Blog Housekeeping And Minor Renovations
Your host spent the last days fixing some minor issues with this blog.
Typepad, the hosting company for this blog, said that some of the software features used when I built this blog 15 years ago have now "depreciated for security reasons". That is their euphemism for "we screwed those up when we converted all blogs to use SSL." It took them seven month and some persistent niggling from me to come up with that excuse.
But using Typepad is the most convenient and cheapest way to run a blog. Their systems are reliable and the help desk, which one rarely needs, is generally responsive. If you want to run a blog I strongly recommend to use them. Their new web design system for blogs is also easy to work with.
Unfortunately I do not use new web design system. This blog uses the older software layer below those new design tools. That requires me to dig through stylesheet and templates coded in an incompletely documented control language. That is why it took me days to fix some minor issues.
You will not notice most of those changes. There are five issues though that you might want to know about.
- Half a year ago this blog received the Serena Shim Award for 'uncompromised integrity in journalism'. It is an encouragement to continue what we are doing. Click the award logo on the upper left of the homepage to read more about it.
- The blog should now resize properly for devices with smaller screen resolutions. Unfortunately I have no way to test this on multiple devices. If you find that it does not work properly on whatever you have please use the comments below to let me know.
- The commentators name, email and web-url can no longer be stored as a cookie to be re-used during the next visit. Most web-browser will now use 'autofill' to put in the values that were used during your last comment. (Using Firefox you can double click within each input field.) I preferred the old solution but it is no longer available.
- In long threads the permalinks for comments on subsequent comment pages were broken. That problem is fixed. The permalink to a comment is under its sequence number. All comments can be directly linked from anywhere.
- The 'Search' on the homepage of this blog finally works and also has a readable layout. The original search used here was based on a Google feature which that company unfortunately terminated a few years ago. The makeshift that replaced it was a crappy version of Typepad's old search feature which one of their people squeezed into the homepage layout of this blog. It was mostly unusable. The new search has its own template and uses a newer underlying engine. It works for blog posts and for the comments. Check it out.
If there are any additional layout or functional issues that need to be fixed please let me know so in the comments.
Are there features missing that I should think of to add?
Posted by b on June 1, 2019 at 18:25 UTC | Permalink
next page »b, I am always in awe of your productivity, so would never dream of asking anything from you. So, thank you for these unlooked-for fixes.
Permalinks on comments - nice! That will greatly improve inter-thread referencing.
Posted by: Grieved | Jun 1 2019 18:39 utc | 2
Link catchers to the sides to separate links and commentary ? Or just to timetable the links for easy reference for the discussion.
Posted by: HW | Jun 1 2019 18:40 utc | 3
Thanks b, but I'm your basic Luddite, and my skills on computers are minimal. Whatever you decide, I'm sure, will be fine.
As always, keep the info coming, and thanks for the therapy, it's priceless..
Posted by: ben | Jun 1 2019 18:53 utc | 5
b, I think most of us will put up with any shortcomings just to know we are getting a credible source of news and information. So I for one sincerely thank you for all your efforts. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Posted by: Uncle Jon | Jun 1 2019 19:00 utc | 6
In long threads the permalinks for comments on subsequent comment pages were broken. That problem is fixed. The permalink to a comment its under its sequence number. All comments can be directly linked from anywhere.
Yay!
Posted by: Cyril | Jun 1 2019 19:01 utc | 7
@aw - Link catchers to the sides to separate links and commentary ? Or just to timetable the links for easy reference for the discussion.
I do not understand that. What are "link catchers" and where specifically should I apply them?
I can't resize the page. When I double click, it selects text. Very annoying.
Doogee S60 smartphone, nougat
Posted by: albagen | Jun 1 2019 19:31 utc | 9
As per comment made on the May 31st post, re Piotr Berman, (@ 72), this evening I'm making a token modest contribution to MOA via the loathed PayPal in gratitude for b's housekeeping work.
Posted by: Glorious Bach | Jun 1 2019 19:37 utc | 11
If we could reply directly under a comment that would be helpful, I think.
Posted by: Babyl-on | Jun 1 2019 19:46 utc | 12
The search feature is excellent. And it goes back to 2004 for anyone curious about old posters.
