WordPress Updates: Improved (A Lot)

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

WordPress Updates seem to have improved greatly over time. Within the last year, automatic updates were integrated into WordPress by use of FTP Server Support.

A while ago (over a year now), I made a blog post that explained my dislike for WordPress updates. At that time, when I was doing manual updates, nearly each time I upgraded something would just go wrong. It wasn’t the kind of wrong that went something like: “Oh. Oops, let me click the ‘Revert’ button…”; it was, “Oh [shoot]! It’s all gone!”
One could see how this would be frustrating.

WordPress later released support for automatic updates. Whenever a new update becomes present, WordPress informs you and explains that it is able to do a manual install. Just provide your FTP server’s login and password as well as location, and hit “Upgrade”. It’s done. Even better, this same feature is capable of installing plugins the exact same way.

Frequent visitors here know how I like to praise good work and give credit to web applications that I use as well as plugins, and this is yet another one:
Great Job, WordPress Development Team.

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Advantages of a Notebook over a Desktop

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

What are the advantages of a Notebook/Laptop over a Desktop?

Besides portability, a notebook does not actually have many advantages over a desktop. If you need portability, go with a notebook, but if you plan on only using the notebook in one single location, you are best off with a desktop. To better explain, we’ll go into some more detail about why a Desktop holds more advantage over a Notebook.

Why a desktop?

  • A desktop can be opened up easily. This means that replacing parts is also very easy — even more, the parts are readily available.
  • Since it can be opened up, when a part goes bad it can be replaced easily with a relatively low cost
  • The expected lifetime of a desktop is greater than that of a laptop
  • A desktop can hold more powerful hardware then a laptop
  • Desktops have less unexpected, random problems
  • A desktop can be easily upgraded overtime; a laptop’s memory tends to have upgrade limitations, the power supply can not be replaced (exempt from this statement is the power adapter), the CPU can not be replaced, and the video card can not be replaced.
  • Desktops contain few proprietary hardware, and not nearly as many proprietary drivers or operating system builds
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9 Reasons to Quit Smoking

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra
  1. Be able to grow old with your spouse
  2. Be able to see the generations
  3. Be able to rely on yourself
  4. Be able to someday tell youngsters “When I was your age..”
  5. Be able to tell stories of your life
  6. Be able to share the past
  7. Be able to complete that “To-Do” list that your wife insists on writing
  8. Be able to see your grandkids
  9. Be able to see your grandkid’s kids

It seems that reasons 8 and 9 are the most inspirational to many people. What are your reasons?

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Upright/Cabinet Grand, Spinet or Upright

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

Which is better? An Upright/Cabinet Grand Piano, a Spinet, or a regular old Upright piano?
(For the sake of simplicity, we will call the Cabinet Grand an Upright Grand)

See Also our article on Piano Buying Tips

Disclaimer: I am not a piano expert, nor do I claim to be one, nor am I a certified music professional. The advice below comes from the experience I have in buying my own pianos and self-research.

The three most common types of pianos that you will find in your typical home that tend to be for student piano players are usually limited to Upright Grands, Spinet’s, and regular Uprights.

The obvious difference between these pianos is the size. A regular studio upright piano is usually 42″-45″ tall. Anything taller than that is considered an Upright Grand. Spinets are only slightly higher than the keyboard, but sizes do tend to vary.

The advantage of a spinet is, of course, the size. They are great space savers when it comes to wall-space, and tend to be lighter. Unfortunately, the sound can be a bit “muffled” on some spinets, and the keys are not very sensitive.

An upright grand tends to be louder. The control is more or less similar to that of a regular upright, but many consider upright grands to be a much more enjoyable experience. Most older pianos tend to be upright grands. Older upright grands are often made to look beautiful, and the heavy, thick wood will cause the piano to be extremely heavy — up to 700 lbs. Be sure you have enough people to move your piano, and watch your back! (Literally, your back…) Keep in mind, upright grands are most often from the early 1900’s, the “hey day” of pianos — this in mind, they are antiques. Quality and functionality of these depend on past care and quality of the builder.

A regular old upright tends to be the regular standard of student pianos today.. not too big, generally the newer ones are not too heavy (they won’t require a football team to move). Since the availability of older used uprights seems to be lower in many areas, they will be harder to find. Most new pianos are uprights.

