3Dcamp Hits Limerick On May 24th

James Corbett and Gabriela Avram are some of the names behind 3Dcamp, the next in a line of great themed BarCamp events to hit the country, and it’s taking place in the University of Limerick on Saturday May 24th.

The day will focus on

• Virtual worlds (Second Life, the Metaverse)
• Mirror worlds (Google Earth and Virtual Earth)
• Mapping mashups
• GPS
• Location based Services (LBSs)
• Haptics (eg. Wiimote hacks)
• 3D modelling (Blender, Sketchup) and all things 3D.
• …and more besides.

Partly due to running around like a headless chicken on the day of CreativeCamp (well, not completely headless, but I think when you’re involved in the organising of an event there’s an element of ‘work mode’ on the day moreso than ‘pure enjoyment’ mode) I missed out on a number of talks that I know are going to crop up at 3Dcamp.

So it pains me to say that while I can look forward to 3Dcamp happening and to the coverage of the day online, I won’t get within 50 miles of Limerick on the 24th of May due my summer gigging schedule (attending in Dublin on the 23rd, playing in Ballina, Mayo, on the 24th).

The day runs from 10am to 6pm with talks and sessions taking place in the University’s Engineering Research Building. For the moment, you can visit the University of Limerick site for directions or head straight over to the 3Dcamp blog and register for free.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to keep up to date with kenmc.com. Maybe some of my earlier posts will interest you too! Thanks for visiting kenmc.com!

Painless Upgrade To Wordpress 2.5 (Plus Working Plugins)

Well, the update to Wordpress 2.5 went painlessly. After disabling each plugin I use, the overall upload time, upgrade time and plugin-check took about 30 minutes. Plus, I’ve remembered to set the time forward on the blog (the clocks went forward last night in case you’ve forgotton - happened me last year).

For the first time too I’ve also used the automatic plugin upgrade which was used to update the Jaiku widget on the sidebar and Google Sitemaps plugin. Handy knowing a simple click from your plugins menu will retrieve the update automatically for you without the need to disable > download new plugin > ftp plugin across > re-enable etc.

The following is a list of plugins I’m currently using, all of which showed no problems in upgrade.

• Akismet version 2.14 (a give, it’s bundled with WP2.5)
• Audio player version 1.2.3
• bhJaikuWidget (had to be updated, automatically, from version 0.2 to 0.2.1)
• FeedBurner FeedSmith version 2.2
• Flickr Badge Widget version 1.0
• Get Recent Comments version 2.0.2
• Google XML Sitemaps version 3.0.3.1 (has to be updated, again, automatically)
• Secure & Accessible PHP Contact Form version 2.0
• ShareThis version 2.1
• Subscribe To Comments version 2.1.2
• Text Link Ads version 3.1.0
• Twitter Tools version 1.1b1
• What Would Seth Godin Do version 1.3
• WP 2.3 Related Posts version 0.51

I’ve one or two advertising plugins to check across other blogs yet (as well as PodPress - has anyone had any notable issues?) but with a smooth transition to 2.5 I’ll be rolling out the update across the rest of my little blogging empire over the next few days.

Upgrading To Wordpress 2.5

I’ll be upgrading kenmc.com to Wordpress 2.5 starting within the next half hour or so. If you’re visiting the site between 1:30pm and 2:30pm and spot any abnormalities then I’ll apologise in advance and ensure you that normal service will resume shortly.

After spending a lot of time last night testing out a local install with some of my preferred plugins, I’m not expecting any real damage to occur and foresee a relatively smooth transition.

Of course, stranger things have happened….

If you’re updating to Wordpress 2.5, don’t forget to disable any and all plugins before you begin uploading and activiting. Once you’ve completed the necessary upgrade steps (normally be executing yourdomain.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php), switch them back on one at a time and see if you spy any difficulties. Hopefully I won’t see anything too radical.

Wordpress 2.5 Is Live And Wild (Plus Popularity Contest Notes)

Update April 5th: Download patched version of plugin here.. Note you’ll still need to make the database changes if you don’t have the tables already in place.

-

The long awaited Wordpress 2.5 has been released. In fairness, some of the advances in WP2.5 are as great that it could well have been labelled Wordpress 3.0 but who’s to argue with version numbers.

Before rolling out upgrades across a number of my own blogs and blogs I manage for others, I’ve been doing the precautionary thing of testing WP2.5 locally with a variety of homemade themes and some of my regular plugins.

Plugin Issues

So far I’ve only found an issue with with Alex King’s Popularity Contest plugin - if you try to activate the plugin under WP2.5, for the moment, you’ll see it triggers a fatal error. This can be fixed as outlined here

Open popularity-contest.php and scroll down to line 59. Replace require(’../../wp-blog-header.php’); with require(’../wp-blog-header.php’);

However, in running the plugin locally I found that after making the changes in order to get the plugin to activate, it wouldn’t create the two tables needed in order to run, so these had to be entered manually (via phpMyAdmin). To create the tables, you’ll need to run the following SQL queries.

