving a Eggo waffle that was half missing.

   

• Finally found a broadway musical I didn't hate in The Book of Mormon...

Book of Mormon Poster

   

• Took my first of two trips this year to one of my favorite cities on earth... New Orleans, Louisiana.

   


APRIL

• Celebrated the earliest years of my impeccable fashion sense...

Fashionable Baby Dave

   

• Flew to Salt Lake City to take in the latest brilliant tour by one of my favorite bands, OMD, with Marty of Banal Leakage fame.

   

• Flew to Los Angeles for a job and ended up getting to be Virtual Iron Man at Disneyland...

Iron Man Me!

   


MAY

• Took a quick work trip to Washington, D.C. and ended up wandering around the city... and fighting Mr. Shiny over hummus.

   

• Flew to Pittsburgh to spend time with one of my most favorite people on earth...

Dave Becky PNC Park Pirates!

   


JUNE

• Had a life-changing experience when Becky and I went to see Ke$ha LIVE in concert...

<nobr>Ke$ha</nobr> Dances

   

• Flew to Boston for one day to attend a party for a friend... and find a few surprises.

   

CONGRATULATIONS BLACKHAWKS ON YOUR STANLEY CUP WIN!!

DAVETOON: Lil' Dave in a Blackhawks Jersey

   


JULY

• Flew to Atlanta for some work... and say a farewell to Dante's Down the Hatch restaurant with my bloggity friends...

Dante's Down the Hatch Sign

   

• Had a stop-over in DutchyLand for a trip to Maastricht and one of my most favorite foods on earth...

Patatjes Met!

   

• Finally made it to the city of Helsinki for a quick vacation (and another Hard Rock Cafe visit)...

Jean Sibelius Monument

   

• Took a day-trip to the city of Tallinn in Estonia (and visited The Depeche Mode Bar at long last)...

Tallinn Old Town Gate

   


AUGUST

• Flew to Las Vegas for my very first Elvis Wedding Experience...

Vegas Welcome Sign at McCarran Airport

   

• Back to San Francisco for Part Two of my forearm band ink...

Dhamacakra Tattoo

   

• Found out that if the heterosexual thing doesn't pan out... apparently, I've got other options...

Hi Tops Sports Bar San Francisco

   


SEPTEMBER

• Off to Tampa to see my favorite band of all time, Depeche Mode, with a Certifiable Princess and her prince...

Depeche Mode Delta Machine

   

• Off to Philadelphia to see my second-favorite band of all time, The Pet Shop Boys, and hang out with some bloggity friends...

Chris and Cone Heads!

   

• Ran down some of my favorite recent video finds on the internet...

   


OCTOBER

• Took a vacation to Southeast Asia... starting in Saigon, where I became a millionaire (and got to check another Hard Rock Cafe off my list)...

ONE MILLION DONG!

   

• Flew north to Hội An to experience an all-new culinary adventure...

Hoi An Market

   

• Went on an amazing photographic adventure in the Vietnamese countryside...

Fish Washing in Hoi An, Vietnam

   

• Explored the famous caves of the Marble Mountains...

Marble Mountain Cave Light

   

• Flew to Hanoi, where I learned how to do tai-chi...

Tai Chi Master

   

• Flew to Laos, for a bit of relaxation... and to see the beautiful sights...

Temple Climb Sunrise

   

• Finally had the opportunity to check Cambodia and Angkor Wat off my bucket list...

Banteay Kdei

Srah Srang

   

• At long last got to see P!nk live and in concert...

P!ink in Concert!

   

• Cry me a river, next-gen video game adopters. Wrote about videos games THEN vs. video games NOW...

Video Games THEN vs NOW

   

RED SOX WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!

Lil' Dave Loves Red Sox

   


NOVEMBER

• Money NOT well spent... my five most regretted purchases... EVER.

   

• Ranted against a massively flawed attempt at anti-GMO legislation.

   

• Disclosed Ten Things You Probably Don't Know About Me.

   

• As if flying wasn't bad enough... I'm completely against allowing mobile phones in-flight. The homicide rate on planes would suddenly be horrific...

Mobile Phones on Planes

   


DECEMBER

• Was devastated that Saltalamacchia left my beloved Boston Red Sox for Miami...

Jarrod Saltalamacchia Boston

JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA
2010-2013

   

Flew back to New Orleans, again, because I just can't help myself.

   

• RW and I closed out our third stellar year with our ninth issue of THRICE Fiction magazine!

   


And... that's a wrap for 2013!

Thanks to everybody for stopping by. I hope your 2014 is a very good year!

