Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Category: Technology

  • The Big Upgrade

    The Big Upgrade

    My Experience with upgrading to WordPress V7, using the Full Site Editor and Block Theme

    I’ve been following the WordPress V7 development and using it on some of my other less important blog sites as an experiment, training and exploration of features.

    Over the last few days I made the push to upgrade the Tempus Fugit blog, my original blog with a fair bit of history, to the V7 RC2 and a Full Site Editor (FSE) block template. The template I’ve chosen is the Twenty Twenty Five template that is currently the most current WordPress provided FSE block template.

    The Bumps

    The upgrade was not without a few bumps along the way. First up is a backup of everything, I’ve been burned before so now I’m a big backup believer. Also, my hosting service, BlueHost, offers a tool to create a staging site and also push the staging site back up to production. This seems like a good idea and it is also the 1st problem. I click the button to create the staging site and it gets an error 😕.

    After about 1hr with a support agent in a chat session I learned that because my blog was migrated from a different hosting service it doesn’t have the BlueHost plugin. One of the functions of this plugin is to manage the staging site. Who know? Not me.

    Plugin installed and the staging site is created. Basically, it copies all the WP files to a new staging sub-directory (/blog/staging/3706), copies all the database tables to new tables with a “staging” prefix and then adjusts wpconfig to point to the new tables with the staging prefix in the same database.

    Next up is to apply the new theme which is quite different from my last theme and then continue to make all sorts of adjustments to use templates, template parts etc. A big part of the work was recreating the menu template part. It’s working, but I’m not too happy with the look just yet. More work ahead.

    A couple of big processes left. One works fine and the other, well that took a bit more effort.

    WordPress V7 RC2

    Moving from WP 6.9.x to WP 7 RC2 required installing the WordPress Beta Tester Plugin plugin and adjusting the settings to “bleeding edge” (yikes!) and pressing the “upgrade” button. Turning back is possible, but probably not that easy. The upgrade works and initial testing is good, nothing seems broken. Some more updating of the staging site and I’m ready to promote it to production.

    Going Production

    Promoting to production is as simple as a click of a button. The BlueHost plugin should copy all the WP files and SQL tables over the current production content. Sadly, this only sort of works. The file copy is successful but the SQL database import to production fails.

    Some Googling w/AI and I learn there are several ways to do this process manually. The number one recommendation is to call Bluehost support since it’s their plugin that failed. So, I take the easier (?) way out and chat with support and they are fairly quick to resolve without too much wait time.

    So, we’re up and running. I’m still not quite satisfied with the look and feel. There will be some more tweaking in the days ahead. But for now I’ve made the jump to the current WordPress world.

  • Go Nuclear

    https://apple.news/ATkAFXz0GS3S2NmKBO1nPxA

    The CEO of carbon removal developer Deep Sky, Damien Steel recently stated “We are long past the point of picking and choosing which solutions we use to fight climate change. We have to use it all.”

    Including nuclear power. France delivers 70 per cent of its electricity using nuclear (Ontario — 60 per cent) and has been for over 40 years. What does France know that we don’t?

    Nuclear energy will drive the acceleration to meet net-zero targets by 2050. All energy sources have their pros and cons, including nuclear energy. Those who are opposed to nuclear energy often site radioactivity. We need to put radiation into perspective. For example, the very popular beach in Guarapari, Brazil, in some places has radiation readings about equal to the centre of the Chornobyl evacuation zone in 1987. A 1930s fiestaware plate is slightly more radioactive than spent nuclear fuel dry cast storage.

    Fukushima, 29 days after the accident, had the same background radiation levels as Winnipeg does today.

  • My favourite Nuclear company

    Oklo completes advanced fuel recycling demo

    Oklo (NYSE: OKLO) successfully completed the first end-to-end demonstration of the key stages of its advanced fuel recycling process, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory. Supported by an award from ARPA-E and the Department of Energy, this milestone marks a significant step forward in Oklo’s efforts to scale up its fuel recycling capabilities and deploy a commercial-scale recycling facility to increase advanced reactor fuel supplies, and enhance fuel cost effectiveness.

    Additional important information can be found in our press release.Press releaseICYMI

    Oklo and Wyoming Hyperscale have signed a non-binding letter of intent for a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement. Wyoming Hyperscale plans to use Oklo’s Aurora powerhouses to power a state-of-the-art data center campus.Read moreCopyright © Oklo Inc., All rights reserved.

    Our mailing address is:
    3190 Coronado Dr
    Santa Clara, CA 95054

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  • Bored

    Bored

    After a nice liverwerst on a cheese bun at around 11:30am and then ignoring the hospital tray there was a nap until 2pm.

