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Converted to DreamPress

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There, it’s done. Pulpconnection is back, and this time it’s running on Dreamhost’s managed WordPress service called DreamPress. Over the years, I went from a shared server to a virtual private server (VPS) that gave me more control but meant that I had to exert more control. That’s good and bad. There were times when things went haywire, and I didn’t know why. Of course, craziness could still happen with DreamPress, but at least, there’s dedicated support and more importantly a scalable platform. Instead of me allocating more memory to servers, DreamPress does the magic. How I don’t know. Like I said, magic.

The cost too of DreamPress is hard to argue. Right now, DreamPress is discounted to $20 a month. Try squeezing in enough memory allocation on a VPS for $20 a month. Doesn’t get you much. So by switching to DreamPress, I can reduce my VPS resources significantly for my other projects, more than $20 a month.

There’s more to learn about DreamPress, but overall I think there’s less to know like fine tuning WP installs and optimizing WP. The biggest learning curve for DreamPress is actually getting DreamPress to work for Pulpconnection. Dreamhost has an automated feature that converts existing “one-click” WordPress installs to DreamPress. Unfortunately for me, Pulpconnection wasn’t a one-click install or maybe it was back in the day but doesn’t now qualify as “one-click.” So what does that mean? A manual transfer to DreamPress.

For this Mac user, working via the command line is a frightening endeavor. Fortunately, there are good instructions, specifically this Migrating to DreamPress post. Read it and reread it. It’s all there. Okay, I noticed one or two minor changes, but they weren’t show stoppers. The scp secure copy created an extra subdirectory for the copied files but that was fixed with the Move to Parent feature in Panic’s Transmit.

The other scare was importing the Pulpconnection SQL database backup. From PHPMyAdmin, I found the Import tool, but the database was simply too large for the max import size. Dreamhost chat tech support came through by directing me to import through the shell. I had to literally write out the command line on paper to make sure I had all the parameters correct. Less than a minute later, the SQL import was silently done.

So here we are. Hopefully, less technical headaches and notifications that Pulpconnection servers had to restart for whatever reason. And definitely less stress for me. 🙂

Time to Change Up the iPod

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ipod-originalIt’s about time to change up the venerable iPod. Sure, it transformed Apple and led the company into new business lines, but the device itself is becoming an anachronism right before our very eyes. The basics of the iPod has pretty much been subsumed by other Apple iDevices. As a music player, the iPod still gets the job done, but nowadays, it’s about multifunction and flexibility. Listen to music, play games, AND be online – you get the picture.

So why not revamp the iPod line? Keep the iconic name but repurpose its ambiguous name. How about a multipurpose home device? One that acts like a WiFi basestation or extender. Supports Time Machine backups over the air? For certain models, why not? Include speakers? That could be possible to act as an AirPlay end point.

Charging station… now this has some promise. How many Apple chargers and cables do you have. Enough right? I have a basket of assorted cables and chargers to rummage through. How about the “new” iPod acting as the central charger that has USB cables to connecting your Lightning or 30-pin connector cable? Wireless charging anyone? Perchance the iWatch? You want yet another charging station for the iWatch or an integration of all the charging systems?

And of course, while charging your iPhone with the new iPod, the iPhone is backing itself up to the internal iPod storage then to iCloud (over time). How about caching new app updates to the iPod storage? Instead of reaching out to the Internet for updates, your iDevices just need to connect to your high speed, household Wifi to pull in the recent updates.

Yup, the iPod can ride again.

Tinkering

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Not sure why but Pulpconnection has been extremely slow recently. Parts of it work fine but other parts just fail to load. Gotta tinker around to see what’s going on. Unloading and uninstalling stuff to make things simpler then we’ll see how it goes.

Another Air Jordan 3 Hybrid

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And another hot seller for Nike. Seemingly any (tastefully done) crossover with the iconic Air Jordan 3 is an instant success with the latest being the Nike Zoom Vapor AJ3. Take the design from the AJ3, apply to the silhouette of the Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour, make a limited quantity available at Nike Labs, and watch the pairs sell out in less than four minutes. When I saw the tweet announcing the Vapor release, it was four minutes old, and the Nike Lab site was already reporting out of stock messages.

Nike Zoom Vapor AJ3
Nike Zoom Vapor AJ3

Back in the day, I remember the P-Rod with the Jordan elephant print. This was the days before online kicks buying went crazy and just finding this shoe was super hard. I managed to see it in person once. Then came the Air Force 1 hybrid with the AJ3 which I managed to get a pair of and wore while watching President Obama leave in Air Force One.

I wasn’t so lucky with the Vapor AJ3. Just gotta hope a restock happens while you’re online so you have a chance of getting these. Or how about a black version of the Vapor AJ3?

These Are Juicies+

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About two weeks ago, my Kickstarter-backed Juicies+ cable arrived after a few delays in production. I went with the gold to change up the collection of white and black cables, and yes, the gold is nice, not gaudy.

Some things to note about Juicies+. It’s bigger than the Apple Lightning cable. The Juicies+ is longer, and the connector casings are fatter. Of course, the connectors themselves follow specs and standards. The fatter Juicies+ Lightning connector fits my cased iPhone 5 and works as expected and fashionably too.

Having Fun with the miZX FLUX App

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Hand this one to Adidas. Their new mobile app, miZX FLUX, is a ton of fun. The app simply overlays pictures on a blank silhouette of the Adidas ZX Flux to create your own design (to purchase). Sounds simple but the end results could be stunning. Changing the orientation of the image can get yourself a whole new design. Zoom in, zoom out, have fun.

Orange creamsicle snow flake dessert.

Morning breakfast package “warmly served.”

Windmills.

The stairs of the Diamond Head trail. Looks like an organic exoskeleton, right?

Even Hanauma Bay.

Just wait until different color laces, heel counter, and stripes are available!

Got Some VH07V

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The recent Made in Hawaii Festival pretty much wiped out the stock of VH07V gear.

vh07v-low-inventory

Fortunately for me, the family was at the festival and managed to snag a few of the high demand clothing. I think I may have gotten the last of the new “fade” design which was pulled off the mannequin.

New "Fade" design
New “Fade” design

The printed bag was a nice touch too!

Nice bag
Nice bag

The day after the VH07V purchase, the extended family went box car racing and repped the VH07V love. I gotta get that dark navy blue design with the neon orange lettering!

Box car racing with VH07V
Box car racing with VH07V

Digging the Nike SFB Boot

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On a random stop at Ross, I came across these Nike shoe/boots. Looking at the bar code, I learned these are the Nike SFB Trainer (#344929-090). The khaki version can be found at Nike.com, but this black version is cool, especially at $35. Only big sizes available though.

Nike SFB Trainer Boot
Nike SFB Trainer Boot

Here’s Nike’s description (in case of dead links).

nike-sfb-description

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