Posted by: dh | Jun 1 2019 19:47 utc | 13
Congratulations on your ‘Award’ b very much deserved!!!
Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 1 2019 19:50 utc | 14
Thanks for making the improvements.
I would prefer that the "Posted by:" line appear as a header rather than a footer, i.e. above the text. But I realize that this preference is a matter of idiosyncratic taste.
Hey, maybe we can have a European-style referendum on the question! ;)
This may have been addressed in the post, and I'm too technically illiterate to understand it-- but does the upgrade help with the problem of the thread numbering changing when comments are removed?
I have mixed feelings about threaded comments, which are more sophisticated but problematic, but I would think it would be beneficial to both the moderator and the moderated to eliminate the nuisance and guesswork of trying to match comments cited by number when the sequence changes after deletions.
Thanks again for your work and your consideration.
Posted by: Ort | Jun 1 2019 20:01 utc | 15
@albagen I can't resize the page. When I double click, it selects text. Very annoying.
Doogee S60 smartphone, nougat
Hmm - I have no idea why that is the case. I assume other websites work differently?
@Babyl-on If we could reply directly under a comment that would be helpful, I think.
That makes the comment thread discontinues in time. If one comes back after some time to read all the NEW comments to a thread the system you propose will require one to reread the whole thread instead of only from there where one left.
@Glorious Bach As per comment made on the May 31st post, re Piotr Berman, (@ 72), this evening I'm making a token modest contribution to MOA via the loathed PayPal in gratitude for b's housekeeping work.
Thank you very much. Next week will be the bi-annually Poor Poet week where I ask for donations. It was supposed to be this week but I wanted to finish the renovations first.
kudos b on the award... you really ought to be receiving more recognition for your stellar work...
i agree with you regarding @babylons suggestion....i like the way it is at present in that regard..
is it possible to have the posters name at the top of the post, as opposed to at the bottom? not sure if that is something that can be changed...
Posted by: james | Jun 1 2019 20:33 utc | 18
@james is it possible to have the posters name at the top of the post, as opposed to at the bottom? not sure if that is something that can be changed...
That is a copy/paste of a few lines. But it would further prejudice.
You read several boring comments from one person and decide from that point on to skip over whatever that person writes. The next day the same person posts a terrific comment which you will miss because you read that persons name, and skipped, before reading the comment.
I wrote about distinguishing information and source and that is for me the issue with this.
There are a bunch of websites where you can test your own website to see how it works on various devices, this article links to some of them.
https://www.creativebloq.com/features/7-great-tools-for-testing-your-responsive-web-designs
Hi :)
On my "big screen" PC (3000+ px) your blog's width is maxed at 800px instead of taking up the whole available space...
Which is a little weird but not a big deal...
On my phone the screen size is 2960x1440, and there I can see only the left half/ 2 thirds of your blog. The title of this article on the screen ends at "...Minor Ren ", the rest is off screen... Landscape or portrait mode, the result is the same.
A Little screen resizing and I can display the whole page so no big deal either...
So, yes the design design sucks and is outdated by a million years. But frankly who cares ? :)
Do you think a flashy screen with all the modern bells & whistles would make this blog any better ?
Nope, cuz the content is all that matters :)
The ONE change I would make is the font...
A Helvetica, Arial, Verdana font is much easier to read than a serif font like the Georgia you are using.
The body of your page is correct (no mention of Georgia), it is in the Content CSS that you've added this Georgia font, the rest being arial, verdana, sans serif !
Please get rid of it :)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MY BAD !!!!!
Sorry, I've just realized that I was seeing only the center of your website.... Never realized that there was a left/right column :( Since I access to each article independently using your RSS feed, I never see the surrounding columns...
On the PC screen, the article's size in the center now looks more normal and it does resize to fit the display real estate.
On the phone, it's worse, and you can only see the left column and part of the article which title displays up to "Blog Housekeep "
But again, no big deal.......
Keep up the good work !
Posted by: SysATI | Jun 1 2019 21:18 utc | 23
Thanks for the efforts b and the follow up on why this way or that.
Will it be harder for commenters to break the page formatting now with improperly formatted links?
