SuperSatellite

One Blog to Rule Them All 2

// June 30th, 2006 // No Comments » // Brain dumps, Web

So uh…I bit off more than I can chew…yeah.  I went ahead and registered my own domain (fienen.net) yesterday and set it up for DNS (Domain Name Service) with No-IP.com.  Turns out, I’ve got my work cut out for me.  I can’t just have it work, mostly because Cox is a bitch and blocks port 80 (the port the internet works over).  So I have been fighting, quite fruitlessly to make things play out how I want.  Oh yes, the URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) works fine, but the address bar in the browser replaces it with the site’s IP address instead, which is tacky, and I want to use subdomains (like blog.fienen.net) which apparently results in all sorts of weird things with my settings.  Damn it all to hell.  Needless to say I wasted a lot of sleep time getting nowhere last night.  And trying to figure out which problems are Apache and which are DNS is a bitch.  I will make it work though.

On that note, I do have a plan for switching to a new blogging system once I get the technical stuff worked out, and don’t worry, my MySpace readers won’t be left cold.  I think in the end it will be a good transition.

Enough technical bullshiat.  I neglected to mention that I have started in with The Music Man rehearsals now.  Boy I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.  But that’s okay, out of the house, with good people, too bad they don’t have wireless internet in that building, heh.  I’ve been taking picture that you’re welcome to look at.  Naturally those galleries will eventually migrate to my server once I get that DNS crap nailed down.  I think after this I am taking an extended break from theatre all together.  I don’t know what it is, but the enjoyment I lost for acting is creeping into everything else.  I can accept not acting anymore, but I don’t want to ruin it all for myself.  I keep hoping I’ll see tryouts for some play that just makes me say “Wow!  I have to be in that!”  I don’t know what it would be, or what it would take, but I’d like that feeling back.

Is everyone ready for the weekend?  1…2…3…GO!

One Blog to Rule Them All

// June 29th, 2006 // No Comments » // Brain dumps, Scripts, Web

So I am nearing a crossroads I believe.  I want to toss some stuff out, and have you all hit it back at me.  This is all about getting feedback from you, because that will ultimately shape the decision I make.

I’ve been using MySpace for what is quickly approaching a year.  It’s been an okay time.  But I’m becoming a little restless with its blogging feature.  Mostly I just get paranoid.  What happens if they crash?  If they start charging?  If some unforeseen nuclear disaster takes out my blog?  I am pretty protective of my writing, so far to the point that I have actually begun printing off hard copies “just in case.”  Plus, who hasn’t gotten fed up with the constant down times, errors, and server problems MySpace experiences?  The big draw of MySpace to me is the blogging, which I rather enjoy, and now that I am far more comfortable with it, and my readership has grown, I feel like I owe it to you and myself to produce the best product I can.

So, in answer to this problem I am considering hosting my own blog, with my own domain and all.  It would allow me to also combine some other stuff I have scattered around, like my photo gallery.  I have been trying to weigh pros and cons, look at alternatives, etc etc.  A big concern though is whether or not you, my steady readers, would follow me.  If I went off-site, would I still be able to maintain (and possibly increase) my readership.  Odds are I would step the quality of my writing up to try and offset things, but naturally MySpace provides a very nice connection to you all.  And since they lack support for subscribing to RSS feeds, you couldn’t just point to my feed to keep up to date (I think LiveJournal and Xanga does though, can anyone confirm that?) if I moved.

The other alternative is to move to a truly hosted solution, like Blogger or WordPress.  They host it, sorta like MySpace, but since they specialize in blogging, it’s more powerful, reliable, and feature rich.  But it doesn’t leave the data in my hands, and I like the idea of knowing that if something happened to my stuff, if would be my fault, rather than theirs.  On the other hand, I’m linked right to their community, similar to here.

Naturally I would keep my MySpace page, and probably mirror the blog content for at least a short transition phase, all the while trying to drive traffic to the new place.  It comes down to the three S’s:  selfhost, stay, or switch?  It’s a damn hard question to answer really.  I am inclined to start doing things myself.  I installed WordPress on my server at home to play with, that will probably shape my choice too depending on how much I like it.  I hate tossing around buzz words like Web 2.0, but I guess that’s what I’m reaching for.

So let me know what you think, it’s important to me!

Protecting Rights Online

// May 25th, 2006 // No Comments » // News, Politics, Web

So this past day, I have been sitting at my computer like normal.  I watch funny videos, read friends’ blogs, and keep up with the news.  It’s this latter part which has me most riled up at the moment.  The following two articles came out of the woodwork today.  They are by no means the first ones, nor do I expect them to be the last.  However, I feel the need to provide a spot of momentary reflection on them all the same.

IL School District to Monitor Student Blogs
Student Faces Expulsion for Blog Post

With that out of the way, I shall continue.  MySpace is one of many blogging-oriented, socialization sites.  Without repeating too many things that have been said already, I think it’s important to note, and pass on several things.  First, one should not have to lie about their age to keep their profile and data confidential from prying eyes.  Tom, take note, an additional layer of security is well deserved there.  But at the same time it is a shame that people feel it is necessary to actively hunt out information and use it against them.  Two, if you happen to be someone prowling for information on students, potential employees, or current ones, keep in mind that people’s private and professional live are two entirely different things.  Most people know how to keep them separate.  All the same, it is important for us as users to employ a bit of common sense.  Don’t be specific about people or particular activities in public posts.  Keep things limited to your friends where appropriate.  We must temper ourselves, show intelligence and understanding ourselves before people outside will buy in.  But why should you have to worry that voicing a particular political opinion on something might keep you from getting a job somewhere?  Such things you want to air publicly, but anymore, it is getting more and more risky to do so.  Stupidity breeds contempt.

But most importantly, as emphasized in the articles above, schools have no right to police sites like MySpace, Xanga, LiveJournal, etc, for things students post that are non-threatening.  I agree, that outright, or clearly implied threats are one matter, but literally trying to control what a student can say, off campus, after hours, is insane.  A line is being crossed, and people are allowing it to be crossed.  This is no different from if a school tried to say that a student couldn’t post the same thing in a Letter to the Editor in a newspaper.  All that is different is the medium.

Everyone as users has a responsibility to protect the rights of the rest of the community.  To stand up and point out that if a line is crossed over there, it won’t be long before another is crossed over here.  How long before colleges, companies, city governments, etc decide to follow the same suit?  Who decides what is “inappropriate?”  Everyone is so afraid of the internet, that they don’t realize they have handed over the keys to the Kingdom to lawyers.  We dish out what 1st Amendment rights we have left for that little bit of piece of mind, and it makes me sick.

Be aware of what having a public internet presence means, but also be active in defining how that can be used.  Protect your rights, but more importantly, know your rights!  And just because you might disagree with how someone executes those rights, know that your ability to disagree is granted under the same freedom.  Pass this on, and attach your name, first and last, to the list below.  Show that you aren’t afraid to stand up for what you believe in.

“To speak his thoughts is every freeman’s right, in peace and war, in council and in fight.” ~ HOMER