Creating a Microsoft Management Console for our local Windows-based, Apache server

• June 3, 2006
• James Skemp

In a previous tutorials, we discussed how to access the Services control panel from Windows. In this tutorial, we'll be setting up a custom console that will provide us an easy way to access both our Services control panel, an Event Viewer, as well as other management tools.

Read More

Wacom and Digital Innovator

• June 2, 2006
• James Skemp

Some time ago, I purchased a Wacom Graphire (the larger 6 x 8 model) direct from Wacom (since the local shops either didn't carry or were sold out). Since then, I've completed two surveys and received two DVDs from the Digital Innovator series.

Read More

Upgrading (our local install of) ActivePerl

• May 26, 2006
• James Skemp

In a previous guide, we walked through installing ActivePerl on a local machine. This time, we'll be upgrading ActivePerl. For this guide, we'll be upgrading from ActivePerl 5.8.7.815 to 5.8.8.817. However, since the installation requires the uninstallation of previous versions of ActivePerl, we'll simply be installing a new version of ActivePerl. If you have not installed Perl before, you can skip ahead to "Installing Perl" below. Please note that this guide will work equally well for the installation of, or upgrade to, ActivePerl 5.

Read More

1,000 spam caught by Akismet!

• May 26, 2006
• James Skemp

As of this morning, exactly 1,000 spam have been caught by Akismet for this site. Not too shabby. Unfortunately, I don't know when this started, but it was before I got really hit.

Read More

First Debian install = unsuccessful

• May 20, 2006
• James Skemp

My first shot at installing Debian didn't go quite so well. I'm attempting to install on a HP Pavilion XE734, using pretty much the base system. One addition appears to be a 3Com Fast Etherlink PCI card, from the late 90s ... (3C595-TX).

Read More

The 'easy' way to add the description meta tag to WordPress posts

• April 29, 2006
• James Skemp

According to some people, the keywords meta tag has more relevancy/use than the description meta tag. Unfortunately, this is dead wrong. As I've been able to prove (for myself, at least) this last month, the meta description is quite alive and well. Why people think it's not only dead, but surpassed by the meta keywords (!!!), I'll never understand. (And, by the way, these were August '05, January '06 articles/posts.

Read More

Essential Firefox extensions for the Web producer/developer

• April 21, 2006
• James Skemp

There's a handful of extensions for Firefox that I found absolutely necessary in my day-to-day Web production and development. Below, I've outlined the essentials, as well as those that are near the top of the crop.

Read More

Cross Sums Number Combinations Guide

• April 13, 2006
• James Skemp

Quite a while ago - back in May of 2003 actually - I began work on a guide that would display every possible number combination for cross sum puzzles. Since then, a number of people have corrected mistakes that crept in, resulting in a number of different versions of the guide over the last (almost) two years.

Read More

Installing mod_perl on a local Windows-based, Apache server

• April 8, 2006
• James Skemp

The home page of mod_perl gives a great explanation of what mod_perl is, and what it provides. We'll be installing mod_perl simply because it will help us install other functionality as time goes by.

Read More

WP-ShortStat SQL queries

• April 4, 2006
• James Skemp

The wp-shortstat plugin, modified for WordPress 2.x use by Markus Kaemmerer, is a great little plugin. I've been using it since March 17, and since Markus has been doing a deal of updating (additional functionality, as well as bug fixes), I've been checking it on a regular basis (and have looked through the code more than once). However, since I started out by using 1.3, I've got a problem with old records skewing my stats.

Read More