I am afraid to go down the rabbit hole of MoA history but bet it is a trove of jewels
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 1 2019 21:23 utc | 24
@SysATI On my "big screen" PC (3000+ px) your blog's width is maxed at 800px instead of taking up the whole available space...
weird - I have a 4k screen and it sizes properly (using Win10/Firefox)
Fonts - I like the Georgia but I'll test without and look further into it.
For phones - I thought I had all the major points fixed. Seems like I didn't. Then again - there are so many types out there and is to a decent standard. I'll test a bit more.
@psychohistorian - Will it be harder for commenters to break the page formatting now with improperly formatted links?
If I turn off all active linking ... Otherwise I have not found a way yet to prevent that.
Test... Good on ya, B... this blog has been a refuge in a world of insanity For years. Thank-you.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jun 1 2019 21:50 utc | 26
b, clicking on a user name in the recent comments list on the home page no longer takes me to that comment. It now takes me to the article and I have to scroll though to find the comment.
Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 1 2019 22:01 utc | 27
Congrats, b. I see this site quoted by Corbett and Global Research and others. That puts you in good company.
As to typepad, which plan are you attached to? (Plus, Unlimited, Premium?)
An email friend suggested I start a blog. Years ago, I had a basic, stupid site of my own interests for a short while but got disgusted with it and shut it down.
Posted by: Curtis | Jun 1 2019 22:23 utc | 29
‘’They deem him their worst enemy, he who tells the truth’’ Plato.
No chainge there then !!
Click on the Award info top left of ‘b’s’ main blog page.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jun 1 2019 22:33 utc | 30
Thank you for everything, b. Congratulations on the award. You are our Mae Brussell. We are blessed.
Posted by: roza shanina | Jun 1 2019 22:43 utc | 31
It is a good, creative, and very thoughtful site.
Posted by: JOHN CHUCKMAN | Jun 1 2019 23:53 utc | 33
Love your content...check it and spread it far and wide every single day...thank you!
Posted by: sherry amanpour | Jun 2 2019 0:49 utc | 34
@20 b.. thanks b.. i agree with you in that regard.. your post from 2018 on this is a good analogy to offer...
@21 mauisurfer... i don't know why you would have been banned... although there may be a few folks banned from moa, i don't know about it.. seems like b is one of the most tolerant dudes running a website!!
Posted by: james | Jun 2 2019 1:35 utc | 36
Looking good b. The big improvement I have noticed: Page formatting on my firefox, android edition sees consistent page width for the body text. It is about 9 to 10 characters less than on the laptop. The text is still a bit too small to read when zoomed to fit page width in the phones normal portrait mode. So I rotate the phone 90 degrees and view in landscape mode. The char per line stays the same so when I zoom to fit page width the text is bigger and so much easier to read. Thank you.
Posted by: corkie | Jun 2 2019 2:17 utc | 37
Add a donate button for Bitcoin.....there are those of us that will donate
Posted by: A-Lister | Jun 2 2019 2:22 utc | 38
Thanks B for all yr hard work and research and for tolerating my crackpot thoughts and opinions in the comments forums. 😁
Posted by: Jen | Jun 2 2019 2:35 utc | 39
james @35
i have been banned since February 13, I have no idea why.
I emailed our host, but never received a reply.
My last post was an article by Michael Hudson, "superimperialism at the pentagon."
This redo of the site seems to have reinstated me.
Posted by: mauisurfer | Jun 2 2019 3:31 utc | 40
Love your blog. Refreshingly honest journalism is hard to come by these days.
“Are there features missing that I should think of to add?”
“Glass Israel button” would be a great feature...just a thought.
Carry on.
Posted by: Paul Nehlen | Jun 2 2019 3:33 utc | 41
A possible improvement to your most excellent site.
The home page has three columns. Left; headed by, "Top Picks", Centre; headed by, "latest article" and Right headed by, "recent comments".
After selecting an article/comments, a second page opens with one column. Would it be possible to expand the one column to fill the available screen width?
My viewing system is Win 10 and Firefox - Version 67.0 browser.
