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Post Archive
959 posts

A Closer Look at Perishable Press

Perishable Press began as a virtual journey into the digital chaos of the blogosphere. While initially designing the site, we began posting a variety of content, primarily information related to the project itself. During the development process, as the site exploded into a frenzy of ideas, possibilities, and experimentation, we continued to post code examples, useful links, and tons of reference material. Slowly, as the site began to attract visitors, we began to clarify our scope, define our niche, and […] Continue reading »

WordPress Core File Edits at Perishable Press

The folks developing WordPress are continually rolling out upgrades. While it is generally a good idea to stay current, it can also be a bit of a pain if you have made any changes to the WordPress core files. One thing that helps to stay organized is to keep a log that either includes all edits or links to posts describing them. That way, when it is time to upgrade WordPress, it simply will be a matter of referring to […] Continue reading »

Associate Extensionless Files with Notepad in Windows XP

There are several files that appear not to have extensions in Windows XP. Perhaps the best known example is the HOSTS file. Files such as the HOSTS file that appear to be “extensionless” actually contain an invisible period “.” — or dot — at the end the file name. It is this invisible dot that will enable us to select a specific program with which to open files with no extensions. Continue reading »

Imported Graffiti Art in the Desert Oasis

Graffiti clues in the Desert Oasis Aside from an occasional gang squirt, Moses Lake, Washington has no graffiti art scene of which to speak. Yes, there are many vast, open walls available for inspired artists to develop into colorful statements of creative expression. However, city officials and general public opinion frown on graffiti art as worthless, wicked vandalism. Granted, the city does offer several commissioned murals, mainly scenic visions of the ordinary rural variety. Unfortunately, those of us craving authentic […] Continue reading »

Carry your Digital Camera Everywhere

For the past several months, I have been carrying a digital camera virtually everywhere I go. Keeping a camera continually available optimizes potential for capturing choice pictures. Also, a camera within reach provides countless opportunities to sharpen skills while experimenting with camera options. Indeed, the consistent use pays off — I am learning many new photographic tricks simply by playing with settings during free time. Further, increased familiarity with the device enables greater agility when reacting to spontaneous, time-critical photographic […] Continue reading »

Even More Server Drama

Several months ago, we encountered some problems with our hosting company and decided to switch servers. Then, after spending countless hours transferring our army of domains, the new server crashed and our databases were deleted. Further, after the transfer we quickly realized the inferior technological quality of our new host. Thus disgusted, we transferred everything back to our old server and hoped for the best. Continue reading »

Perishable Press Redesign

For many months, visitors to Perishable Press encountered the highly customized Jupiter! theme. Utilizing sIFR, Prototype, Lightbox, and several other bandwidth-heavy scripts, the Jupiter! theme weighs in at well over 400KB/page when saved as an offline copy. The Jupiter! theme also employs every plugin used here at Perishable Press, resulting in even slower performance for broadband users, and utterly painful experiences for those on modem/dial-up. Continue reading »

Category LiveBookmarks Plus

CLB+ New version of Category LiveBookmarks Plus (CLB+) now available! CLB+ version 2.3.0b enables WordPress 2.3+ users to configure and customize the ultimate set of autodetection feeds, category feeds, category links, and feed links. Features include completely rewritten, optimized code, optional category post counts, and custom RSS-icon links for all category and/or feed links. Overall, the new version is faster and more flexible than ever! Let’s take a quick look.. Continue reading »

WordPress Search Function Notes

Here is a collection of notes about WordPress search functionality. Note that this post was written a long time ago, so test/verify any code before implementing on a live, production site. Continue reading »

Back up that Database with phpMyAdmin

Backing up your database as often as possible is essential. For WordPress, as well as for other applications, plugins and other scripts that help automate the task are easily obtainable. However, for several reasons, it is a good idea to understand the process of manually creating a backup copy of your database. This quick tutorial should help cement the process into a solid reference. We are assuming that you have an SQL database and have access via phpMyAdmin. Continue reading »

New Online Vector Drawing Tool

Quality web-based vector drawing in effect. Check out LiTha-Paint at litha-paint.com. LiTha-Paint is a promising new online vector drawing tool. The software is currently in alpha, yet is already full-featured and easy to use. LiTha-Paint steps beyond the paltry selection of Flash/VML/SVG online drawing tools, providing versatility and universality via HTML and JavaScript. Perhaps all this Web 2.0 business is worthwhile after all.. Continue reading »

Lightbox + FancyTooltips Bug Fix

For those of us enjoying the stylish functionality of Lightbox or any of its many incarnations, images “magically” overlay the window and unfold, revealing navigational buttons, image count, and of course the image titles. Likewise, for those of us enjoying the stylish functionality of FancyTooltips or any of its many incarnations, title and alt attributes manifest as stylish displays of CSS brilliance that your visitors will love. Continue reading »

Website Attack Recovery

Recently, every website on our primary server was simultaneously attacked. The offending party indiscriminately replaced the contents of every index file, regardless of its extension or location, with a few vulgar lines of code, which indicated intention, identity, and influence. Apparently, the attack occurred via Germany, through a server at the University of Hamburg (uni-hamburg.de). This relatively minor attack resulted in several hours of valuable online education. In this article, it is our intention to share experience with website attack […] Continue reading »

Dead Letter Art Website Update

A new Dead Letter Art website is in the works and coming soon. The new site enhances previous content with dynamic features and improved organization. The new site has also been updated to include more archived content, including ancient issues and special projects. Additionally, some keen Ajax functionality kicks the “fun” up a notch. Anticipated release date: September 1, 2006. Check out the old, sickly green website here. Continue reading »

Native Sun Botanicals Website

The Native Sun Botanicals (NSB) website is now online. Native Sun Botanicals specified a precise “look and feel” for their site, which is currently a “brochure” site that conveys some basic product information. As a botanical manufacturer slash supplier, NSB strives to present a clean, refreshing image that is sophisticated yet simple. The site is designed to be standards-based, accessible, and optimized for search engines. Continue reading »

Press Time

After a few weeks of utter silence here at Perishable Press, it is time to post some fresh material. We have a few interesting — perhaps useful — articles coming up, including Website Attack Recovery, Lightbox/Tooltips Bug Fix, Even More Server Drama, and even a few posts covering recent events, tips, and other general nonsense. Continue reading »

Welcome
Perishable Press is operated by Jeff Starr, a professional web developer and book author with two decades of experience. Here you will find posts about web development, WordPress, security, and more »
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