Firming Things Up

Mapquest - Losing people since 1996!

Mapquest - Losing people since 1996!

I spoke with Reverend Baker this evening via phone and we drew out the high level plans for his upcoming Pirate Radio session (Vol. 5 Episode 2), which is now due to drop some eight days and counting. The good Reverend has some pretty nifty plans for the show and I cannot wait until you hear what he’s thinking about. As with his past appearances, this one also promises to be a sure fire classic. Unfortunately I cannot let the cat out of the bag and reveal any of the details just quite yet. The wait will be worth it. Trust me.

I also had the chance to hang out with D.J. A.D.D. this evening. He’s up to some pretty neat things and about to go into public beta with a new web based project he is working on. I have to say I’m absolutely stoked about what I saw this evening. We went over some web site optimization strategies and I have to say even in pre-beta his web site absolutely rocks. I cannot wait to let you in on what he’s up to, but alas I will have to. Surprises are a lot better that way. I can promise you this much– the site is unique and at once also very promising as a catchy concept many will use. Stay tuned for more about that.

I also was sure to egg Mr. D.J. A.D.D. on about coming back to do a Pirate Radio show this season. With the web site development going on though that may not be an option, but he is sure that once things do calm down he’s going to be back and is even promising to deliver a new DJ mix set for the show. Again, I cannot wait.

There’s many things going on in the background right now at df.com and even more going on with our many collaborators. I hope you can make it out to the Armed Suspect’s 11/21/09 show I posted about this morning. I certainly wish I could, but it’s not exactly a great idea to go to a rock show with a recently repaired shoulder. They actually played a show in Warwick, NY about a week ago and I’m still kicking myself about not being able to go. I heard it absolutely rocked and I’m sure this one will as well.

You’ll notice starting with this post I’m adding what’s called “tags” to each post. This will, down the road, make it easier to find what you want on df.com using our in house search or another outside web search provider (such as Google or Bing) to find what you’re looking for. Eventually you’ll see a “tag cloud” appear on the left side menu (in a day or two). This will let you know what is a hot topic on the site right now and and again maybe help you find what you’re looking for quicker. Like many of the improvements at df.com, this is seemingly a baby step; but in the long term will deliver an even better df.com experience.

Finally, I leave you with my picture of the day. I dedicate this one to something I’m sure we’ve all had happen if you’ve ever used Mapquest.com for directions and ended up quite not where  you suspected. As always, thanks for checking and being patient.

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DF v11.0.6 Update

I continue to work on the site as whole with small tweaks and fixes as things crop up on the radar. We right now have no open bugs and are on df.com version 11.0.6 (final) code wise. The most recent fixes:

  • Upgraded back end web site engine code to latest WordPress engine to “harden” site against attacks and improve performance/stability.
  • All plug in modules that enable features are 100% up to date as well.
  • Implemented additional back end security checks and database configurations that improve site security while not degrading performance.
  • Optimized all page load times and database structure to speed up/maintain quick load times on all web browsers.
  • Improved search engine including result sorting for better search returns (both quicker and more relevant based results instead of sorting articles by time line from most recent to earliest). In other words, you’re more likely to find what you’re looking for quicker instead of having to read every search result (similar to how Google and Bing work).

Today marks one week since my shoulder surgery was performed. Still sore, but over all feeling about 30% of my total self again. Finally starting to have some control over my right lower arm (below the elbow). In less than a week I have my post operation follow up with my orthopedist. Hopefully the wound is healing is a good as it seems to be. Cannot wait to get the bandages off and to be able to take real showers again.

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