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `PREFIX_ak_popularity` (
`post_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
`total` int(11) NOT NULL,
`feed_views` int(11) NOT NULL,
`home_views` int(11) NOT NULL,
`archive_views` int(11) NOT NULL,
`category_views` int(11) NOT NULL,
`single_views` int(11) NOT NULL,
`comments` int(11) NOT NULL,
`pingbacks` int(11) NOT NULL,
`trackbacks` int(11) NOT NULL,
`last_modified` datetime,
KEY `post_id` (`post_id`)
) ENGINE=MyISAM;

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `PREFIX_ak_popularity_options` (
`option_name` varchar(50) NOT NULL,
`option_value` varchar(50) NOT NULL
) ENGINE=MyISAM;

Note that PREFIX refers to your Wordpress table prefix, in most common cases it is simply wp_ unless you’ve got multiple copies of Wordpress running in the same database.

Initial Impression

Love it. I downloaded the latest SVN version only yesterday in the office though never got around to playing with it (of course not knowing the full release would hit today). The admin interface is much smoother, I’m liking the customisable dashboard (I used to edit the admin index and strip out everything bar the ‘write a post’ link and stats) and the overall colour scheme is much more appealing. I was never a visual editor user before (and won’t change in a hurry), but I do like the changes they’ve made, including the full screen option for those intensive blogging moments.

I’ll have a full play around with the gallery / media functions yet as well as making sure my other preferred plugins (sitemaps, podpress etc.) are all up to working order before doing a widescale upgrade.

You can download the latest version of Wordpress 2.5 right here. You can also see a full list of new features right here.

Lights Out For Google Ireland

More efficient energy savings by displaying a black version of Google? Actually, no, given that modern computer displays consume the same amount of power regardless of what they’re displaying. But it’s a nice gesture to support Earth Hour which sees a lot of public buildings, homes and towns in Ireland switch off all non-essential lighting between 8pm and 9pm tonight (and globally between 8pm and 9pm in whatever timezone you’re in).

*Captured on Google.ie about 10am this morning.

More From The Playlist Mix Podcast (And Podcasting)

The 27th Playlist Mix podcast has gone live and it marks (at least technically) a full year since the launch of the podcast. Granted, after three shows I took the bones of five months away from the podcast to decide whether or not I would make a full run of it but having revived the podcast in October last, it has become a weekly habit of mine and I’m delighted I decided to press ahead.

Such to the point that my 2008 diary (I keep a physical diary for the music / theatre side of life) is marked with podcast recording dates straight up to the end of December which should see the Playlist Mix having well passed the 50-show mark and the Sound System Podcast having passed the 70 or 80 show mark, that podcast too having gone weekly late last year.

There is an element of ease at this point in recording a solo podcast, the gremlins instead tending to hold off until the Wednesday night when the Sound System Podcast records for KilkennyMusic.com (listeners to both podcast shows might realise).

The transition from working in Adobe Audition to working in ProTools has been a slow one. The last two weekends away in Sligo have given me time to toy around with different recording setups, discover the ins and outs of the various plugins at my disposal, find out where things are hidden in the menus, learn off a few keyboard shortcuts, that kind of thing. But, I’m adapting.

From a podcasting point of view I will say that I’m delighted with the purchase of the Mbox 2 (Factory bundle) from Digidesign. It’s a purchase I had been toying with for far too long but its sheer portability (lighter and more suited to a podcasting environment compared to the Digidesign 002 rack we used in the live environment) is worth the investment. It’s lightweight, fits in my laptop bag or backpack (depending on the setting), packs 2 XLR / line / DI inputs as well as phantom power for the condenser (which I must get back!). The fact that it’s powered via USB as well helps portability matters, meaning there’s room for high quality recordings wherever I wind up.

Given the nature of the One Take Sessions and recordings for their respective podcasts it’s a certainty it will be travelling with me every three weeks to the venue (it will actually be there tonight as well as we welcome Bonnefires, John O’Hanlon, Nassau Royal and Joey Ryan to Kilkenny - Cleere’s Theatre tonight at 9:30pm).

Anyway, check out PlaylistMix.com for this week’s podcast or see the links below to play / download.

Playlist Mix Podcast #27 (Download @ 26mb)

Linking In

So I’m back to reality with a bang - a never ending stream of email since last Thursday (when I disconnected myself for the second time in as many weeks) and I’m a half day into a four-day work week.

Having time over lunch today I’ve started tinkering with my LinkedIn.com profile. I figured it could do with a bit of a boost, bringing something of a personal touch to the description of work (and myself) that it holds).

