Category: Projects

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Blogging How to(s)? Projects Reviews Software WordPress.com

Why the move to WordPress (self-hosted)?

After working with the DotNetNuke Content Management System (CMS) for over two years on my personal and several other websites, I finally made the decision to move to something a little less daunting.

Do not get me wrong, DNN is a very powerful system, but with the power comes complexity.

I needed something that did not require as much time to work with, so I started to look into WordPress.

I also realize, that the two systems are entirely different, and have two different audiences in mind.

DotNetNuke can be managed by one person, but that one person needs to be aware of several different underlying architectural environments. Having a programming background is also very desirable when tweaking in needed.

WordPress on the other hand, seems to be geared more for the casual user. Once set up, management of the software appears to be far easier than DotNetNuke.

In the following, I will attempt to do some illustrations in regards to the pros and cons DotNetNuke and WordPress.

By no means is this list comprehensive, but is based on over two years of working with DotNetNuke, and new installation of WordPress, as my new website environment. (I did run a WordPress.com (Free) site for approximately same amount of time… and I have a couple alter ego sites on WordPress…)

DotNetNuke

Pros

  • Free/Open Source
  • Very Powerful and Scalable
  • Supports many Microsoft development languages
  • SEO Friendly (w/Plug-Ins)

Cons

  • Complex
  • Windows Only
  • Requires Hosting Server
  • Simple Back-ups can be done w/Additional “Paid” Software
    – Depending on your Hosting company, Database backups may require additional purchased software.

DotNetNuke it is definitely geared towards an environment where there is someone or some folks that are willing to administer an environment where multiple technologies may be involved.

DotNetNuke is infinitely expandable with the various programming languages that are available to create modules and enhancements within this Content Management System (CMS).

When looking at the DotNetNuke homepage, you can see that many large corporations throughout the world use this CMS for their websites.

There is also a large development and support environment available for those that wish to use DotNetNuke, including SnowCovered.com, DNNCreative.com and the forums on the Main DotNetNuke website.

One of the things that I found very depressing about the DotNetNuke environment, was that every time I wanted to have additional functionality and something, it is it was either a great deal of work, or I had to pay for it.

I always felt that I was getting “Nickel and Dimed” for everything I wanted to do, including documentation and training.

A prime example of this would be the DotNetNuke blog module. Based in this day and age of blogs seems to be the quintessential format for all many websites.

WordPress.com (Free)

Pros

  • Free/Open Source
  • Very Powerful
  • No Hosted Needed
  • SEO Friendly

Cons

  • Limited Enhancement options
  • No Google Analytics
  • No Google AdSense
  • Might be Block by Firewalls

WordPress.com by far is the simplest of these three options presented, but what do you want?

There is no need to find a host, installation is nearly instantaneous, with a few clicks you can have your theme for your website, and you’re off and running.

With the free hosting version of WordPress, there is no advertising “things” that must be placed on your website, which I find very interesting, because I wonder how WordPress pays for itself.

Another Post, another time….

WordPress (Self Hosted)

Pros

  • Free/Open Source
  • Very Powerful
  • Google AdSense & Analytics
  • Very Powerful and Scalable
  • Multiple Platforms ( Wintel & Linux)
  • Very Low Hosting Fees
  • SEO Friendly (w/Plug-Ins)
  • Basic Back-up of the MySQL can be done with Free Plug-ins

Cons

  • Need a Hosting Server (Hosting Fees)

Because WordPress is open source, there are no cost associated with the base software, which does lower costs as one looks around at various hosting options.

I did research one vendor, that does have very low price, but what I found out was, the Advertised price was based upon an upfront one year obligation of hosting.

Once again the law of averages, for the hidden truth.

The ULTIMATE hosting environment would be comprised of Linux as a server operating system, Apache as your Web server, and MySQL doing the database backend, and the ability to use PHP scripts/language. Also known as, LAMP (or Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)…

There are thousands of Hosting Vendors that could fit this description… that is beyond scope of this post to really get into that issue…

Many of these Vendors also offer one-button installation of WordPress which for those that do not enjoy the fun of installation, one can just click… sit back and wait…

I did not do this so I cannot comment on the validity of these installs, but if there were an issue there would be far more complaints than what I was able to see in various forums.

Install – WordPress

I did a fair amount of reading to make sure, that I was moving in the right direction of a WordPress install..

I did my necessary backups of my DotNetNuke website…

I even converted many of the aspx pages to HTML, and then integrated them to my temporary WordPress.com blog site.

My WordPress.com site was my secondary backup, and served as my template for my new website.

