An update on this website

A week or so ago I decided, on a whim, that I wanted to completely redesign this website and move it to a new hosting service. I became frustrated with a few small things and made a snap judgement. I signed up with the first hosting site that I saw. Then I exported/imported all my content (or at least most of it—some of the old images didn’t make it). It all happened pretty fast. Now I only needed to design a whole new site.

I decided to set the new site up using WordPress and installed that. For a theme, I picked Independent Publisher. I spent hours going through the theme files and CSS and then began to tweak the stylsheet in BBEdit to get the design I wanted. (I’m not a programmer, just a tinkerer.) It was great fun, actually. I can be a little obsessive about clean, fast website design and this time around was no exception. Mostly I got I.P. to do everything I wanted it to. (Here’s the custom CSS I added, if you’re interested. (I also made a few minor changes to some of the underlying PHP files (mostly incidental stuff.)))

The old site was blog-centric. I wanted this one to be more photography-centric.

So now, at this point, most of the design and coding is done. There are still some small tweaks that need to be made. But most of the work ahead involves getting the photography page done and organizing photos in Lightroom galleries to link into. Of course, when it’s done I’ll immediately become bored and start to plan something new. Such is life.

A year on

Thursday, January 6th, 2022.

Glenn Kessler provides a run down on what we know about the attack on the Capitol.

Jimmy Carter writes about his concern for the future of democracy.

Tonya Alanez updates us on New Englanders who were arrested.

Karl Rove has some words for the GOP.

And Francis Fukuyama looks at the big picture.

Not a drop to drink

Thursday. Photo day.

Harshing the mellow

A stormy Friday. Neil Young and Tonya Harding share a birthday today.

I love the idea that Taylor Swift is taking control of her catalog. Apparently today is a big day: the re-release of Red.

On a stop for DUI, a driver has a choice. Either take a breathalyzer or lose their license for six months. But for someone suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana there’s no such option. Governor Baker has filed a bill to change that. The Clardy bill, named after a Trooper killed by an impaired driver, would introduce sanctions for drivers who refuse tests for marijuana. There’s only one problem. A reliable test for marijuana impairment doesn’t yet exist. Oh, well. Cart first, horse later.

The shooting on the set of Rust struck a nerve with Emmett Folgert. He has some suggestions for preventing a repeat occurrence.

Could we turn the moon into a habitable planet? First we would need oxygen and, it seems, there’s plenty available. I hope someone pursues this.

And Seoul is thinking of embracing the Metaverse. What could possibly go wrong. (Don’t pick the umbrella!)

Election results

Here.

Brant Point

Thursday. Photo day.

Your winnings, ma’am

Wednesday. It’s the autumnal equinox. Fall has arrived.

Sean Murphy has another tale of dysfunction at the DOT. Looks like they badly need training on ownership, problem solving and customer service.

Annissa Essaibi George is shocked, shocked to find that super PACs are supporting her in the election.

Reviews of the iPhone 13 are coming in. Raymond Wong tried out the phone, and especially the camera. He was impressed with the technical capability of the camera systems but found one big problem that Apple needs to fix.

A regional solution to the chaos at Mass and Cass doesn’t seem to be very popular in the region. We already knew where Quincy stood. Danny McDonald reports that now we’ve alienated Revere too. Whoever ends up being the next mayor will have to tackle this disaster. Despite all the campaign promises, there’s no easy fix.

And Bryan Lunduke recalls BYTE magazine cover artwork by Robert Tinney – the “Norman Rockwell of computer magazines.”

Schwab’s drug store

Today is Sunday. The end of the weekend.

It’s time, once again, for another government shutdown and default.

A British plumber was singing while he worked. The homeowner owned a record company. Now he’s taking a crack at a musical career. Here’s the story. Here’s the first album. My review? Great pipes but he could use a good producer.

Sarah Palin isn’t vaccinated. But you probably guessed that.

Coffee is under threat from global warming. This is not a good situation. But science comes to the rescue.

And Alexa can spoil your surprises. Terence Eden provides a cautionary tale.

Plausible deniability

Happy Tuesday. Amy Winehouse would have been 38 years old today.

Joe Perry, the last of the south shore holdouts from Aerosmith, is selling his Duxbury house. Only $4.5 million and it comes with a recording studio and guitar shaped pool.

Mel King endorsed Acting Mayor Kim Janey while the Willie Gross super PAC is going to the mat for Essaibi George, despite her disavowal. George Regan and his little dog also make an appearance. Election day is here. At least for the prelim. That guy from all those commercials predicts a turnout of 100,000.

Hot nights. Another effect of climate change.

Apple is announcing new iPhones today. Privacy activists are leveraging the event with protests at Apple Stores, including the one in Boston, to bring attention to the CSAM scanning issues even though Apple put that initiative on hold.

And if your career goal is to be a bank teller, you may want to rethink your plan.