WP Super Cache

So after seeing 10-20 second load times on my home page (via http://tools.pingdom.com), I decided that I really needed to install a caching plugin. So I went with WP Super Cache, as that seems to be well-supported and stable. So far, it’s working fine, and page load times are down to 2-3 seconds, which is much better.

Somehow, the idea of using a plugin to generate and serve static pages seems like a step backwards to me, but I guess if it’s well-written and intelligent about regenerating the static pages when needed, then it’s fine. I know I can’t expect WordPress to run at top-speed in a shared hosting environment, but I was surprised to see how slowly stuff was running.

Oh, and I have seen a slowdown in the speed of the admin pages since I switched them to SSL. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I can do about that, short of moving to a faster environment or turning off SSL.

a long walk

walk-20140608

I managed to go out for an hour-long walk today, which is probably the longest walk I’ve done this year. I did a couple of walks yesterday too, but not one long one.

I’ve managed to get into the habit of going for a 15 or 20-minute walk almost every day, after lunch, in the parking lot at work. (It’s a big lot.)

Between that, and some longer walks on the weekends, I think I’m doing OK on maintaining a reasonable level of physical activity. Still quite a way from my doctor’s recommendation that I walk for a full hour every day, but not bad, right?

Criminal

So, after having some thoughts about doing something interesting this weekend, I seem to have wound up doing very little today. I went out for a walk in the morning, and then spent some time installing Windows 8.1 Update 1 (or whatever it’s called) on my ThinkPad, and reading comics.

Specifically, I’ve been reading Ed Brubaker’s Criminal. I read the first series, with “Coward” and “Lawless”, a few weeks ago, and now I’m reading volume 2. I have V2 #1-7 in single issues, which I bought when they first came out. (They’ve been in my to-be-read pile for quite a while.) I stopped buying new comics not long after they came out, so I’ll need to pick up the rest in trades or hardcover, or on Comixology or something. (The series is definitely good enough that I will be reading the rest of it!)

I remember reading some of Brubaker’s early work in Dark Horse Presents, years ago, and really loving it. This series reminds me of that stuff, but a lot more mature. (Not that his Captain America work wasn’t great too, but that’s a very different kind of thing.) And the essays on film noir in the back of each issue are pretty cool; I’ve added several books & movies to my Amazon wish list based on recommendations found in those essays. The artwork by Sean Phillips is also great; just perfect for this kind of story.

from Drupal to WordPress

As a guy with a good bit of Drupal experience, and a limited amount of WordPress experience, I’ve thought about writing up a little comparison & contrast essay for my blog. I just found this post from a guy who has a lot of Drupal experience, and is just getting into WordPress. I agree with most of what he’s saying here, and have definitely noticed some of the same stuff that he has. So now I guess I don’t have to write up that comparison/contrast post!

One note though: since I started using WordPress, I’ve been keeping an eye out for something similar to drush, the command-line tool for Drupal. Well, I stumbled across it today: WP-CLI. I’m not sure if it does quite as much as drush, and I’m also not sure if I’ll be able to get it working on my web host, but it looks useful.

too much to do this weekend

I just figured out that both AnimeNEXT and WordCamp Philly are happening this weekend. I kind of like the idea of checking out a WordPress gathering, and the Philly WordCamp would be relatively convenient. And I haven’t been to an anime convention in a few years, so it would be cool to drop in on AnimeNEXT and check it out. Maybe I can drive to Philly on Saturday and drop in on AnimeNEXT on Sunday? Of course, I need to fit my laundry and grocery shopping in there too somehow.

SSL is working

So my SSL cert came through (after about 12 hours, instead of the expected 4). I’ve added:
define('FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true);
to my wp-config.php, and it seems to be working. I think it’ll be OK to have the whole admin under SSL and not just the login; SSL doesn’t seem to have slowed down the admin interface.

I realized also that I should make sure the WordPress iOS app will connect with SSL. According to the FAQ, it does, though I don’t know if I have any good way of checking that.

Beginning COBOL for Programmers

Holy cow, somebody actually published a new book on COBOL this year. I haven’t touched COBOL in years, and I don’t plan on touching it again any time soon. But I guess I shouldn’t laugh too much at the idea that COBOL skills are still relevant.