Tag Archives: CarneyWeb

Apr 26 2016

CarneyWeb Redux

Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here… nearly 5 years!!! 

The computer that I hosted the site on has finally outlived its useful life, taking more time and effort to keep working as a web server than I have the time and patience to deal with anymore (yeah, I’m definitely entering the grumpy old man zone :-)). It took a bit of effort, but I was able to get the content from the site imported into an external blog host. The only issue is that I was using a custom text filter to give me some added functionality. The net result is that some of the old content will look strange and some intra-site links won’t be formatted correctly. Oh well. If I figure out a way to fix those issues, I will, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.

Then there’s the question as to why I haven’t written anything here recently, and the simple answer is that I didn’t feel like it. Nothing really struck me as worth writing about, and with the host misbehaving (see above), I didn’t bother. Well, things are interesting again! The election, deflategate, artists deaths, hi-tech issues (encryption and Apple), etc. And I have opinions on all of it!

Stay tuned!

Apr 1 2010

Upgrade to WordPress

After much hemming and hawing, thinking about upgrading to the most recent version of Typo, a fantastic Ruby on Rails blogging system, I decided to go a different direction with the site and adopt WordPress. Boy am I glad I did!

This will be the 6th incarnation of CarneyWeb.com:

# Static HTML
# Userland Frontier site management
# Custom PHP/MySQL software written by me
# Custom Ruby on Rails software written by me
# Typo blogging system
# and now [[WordPress.org]]

One of the main drawbacks with Typo for me was that it was a Ruby on Rails application. Now, before all my Rails friends get in a tizzy, let me explain. First off, let me say, I love Rails and everything it brings to the table for web app development. My main problem is that my site is running on an old, resource limited mac and Rails really is a resource hog. I noticed the time it took to spin up a new instance of Typo after the site had been inactive for a while… it was downright painful. It turns out that PHP is just much more resource friendly, and because I have the zend engine and eAccelerator installed which do a fantastic job in optimizing PHP scripts for performance.

Now, on to WordPress.

WordPress is a fantastic blogging platform with thousands of plugins for site customization, and is way more feature complete than Typo. I’ve also switch my [band’s](http://www.8misbehavin.com) site over to WordPress from a static site maintained in [RapidWeaver](http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/) (a great product by the way) as well, and will probably switch over my iPhone development company’s [site](http://www.sweet-spot-software.com) too.

Jan 5 2009

Plans for 2009

It’s been an interesting couple of years for me. Starting 2 1/2 years ago, I decided that it was time for me to get in shape again. I started going to the gym at work, and have been going ever since. I’m actually in the best shape I’ve been in since probably high school, and weigh about what I did when I graduated from college.

Also, about 2 years ago, I took a big step towards living with less pain by having one of my knees replaced. That’s turned out beautifully, and far more mobile that I was and pain free. Before the surgery, I was having difficulty walking. Now I can comfortable walk 18 holes of golf without issue.

A year ago now I decided to make a fairly big change: I stopped drinking alcoholic beverages. I decided that I just really didn’t want that for myself anymore, and I didn’t have a drop for about 8 months, but over the holiday season, I partook of some while at parties or visiting people, what have you. I’ve come to a similar conclusion now after the holidays: alcohol doesn’t do anything for me anymore, so I’m done with it, hopefully for good.

So, what to do now to improve my general health and life that I’ve gotten in shape and given up on alcohol? Well, I think I’m going to make a concerted effort to get off the remaining medications that I’m on, and to no longer use any other supplements that aren’t directly related to good health. The only medication that I currently take is for gastro-esophogeal reflux disease, and I think I can get off that completely this year. The key, I think, will be to watch what I eat. Certain foods just don’t agree with my stomach, and although I like them, it’s really not worth it anymore (kind of like alcohol isn’t worth it for me either).

Also, I’d like to write more in here in my blog. I took the time over the holiday break to convert it to the [Typo](http://www.typosphere.org/projects/show/typo) engine, and I’m really happy with that decision. I can now edit the blog and make new entries from my [iPhone](http://www.apple.com/iphone/) (the coolest gadget I’ve ever owned. So, given that I can now literally blog from anywhere, I’d like to do more to keep this site current.

In any case, those are my resolutions, or personal goals for the coming year. Wish me luck!

Oct 13 2008

Scars

From Me:

Scars are evidence of a life well lived.

I said that to my daughter this past weekend when she was grousing about a scar on her leg from a recent knee surgery. Of course, I was talking about all kinds of scars; physical and emotional.

Anyway, I thought that was fairly profound… and I don’t say insightful things very often, so I thought I’d record it here 🙂