So, which is better?

I would go with whatever you can get that is newest. Pianos do not get better as they age. After considering that, I would go with an upright grand. Not only do they look wonderful in just about any home, but they are often readily available and tend to have great control over the dynamics of sound (loud to soft sounds). The action often feels better on these pianos, but since most of them are older the action may also be much more worn and other damage may interfere with playing. This is where playing the piano before you buy it comes in handy — if you don’t play the piano, it may be wise to find an experienced piano player to help you out.

What kind of piano do you like the most? Vote in our poll and let us know, feel free to write suggestions and other advice in a comment as well.

[poll id=”4″]

Revisions:
Original article published: December 1, 2009
Updated January 1st, 2012.

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Piano Buying Tips

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

Piano Buying Tips: Things that you might want to know

Also see our article about which is better (for home pianos) Upright/Upright Grand/Spinet

Disclaimer: I am not a piano expert, nor do I claim to be one, nor am I a certified music professional. The advice below comes from the experience I have in buying my own pianos and self-research.
1. An antique piano is not necessarily a bad thing. (1. a., if the piano is being sold for a high cost because it is “antique” don’t buy it. Pianos DO NOT gain value over time, nor do they really become valuable for being “rare”.)

2. You should always play a piano before buying it. And, by play, I mean: Really sit down and play. If you don’t play yet, see if you can find a willing piano player. Be sure to look at other pianos before deciding on just one.

3. Space, space, space. The width of any piano does not vary, it’s the height that you need to worry about. It’s not a matter of it hitting your celling, but a matter of clearing wall-space. Also, some pianos may have more depth, but this varies by piano and does not have a general rule to go by.

4. Research the piano. Call the seller and ask them for a serial number, the piano brand, and the piano series (if the series had a name). The serial number is usually located on the soundboard towards the top, if it is not it may be on the panel under the keyboard. This latches on, and pulls out. Type this information into the Internet and try to find duplicate pianos, do consider that most information you will find will be based off personal opinion and that the piano being reviewed may be quite different from yours. Many pianos may be impossible to find on the Internet — don’t let this discourage you, if you can’t find it just go see the piano and try it out.

5. Inspect the soundboard. Ask the seller to do this for you before going to see the piano. Nearly all older pianos will have some damage to the soundboard.
When you go to see the piano, you will want to inspect the soundboard yourself: Open up the top of the piano and look down inside (bring a flashlight!). Look for cracks on the wood in the back of the piano.
Open the panel underneath the keyboard of the piano. This panel stands vertically and has a clip that must be disengaged before pulling the panel out… the clip style varies. Once that is open, you will see the bottom of the soundboard. Inspect for cracks.

6. While you have the piano open, look at the strings. If you see a great amount of rust, this might indicate that the quality of the strings has degraded over time to the point in which it may affect the sound and life of the string.

7. If strings of the piano are broken, ask the seller how they broke. If it was due to age or other unknown causes, other strings are likely to break in the near future. If the strings were broken due to physical abuse (say, a kid hit it with a hammer) then it may be worthwhile to replace the strings — do consider though that string replacement can cost a lot and the note of the replaced string may sound different from the others.
Along with this, it is also very expensive to replace the action (the moving parts within the piano). Only buy a piano if it is fully functional.

8. Bring a tuner with you, if you can afford to. Many tuners will take a look at pianos for you, but at a cost. In many cases, it could be worthwhile but not completely necessary.

9. Search for broken keys. The action (moving parts) of the keys is very difficult to replace, and if broken keys are in areas that will be played a lot it will affect playability. A tuner can help assess damage of keys. The ivories (though no longer made of ivory) can be replaced without sacrificing a great deal of money.

10. Figure in the cost of a pitch raise and tuning. After your piano sits at home for two or three weeks and settles in place, you need to get both tunings before the piano starts to sound pleasant. Tuning and pitch raise costs vary, so you will need to call your tuner. Some people choose not to tune their pianos, which is fine — it will not hurt the piano, it will only result in a sound that may not be as enjoyable.

