Category: Burningbird

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Burningbird

Archiving Drupal…Hello WordPress

In the next week, I’m archiving these Drupal-based web pages, and switching over to WordPress. It’s simpler to just archive the old pages than to attempt to get two dissimilar data stores to work together.

This post will be part of the archive, and provide a link to the main page for the new pages when finished.

I’m using Karen Stevenson’s approach to archiving a Drupal site. I have found it works nicely without being complicated. The only difference is I’m merging the archived pages back into the site, and running WordPress around them. Hopefully this will minimize broken links.

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Burningbird

Drupal to WordPress…and Donald Trump

I’m migrating this site from Drupal to WordPress. WordPress makes more sense for my needs. And it’s not as complicated to make a static archive of a Drupal site as it used to be.

There, I said it. I’m moving from Drupal to WordPress. It used to be when we made these pronouncements in the past, there’d be great debate about the political implications of choosing one CMS over another. Now, saying we’re moving from one CMS to another is right up there with, “I’m switching from mint flavored toothpaste to bubblegum.”

Drupal fans won’t be offended, and WordPress folk won’t rejoice. It just is. A bit of tedious work, most likely some broken links no one will notice, and what is is, and continues, because we find stories now via Twitter, Facebook, and the like. Or Google, and Google doesn’t care as long as you’re using HTML5 and proper mobile technologies so it doesn’t drop you from search engine results. (“Please, Mr. Google. Please don’t drop me from mobile search results!”)

I’m moving from Drupal to WordPress. No excitement. Well, not unless I mention “Donald Trump”.

Maybe that’s the key.

I’m moving my site from Donald Trump to Bernie Sanders.

Now, I’ve done it. I just offended the Drupal people.

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JavaScript Writing

My latest, and last, book for O’Reilly

I said a few years back that when Node.js released version 1.0, I’d issue an update for my book, Learning Node. Little did I know that waiting for Node.js 1.0 was like waiting for Godot, but in JavaScript.

I did try to do an update on the first edition of Learning Node earlier this year, but the changes were just too significant. So many of the modules I covered are no longer supported, Express 4.0 happened, and then there’s that Node.js/io.js thing, and skipping version 1, altogether. The first edition of Learning Node just can’t be updated, in place. The only solution was a new edition. It’s also a good time to do a new edition: there’s more stability in the development of Node.js, and less personal ownership.

I just hit the half-way mark in Learning Node, the second edition. It should be out for early release in January or so. The finished book should be in the market some time around April/May. We took a different direction with this book: smaller, learner, and staying closer to the core of Node.js. I’m very happy with the direction it’s taking. It’s the Learning Node book I probably should have written, way back in Node.js’s infancy.

Of my books, I finished JavaScript Cookbook, second edition earlier in the year, and I’m happy with it. I like the design of the book, and feel it’s nicely comprehensive. A new author has taken over for the Learning JavaScript series, beginning with Learning JavaScript, third edition. I’ve been chatting with O’Reilly about releasing Practical RDF to the public domain. With the second edition of Learning Node on its way to completion, I feel it’s a good time to ease my way out of writing books for O’Reilly, and finally take the plunge to self-publication.

My first book for O’Reilly was Developing ASP Components, published in 2001. It actually hit the Amazon top 100 bestselling books list for a brief moment. In 15 years, we’ve managed to publish 16 books, and I’m proud of all the work we’ve done together. O’Reilly has been a good publisher, and a good company to work with. They’ve always been supportive of my efforts. I’ve enjoyed working with the people, including, and especially, my long-time editor, and friend, Simon St. Laurent.

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Documents Political

Put that FOIA down and back away slowly

Latest last update

My friend Karoli wrote an excellent article on all this fooflah. She has more reach than I do, so hopefully this information will eventually work its way around to the original publications.

There’s enough BS about the Clinton emails without additional false associations.

Because we’re all damn tired of hearing about the Clinton emails.

last update

Confirmed. The documents were issued by the State Department in 2014, in response to a FOIA request by The Telegraph’s Philip Sherwell. They have absolutely nothing to do with Clinton, and were not on Clinton’s email server.

Update:

I believe the Philip Sherwell, who instigated the FOIA request, also is the author of this piece, in the Telegraph. I’ve asked him if this was so, and whether he was familiar with the recent stories. Will update when I hear back from him.

earlier

I noticed a story claiming to be about a “smoking gun” proving that Hilary Clinton knew she had top secret information on her server. They got the information from a Daily Mail story. The story has since been picked up by Newsmax, the Telegraph, the BBC, and many other publications too numerous to list.

Five minutes is all it took to discover the FOIA request that produced these documents from the State Department. The request is completely unrelated to Clinton or her email server. The request was initiated by a Philip Sherwell, in August of 2012, and the request was for “references concerning a meeting Saturday April 6, 2002 in Crawford, TX between George W Bush and Tony Blair.”

It has nothing to do with Clinton, and was not among the documents turned over related to the Clinton FOIA requests. We know this for a fact because the FOIA case number and release date are printed at the bottom of the documents. And it seems that the publications weren’t aware that this story was told previously…in 2006. That smoking gun is looking more like a cap gun right about now.

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Burningbird Smart stuff

Hack your home

I am very interested in Internet of Things, DIY, and smart home gadgets. I recently created a new web site, Hack Your Home, both because I wanted to grab a .space domain, and because I wanted to record my new home ownership experiences in one place.

My most recent writing, SmartThings Hub and Samsung SmartCam for Security (with a little Google OnHub action thrown in) covers the set up I have to secure our basement entrance. Let’s just say if anyone enters our home via the basement door or window, they won’t do so unnoticed.

I’m also fascinated by the new microcomputers and microcontrollers such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino. Over time, I plan on incorporating them into the fun, and providing associated how-tos.

The site won’t only be about gadgets. I’m also covering experiences with contractors, aided and abetted by the contractor web sites such as Angie’s List, as well as search engines. The latter has changed home ownership to a remarkable degree: no longer are we neophytes, tender bait for less than scrupulous electricians, concrete companies, and landscapers. Knowledge is still the most powerful tool we have.

Oh and pictures. Thanks to my Nikon P900, I have discovered my back yard is a jungle