Former clients and other annoyances
Posted on August 24, 2005
Filed Under Life | 2 Comments
Here’s something that I am so not going to miss as a freelance graphic designer. Last week, I sent a small ad to a small newspaper. I had promised to do the ad before “quitting” my job and I wanted to see it through. The deadline for ad submission was August 18th, and that’s when I sent it in.
Today, August 24th I get a call on my cell phone from the newspaper. They’re having trouble placing the PDF I sent them. It’s generating PostScript errors. Can I send it again? Well, two problems here…
First, that’s not enough information. If I send the same file again, there’s a 90% chance it’s going to come up with the same error. Happens often with publishers who are either A. placing PDFs into QuarkXPress or B. using old software that doesn’t like my created-from-the-latest-version-of-InDesign PDF file. If I know exactly what they are doing with the PDF, I can make adjustments in the settings to produce a compatible file. This particular file didn’t have transparency so that gave me a lot more flexibility. All she could say was that it was “Acrobat.” Not helping me here, lady.
Second, I’m sitting here in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. I won’t be able to send the file for at least an hour or two. I could hear the panic in her voice. In other words, they waited until the last possible second to open my file and now, because they’re up against the clock I’m supposed to cancel my appointment and run home to resend the file? No, sorry, I don’t think so. I suggested that she find out from their production folks exactly what was going wrong and maybe they could tell me how I should set the PDF file so it would RIP, email me that info and I’ll take care of it when I get home. Had my appointment and the email I eventually received said they fixed the problem themselves. Oh goodie.
Last week was [the gastroenterologist.](http://www.momathome.com/viewfromhome/2005/08/job_life_update.php) Today it was the gynecologist. When Eric was unemployed and our insurance was in question I kept putting off my routine exams. Now I’m catching up.
I’m telling the doctor about myself and of course, my family history with cancer comes up and he looks at my “employer” and “occupation” on the patient info form and realizes the connection.
Ladies, you know how not fun this exam is. Not quite as bad as a colonoscopy prep but it has its moments. I mean, look at this thing:
If a man had this device stuck up his nether regions once a year you can bet the design would have been improved and modernized with comfort in mind. I mentioned this to the doc, and he replied, “Well, when you’ve cured colorectal cancer you can have a new project.” Don’t tempt me.
Google Desktop Search 2
Posted on August 22, 2005
Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Just stamp “Belongs to Google” on my forehead and get it over with.
One of these days they’re going to realize that the company whose motto is “be less evil” is the devil incarnate. But until then, I will continue to be amazed at how often they hit it out of the park.
I have been looking for a reason to dump [X1](http://www.x1.com) as my primary search engine on the PC for a while now. X1 is powerful and it’s fast, but the interface is not so great. I tried the first version of [Google Desktop Search](http://desktop.google.com) and while it had a lot going for it, I found it too limited. Version 2 is out, and wow…what an improvement.
The sidebar is a bit of a rip off of [Desktop Sidebar](http://www.desktopsidebar.com) but with less overhead and Google’s polish. When the panels update it’s incredibly smooth. And hello?!? The search is remarkably like [Spotlight!](http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/spotlight/) And just as fast. Look familiar?
However, the feature that made me bow at the Big G was the option to add a networked drive to the indexing. I have some files on the Mac, some on the PC. I try to be consistent, but that’s not always the case, particularly with PDF files which can be in either location.
It’s about 55% through indexing now. The Google Outlook toolbar is much faster than X1’s. Plus, if you view the email search results in your browser, you can also view by thread. So, look for an email from a certain person on a certain subject and also get the history of where that email “fits” in a larger conversation. Cool.
Beta 5
Posted on August 20, 2005
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
I just upgraded to [MT 3.2 beta 5](http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/beta/2005/08/beta5_is_out.html) which like every other beta upgrade was criminally easy. The longest part of the process is the actual uploading of the files. The release version is coming and for those of you that are worried that it’s a big deal to upgrade, just do the steps in this order and you’ll be fine:
1. Back up your database. Do this every time, even for the minor upgrades. It takes about 30 seconds. [Easy step-by-step instructions are here](http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/docs/3.2/01_installation_and_upgrade/mysql_backup_restore.html) I have a copy of my original Movable Type folder (the one that contains the mt.cgi file) saved on my drive, mostly so I could remember what plug-ins I had installed before. It’s probably not a bad idea to back this up before making a major upgrade, but I don’t do it in between betas.
