I recently found these themes that I think are great.
I will be putting my affiliate link there soon so you can click on it and I get copius amounts of money.
An error occurred in the upload. Please try again later
This was the other wordpress 2.5 issue I had.
This was on a live server and not local. I tried to upload an image and the image crunched ok, but I got this message when it was done. I think it has to do with write permissions but the solution I found was to add this to your .htaccess file.
<IfModule mod_security.c>
<Files async-upload.php>
SecFilterEngine Off
SecFilterScanPOST Off
</Files>
</IfModule>
That seemed to fix the upload issue but the next issue I had was when I tried to actually insert the image into the post, all I got was a blank screen from the media page.
After a few times of the blank screen I restarted firefox and now everything worked fine.
I guess the first problem affected the http state of the browser or window or something and the restart just cleared it all up.
** According to Google Analytics this is my most popular post ever! So if it was helpful, please leave a comment and tell me how glad you are that I copied someone else’s solution for you to find.
Blank screen when installing Wordpress 2.5
As I said I am slowly moving a few of my blogs to Wordpress 2.5. I have run across a few issues and one was a blank screen when I was trying to install Wordpress. I checked the config file and all was good with that. I figured it had to be in the php.ini. That is usually where things go awry when installing for the first time.
I searched around a bit and found a solution that said log_errors had to be on.
I went to php.ini and changed log_errors = off to log_errors = on.
I then went back and deleted all the tables from my fresh install (it make it that far) and ran the installer again and that fixed my blank screen problem.
Did I mention this was a local install? All of my installs on real servers didn’t have this issues because they probably all have log_errors = on already.
Gmail Stories
This is a great example from Google. People sending in their stories on why they love gmail and the only thing google has to do is put together a simple but creative video that relays these stories. It is not corporate but it is very engaging. Give your customers the tools to tell their stories. Simple yet priceless.
“Re-design the Kindle” Contest
After listening to the twitter digerati for most of the day taking shots at the Kindle, I thought it would be a good time to introduce a positive angle on the subject. I am proposing a contest to design Kindle 2.0 to take it from its current frumpy looks to the “austere vessel of culture” that it is supposed to be. It is a little late for this release, but lets get some good submissions in here and maybe Jeff B. will pick one up for the next go around.
As an added bonus, I will send the winner a free CD and a some starbucks gift cards.
Send your jpg entry and a brief description about the design mk (AT) mattkern (dot) com.
Entry #1 from SeanFx
Bezos Botches Book (reader)
I admit it. I live under a rock sometimes. I had not heard that Amazon was coming out with an eBook reader until I saw the article today at Newsweeks website. As I read the article I found myself building up to a feverish frenzy as each feature was revealed and explained. New Releases for $9.99! Unobtrusive: Yes! WiFi: Yes! 30 Hour Battery: Yes! Its like an iPod for books: Yes!
First, it must project an aura of bookishness; it should be less of a whizzy gizmo than an austere vessel of culture. …the Kindle… has the dimensions of a paperback…. It weighs but 10.3 ounces, and unlike a laptop computer it does not run hot or make intrusive beeps.
I am so in.
I have long wanted a simple solution for reading electronically. Something small enough to take anywhere that will boot up in 10 seconds or less. I have many a pdf waiting to be read because if I am at a computer, I am doing stuff. I am not reading (book) pdfs.
After the article, I am totally invigorated and already going thru my finances in my head trying to justify a $400 pdf reader when I google “Kindle” and up pops this UGLY picture.
Noooo! That can’t be my new Kindle. 1978 called - they want their calculator back. Can’t you just feel that rough beige finish that your first 3 computers had? And how exactly is this beast an “austere vessel of culture”?
And why a keyboard? What happened to “Bookish”? I will check again, but none of my recently purchased books have a keyboard taking up a full 1/3 of the total real estate.
Sure, I know you need a keyboard, but make it on screen like the iPod touch. Or make it a separate piece that you plug in when needed. You will use the keyboard so little that having it take up this much space is criminal.
Design matters. Apple has proven that over and over and even Microsoft has gotten the message now with their latest Zune. Make it look just like an iPod only bigger. Its OK to rip off heavily borrow from a design that works so amazingly well.
Looks aside, I bet it works great and I really hope they sell a ton so we can get the price down to $150 in 3 years, but I just don’t think people will buy it. Consumers emote the brands they love but this device does not look “emote-able”.
I hope Jeff will take Kindle 2.0 and outsource it to Apple.
This Is Why We Do Not Trust Anyone
Today I received and email from someone that I don’t know personally, but I know people that know him and from what I can tell, he is an honorable guy. He has a real estate company and I get emails from him time to time telling me about his deals, or what he has going on, or some opportunity that he has coming up.
I always look forward to see how he is growing his business and what current opportunities he has for his subscribers.
Today I get an email from him (or his assistant, I think) and the body of the email says, “Please participate in our quick five question survey! This is ideal for those that are seeking Instant Seller Leads! This invitation is to participate in our survey to enable us to better serve you. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we thank you in advance for your help. ”
Great, he is asking me for his help. Probably some new business angle he has come up with and is testing the waters. I would like to give some feed back.
[ View the photo I captured of the survey if you haven’t already peeked. ]
Here I am taking the poll like some schmuck and POW!, I get T-BONED by question number 5! Instead of continuing to build my trust, he zings me with some spam poorly disguised as a survery!
He doesn’t need my help or feedback. He has made up his mind that his subscribers are merely just lemmings that will soak up whatever spam he sends out.
Well, his subscribers minus one.
Why Good Help Is So Hard To Find
Cruise thru the help wanteds and you are sure to see companies offering a “Competitive Salary“. The people writing the ad think they are being shrewd and, well, competitive.
What “Competitive Salary” really means is “We want to pay you just enough so you won’t go somewhere else”.
I would like to see a study someday comparing the turnover rate for people who got the “Competitive Salary” job vs. the people who got the “If you make us a lot of money while making our lives easier, we will in return pay you an above average salary” job.
Problem is, most companies are too busy being “Competitive” when they should be trying to be “Extraordinary”. If for no other reason than it is cheaper in the long run.