Having been a Wintel System Administrator for 10+ years, I knew I needed to back up everything…

Several times over…

I confirmed with my hosting company, CrystalTech.com, that my hosting environment was able to accommodate WordPress…

I also confirmed the default structure of my hosting environment.

This was going to be a “Bare metal” / “Fresh” install.

I downloaded and unzipped the official WordPress installation package, and uploaded it to my webspace, and ran the installation script.

The installation ran extremely quickly… I was VERY surprised!

I was able to launch my website install the database etc. etc. etc. without issue…

Now it was time to customize.

Note – Another thing that struck me, was the fact that the administrator interface for WordPress is far easier to understand, then what one would face with DotNetNuke.

I am not going to get to each and every detail of the various ‘things’ that one can add to their web press environment, but needless to say there are thousands of different combinations that one could create to fit their personal taste.

Conclusion

WordPress (Self Hosted), in my opinion, is the most flexible of the three environments presented, but this is dependent on how much you want to be involved financially or through development.

For a Single User with some General knowledge, but not willing to deal with the test technical aspects, WordPress.com (Free), would be your best bet.

For a User with some Advance knowledge, but not willing to deal with the test technical aspects, WordPress (Self Hosted), might be a consideration, but be aware, the technical aspect, might become addicting…

For accompany willing to invest the time and finances, DotNetNuke can be an excellent platform to build from, they can easily grow as your requirements do.

Additional References

Because I installed into a mixed environment, Microsoft IIS (WinTel) and MySQL (Linux), I was confronted with several unique issues with my host that were easily resolved with numerous pre-published documents.

As part of my website reconfiguration plan, I set up on a aseymour.com, with a HTML page, that included a metadata redirect to my WordPress.com site, so I was never really “down”, my content was always available.

But in doing so, I choose to install into a sub-directory of my main website…

At first, when one went to aseymour.com, there would be a quick redirect page, then to the new Main.

I had to get around this pause…

The Crystal Tech support folks were able to point me to the following document, which also used to redirect but at a domain level, which I hope to use, later as I look into Drupla and Joomla.

http://codex.wordpress.org/Giving_WordPress_Its_Own_Directory

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Categories
Chester County How to(s)? Information PhotoShare-MakeOver (PSMO) Projects Reference

FTP – PhotoShare-MakeOver (PSMO) projects

In setting up of the “Chester County (PA) Photography” Facebook page, and the Introduction of the “PhotoShare-MakeOver” (PSMO) projects, I may have overlooked some details…

So this Post, is the First in a planned Series, of short FAQ style articles, based on feedback from this Blog, Facebook and Flickr groups that I belong to.

Here goes…

Table of Contents

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What is FTPing files? – RE: “PhotoShare-MakeOver” (PSMO) projects

FTP is a fundamental protocol of the Internet, as the name implies “File Transfer Protocol“. It has been around since the inception of the Internet. It is a base protocol for how things work on the Internet. It is your Friend!

– You could also think of it, as the phone line coming into your home, your voice(s) are nothing more than data passing back and forth.

In the good old days, one would have to get into a command line session, maneuver to the various directories, start a PUT/GET, and continue.

Allot of typing, mistakes, etc…

Finally, someone put a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to the protocol, and created an application as an easier way to move files!

Those FTP applications, also known as Clients, are available for EVERY platform, and I believe every OS still has the ability to FTP form the command line…

FTP Clients are the way to go, but deciding which one…

It is my nature to be frugal, so Free is good, and Good Free software that is reliable is even better!

So I offer up FileZilla as my personal choice.

“FileZilla is open source software distributed free of charge under the terms of the GNU General Public License.”

Well worth the price!

FTPing – RE: “PhotoShare-MakeOver” (PSMO) projects (Downloading)

This is the easy part!

Most modern Browsers allow FTP downloads with a simple click of a link, and following the various download dialog boxes and screens.

Once you have the file(s) locally on your hard drive, now have fun putting your “touches” to the images!

Don’t forget to Re-Post your efforts to the Group(s)!

FTPing – RE: “PhotoShare-MakeOver” (PSMO) projects (Uploads)

If you would like to be considered for a “PSMO Project“, please contact one of the Group Admin‘s.

For illustration, I am going to use aseymour.com, if you are going to use another website/domain, please contact that Admin for details on Directory, Username and Passwords.

It is estimated that the PSMO files are going to be approximately 50MBs+ in size per image, and need a Common Area for the files to be stored so others can access/download them for the projects.

In the case of aseymour.com, I have setup a Dropbox for the “Chester County (PA) Photography” groups, which is Password Protected for Uploading.

For Username and Current password, please contact the PSMO Admins.