Tags:
Categories: Blogging 2013Click To It: Permalink  3 Comments: Click To Add Yours!  

   

Traveler

Posted on December 16th, 2013

Dave!As somebody who travels quite a bit... and encourages others to travel too... I'm always happy to help out when people want tips or information on visiting the places I've been. Generally, this involves pointing them to an entry here on Blogography but, since this isn't a travel blog and I tend to write about places in broad strokes, I'm happy to pass along more details if I have them.

Usually, people who contact me are very nice and grateful for the information.

But not always.

Sometimes there are problems because people don't understand the kind of traveler I am. I try not to waste a lot of money on lodging and dining, so luxury travelers get upset when I liked a hotel or restaurant that wasn't up to their lofty standards. On the other hand, I am not a budget traveler either, so cost-conscious travelers get upset when I liked a hotel or restaurant that is more expensive than they wanted to pay. And the list goes on and on. I'm a vegetarian, so I've gotten complaints that the menu wasn't to their liking. I usually travel solo, so I've gotten complaints that a place wasn't romantic enough for couples. I don't give a crap about coffee, so I've even gotten complaints that a location I recommended didn't have a Starbucks. You name it, I've had people take my experiences and complain that I suck.

So even though I am just trying to be helpful by relating my experience based on my interests, there's always going to be those who get pissed-off because it didn't relate to their interests. And that's fine. It happens.

But today's comment just has me baffled.

Somebody visiting Helsinki read about my little day-trip adventure to Tallinn, Estonia and decided to do it as well.

Then proceeded to inform me that I made Tallinn "sound far more exciting than it actually is" and that "the weather is horrible and we froze to death the entire time since you said we wouldn't need a jacket."

=blink=

First of all, I just wrote about what I did and posted photos of what I saw. I did NOT say "my every waking moment in Tallinn was like having a continuous orgasm while free-falling out of a plane"... so I'm not quite getting how I made the place "sound far more exciting than it actually is." My total assessment of the city was this: "All in all, a great way to spend the day. If you're in Helsinki for a while, it's a day-trip worth doing." And I totally stand by that statement. Especially since I had just posted words and photos explaining why I thought it was worth doing. If you don't feel that what I posted is "exciting" enough for you, why in the hell did you go in the first place?

Second of all, I visited Estonia in JUNE. You visited in DECEMBER... that's like the difference between summer and winter. In fact, that's exactly the difference between summer and winter. As if that wasn't enough, I didn't recommend that people "not take a jacket." On the contrary, I specifically said "I sure wish I would have brought a jacket," because the weather ended up being much colder than forecast. IN JUNE!!!

YOU VISITED IN DECEMBER!!!

It's enough to make me want to write back and say "Look, at some point, you kind of have to start thinking for yourselves, people."

But, I try to be a nicer guy than that, and merely said "Sorry you didn't enjoy Tallinn as much as I did. Perhaps if the weather in winter was as nice as when I visited in summer you might have had a better time of it."

And yet... yeah... if you're reading this Person-Who-Thought-Tallinn-Was-Boring... at some point, you really do need to start thinking for yourself.

Oh well.

You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Or, more likely...

You can't please all of the people at all of the time now-a-days.

Tags: ,
Categories: Travel 2013Click To It: Permalink  10 Comments: Click To Add Yours!  

   

Broked

Posted on December 13th, 2013

Dave!Suuuuuuuuck!

Sometime last night, my blog done broke.

It all started when I tried to change out the Google Map on my Travel Map Page. Google provides a link to custom maps you can build... and it totally worked for a while... but now it's just showing up as a blank space and I have no idea what's wrong. When I tried to change the template, Movable Type crapped out, and the entire back-end to Blogography became non-responsive...

Blog Broked

   
UPDATE: This morning (Saturday) I started re-installing components one-by-one until everything magically started working again. The map is still blank, but at least I can post to my blog again.

Tags:
Categories: Blogging 2013Click To It: Permalink  1 Comment: Click To Add Yours!  

   

Stub

Posted on November 16th, 2013

Dave!I fully admit that I'm a total hoarder when it comes to my travel. I save pretty much everything... receipts... ticket stubs... boarding passes... maps... brochures... everything. My thinking has always been that saving all this crap would make it easier to reconstruct my travels so I can remember where I was and what I did while I was there.

Then Blogography came along and all my travels were suddenly being documented.

At least for the past ten years that I've been blogging.