Posted by: OhOh | Jun 2 2019 3:45 utc | 42
B, I’ve Been enjoying this site since about 2013-4. (I have distinct memories of depending on it for info during the Ghouta crisis and Maidan). Now I usually access the blog via my iPhone. Being over 40, I tilt my phone 90 degrees and the text seems to resize to a manner these old eyes can handle. Dude, you’ve Golden since that analysis of the 737s came out after the Indonesian crash! If only I had a steady gig, I would donate!
Posted by: DougDiggler | Jun 2 2019 4:19 utc | 43
@40 mauisurfer.. weird.. doesn't make sense on the surface..
Posted by: james | Jun 2 2019 4:31 utc | 44
FWIW, I like the serif font, although it could be a half point larger for reading on my newer iMac (Retina) using Safari. I also note the upper left corner logo link is broken on the comments page.
Posted by: Don | Jun 2 2019 4:38 utc | 45
I just saw a really eye opening documentary that aimed at investigating the death of Dag Hammarskjöld of the UN in a 1961 "plane crash" in Africa. It strikes me as the type of film that would really interest b and the regulars here.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cold_case_hammarskjold
Stylistically it verges on "cute" at some points, but a very well told story and perhaps the beginnings of blowing the lid off of a huge conspiracy.
Posted by: KC | Jun 2 2019 4:43 utc | 47
The search feature is excellent. And it goes back to 2004 for anyone curious about old posters.
Posted by: dh | Jun 1, 2019 3:47:52 PM | 13
Thanks for the feedback.
I only use it occasionally and have had mixed results.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 2 2019 5:26 utc | 48
@b about page resizing.
I wasn't clear. The landing page shows the left uper corner (normal text), while on the past it was shown the full page (small text). I would double click and the page woud automatically zoom to fit the screen. With double clicks I would zoom in and zoom out and the page would fit accordingly. Now double clicking only selects the word, and I have to adjust the view with my two thumbs.
Maybe it's only me, in which case forget about it, but if this happens to others also maybe something can be fixed.
Posted by: albagen | Jun 2 2019 5:56 utc | 49
b, clicking on a user name in the recent comments list on the home page no longer takes me to that comment. It now takes me to the article and I have to scroll though to find the comment.
Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Jun 1, 2019 6:01:11 PM | 27 & Lozion
Same here. In the past this feature worked properly for comments on Page 1 of a thread but not for subsequent pages. Now Page 1 has Page 2 syndrome...
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 2 2019 6:43 utc | 50
@Peter AU 1 @Horsehisperer
b, clicking on a user name in the recent comments list on the home page no longer takes me to that comment. It now takes me to the article and I have to scroll though to find the comment.
Thanks. (That was my sloppyness. Just fixed it.) It now works also for subsequent comment pages.
@curtis @29
As to typepad, which plan are you attached to? (Plus, Unlimited, Premium?)
An email friend suggested I start a blog. Years ago, I had a basic, stupid site of my own interests for a short while but got disgusted with it and shut it down.
I pay some $15/month for the Pro-/Unlimited plan since I set up the site. That is very cheap compared to the hours of site management one needs to keep a "free" Wordpress site up and running.
For your purpose the $9/month Basic plan would be sufficient.
@james @21 mauisurfer... i don't know why you would have been banned... although there may be a few folks banned from moa, i don't know about it.. seems like b is one of the most tolerant dudes running a website!!
mauisurfer was banned, after being warned, for repeatedly posting whole articles and off-topic commentary.
I ban very selectively. Usually for posting anti-semitic nonsense, sock-puppetry or aggressive behavior against other commentators or the host. There are some notorious idiots out there who have pestered this and other sites for years. Those stay banned forever. Others are released after some time.
The only thing that would be really great is a nested comments function but I guess there are some disadvantages to that too.
Posted by: Zanon | Jun 2 2019 7:49 utc | 55
@ALister Add a donate button for Bitcoin.....there are those of us that will donate
If you want every police and secret service in the world to become suspicious of you, use bitcoin. If you want to use a currency and "banks" that can rob you without regress use bitcoin. No. I'll not 'touch' bitcoins. It is fad that will go away over time.
@OhOh After selecting an article/comments, a second page opens with one column. Would it be possible to expand the one column to fill the available screen width?
My viewing system is Win 10 and Firefox - Version 67.0 browser.