The “CCPP PSMO – Dropbox” can be found here: <http://www.aseymour.com/CCPaPhotography/dropbox/>

Again, you need a Username and Password to Upload, and if files are NOT invited, they will be deleted!

If you have the Current Username and Password, you launching your FTP Client, in this case, FileZilla (WinTel).

First Time Setup – FileZilla & aseymour.com

The first time that you use aseymour.com, you will need to follow these steps. but once done, but once Saved, you can return to the Site without the need to go through all these setup steps:

<– These instructions are for the Windows Client –>

Launch/Open FileZilla;

  • Go to the File menu, and select “Site Manager…“;
  • In the “Host Name:” field, Enter “ftp.aseymour.com” (without the “Quotes”);
  • In the “Logon type:” drop-down, select “Normal“;
  • Enter in Username and Password;

On the General tab –

  • In the Site Manager window, on the Left side, look for the “New Site” button;
  • Name the new site “CCPaPhotography_UL” (without the “Quotes”);

On the Advanced tab –

  • Nothing needed at this time

Then Click the Connect button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Once you have connected, you should see a index.html file, please do NOT touch this file!

From here you should, find the file(s) that you wish to upload with FileZilla and than Upload (FTP “PUT”) your invited files!

Once you are completed Uploading your files, please let the Admins knows so that an announcement can be made!

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!

Thanks in advance (TIA),

– Andrew
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Categories
Adobe Photo Restoration Projects

Wedding Photo – Restoration

This was a 16×20 inch Wedding Photo restoration, mounted on cardboard, cut and torn in half.

Torn 16x20 Wedding Photo restoration (circa 1960s)
Torn 16×20 Wedding Photo restoration (circa 1960s)

After several hours of work, I was able to achieve the bottom image.

If you are interesting in getting your own photos restored, please feel free to contact me for a free consultation and quote.

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Categories
Chester County Covered Bridges Flickr Photo Journal Photography Projects

Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889)

Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889)

Hickory Hill, Chester Count [38-15-02]

Finally, it seems that my project to photograph the Covered Bridges of Chester County is done!

It was a wonderful trip down to the “Southern Most” Covered Bridge in Pennsylvania.

I approached the bridge from the North side, and immediately knew I wanted to capture the windy road heading into Maryland.

Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) - Looking South
Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) – Looking South

Driving through the bridge, I parked on the small hill on the South side, and got out of the car.

While unpacking my gear and surveying Glen Hill, I really had to question myself on the location!

I thought I was back at Linton Stevens CB!

I did check the GPS, just to make sure…

I missed this bridge the last time I was down here in September by ‘fat fingering’ the GPS coordinates and driving into a townhouse area without any creeks, streams or rivers!

Waking into the bridge, I looked for the plaque, which is located on the Northern side of the bridge.

Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) - Sign
Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) – Sign

While taking my images of the plaque, a truck pulled up to the Southern entrance, and I signaled it go continue.

As the man passed me, he stopped, and we began to talk, and after a minute or two, he pulled over, and we began to talk more.

He introduced himself as Jamie Crouse of Crouse Auto Body in Elkton MD, and had lived in the area all his life.

As we walked and talked around the bridge, he keep telling me more about its history, such as the over weight truck being stuck inside the bridge during the 1960s.

Jamie also pointed out the char marks from the arson fire that destroyed the bridge in 1987.

Burn marks on floor - Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889)
Burn marks on floor – Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889)

Jamie continued to explain that a great of effort was made to recover as much of the original wood as possible for the rebuilding, which included Bongossi wood from Africa.

If you look closely at the floor in this picture, you will see large indentations, which were caused by the burning bails of hay and gasoline used to start the fire.

Some of the vertical posts still show charring from the fire.

He continued to say, that the two men responsible for the bridge fire are still in jail, and had also been linked to other arson attacks in the area.

On a more humorous side, he recalled that during his teenage years, two local girls visited Glenn Hope and other local covered bridges of the area, and carved “Boobless Wonder Strikes Again” on the down-creek side and “Woogie” on the up-creek side of the trusses.

We chatted a little more, and thanked him for the background info, and then he was off.

So now, where do I start my images?

The lighting was bouncing all over the place!

There was a stormy cold front passing over the area.

Short bursts of direct sun light, followed by various types of clouds, dark ones with rain and white fluffy ones.

Exposure nightmares!

But since I was doing HDR images any way, it really was not an issue.

Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) - Looking South
Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) – Looking South

In this image, you can see the Sun light popping in some areas, but not others.

HDR and ‘Mother Nature’ work wonders some times!