Used pianos can be the best kind there are. Since the wood has settled inside the piano, it won’t go out of tune as quickly as a brand new piano (though if you can afford a brand new piano, you can afford the tuning) but will still need tuning every year (or every six months, if you can afford it).

Where can I find a piano?
Another often asked question. Watch the classified ads of your paper (look under “Musical Instruments” and “Ads Under $100”, get a Nickle Ad paper (or another free paper that just lists classifieds), and keep a close eye on www.Craigslist.org and watch your local area for musical instruments.
Tip: On Craigslist, don’t just look under “Musical Instruments”, also search for “Piano” or “Pianos” in the search bar.

Hopefully this article has helped you prepare for the long process of deciding on a piano to buy.

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Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo: Which one should I use?

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

What of the popular disposable email hosts is the best?

Today, we have three major email hosting: Gmail, Hotmail/MSN/Live, and Yahoo. It seems that they are all pretty much the same, but in this article we will take a deeper look at their features.

To get started, let me say: My favorite email host is Gmail. By far, I have found it to be more reliable than Hotmail and easier to use than Yahoo.

When considering switching email hosts, register an account at your desired host and “mess around” with it. Write yourself a few emails. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you like the email composer? Does it have the text formatting features that you need/want?
2. Do you like how emails are presented to you in your Inbox?
3. Do you like how it organizes old emails?
4. Does it have the settings and ability to turn on features that you might like, and turn off those which you do not want?
5. Will it allow you to be productive? (This is why you send yourself emails)

Gmail:

Gmail has a relatively basic interface — almost like the email hosts you would have expected a long time ago — resulting in a very easy-to-use interface. The options and settings are fairly basic, and you are allowed to change your themes as well. Google Labs offers you to add many features to your Inbox, including an Attachment Reminder (one of my favorites), Offline Support, and Google Docs integration. Google also offers a few other things that integrate well into the Inbox, the most popular of these are: Google Calendar, Google Tasks, and Google Talk. The one thing that got me to switch to Gmail from using a premium MSN account was this direct integration and the easy interface.

Immediately, when compared to Yahoo and Hotmail/Live, you may notice a few things:
1. Gmail does not use folders, they use “labels” (which work just as well and integrate with IMAP without a problem)
2. Gmail does not allow you to do fancy javascript things like drag emails on top of a label to label it or on top of the trash can to delete. You check a box and then select the appropriate action.
3. It’s just a different feel altogether.

Gmail’s biggest feature that seems to attract a lot of people to it is it’s support for IMAP and POP3. IMAP also supports folders in Gmail (the folders act as labels).

Gmail also supports switching to the “older” version of Gmail, the “classic” view which is a feature only found in Gmail and Yahoo. This is great for dial-up users.

Hotmail/MSN/Live Mail:

Microsoft just can’t settle on a name for their services, it seems. When I recommend email clients, Hotmail tends to be my second recommendation. It is a very dynamic service, which may be harder for older people to get a hang of. This is also the case with Yahoo. We’ll refer to all of these names as just Hotmail (that’s probably what most people are familiar with, anyways).

Hotmail has only just re-introduced POP3 support for their clients for free in competition with Gmail. IMAP support has been said to soon be supported. Hotmail supports the ability to drag and drop emails into folders, and even right click (providing that your browser supports it).

The reason why I personally decided to leave MSN was this: They would not “fix” my account. There would be many times in which my Inbox would become inaccessible, and they could not offer me advanced technical support since my premium account had come through Verizon. I needed reliable access to my email as well as fast access. Waiting long periods of time for a login to complete was getting to be a pain.

Hotmail contains a descent Rich-Text editor, and a relatively easy-to-use Inbox interface and folder navigation. For the purpose of email, Hotmail works fine.

Yahoo

Yahoo and Hotmail are very much alike, this is of course due to the fact that for a long period of time Hotmail’s only competitor for email was Yahoo. Both had lost the web search battle to Google. Nearly every feature mentioned about Hotmail already is also in Yahoo, and they are very equal clients. Microsoft and Yahoo have recently been merging some of their services (such as messenger) and in the future it would not surprise me if the Inbox’ became identical — don’t hope on it though.