I tested that and found it difficult to read individual posts and the comments to it in one over-wide column on the usual 16:9 desktop screen.
@Don I also note the upper left corner logo link is broken on the comments page.
Thank you for finding that error. It is now fixed.
Congratulations on the award b!
Serena was a brave woman. One of the first to expose western involvement in the war in Syria through AQ snd IS proxies.
Posted by: Symen Danziger | Jun 2 2019 8:04 utc | 57
1. congratulations on the award. deserved.
2. Hmm, I can see what you are doing “wrong” regarding small screen devices. You are using that viewport meta tag, setting the initial scale to 1. This prevents small screen devices from zooming out on load to show the whole page. And your layout is not adaptive at all for those devices, and difficult to fix given that you use an html table for layout. It is not disastrous in your case, mind you, and on most modern smart phones (even 3 year old thingies…) rotating the phone to landscape will work well. if you want a few screenshots from various iPhones and iPads, ask and I‘ll see to email you (iPads are fine across the board, similar to desktop / laptop browsers).
3. thank you for fixing the permalinks links to comments! (dare I say finally? :-))
4. since you use Firefox, do you know about their “Responsive Design Mode” tool/view? you can find as part of the web developer tools (possibly Ctrl-Opt-M as shortcut, not sure I’m not in front of a windows computer). it will show you page in small screen mode (there are various options in a dropdown near the top). It certainly is not perfect, but in your case it will be more than enough.
Posted by: Philipe | Jun 2 2019 8:37 utc | 58
"Are there features missing that I should think of to add?"
The blog needs a feature that will end U.S. imperialism.
Posted by: Edward | Jun 2 2019 8:57 utc | 59
We, the readers come here for the courageous analysis and the striking content you create and care less about the readability of the webpage. In case you have taken steps to make our viewing more smoother, then it is a double thanks to you.
B, may you get many disciples to carry your torch onwards. You are a rare gem in this world.
Posted by: KD | Jun 2 2019 9:19 utc | 60
b @ 20 says:
You read several boring comments from one person and decide from that point on to skip over whatever that person writes
you get it yet, folks? it's not so much about what b can do for us as about what we can do for him.
i don't have much to say, so i don't say it, but for many others that's no deterrent, and they say it anyway, often with tedious loquaciousness. aside from boring the shit out of me and others, please think before posting. you might even play with the Preview button until you've composed something halfway pertinent. this consideration would no doubt make b's life much easier and it would raise the quality of the comment section exponentially.
p.s. the obsessive–compulsive types should seek help elsewhere.
Posted by: john | Jun 2 2019 9:48 utc | 61
Posted by: b | Jun 2, 2019 3:37:47 AM | 54
Hosting your own WordPress blog (not the commercial wordpress.com site but the open source software under wordpress.org) with any European provider you chose,
would cost you 5 Euro per month at the maximum.
Understandably, b. you don't want to switch, just for anyone thinking about starting their own blog.
Posted by: somebody | Jun 2 2019 9:53 utc | 63
@b
You might want to try this CSS3 trick:
#comments-body p a { display: inline-flex; word-break: break-all; }
Posted by: Drive-by Commenting | Jun 2 2019 10:19 utc | 64
Hi b,
Apologies if anyone has mentioned this previously but given the current state of internet censorship I would strongly recommend taking incremental backups of your entire website so should your site be 'deleted' it would be easier to reinstate it elsewhere.
TypePad Export link: Blog Settings: Import/Export
Example of this practice: Wordpress.org has deleted a number of independent voices without warning or a method of remedy.
Keep on keeping on.
Posted by: Nick | Jun 2 2019 11:19 utc | 65
@philipe - I can see what you are doing “wrong” regarding small screen devices. You are using that viewport meta tag, setting the initial scale to 1
I have now taken out the initial-scale="1" though I am sure that will cause trouble with some devices.
@somebody - Hosting your own WordPress blog (not the commercial wordpress.com site but the open source software under wordpress.org) with any European provider you chose, would cost you 5 Euro per month at the maximum.
And it would take me many hours per month to fiddle with updates, bugs and dozens of wordpress extensions.