Underneath Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) - Looking South
Underneath Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889) – Looking South

What I find most striking in this image, this the different layout of the support beams.

This was the first time that I saw the short ‘horizontal’ support beams instead of the long full-length ‘vertical’ beams of the other bridges, and certainly makes for a different visual capture!

I moved West up the Little Elk creek, and was able to capture this image looking East.

Looking East (Down Creek) - Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889)
Looking East (Down Creek) – Glen Hope Covered Bridge (1889)

Featured Image and Photographer (November 2010) – Pennsylvania Covered Bridges

I did move further up the creek and managed to rip my Domke jacket… My first rip in the 25+ years I’ve owned the vest!

Bummer… Not a bad rip, but…

I went up about another hundred feet or so, and took some more images of the rocks surrounded by flowing water.

I still need to process those, and post them in another entry.

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Updates

10/25/2010 – Finally posted the HDR images to PhotoShelter, Flickr, RedBubble and Panoramio accounts. Also updated the Google Maps.

10/18/2012 – Notes from a talk given at the Citadel Credit Union about the Covered Bridges of the Oxford area.

After my presentation, I got to chat with several folks about the bridges, and during one conversation, I was introduced to Joe Chamberlain, who was tasked with removing and repairing the bridge after the cement truck damaged the bridge in 1968.

He not only confirmed the story, but went on to tell me, that the truck had started over the bridge, got about halfway, when the rear of the truck fell through the decking. He also questimated that there were about  8 yards of cement in the truck, at +/- 4400 pounds/yard, or 17.6 tons on a maybe 10 ton limit bridge!

Mr. Chamberlain went on to tell me, that the top of the cement truck was still above the deck level, and that he and his crew had to dig into the creek bed to lower the truck enough for them to get it out.

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Categories
Chester County Covered Bridges Flickr HDR Photo Journal Photography Projects

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (1865)

Knox – Valley Forge Covered Bridge (1865)

Valley Forge, Chester County [38-15-15]

It still just amazes me.

Growing up in the area, I had been by and through this covered bridge countless times.

In my teenage years, it was a ritual to meet at the National Memorial Arch in the middle of Valley Forge National Park after the Prom, hang out, and maybe watch the sun rise. (At least that was the stated goal…)

With that in mind, why was this bridge so late in my project?

Don’t know, but I FINALLY got to it!

But when I first got there, my shot looked like it was in jeopardy because there was a repair crew looking over the bridge.

So I drove through the bridge from the Yellow Springs Road side, and turned left on Rt. 252.

I was headed toward the Arch. I had stopped by with Madison on July 30th, but was not happy with what I had gotten that day.

What was also adding to the day, was the weather!

There was a front coming through the area, with a great range of dark and light clouds.

I drove around, stopped a couple of places, took some pictures, and finally headed back to the bridge.

When I got there, I was happy to see the Repair Crew had gone, and there no cautionary signs, so I drove back through the bridge on Yellow Springs, and park in the little lot on the right.

I gathered my gear, and started to walk back to the bridge, crossed the road, and hopped over the guard rails to setup for my first shot.

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Exterior Long View) hdr 01
Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Exterior Long View) hdr 01

From here, I moved down the embankment toward the creek, and what I really found striking, was all the flatted tall grass leading to the creek. Tropical Storm Nicole had moved through less then a week before.

It was a little unnerving to see clumps of grass in the tree limbs at eye level…

I got to the creek, and tried to find a good water shot, and captured this:

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Down Creek) hdr 02
Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Down Creek) hdr 02

I then headed down the creek, and setup for this shot:

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Underneath) hdr 03
Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Underneath) hdr 03

Pivoting to my left, I headed back up the embankment, and setup for this shot:

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (East Entrance) hdr 05
Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (East Entrance) hdr 05

This shoot, actually took about ten minutes to capture because of all the traffic coming from three different directions, and with the sun popping in and out… It was allot if fun!

I walked through the bridge, and setup and captured this.

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (East Entrance) hdr 04
Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (East Entrance) hdr 04

Again, this image took some time, and in both cases, I was helping to direct traffic.

From here, I jumped over the guard rail on the left, and captured this:

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Long Low Angle) hdr 06
Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Long Low Angle) hdr 06

If you look carefully, you can begin to see the flatted tall grass on the left, but it does not approach what is just 10-15 feet further left!

Again, I climbed back up the embankment, crossed over the road, over another guard rail, and down the right side for an up creek view:

Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Up Creek) hdr 07
Knox-Valley Forge Covered Bridge (Up Creek) hdr 07

From here I headed back to the car.

Another Chester County Covered Bridge captured!

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Tech Talk

Updates

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