Don't Back Down

  • The DNS Client Service Failed to Start

    Thanks Microsoft! Another present. At least this one has an answer (of sorts) in the knowledge base. Unfortunately if you read that article, you might be more confused than when you started. First, the problem will generally manifest with a more detailed message in the log like "The…

  • Can't Find Template 'Styles'

    Have you been publishing something in Movable Type and received an error that included this message or one like it? Maybe instead of "styles", your message was "feed_recent" or "javascript". What in the world does it mean? Luckily, the answer is really simple, it's just a matter of…

  • Your Feed Appears to be Encoded as UTF-8

    If you receive this message, it means that the feed headers are being sent as one encoding, but the feed itself is likely declaring another one. This can be problematic for the contents of the feed. Generally within an XML document you will see the first line read…

  • Will the Old Double Nickel Help Save Gas?

    I read recently where Republican John Warner wants to revive the 55 mph speed limit in an attempt to save gas. You read that right. Bring back the old double nickel. Maybe I should get on the horn to see if I can find Sammy Hagar in defense…

  • Steve Smith Suspended (Again)

    The star receiver for the Carolina Panthers who is perpetually carrying a chip on his shoulder, Steve Smith, is in hot water again. This time for his fight with cornerback Ken Lucas. No one really knows what exactly happened, but there is not exactly any love lost between…

  • Pick a Feed and Stick to It

    If you're like most people, your blog has an RSS feed. Chances are, you don't even know what RSS stands for, but you likely have one (if you're wondering, it most often stands for really simple syndication, but that isn't important). Unfortunately, you may have more than one,…

  • Update Your Movable Type Spam Filters (Please)

    Movable Type version 3.2, released in April of 2007, included a plugin known as SpamLookup. This plugin was able to submit comments to a lookup service (hence the name of the plugin) to one of a number of blacklist services, which in turn would determine if the IP…

  • All the Slow-Turners are in the South

    Maybe I'm just getting old. If I am, I hope that it doesn't involve the need to signal that I'm going to turn a mile down the road – and then come to a complete stop before starting up again to actually make the turn. I'll admit that…

  • Displaying Related Entries on your Movable Type Site

    From time to time, I am asked how to display related entries on a Movable Type-powered site (and I frequently have to look it up myself), so I figured that I'd document it here. While there are plugins that do the work, they typically depend on another value…

  • Windjammer Dumped Us in Costa Rica

    For just about as long as I can remember, I have wanted to take a Windjammer cruise, which was odd because I really don't care for cruises in general, and I'm not even a huge fan of sailing. I think the thing that I dislike about cruises -…

  • A Disney Rewards Card (With Free Bambi DVD)!

    I don't get a lot of junk mail. I have the warning message on my credit report, I've used as many pre-screenings as possible, and I'll opt out as often as I can. I've even tried to get out of the Valassis list (they are the ones who…

  • What's Up With the Department of Motor Vehicles?

    The laughingstock of nearly every state, the DMV is the place where just about everything goes to die. Your morning is wasted. Don't even think about a lunch hour. Try and go in the afternoon and you'll be lucky to get home before the evening news. Reports in…