@Drive-by Commenting #comments-body p a { display: inline-flex; word-break: break-all; }
What is that " p a " supposed to stand for?
@Nick I would strongly recommend taking incremental backups of your entire website so should your site be 'deleted' it would be easier to reinstate it elsewhere.
I of course do regular backups. Still - it would take me weeks to get the blog up again on any other site.
Ditto $cam; a refuge I retreat to an an ongoing daily basis. Your perseverance and continuing quality are unexcelled b. My sincere appreciation and thanks for the upgrade
Posted by: Juannie | Jun 2 2019 11:55 utc | 67
b @67
I have now taken out the initial-scale="1" though I am sure that will cause trouble with some devices.
I think I have a nice way to fix the issue for small screen devices, I’ll email you tomorrow after running some tests.
also:
‘#comments-body p a’ means select a ‘a’ (link) element that is the child of a ‘p’ (paragraph) that is the descendant of ‘#comments-body‘. In layman terms select all the links in the comments (body). Useful tool: SelectOracle.
Posted by: Philipe | Jun 2 2019 12:12 utc | 68
Posted by: b | Jun 2, 2019 7:50:12 AM | 67
@somebody - Hosting your own WordPress blog (not the commercial wordpress.com site but the open source software under wordpress.org) with any European provider you chose, would cost you 5 Euro per month at the maximum.
And it would take me many hours per month to fiddle with updates, bugs and dozens of wordpress extensions.
Only if you chose to. None of this will happen if you stick to the "out of the box" core system. Updates are automated (like Microsoft Windows updates).
As I said, I can understand you don't want to change a running system. For people starting new, they should consider the alernative.
Not least that WordPress is not proprietry - you can run and transfer it to any host.
Posted by: somebody | Jun 2 2019 12:18 utc | 69
@philipe I think I have a nice way to fix the issue for small screen devices, I’ll email you tomorrow after running some tests.
Thanks! (I also need a new way to handle pictures within my blogposts. I usually use a simple < img src=.. > tag and an image size of 380 pixel width. I know that I could upload pictures of different sizes and check for screen properties etc. But all that takes a lot of editing time that I would rather put into content quality. If you have any idea how to easily handle pictures please let me know.)
also:
‘#comments-body p a’ means select a ‘a’ (link) element that is the child of a ‘p’ (paragraph) that is the descendant of ‘#comments-body‘. In layman terms select all the links in the comments (body). Useful tool: SelectOracle.
I instinctively would have used '#comments-body .p .a' ...
Congratulations on the award, b; it is more than merited. And many thanks for doing all that you do in keeping this best of bars open.
Posted by: robjira | Jun 2 2019 14:22 utc | 71
Kudos for your Serena Shim Award!! Well deserved & in excellent company!!
Posted by: Rael Nidess, M.D. | Jun 2 2019 14:41 utc | 73
b @55
NOT true
i was warned ONCE for posting an article which was behind a paywall
and when i emailed you about it, you did not reply
it is your blog, do as you wish
Posted by: mauisurfer | Jun 2 2019 15:41 utc | 74
thanks for a small reminder of why i switched from web design to "infosec" several years back. i always thought the site was fine and minimal...though i never like enabling scripts to comment anywhere. but then i hate having to use the actual internet instead of my own private hardened satellite feed. keep up the good work.
Posted by: the pair | Jun 2 2019 15:50 utc | 75
b, your analyses are the most thorough that I know. I sincerely love the work you do for us. Thank you!
Posted by: Robert | Jun 2 2019 16:34 utc | 76
I like the Georgia. As I understand it, a minority of people find sans serif fonts more desirable.
Posted by: Robert | Jun 2 2019 16:36 utc | 77
b @67
Mental lapse there. My last post came out thoroughly cryptic with its missing explanation but thankfully Philipe came to the rescue. It's supposed to be a fix for improperly formatted links that fudge up the page.
For reasons which I'm not entirely certain why, having "word-break: break-all" to force word-wrapping will only work if "display: ..." is used. My guess is that links don't get treated like other page formatting elements. You might want to try the various Display types in the Inspector tool to see which works best.
A little fix: The # is supposed to be a dot for the "comments-body" div class, and I've added the comments preview to it.
