Archives for December 2009

December 17, 2009

Black-Letterhead 1.6.2

I just released Black-Letterhead version 1.6.2. This latest version supports WordPress 2.9 scheduled for release within a week. WordPress 2.9 has a new feature called post thumbnails. It allows a thumbnail or an image to be displayed in each post. Previously, blog owners have been using plugins to have this feature available on their blogs.

Changes

Functions.php

To activate the post_thumbnail feature, the function has to be enabled in functions.php.

if (function_exists('add_theme_support')) add_theme_support('post-thumbnails');

Post.php

This entry is placed before the main content.

if (function_exists('the_post_thumbnail')) { the_post_thumbnail('post-thumbnail'); }

Single.php

This entry is the same as above, but in single page mode.

if (function_exists('the_post_thumbnail')) { the_post_thumbnail('post-thumbnail'); }

Index.php

Replaced navigation functions when viewing the home page.

Footer.php

Edited copyright information to include year 2010. Users can modify footer.

Download
[download#1]

December 14, 2009

Google and Facebook Launch URL Shorteners

Practically, anyone who tweet nowadays uses a URL shortener service. Tinyurl.com was the first one out of the gate as far as I can recall. Quickly followed by a slew of services joining the fray. The list starts from bit.ly, is.gd, tr.im, ow.ly and on and on. Here’s a comprehensive list – well, at the time it was written.

Not listed is my own personal URL shortener at uly.me. Launched about two months ago and used mostly for the personal branding of my blog – as opposed to using a third party service. Every article on my blog has a short URL, including this article. In addition, I also use uly.me for Twitter and email.

Now, Facebook and Google have started their own service. Facebook launched today FB.me, while Google announced their own called Goo.gl. Did anyone see these two coming? I’m a bit surprised. They both caught me off guard. Google’s service will focus on stability, security and speed. I’m sure they will do a great job.

Well, I’m proud to say that I got my service up before Google and Facebook ever did. I beat them by two months. That’s one accomplishment I can brag about. I know it’s not much, but it’s worth something to me. Well, it’s a great way to start the week.

December 11, 2009

Windows 7 Complaints Trickling In

A recent article from CNNMoney stated that as many as 31% of Windows users have reported problems upgrading to Windows 7. Most of the problems are with the installation and migration of data.

One common gripe, experienced by 9% of installers, is that the half-hour to an hour-long upgrade process gets to the “62% completed” point and then freezes. It’s a problem that Microsoft is aware of, and can be fixed by rebooting the computer, going into advanced settings, and typing in a code that instructs the computer to ignore plug-ins.

Here’s the top 10 list of common problems:

Problems with installation – 31%

Missing applets or components – 26%

Aero theme is not running – 14%

DVD drive not found – 8%

Hidden extensions – 6%

Too many minidumps – 6%

Aero snap problems – 3%

iPhone won’t sync with Windows 7 – 2%

Custom icons get changed with new theme – 2%

Taskbar problems – 1%

If you are thinking of using Windows 7, you are better off not upgrading. The ideal is to get a system that already has Windows 7 installed. If you have Windows Vista now, opt for a clean installation. Backup all your data to a USB hard drive, install, and restore your applications and documents.