Yet I've still be saving everything out of habit. The problem is that all this stuff has been taking up space and I'm running out of room. And so I've been going through all my boxes of travel crap and throwing out most of it. There's no need to keep a receipt so I can remember the name of that pizza restaurant I like in Cologne, Germany... I just have to Google my blog, and there it is. I don't have to save the ticket stub from the Pet Shop Boys' first concert in Seattle to remember when that was... I just have to Google my blog, and there it is. Having your travels indexed on the internet is just so handy.

But what about my travels before I started blogging? I can't Google a box of crap, so what to do?

One of the ideas I'm toying with is creating blog entries for my earlier travels, then back-dating them. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea though. Is it cheating to have a blog with entries that pre-date blogging? Do I really care? I suppose I could start a second blog for my early travels, but I can't help but think that having everything in one place would be a better way to go.

I just don't know. Guess I'll think about it for a while and see where I land.

All I do know is that I'd love to throw out all this crap I have piled up which covers my travels from 1983 to 2002.

   

Decade

Posted on August 19th, 2013

Dave!Well, crap.

Forest fires are raging ten miles away so the air is choked with smoke. Which means I will be spending my days with stomach cramps and queasiness. I don't know why smoke affects me like that, but it does.

Every year.

Including last year.

Hmmm...

One of the curious side-effects of having a blog that spans a decade is being able to look back and see what you were up to ten years ago. In my case, life was all about my motorcycle. That's a story that doesn't end happily, but it was an interesting time in my life.

And a fun one.

Which is why I should probably make a point of revisiting my archives more often.

When I'm not having fun in the present, I can always re-live it in the past.

   

Third

Posted on May 3rd, 2013

Dave!One of the nice things about having a blog that's been around a while is that you have a record of what you were doing in years past. In my case, it's a record that spans ten years, which is pretty good.

Except not always. I was a sporadic blogger in the beginning and sometimes weeks passed between entries. So, in the beginning at least, there are stretches which are entirely unknown. Later years are better, however...

  1. 2012 • Taking a look a religious lunacy and cartoons.
  2. 2011 • Waiting for Judgement Day and contemplating the end of the world.
  3. 2010 • Getting some terrible news from a friend.
  4. 2009 • Returning from TequilaCon 5 in Albuquerque... The Spice must flow.
  5. 2008 • Attending TequilaCon 4 in Philadelphia.
  6. 2007 • Looking for socks before a trip to Greece.
  7. 2006 • Hanging our with Bad Monkey.
  8. 2005 • Reading a bunch of critically acclaimed blogs... all of which are either dead or long since abandoned.
  9. 2004 • Watching two chick flicks... 13 Going on 30 and Mean Girls.
  10. 2003 • Unknown. See, I told you.

Of course, that's just the stuff I decided I could write about. Who knows what was going on between the lines.

Probably stuff I'm better off forgetting anyway.

Tags: ,
Categories: Blogging 2013Click To It: Permalink  2 Comments: Click To Add Yours!  

   

Veggie

Posted on April 22nd, 2013

Dave!This morning when I woke up I had an awesome idea for a blog post, but have since forgotten what it was. I can only guess I was going to talk about the perils of not writing things down after you turn 40, but who can say for sure?

Fortunately it's Earth Day today, so there's that to talk about.

Uhhhh... yeah... be kind to the earth... or whatever.

Well that didn't go very far now did it?

Except... Earth Day is also the anniversary of my becoming a vegetarian. I gave up meat on this date back in 1988. Which means it's been 25 years since I've had a hamburger.

A quarter-century since I've had a chicken nugget.

And 9131 days since I've eaten bacon.

   
No. I don't know how I've survived this long either.

   

Older Entries  Home  Newer Entries

spacer
Welcome:
Blogography is a place to learn and grow by exposing yourself to the mind of David Simmer II, a brilliant commentator on world events and popular culture (or so he claims).
Dave FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions
Dave Contact:
dave@blogography.com
Blogography Webfeeds:
Atom Entries Feed
Comments Feed
translate me
flags of the world!
lost & found
Search Blogography:
thrice fiction
Thrice Fiction Magazine - March, 2011 - THE END
I'm co-founder of Thrice Fiction magazine. Come check us out!
hard rock moment
Visit DaveCafe for my Hard Rock Cafe travel journal!
travel picto-gram
Visit my travel map to see where I have been in this world!
badgemania
Blogography Badge
Atom Syndicate Badge
Comments Syndicate Badge
Apple Safari Badge
Pirate's Booty Badge
Macintosh Badge
license
All content copyright ©2003-2022
by David Simmer II
   
Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
ssl security