3. Download the package from the SixApart website, and then upload to your server in the same location as the previous files. I use [CuteFTP](http://cuteftp.com/cuteftppro/) for the PC, and [Transmit](http://panic.com/transmit/) for the Mac. Both do a great job in “auto” mode.
4. I replace my mt-config.cgi file each time. It’s good practice, you never know what has changed from version to version. Open the mt-config.cgi file that’s there and copy your CGI path, database settings and static path (if used). Most folks leave everything else at the default and that’s fine, otherwise copy (or remember) anything else you’ve changed. You don’t have to do this separately, good FTP applications as the ones I’ve mentioned above allow you to edit text files directly on the server. Open mt-config.cgi-original and enter the correct values (CGI path, static path, database). Save and close the file. Delete the mt-config.cgi file and rename mt-config.cgi-original to mt-config.cgi. Took me longer to type than to do.
5. log in to Movable Type as always. You should see a screen informing you that it’s time to upgrade. Hit the button to let it do its thing.
6. That’s it.
If you know how to upload files with an FTP application you can upgrade Movable Type to 3.2. It was never *that* hard before but in comparison, the steps seem positively archaic.
My goal for this weekend: finish the templates on this blog. I still have some “system” templates to update, and the search results page. Once that’s done, I can finish the templates on [Eric's site](http://www.9to5andotherwise.com) and move on to another Movable Type-related project that I have on my plate.
A thought just occurred (don’t worry, not straining myself)… Now that Movable Type has “system-wide” settings, I wonder why the search template is not there. For those familiar, you can edit a blog’s templates easily within the Movable Type interface, but what you get when you search is not included because it’s not blog-specific. Appears to be an oversight that I still have to dig in the search_templates folder for that default template to modify (and then be careful not to overwrite it in a future upgrade). I guess that’s a question for the beta forum.
**Update:** Previewing your comment should now auto-fill what you entered.
Job & life update
Posted on August 19, 2005
Filed Under Life | 2 Comments
It’s been about 3 weeks or so since I decided to turn my career [in a different direction.](http://www.momathome.com/viewfromhome/2005/08/new_opportunities.php)
Even though my “official” employment starts on September 6, I’ve been doing my job as a consultant to fill in the gap between the previous operations chief and me. How’s it going? It amazes me how much I like this job. It suits me. It’s just as creative as what I was doing before, just in a different way. I love being a huge part of a small organization, instead of a small part of a larger one.
I’m due for a colonoscopy, my third. I had my first colonoscopy in 1999, shortly after my father was diagnosed. I was only 32 years old, but my family history puts me in a high-risk category, especially because my father had advanced disease in his mid 50s. It’s a slow growing cancer, which means that he wasn’t that much older than I am now when his ignored cancerous polyp started developing. That’s a very scary thought.
In 1999, in Stamford, I had a wonderful gastroenterologist who didn’t balk at my request for a colonoscopy and agreed that I should be retested every 3 years. I was a little nervous about finding a doctor here that would take the same attitude with a 39 year old otherwise healthy woman with no symptoms. I had nothing to fear. The doctor I found here is one of the most compassionate men I have ever met. I told him what I now did for a living and I gave him a pile of colorectal cancer awareness pins with our information cards that we’re now sending out across the country (if you want some, please [email me](mailto:website@momathome.com)). He was thrilled to get them. The ladies in his office were all already wearing the pins and he said he was hoping to get more and he was glad to have a connection for them now. In taking my history I mentioned the issues I’ve been having with gastritis-like attacks and he wants to figure out why it’s happening. When I have my colonoscopy next month he’s also going to take a look in the other direction and see what’s going on.