Over time, Yahoo has really changed quite a bit. One great feature about Yahoo is that you have the ability to switch back to “Classic” view of your Inbox which is great for dial-up users. “Classic” view is a more traditional email interface much like Gmail.

Yahoo does not support IMAP or POP3 for free, a big disadvantage to users who may be using their email in a professional environment where they do not have their own domain. There are programs that supposedly download these emails in the POP3 format for you, but the reliability through a third-party is questionable.

Conclusion:

Gmail seems to win. More and more people are using it, and it is climbing to the top of the chain of email clients. Gmail seems to take a lot of pride in their services, and continues to offer more and more for a very reasonable price–free.

This concludes our short reviews about Yahoo, Hotmail, and MSN. We hope that you found it helpful. Feel free to comment and write about your favourite client, be sure to include your email address and enable replies so you can here what others have to say.

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Free Computer Support

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

Where can I find free computer support?
What’s the best one?
Is it safe?
Are there experts there?

All of these questions get asked a lot in many places over the Internet. I think I have a solution for those of you who could not find an answer to your question on Google:

ComputerHope.com is a collection of computer resources, as well as a large community forum with ready-to-help members. Check out their forums at www.computerhope.com/forum or see their homepage to use their other resources.

Of course, you should always Google your question first. Occasionally, there isn’t any information about a very specific issue; usually, most computer questions have always been answered publicly.

If you visited their website and were satisfied with the support, please leave a comment and let us know!

This was not a paid post or referral. ZylstraBlog is not
associated with ComputerHope or any of it's related media.

Last edited by Jesse Zylstra on November 30, 2009 at 10:15 am
Reason: Formatting issue.
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Now using Twitter to broaden visitors

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

We are now using Twitter (after the effort required in getting it set up and working) to link back to our newest posts. You can view our not-very-exciting twitter page at: twitter.com/zylstra555

This be thanks to a plugin called: “WP to Twitter“

WP to Twitter automatically links back to my new posts (using a URL shrinking thingymabob) and lets people know whenever I make a new post. Advantages obviously include more visitors and a different way (other than RSS) to track new posts.

WP to Twitter has an easy to use settings interface with relatively simple questions. Either URL Shortening service (unless you choose to use WordPress) requires either an API key or registration of some kind — this is very easy and does not hurt. It is also (though I have not tested it) compatible with Google Analytics Campaign Manager for tracking your Twitter users.

Quite frankly, I hate twitter. This should also assist in placing Google results as well..

Learn more about WP to Twitter here:
http://www.joedolson.com/articles/wp-to-twitter/

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Laptop Backlights and Inverters

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

Can a laptop backlight or inverter be replaced?

Yes. Unfortunately, there is no “general” way to replace all of them.

Typically, the inverters are located right below the physical panel. These are very easy to replace, just find a proper replacement from eBay or an electronic/computer bulk store. Look for the rubber “feet” located on the outer frame of your monitor (the rubber things that prevent the plastic frame from touching the rest of the laptop when it is closed.) The screws are located behind theses. You will need to remove these. Some laptops just “snap” apart and back in place. It does vary from laptop to laptop.
These feet just stick right back on again.

As for the backlight, you will need to Google your specific laptop and find instructions, but the backlights can normally be replaced.

The backlight can be difficult for a non-computer type person to remove. You can call your local computer shop and ask them what they will charge, but it is not hard to find an entire replacement screen from eBay or a bulk electronics store. I recommend searching for new replacement parts or screens on Froogle.com (from Google). The cheaper the product, the more likely it is to stop working sooner — do keep this in mind and search customer reviews carefully. Just enter the product name and “review”. Eg: “Dell Inspiron e1505 review”.

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WP-Security-Check WordPress Plugin

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Jesse Zylstra

Does the WP Security Check WordPress Plugin work in version 2.8.6 or version 2.8?

No. WordPress Security Check plugin does not work in 2.8.6 — not with proper functionality at least. If you rename your tables inside this plugin, it will fail to correctly execute and properly modify your entire databse and update a few “back burner” settings that are very necessary for Wordpdress to work.

Running this and taking all security measures will result in receiving the message: “You do not have sufficient permissions to access this page.”

Even restoring to a previous backup seems to not work as a way to fix things…

This specific Google Search should help you out with these sorts of issues

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