Gecko Bloggle

NEED COFFEE…

My left eyebrow is twitching, way up near the edge.

It’s like someone’s tapping me right there, going doot-doot-dit-dit-doot… doot.

Why are “boing,” “going,” and “doing” all spelled almost exactly the same, but pronounced so differently?

I think we need to find one way to say them all, and stick to it.

I myself, prefer that they all rhyme with “boing.”

Okay, so anyone who’s ever worked with me, listened to me talk about work, or just stood next to me when there’s a decision to be made will know that I’m not the sort of person who usually Reads The Fine Manual when it comes to a lot of things. I tend to just sorta pile on into whatever’s the new toy, and see what happens…

The result occasionally goes a little something like this:

Okay, not really.

Well, last night, I tried that with WordPress 2.0 (the software that displays my blog on my home site)

So let’s just itemize what I did to myself, shall we?:

• Ignored the stuff where they tell you to completely back up your database (let me get to that in a minute).
• Ignored the bit about disabling all plugins
• Ignored the stuff where they tell you to remove all files
• and just clobbered my old install with the 2.0 install

and then ran the upgrade.
Hilarity ensued, let me ensure you.
Including, but not limited to, a 30-minute ABSPATH hunt (the location of the web site in general, meaning once the upgrade was completed, there was now way for the blog to find it’s own files).

…and I totally did it to myself.

Got it all back in this morning (thank goodness for ChefBoyArdee PHPMyAdmin)
I managed to backup my (very sadly broken) database, and then copy/paste the parts I needed (liked the settings, options, POSTS! and comments). The really scary thing was that any large paste (of maybe 15 posts at a time) would cause a connection reset in PhpMyAdmin (at least, under Firefox browser).

One thing that was sorta scary (and I should keep in mind if I’m stupid brave enough to try that at any point in the future):
I’ve got two plugins installed: WP-StatTraq (for statistics and inbounding linking information) and WPHashCash (for anti-comment-spam, so please comment on this at my Home Blog and see if everything’s still working).
I *think* the combination of these two plugins, and their nature of storing data into the database (which means every visit I get to the site gets an entry into the database, and every comment attempt also goes in, I think), lead to a much larger database file (once exported) than I would normally have had. Subsequently, when I tried to import the exported file back into the DB, it choked at the 5minute mark (300second timeout during a single request).

But usually, I’m really lucky and happy with WordPress (and again, it was not WP’s fault, it’s totally MINE).

So yeah. I’m going to get the new server going, first and foremost, and quit goofing around with the blog for a bit. I’ll still post (I hope) during January, but this whole migration from Server 2000 to Server 2003 (and Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003) has been kicking my butt for months now…

Oh, and Happy New Year everyone. I’ll do a proper “State of the Union” type post in the next few days.

So… I work with the guy who made the orignal outfit that inspired this: http://www.leiasmetalbikini.com/

I sent him the link and the following thread ensued

From: Rodis, Nilo
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 9:00 AM
To: Burton, John
Subject: RE: Now look what you started… :)
Hahahahahahahahha. This is really funny. I should have saved one of those bikinis after the shoot….
When the first bikini model was finished, I needed a model to wear it for me to see how it fit before fitting it to Carrie. One of the girls at work was approximately the size and agreed to put it on. Problem is, she was only approximate. She tried as hard as she could but she couldnt pour her boobs inside the bra. Most awkward and embarrassing moment for her and i.

From: Burton, John
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 6:25 PM
To: Rodis, Nilo
Subject: RE: Now look what you started… :)
“…one of the girls at work…”
How does that conversation go, exactly?
NR: “So… we built this uh… bra… and we sorta… uhm….”
CW: “There’s no way I’m putting that on.”
NR: “Yeah, but we need to see if you’re uh…”
CW “Give me that thing.”
{wrestling, grunting}
CW: “THERE! Happy?”
NR: “The kids are gonna LOVE this…”
CW: “But it doesn’t fit!”NR: “Exactly…”
J

From: Rodis, Nilo
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 10:32 AM
To: Burton, John
Subject: RE: Now look what you started… :)
The bottom went in without trouble, but he cup size was much bigger than Carrie. She tried forcing it in with her hands but it kept popping out. She was turning red. I was dayglow red. She was still wrestling with it when I called it off.
Carrie put it on in front of me. Naked. Penny Marshall was in the room laughing her head off watching me turn every color.
Costuming was a lot of fun….

CAPS LOCK: ITS LIKE THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR AWESOME

Via Saint Aardvark the Carpeted

{While listening to Kate Bush’s new album}
{You think I’m kidding}

I’m about to have a devilled ham and gherkin sandwich.

The hell?

Accepted: Take Over World (and/or Enable Blackberry)

Proposed agenda
1) Destroy all known enemies in bloody and savage series of attacks.
2) Enslave humanity and devour Earth’s natural resources while in drunken power-crazed frenzy.
3) Turn on each other for complete control of world…. (see number 1 for details on stylistic inpiration for 3)
4) Ironic twist phase – both killed tragically in ensuing battle leaving world to re-build, in dying seconds realize folly and show remorse (note – think about ape’s as Earths new conquering species)
5) Fix blackberry

Was stumbling around, and found the Machinima 2005 competition, and a link to Dance, Voldo, Dance

The choreographed moves in this recording are all actual game play; no programming was done. “Soul Calibur” is a game in which two combatants battle to the death using their weapons of choice. It’s common in this style of fighting game for each character to have multiple costumes, and this is why there are two equally freaky Voldos dancing with each other. Over a week’s worth of full-time training and performance went into this production, which sparked more than one comment of “you need a job” (a phrase I’m not all that unused to hearing).

Also, Rogers channel 29 (which should be MuchMusic) is currently the Home & Garden Network (HGTV). Arwen figures someone quit, and flipped a dip switch on a controller somewhere before walking out the door. Been like that for an hour at least.

Ooh, and pictures from the 31st (click Rip’s pic for the gallery):

Little Golden Book About God Translated into Zoggese…

Now as anyone knows, my interest in life’s headiest metaphysical mystery has led me on some strange journeys; from the highest mountain peaks of Peru to snort crystalized alpaca urine with an Incan shaman to the sewers beneath Istanbul to read 900-year old grafitti scrawled by the heretical Saint Phoqallyall. Having found no theological resolution in these rarified encounters I have left the door open to the chance that sublime truth may be found where I least expect it.

Check out the weirdness here.