Inside WordPress: A series of WordPress guides

I’ve started a series of WordPress guides which I’ve titled ‘Inside WordPress‘. My aim with these is to explain different aspects of WordPress from a practical point of view. That is, they will be focused on showing you how to do things rather than telling you what to do. I’ve already made a start with several guides explaining some of the more simpler aspects of WordPress, as well as some going a little further. The guides will not always be aimed at beginners and, if there is enough interest, I already have plans to dig deep inside the belly of the beast.

The series contains the following new guides:

And I’ve added existing guides into the mix as well:

As with everything else readers are invited to give feedback and ask questions. If there are any areas of WordPress that you are unsure about or would like an in-depth explanation of then please do suggest – it may just be used as the basis for a guide!

Interviewed!

In a curious turn of events I was recently interviewed by Dane Morgan of Blogstrokes. Dane posed a lot of great questions, resulting in answers such as:

Giraffes… hmmm, I’ll make it orange.

Should you wish to check out the interview then head on over to the interview page.

Post-holiday slowdown

Malaysia and Singapore were great. What more can be said?

Singapore was everything I was expecting it to be. Big, modern, clean, efficient, and expensive (although not as bad as Hong Kong). I’ve read many people describe it as a little soul-less. Maybe if you live there for a few years the size of the place may feel restricting, but for a few days it was perfect. It was particularly nice for me to have access to all the modern conveniences I don’t have in Guangzhou, and not to be constantly viewed as a ‘gui lo’ (a somewhat derogatory term for foreigner).

As to Malaysia, well, it’s a much bigger country with a far wider array of cultures and geography than I could possibly fit into a short stay and a few paragraphs. The mix of cultures is really amazing, with people speaking countless languages, practicing many religions, eating all manner of different (and very tasty) foods, and all living in a fair resemblance of harmony. The people actually smile and talk to each, and I never once felt like a tourist. Super stuff.

Would I go back? I’m already considering it!

Malaysia beach

Singapore & Malaysia

A quick note to say that I’ll be away in Singapore & Malaysia for the next few weeks and my computer will not be joining me. Hopefully if the weather holds I’ll be able to get in some snorkelling, but otherwise I’m looking forward to a lot of nice food and and interesting places.

Jumpa lagi!

Anatomy Of An Attack

In an effort to remove all invalid links and redirections from my site I’ve been paying very close attention to my access logs. Courtesy of the list that Redirection maintains I’ve noticed that my site has been under a prolonged attack.

No, there’s no panic just yet, and so far this is not something I’m worried about. The attacks appear to be part of a general ‘find any weakness in any website’ method, rather than a specific and directed attack. Let me give some details of the URLs that are being accessed:

/plugins/spamx/MTBlackList.Examine.class.php?_CONF%5bpath%5d=someURL

/wp-content/plugins/myflash/myflash-button.php?wpPATH=someURL

/wp-content/wp-content/plugins/wordtube/wordtube-button.php?wpPATH=someURL

/wp-content/plugins/Enigma2.php?boarddir=someURL
Continue reading Anatomy Of An Attack

Site redesign and new plugin

A new design! I decided I needed a new and fresh look and the result is the still-in-progress ‘Guangzhou’ theme. My hope is that it’s both easier to navigate, as well as being lighter and more suitable for future work. Comments, as always, are welcomed.

In conjunction with the new theme I’ve made use of WP-Cache and Gravatar cache, which should result in a noticeable speed improvement. The site itself has undergone a good clean, with all invalid code being replaced, all dead-links now corrected, and the addition of new sections for software, articles, and about myself.

On top of that I’ve added a new plugin: HTML Purified. This plugin changes the default comment filter and replaces it with HTML Purifier, a very exhaustive library that checks, validates, and corrects HTML. Not that WordPress is insecure by default, but this just beefs it up a notch, and ensures that comments are both safe and XHTML valid.

Durian – King Of Fruits

It’s that time of the year again in Asia when the much revered and reviled fruit, the durian, is in season. If you’ve never come across the durian, it is a large spiky fruit somewhat resembling a bulbous cactus.

Here’s a quote showing the reverential awe it can inspire:

Imagine the best, most delicious, and sensuous banana pudding you can imagine, add just a touch of butterscotch, vanilla, peach, pineapple, strawberry, and almond flavours, and a surprising twist of — garlic! Like many of life’s greatest experiences, eating durian cannot be adequately described with words. Durian has a characteristic delicious flavour, creamy texture, and tantalizing fragrance that is just… durian! — the king of fruits, nature’s most magnificent fruit gift.Durian Palace

The taste is certainly very unique, being both appealing and slightly repulsive at the same time. It does make a great filling for a dessert, especially when cooked in durian tarts or inside pancakes. Raw durian can be very strong, and is equivalent to eating garlic – it’s a taste you’ll find repeating on you throughout the day.

On first tasting it I thought it like the flesh of some animal in a state of putrefaction.Henri Mouhot, French naturalist

Continue reading Durian – King Of Fruits

Logitech Harmony 555 (550) Universal Control Review

Most of us have a good selection of electronic gadgets gracing our home. TVs, DVD players, TIVOs, home theatre systems, the list goes on. Almost all of these will have an individual remote control requiring not only a home (just where did you put that remote?), but batteries and in many situations the ability to navigate a particular action (such as watching a DVD) across multiple controls.

It’s with this in mind that I looked at my own situation and decided I’d had enough. Watching a DVD required three remote controls. The first to power on the TV and switch the video input. The second to power on the amplifier and switch to DVD input, and the fourth to actually control the DVD (which, being in Chinese I find incredibly difficult to use). Want to watch some TV? Then you’ll need to dig out the amplifier control to switch to the TV input and use the TV control to switch back to the TV. Want to explain that to a guest? Forget it.

Continue reading Logitech Harmony 555 (550) Universal Control Review