    Now what?

    Apple WatchOS 10 has many new features. One that makes me laugh everytime I see it.

    Snoopy and Woodstock

    There is a different animation every time.

  • Beta, beta, beta… beta?

    I like software. I like all the new features that come with new versions of software. Most of my career was writing software applications, installing packaged software, integrating software application and designing software solution.

    I like computers and all the hardware that comes along with computers. Everything it takes to implement software solutions.

    Perhaps I’m a bit of a geek.

    Most of the career was using IBM hardware and software and then there was the 11 years working for IBM. All that IBM stuff ended when I retired and I went over to the dark side, Apple.

    Right after retirement there was the purchase of the MacBook Pro, then an iPad mini, then a MacBook for Shirley, and of course iPhones for both of us and lots of upgrades there to the latest and greatest. An Apple TV for the basement TV and another one for the living room TV. Shirley gave me an Apple Watch as a birthday present and AirPod pros. An iPad Pro replaced the mini and a newer MacBook Pro joined the team when the original one could no longer be updated with the current operating systems.

    Apple lost out on the smart speaker category and we went with Google and then Sonos products.

    So, what’s all this beta, beta stuff. Well, beta software is the latest version but not fully finished and tested for public consumption. Using beta software is fun because you get all the new features but also a little dangerous in that it may not work. In fact in “may not work” to the extent that your computer or iPhone stops working all together and it can be quite difficult to revert to the previous working version.

    Recently, on June 5, 2023, Apple announced new hardware and software at their World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). Typically, new operating system software is announced and the developer beta is available immediately, and the public beta lags about one month. Developer beta is a little risky but public beta is typically more stable and less risky to use.

    iPhone 14 Pro is first up for a beta update

    I didn’t watch the WWDC until today but I saw some info on the iPhone iOS17.0 and it had some interesting features I wanted to try so I upgraded my iPhone 14 Pro to the public beta of iOS17.0. So far, after a couple of days, no problem. Beta #1.

    Guys enjoying the nice weather just outside the SBGH main floor lobby

    Emboldened by the success of my Beta #1 upgrade it was on to the iPad and iPadOS 17.0. The iPhone update took a while on the slow wifi in my room so I went down to the main floor hospital lobby, sat in a nice comfy club chair where the wifi was much faster. The iPad updated fairly quickly while I was writing another post. Again, no problems so far. Beta #2 completed.

    I only have one more Apple device with me so it’s on to upgrading the watch. I wasn’t in a hurry and heading off to bed seemed like a good idea. Again, slow wifi made this a good over night project.

    Two days does seem like a bit of a long wait ?

    Again, Beta #3 was a success. What is the 4th beta? Well, it’s the one I’m most conservative about, the MacBook Pro which is currently at home and I think it will stay there. I really can’t afford to have that computer out of service.

    Over the next few days I’ll explore all the new capabilities of the iPhone, iPad and Watch on the latest operating systems.

  • Going Nuclear , again

    Going Nuclear , again

    Turns out Manitoba is getting back is the nuclear game with a new reactor at the Pinawa site. I like it!

    In the March 1, 2023 issue of the Winnipeg Free Press there is an article titled No such thing as ‘absolutely safe’ nuclear reactor by Dave Taylor. Dave is clearly not a fan of nuclear.

    I’ve had a renewed interest in nuclear reactors since I listened to the Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist podcast Episode The New Age of Nuclear: Oklo’s Amazing Small Reactor That Reuses Nuclear Waste

    If you are of a certain age you’ll remember the “Not you fathers Oldsmobile” advertising, well the the nuclear reactor proposed for Pinawa, a Small Modular reactor (SMR), is “Not your father’s nuclear reactor”.

    It appears that Manitoba is going with StarCore Nuclear for the Pinawa Demonstration site. I found the StarCore web site very marketing heavy, a bit like a bad sales job. Personally, I think the technology from Oklo is far better and I especially like their plans to reuse existing nuclear waste. Their web site is extremely minimalist and you have to do a bit of digging to find out more about them.

    The Oklo Aurora SMR is a very exciting development! I’d put this in my neighbourhood.

    Artist’s rendition of the Oklo Aurora SMR

    Unfortunately, nuclear has a lots of stigma attached to it thanks to Three Mile Island, Fukushima & Chernobyl. Of course, nothing is absolutely safe. Cars are not safe, lots of people die every year in car fatalities and yet we still drive. Fatalities related to nuclear incidents are infinitesimal when compared to car deaths, but we’re in-sensitized to car deaths and just accept the risks. Nuclear accidents are sensationalized to the max. Movies are made about the accidents and fear is pushed (sold?) to the general public.