#comment-preview-content p a, .comments-body p a { display: inline-block; word-break: break-all; }
Posted by: Drive-by Commenting | Jun 2 2019 17:42 utc | 78
Moi aussi luddite here, but I loved the explanation on post preference over author credit - says a lot for the inteegrity of the site.
If ever [perish the thought] we have to depend on samizdat, I know somehow this community shall survive. Be proud of what you have exemplified, b; the award is very much deserved.
I come here to learn, and I do.
Posted by: juliania | Jun 2 2019 20:16 utc | 79
Just a note on the suggested use of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies:
I am not educated enough to dispute or agree with b’s claim that they are a fad, but I can attest to the fact that
they are not as secure as some might think. My neighbor recently lost $1million from two accounts in less than 20 minutes. The college fund for his child and his life savings were gone that fast, with some but not great hopes of it being recovered. His case is not unique, just one I am well aware of.
Rather than me trying to explain the whole thing here, do your own search on “ SIM swapping”. At this stage, if you have a cell phone and money you are vulnerable.
Posted by: NotBob | Jun 2 2019 23:39 utc | 80
b - big improvement on my small screened device both reading and posting comments. Very nice. Thanks.
Posted by: donkeytale | Jun 3 2019 1:00 utc | 81
(re: somebody @70)
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't think of "just like Microsoft Windows updates" as a positive recommendation. . . .
Posted by: John Anthony La Pietra | Jun 3 2019 5:49 utc | 82
Posted by: b | Jun 2, 2019 8:48:44 AM | 71
OK I’ve prepped some proposal for small screen devices, check your email.
Ref images. Hmm, that is not an easy one. I‘ve no idea how the image upload / management feature at Typepad works nowadays. Intuitively, I’d you with the ‘srcset’ and ‘sizes’ attributes on the img tag. not easy to use.On the other hand, you’re not doing badly. You could use a slightly larger thumbnail images (~400px wide for landscape size images) ad link as you do now to larger view (handy as one can open the image in a separate tab and toggle to view while reading.
I instinctively would have used '#comments-body .p .a' …
LOL, now you are selecting something completely different -)
Posted by: philipe | Jun 3 2019 6:36 utc | 83
@all
Please join me in saying THANKS to Philipe.
He send me some 10 lines of CSS code, I threw it in, and it WORKS!
MoA now automatically resizes appropriately on smaller devices.
Thanks, Philipe! ;-)
I just checked MoA on my mobile phone, and what can I say: Perfect font size, great readability. Good job!
Posted by: Cemi | Jun 3 2019 13:25 utc | 85
kudos to philipe! i had noticed philipe also helps with typos and a lot more here too!
Posted by: james | Jun 3 2019 15:12 utc | 86
Elk comment krijgt een nummer.
Om allerlei redenen wordt steeds wel eens een comment verwijderd.
Dan is de de draad direct volstrekt vervuild.
Het nummer van een comment moet NOOIT veranderd worden.
Tenzij je chaos,niets terug te vinden,fijn vindt.
Posted by: Den Haag | Jun 3 2019 18:18 utc | 87
@Den Haag
Translating your comment: Each comment is given a number.
A comment is always deleted for all sorts of reasons.
Then the wire is completely contaminated immediately.
The number of a comment must NEVER be changed.
Unless you like chaos, nothing to be found.
The visible comment number is generated by the underlying system for each thread at the time that thread is loaded into your browser.
When I delete a comment for whatever reason that number will naturally change. I have no way to influence that.
The link below that number will not change and the permalink for that comment will stay as it was.
I have a bug report. I used to like reading MofA on TextBrowser (a text-only web browser) on my Android phone because it used minimal data and loaded much quicker.
Since a few months, MofA will no longer open. Instead, I just get the message "IO error". This is strange because far more complex-seeming sites like Zero Hedge still open just fine.
Was there something that changed a few months ago?
Posted by: E | Jun 3 2019 22:27 utc | 89
@ 89 b
The solution?:
Instead of deleting, you can type "This text is removed"
Then the comment-number survives!
This is a discussion board.
Often commentators refer to numbers of earlier comments.
Complete deleting a comment changes all next numbers, making a mess of references.