I’ve followed some of the tips as laid down in a recent post by Pat Phelan and I’m committed to exploring some of the finer things that LinkedIn has to offer, both personally and professionally. Facebook, for me, has become another MySpace - too many pokes, requests for random drinking games or junk that I don’t need. As I explore fellow WIT graduates, it is interesting to see how many of them are also previous employees of AOL Europe, something that is almost a rite of passage for those studying at the main campus in Waterford (if you’re looking for industry-related work during study).

But it’s always good to make connections with new people.

Want to link in or link up? See my LinkedIn public profile here. If you’re asked for my email address, it’s ken [at] kenmc [DOT] com.

Here I Go Again

Here I go again… I’ll be in Sligo until Monday, likely hitting the surf this afternoon (if I can get up off my desk to hit the road). The three day work week in Kilkenny has been a God send but isn’t it amazing what you can squeeze into three days when you put your mind to it? I’ve been flat out on all fronts in the office, culminating in a few hours out in the studio last night checking up on the progress of a local band’s EP (due this June I think) and talking music with this guy (check out the Dragons Breath).

Anyway, I’m off to the wilds, kayak ready to go, playing a gig Saturday, surfing Sunday before returning to normal on Monday night.

Enjoy your second long weekend in a row! (Why doesn’t this happen all the time).

MAXroaming In Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand

As I got to enjoy the use of my MAXroam sim in Germany back in January, I’m “donating it to the cause” in a few weeks, sending my sim and a capable mobile to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand as my father will spend 2-3 weeks cycling between different areas in the three countries. I would hope next year that I will be following the sim on it’s eastern world travels.

Here’s a look at the roaming costs, compared to O2 (the family mobile operator - we’re all on O2 at the moment, including three businesses).

While calling numbers within the countries will likely be low on the agenda, keeping contact with the family at home is key so it’s nice to see that using the MAXroam sim will save at least 50% at peak times in calls to Ireland, but it will save up to 80% on incoming calls while in Vietnam (cheers Pat). Given there is no landline to phone in Sligo, any calls home will be made to Irish mobile phones.

MAXroam vs O2 (Vietnam)

	MAXroam	O2
Incoming Call	€0.21	€1.36/1.36
Outgoing Call (to Irish mobile)	€0.48	€0.98/0.72
Outgoing Call (to Irish landline)	€0.37	€0.98/0.72
Outgoing Call (to local landline)	€0.44	€0.33/0.23
Outgoing Call (to local mobile)	€0.44	€0.33/0.23
Text Message (SMS)	€0.22	€0.39
Voice Mail	€0.26	€0.98

MAXroam vs O2 (Cambodia)

	MAXroam	O2
Incoming Call	€1.40	€1.36/1.36
Outgoing Call (to Irish mobile)	€1.64	€1.76/1.76
Outgoing Call (to Irish landline)	€1.53	€1.76/1.76
Outgoing Call (to local landline)	€1.70	€1.29/1.29
Outgoing Call (to local mobile)	€1.70	€1.29/1.29
Text Message (SMS)	€0.22	€0.39
Voice Mail	€1.31	€1.76

MAXroam vs O2 (Thailand)

	MAXroam	O2
Incoming Call	€0.66	€1.97/1.97
Outgoing Call (to Irish mobile)	€0.90	€1.58/1.58
Outgoing Call (to Irish landline)	€0.79	€1.58/1.58
Outgoing Call (to local landline)	€0.80	€0.61/0.61
Outgoing Call (to local mobile)	€0.80	€0.61/0.61
Text Message (SMS)	€0.37	€0.39
Voice Mail	€0.66	€1.58

Given a lot of the trip will be spent in Vietnam, there should be a good saving on phone calls, if you compare the costs above. Savings are marginal on the Cambodia leg of the trip - though there are still savings while all is good in Thailand.

Note: O2 suggest using Viettel as their ‘preferred partner network’ in Vietnam, Cam GSM for Cambodia and AIS (as opposed to DTAC) for Thailand. Prices also correct for both parties as of March 18th 2007.

Blogging For (Creative) Beginners

I’ll be giving a half day beginner blogging course in Kilkenny in May under the ArtLinks banner. With details being finalised just before the weekend and rolling out with the new ArtLinks business courses being promoted for the summer, I’ll have to say I’m looking forward to giving the course and working with more creative types in Kilkenny.

That said, the course will be promoted to creative practitioners working within Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow and should attract a good blend of visual artists, musicians, writers and the likes. This will be the second course I’ve been involved in putting together for ArtLinks, having facilitated a “Getting Ahead In The Music Industry” day (my 90 minute talk focusing on effective use of the web for musicians) in Wicklow last November.

For musicians who are new to blogging and don’t want to wait until May for a chat, have a gander of Kyra Reed’s recent blog post for TuneCore on Why Every Artist Needs A Blog.

It is also nice to see that the Kilkenny Arts Office have also started the ball blogging about their Artist In Residence programme at the gallery at 72 John Street.

Next Page »