Dan’s Web Spot

Just an FYI that I have experimentally lifted the requirement that only logged-in users may submit comments. I am testing some reCaptcha functionality, which requires you to re-type the text that appears in an image (usually 2 words). So now, comments require a name, e-mail address and possibly the provision of the correct reCaptcha terms.

If you decide to log in, you can disregard these requirements altogether...

Depending on how much spam I get, I will decide on whether to leave the settings as such or to revert them to the log-in requirement. Please be patient, and as always, please feel free to comment if you have something interesting/useful to add to any posts.

-Dan

There are several blogs and web sites discussing issues with WordPress sites not getting indexed by Google. I was hoping that the reason my site was not getting indexed would be revealed in this thread: Major Problem solved with WordPress & Google. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

WordPress Privacy Settings

I searched a lot more and finally realized that there was a WordPress setting that handled this. I had set my site to be publicly available in an older version, but somehow, somewhere along the way, it got changed.

My Settings>Privacy settings were set to "I would like to block search engines, but allow normal visitors". Once I changed the Privacy settings to "I would like my blog to be visible to everyone, including search engines (like Google, Sphere, Technochrati) and archivers", and clicked the "Save Changes" button, my site tools indicated that Google had pretty much instantly started indexing the site. Then a simple Google search of my site revealed several posts and content. I wish I could identify when this setting was changed, because I clearly would have remembered changing it, which I did not. » More...

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD V-6

With all the recent hype surrounding the "Cash for Clunkers" program, I had been seriously investigating what kind of "deal" I could get, let alone what kind of SUV or Crossover vehicle would be able to replace my 15-year-old Ford Explorer (with 246,000 miles on it!).

I looked at the Toyota RAV-4, which was too cramped and overpriced. After a test drive, I found that the Ford Escape, which was all plastic, was somewhat of sub-par quality. Finally I found and test-drove the vehicle that was night-and-day above the others as far as quality and comfort at a comparable price: the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe!

I wanted to share my tips and experience so others may possibly benefit from what I did... » More...

Bluetooth and the Bluetooth logo are © Bluetooth.com

My Dell Inspiron 9400 originally shipped with Windows XP, but came with a free upgrade to Vista. It also has a built-in Dell TrueMobile 355 Bluetooth + EDR module, so I decided to get a Bluetooth mouse to use with it. One slick advantage of having this built-in Bluetooth adapter is that a Bluetooth mouse can connect to it directly and there is no need to plug in an external USB Bluetooth 'dongle' for the mouse.

My mouse is a Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000. Every once in a while, I had to reset the Bluetooth connection to get my mouse to re-connect, or turn the mouse off then back on, but it was never frequent enough to complain about it...

Originally, I decided to wait to upgrade to Vista until SP1 at least came out, but now that SP2 is out, a month ago I upgraded to Vista. Then I began having a problem with my mouse not connecting automatically following a reboot, and disconnecting from my laptop whenever the computer locked, and sometimes when the Vista UAC prompt appeared. It was a very frustrating problem to say the least.

I contacted Dell Support about this, but they instructed me to install the Vista drivers on their website, which I had already done (and did again). The problem still persisted. A Google search revealed Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 970408, which described the problem. There was no 'fix', but the suggested 'workaround' was to disable then enable the Bluetooth radio via a hardware or software switch. Pressing Fn + F2 twice on my laptop brought back the connection, but did not fix the cause of the problem. » More...

Remember the movie JAWS???

I didn't know this, but apparently it has been recast as "JOWLS" with new actors... They are, in order of appearance, Elijah (Cody), Gage (Squints), and Rahim (Cooper)...

Note this is only for family/actor entertainment purposes only! (Notice to the grown-ups: The brown bottle is actually Root Beer and the rifle is a cap gun... haha)

Hope you enjoy it!
-Dan
(P.S. You may need to open the full post to view the video...)