Posted by: Den Haag | Jun 4 2019 3:39 utc | 90
@ Den Haag with the suggestion about comment numbers.
b has discussed this before and us oldtimers have taken to referring to the commenter and then repeating a line or two of what they wrote to set the context for the response. This makes it so reads don't have to go back but they have text to look for if there is a challenge doing so.
Sometimes I refer to the comment number but mostly when we are in the hundreds and changing pages.....the content that b provides far outweighs the presentation tradeoffs made, IMO
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 4 2019 5:00 utc | 91
@E I used to like reading MofA on TextBrowser (a text-only web browser) on my Android phone because it used minimal data and loaded much quicker.
Since a few months, MofA will no longer open. Instead, I just get the message "IO error". This is strange because far more complex-seeming sites like Zero Hedge still open just fine.
Was there something that changed a few months ago?
Back in November Typepad switched all sites running on it to SSL. Instead of http:// ... it is now https:// ...
A text or mobile version which I think you used is still available as https://www.moonofalabama.org/.m/ ...
It is an unsupported feature generated automatically by some script that I can not influence.
The solution?:
Instead of deleting, you can type "This text is removed"
Then the comment-number survives!
...
Posted by: Den Haag | Jun 3, 2019 11:39:23 PM | 91
Years ago, b used to replace a deleted comment with a "comment deleted" note which preserved the numbering sequence. However, it was not uncommon for Persistant Pests to post several deletable comments on the same thread. Deleting offensive comments entirely shortens the thread (never a bad thing) and the time stamp of a comment doesn't change, making a comment easy to find if one cuts & pastes the entire Posted by: line when referring to a previous comment:-)
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 4 2019 9:19 utc | 93
However, it was not uncommon for Persistant Pests to post several deletable comments on the same thread.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 4, 2019 5:19:49 AM | 94
Deleting several comments makes the numbering even more ruined.
Also:
Shortening the thread? minimal...
Cutting & pasting? primitive...
I compare this site with unz com.
But there the numbering is perfect.
Posted by: Den Haag | Jun 4 2019 12:01 utc | 94
@ #95.
Copy & Paste is quick, easy and 100% accurate & reliable.
I'd rather b spent his time investigating and writing thoughtful and valuable articles than in micro-managing the comments 24/7 to preserve a handy, but non-essential, comment numbering sequence.
b produces 1 new post almost every day of the year. That's a cracking pace, and requires diligent time management plus the instinct to distinguish the essential from the trivial. Imo.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 4 2019 13:18 utc | 95
@ #96
@ #95.
Yes, isn't that quick,easy and 100% accurate & reliable?
And delecting comments isn't micro-managing the comments?
Posted by: Den Haag | Jun 4 2019 13:52 utc | 96
congratulations on being awarded b. you're always on the top of my list, i love moon of alabama. the internet wouldn't be the same without you. thanks for the new search feature. one thing i miss is that tracking device that used to be in the bottom left corner. it was especially exciting to view the traffic flood in from different parts of the world when you'd publish a new hot post. thanks for everything you do. big hug.
Posted by: annie | Jun 4 2019 14:17 utc | 97
@annie one thing i miss is that tracking device that used to be in the bottom left corner. it was especially exciting to view the traffic flood in from different parts of the world when you'd publish a new hot post. thanks for everything you do. big hug.
That tracking device was Sitemeter which no longer provides that service. I haven't found another one that does the same for free.
#92 content that b provides far outweighs the presentation tradeoffs made
O yeah, the content is great.
Therefore my goal is to IMPROVE this blog.
BTW Why complete deleting a comment?
Looks sneaky
Posted by: Den Haag | Jun 5 2019 16:06 utc | 99
A text or mobile version which I think you used is still available as https://www.moonofalabama.org/.m/ ...
No, that version also gives me an "IO error" when I type it into the address bar.
I also tried opening MoonofAlabama in Lightning Browser, which is a normal full-featured browser for Android that uses the phone's native WebKit rendering engine, and it also does not open. It says "Webpage not available".
Posted by: E | Jun 8 2019 22:34 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
Three cheers for b, is all.
Posted by: fx | Jun 1 2019 18:31 utc | 1