Scheduling a mammogram or PSA or blood test is easy. You can do it on your lunch hour. Scheduling a colonoscopy when you have kids and a job and a life is no easy feat. You have the prep day, which means eating nothing but clear liquids the day before and sitting in the bathroom on massive amounts of laxatives the night before. Not really good for much. I usually try to save the latest John Grisham for “throne reading.” You need a page turner to distract you from the true task at hand. Then you have the test day where you’re knocked out for most of the test and recovering from it the rest of the day. Test day is easy. Good drugs, great nap. I had to schedule it on a day when I knew the kids would be in school *and* Eric would be working from home to take me back and forth to the hospital for the test. The hospital doesn’t allow me to be dropped off, Eric has to stay and wait for me in the waiting room. The least they could do is have wifi in the lounge so he can get work done.
I mentioned to Nancy (President of [C3](http://www.c-three.org)) that I have my colonscopy scheduled and bemoan what a pain in the a** it is, literally and figuratively. She says, “well, of course I expect you to take those two days off.” No one understands more than the founder of a colorectal cancer advocacy organization what’s involved, and the importance of, a good screening colonoscopy. Even better, we’re going to put it front of the Board to make it company policy: 2 days paid time off for colonoscopy prep and screening. Right now we’re only two employees so not a big deal, but imagine if other companies adopted this policy. How much does it cost in dollars and cents and productivity to give an employee pay for 2 extra days compared to what it costs for them to have parts of their colon removed followed by chemotherapy?
A colonoscopy is not a vacation no matter how you look at it. However, insurance companies are now paying for the test without a lot of hassle [if you live in the right state](http://www.eifoundation.org/national/nccra/report_card/)…if an employee didn’t have to worry about the time away from work I do believe more folks would have the test and lives will be saved. Even the prep is easier than it used to be. Instead of [Fleet Phosphosoda](http://www.phosphosoda.com/) (ick ick ick) I’ll be taking [Miralax](http://www.miralax.com) this time. I’ve never had the stuff, but it’s what was prescribed for Laini when she had constipation issues at the age of 4. If my preschooler at the time tolerated the stuff, then I know I can handle it.
new SpamLookup
Posted on August 16, 2005
Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
The big change from beta 3 to beta 4 is the addition of a 3.2-happy SpamLookup. And happy it is. I wasn’t certain it was working. The previous version had an activity log, this one is integrated in the new system-wide plug-in window. But then I happened to click on the “Junk” tab in the Trackbacks window. Yikes! 90 junk trackbacks in the past 2 days. Ayup, it’s working. Not a single comment or trackback sent/posted that should have been junk. Not a single comment or trackback junked that shouldn’t have been.
Eric’s [blog](http://www.9to5andotherwise.com) is getting creamed by comment spam. Too much of it is being moderated. I think beta 4 is stable enough that I’m going to upgrade him this week and hope for the best.
I love that the SixApart folks published a step-by-step [tutorial](http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/docs/3.2/01_installation_and_upgrade/mysql_backup_restore.html) for backing up the MySQL database. Isn’t it terrible that I had no clue how to do it before? I always just used import/export for backup. I say this because I had no choice but to wipe out my old Movable Type installation. I meant to leave it there as a fallback/backup, but since it was publishing to the same location as my main blog it wasn’t working out. Every time SpamLookup zapped a comment, it forced a rebuild of the index. That meant that my blog was taking on the old layout/old database on every spam that hit it, which was quite a bit. Get rid of the old folder, get rid of the problem. To be safe, I have a folder on my drive that contains the entire Movable Type CGI folder, a backup of the blog folder as it was right before I upgraded and a zipped file containing the old database. I will *not* lose 2.5 years of entries without a fight.
**UPDATE:** I installed MT 3.2 on [Eric's blog](http://www.9to5andotherwise.com) this morning. Unfortunately, I still have to update his templates a bit so I refreshed to the defaults in the meantime. However, it’s doing what it set out to do. In the seven hours since installation 220 spam comments and 23 spam trackbacks were junked automatically by SpamLookup. Only one junk comment was sent for moderation. Not bad.
