Month: March 2005

Nucleus bits

In my recent bit on blogging software I mentioned a few shortcomings of Nucleus CMS.

I am missing a better WYSIWYG post editor, sub-categories for posts and multipaged posts.

I was suspecting that these needs might have been solved with plugins. I didn’t check the availability of these plugins and that makes me feel guilty and curious at the same time. I have browsed through the plugin list and found out that everything can be, indeed, fixed. Thus, here is a todo list for my next maintenance window for this site.

  • Upgrade Nucleus CMS installation from version 3.15 to version 3.20 (or whatever version will be the latest by that time). Some plugins that I am planning to install require version to be equal or greater than 3.20. Plus, of course, I don’t want to be running old bugs when I can have a selection of new ones.
  • Install NP_WYSIWYG_RTE.php plugin. It provides a better post editor.
  • Install NP_PingPong.php plugin. I have only weblogs.com pinged automatically now. Technorati is done manually by me and only when I don’t feel too lazy to click on the browser button. With this plugin everything will be pinged automatically, which is a good thing.
  • Install NP_PageBreak.php plugin. This will allow me to break long posts into multiple pages. “Vim for Perl Developers” is the first candidate.
  • Install NP_MultipleCategories.php plugin. Cross-posting articles in multiple categories improves navigation and searching for specific post. This is something I often miss.
  • Install NP_Captcha.php plugin. One of the most effective SPAM fighting mechanism for web forms is asking a user to read some string from the image and write it down in the form field. This plugin provides just that.

Probably I will find another one or two plugins to install that will improve the experience with this site.

On writing

Paul Graham has recently wrote a short, but non-the-less interesting essey about writing. He explains why writing is important and how to write well.

Writing well is a nicely covered topic. There are numerous books on communications in general and writing in particular. Most collegues require passing of at least one writing or communications course even for the Diploma.

Reasons for writing is yet another story. I have, of course, seen other people explaining why writing is important. But these are very rare and usually boring explanations. Paul Graham does a very nice job here.

I think it’s far more important to write well than most people realize. Writing doesn’t just communicate ideas; it generates them. If you’re bad at writing and don’t like to do it, you’ll miss out on most of the ideas writing would have generated.

This explanation, though brief, is very much to the point. It is so true that it is hard to emphasize. It reminds me of my own explanations on why learning touchtyping is important. People who can’t touchtype will try to avoid typing (willingly or not). Learning touchtyping clears a huge barrier between human and computer and allows said human to use said computer to a greater extent. Computer becomes more of a tool. Similarly, practicing writing makes ideas generation and control easier. Routine, if you will.

Just a couple of days ago I was telling Olga how daily blogging improved my writing and thinking. Slowly, slowly, but it sure did. Writing a few paragraphs from the top of my head has never been easier. And the fun part is that when I start writing I don’t know what I will write. It’s like a faucet. I just know the topic that I want to write on (like cold or hot water) and than I open the tap and let it flow. It feels amazing. At first, I realize that I didn’t just want to cover the topic, but that I had some thoughts on the background. They get out and get written. While I type them in, I have other thoughts about wheather I was right or not with each idea that I am writing about. It gets me thinking, and so I write about it too. And than I either come to some conclusion or realize that I have to do some more thinking on the topic. So I end the post either with a defined state or a rumpled sentense.

I feel glad when I end with some sort of conclusion. Having no crystal end doesn’t bug me a lot though. Becaus I know that at some later stage I will sit down and write few more paragraphs on the topic. And maybe conclusion will come than. The funny thing is that sometimes I write even more than I want to. This makes me feel guilty. Like when I have three or four long posts in one day. I am thinking “Who will be reading this? People like short posts and a link to some cool website.” But than I remember the important bit – my writing is primarily for myself. It helps me think and keep my head in clear state. I know that I will be the one rereading it. Multiple times.

And those who don’t like it can always skip/ignore it…

Five weeks

Maxim is five weeks today. He is old enough to have his birthday milestones be measured with months, not weeks.

I am always amazed by how slow time goes by when I am taking care of him. Days crawl. When evening darkness comes I can barely remember everything I did during the day. Yet, when another milestone reached, like today, I am astonished by how much has been done and how fast Maxim is growing. I am paying a lot of attention to all his changes from day to day, but I don’t notice all of them. He learns something new every day – a new move or a new sound. Some of these pass unnoticed at first. But than, he surprises me. If I missed a new sound, he surprises me with three new ones in few days. If I missed his new move, he surprises me with a new rolling thingy he learned to do. When I think about everything he learned to do and everything I learned about babies in general and him in particular, I am amazed at how fast the time goes by. Paradox.

I am trying to blog everything, but I miss bits and pieces. And I feel how they get into routine and how they would get forgotten. Like the corn he got today on his upper lip from sucking too hard. Or the fact that he absolutely and totally loves bathing and how he immidately calms downa and shuts up when put to bath. There are heaps and bunches of these details and I can’t possibly write them all down. But I am trying.

It is also fun to read my previous posts. I don’t have much of a history with Maxim blogging, but there are already parts that I find useful and entertaining. This is rewarding. I’ll keep doing it as long as I can.

Because before I will know it, I will be celebrating his five years birthday. I can feel it coming already…