    Oklo is facing that fear and over regulation with the NRC rejecting their application to build and operate a 1.5-megawatt fast reactor in Idaho. Thankfully, they are not deterred and have re-applied. Oklo Relaunches NRC Licensing Process for Nuclear Microreactor

    We, the planet, needs to reduce the use and reliance on fossil fuels. The urgency of how fast this needs to happen, if at all, is quite controversial. However, to me it seems that solar and wind, while getting al the attention, won’t do the job soon enough. Bringing solar & wind technologies to the scale to impact the use of fossil fuels is much farther away than the use of nuclear. Countries around the world, like Germany, that were shutting down their nuclear efforts are quietly extending they nuclear programs in country to get their quicker and reduce their dependency on fossil fuels from other countries, like Russia, that are becoming increasingly expensive and unreliable. France on the other hand never backed away from nuclear and gets 70% of it’s energy from nuclear and is building 6 new reactors and considering 8 more.

    Until solar, wind and fusion can do the job at scale, nuclear energy is the way to go if we want to meet all these aggressive climate change goals by reducing or eliminating fossil fuel usage

  • More Apple Cool-aid

    More Apple Cool-aid

    Since retiring in 2017 I’ve switched away from PC products to Apple and over the years I’ve been getting in deeper and deeper. MacBook Pro, several iPhones, several iPads, a watch, TV, AirPods and several services.

    Yesterday, I received a notification about my monthly bill for Google’s YouTube Music which we use because we have several Google Nest speakers around the house. It seemed a bit expensive. And now Google has opened up a bit and will support Apple Music. As it turns out Apple Music is a few dollars a month less that YouTube Music so the switch is on.

    But hey, what about Apple One? I already have iCloud 200GB which is bundled, Music is in there, Arcade I don’t care about (I’d rather have News) and then there is TV+ which I’ve used on and off. Apple One seemed like a good deal for a couple of dollars more that YouTube Music.

    Now we’re in very deep, guzzling the Kool-aid, and generally liking it!

  • Subscriptions will be the death of us

    Subscriptions will be the death of us

    How many do you have? Seems innocent enough, just a few dollars a month or as they used to say “pennies a day”. Some of you are saying “What’s a penny?” ?

    Seriously, add them up, it’s killing us by just a few more dollars every month.

    In my Instagram feed I get lots of ads now like everyone and one that I’ve seen many time was for the reMarkable tablet, note taking with a pen and paper feel. Being a bit of a tech junkie I looked a bit deeper. How much does this reMarkable thing cost?

    Well, right now it’s about $549 CDN plus all the shipping, handling and taxes etc. but check out the subscription hook!

    To maintain full functionality of your $549+ purchase there is a $4.99/month subscription! A subscription that will slowly increase over time or take a sudden jump like my YouTube premium subscription just did from $17.99 to $22.99/mo.

    So reMarkable, no thanks.

    The subscription model? Death by a thousand cuts.

  • PressReader – a hidden gem

    PressReader – a hidden gem

    So, I was at the Winnipeg library yesterday picking up a couple of books that I’d requested and while I was there I thought I’d pick up a couple of magazines for some casual reading. I picked up a copy of Popular Mechanics, a magazine I had a subscription to thanks to my grandparents for most of my childhood. As I took it off the rack I noticed this sign.

    I knew that many library materials were available digitally and I’ve used Overdrive’s Libby to read and/or listen to these digital resources. I found that these apps on my iPhone or even the largest screen iPad Pro was a little difficult. There is typically a lot of scrolling and zooming to make the text readable so I generally gave up on reading library materials on the iPhone/iPad and stuck with the Kindle for reading digital materials.

    Enter PressReader! the app is amazing and there is a very good chance you can use your local library card to sign into this app and read a huge number of magazines and newspapers for free!

    The best part is the interface. Read in the original published format or tap an article and it pops up in a window where you can focus on just that article in a scalable font that you can adjust to your liking and even have the article read to you! Super cool! And even better it’s a Canadian company, how good is that!

    Tap on an article…
    … and get it in a nice scrollable window with scalable text

    Check it out on you iPhone and or iPad. If you’re a newspaper or magazine reader you won’t be disappointed.

    p.s. also available in a browser

  • Why NASA Wants to Go Back to the Moon | WIRED

    The space agency’s upcoming lunar mission will launch the ambitious Artemis program, building on the landings 50 years ago.
    — Read on www.wired.com/story/why-nasa-wants-to-go-back-to-the-moon/