I just purged something in the neighborhood of 30,000 comments this afternoon. I started the process very prescriptively to avoid deleting any real comments but soon gave up when I found myself literally drowning in the sea of colossal waste. There were new comments being added as I was deleting them directly in the database.

In fact, there were so many comments that I could not even use the WordPress management interface. It continuously and utterly failed. It even gave excellent confirmation messages such as “X number of comments have been deleted” while nothing was actually being deleted. Nice.

Adieu. Navid.

First of all, I know what you’re thinking: why doesn’t Navid have a bookmark or favorites link to his own website if he frequents it so much? Or, why isn’t his blog his browser’s home page if that’s important to him? The truth is I really enjoy typing my name and having a shortcut to my website would truly defeat the purpose. In any regard, baffled with this mystical error, I logged into host’s control panel to see whether there was an outage reported. Nothing. The status reported that all sites were operational. I figured then, if those reports are to be trusted, the problem lay within my own site. I decided to open a ticket with the support personnel.

Now I think we’ve all heard and even have our own share of horrible customer support stories: rude operators, technicians without a clue, support engineers that just read troubleshooting manuals verbatim, and what not. To be fair though, there have been some stories about customer service going shockingly right but those few and far between. In fact, it’s so rare — that the linked article went to number one on both Digg and Reddit!

I submitted my trouble ticket and within 15 minutes, I got a reply. Not just an automated reply that my ticket was important and being worked on… but rather by a real life person. To truly understand the awesomeness of what occurred, I’ll include their reply:

The errors in your website were being caused because someone maliciously editing and appended to the .htaccess file in your account. This was possible because this file, along with many of the other files in your account, was world-writable. I have adjusted the permissions of all of the files in your account to remove this world-writable setting to ensure the security of your files. I have also removed the offending line from your .htaccess file which has rectified the errors you were experiencing with your web page. If you have any other questions please let us know.

Thank you.

David Runion
HostRocket Support

Let’s reiterate what just happened. They located the problem. They fixed the problem. They located the root cause. They fixed the root cause. All in 15 minutes! Now I don’t have to explain why I’ve been with HostRocket for more than six years. In fact, I’ve always been impressed with their customer support. But this, to me, was well beyond what I could and would have ever expected from a web hosting company. Things did go wrong (as they often do) — and here it was even my fault — but they addressed and resolved the issue apologetically. They were courteous, informative and prompt. There is nothing more I could have asked to make this situation any more pleasant. It goes without mention that I strongly recommend HostRocket for their support personnel alone. There are a hundreds of other hosts that beat HostRocket on prices and maybe even features. But this type of service commands the utmost customer loyalty. As long as I have a personal blog, I’ll be with HostRocket: thank you!

Adieu. Navid.

I’ve been hacked! I am not sure what the world has come to but, as most of my faithful readers should have noticed almost instantly, my notoriously witty and self-deprecating blog has been down for the past couple of days. The cause, my friends, was a hacker whom shall go unnamed because I fear the reprimand of a cyber retaliation by highly-skilled computer hackers on the interweb. Even if the hacker is only a fourteen year old Russian Serbian idiot savant from Kosovo. The world is changing. These intangible tubes that carry oogles and googles of electrons are giving way to a new generation of criminals that prey on innocent and charming bloggers like myself.

I knew I should have gone with a Windows host. Linux is like totally unsafe. I spent a couple of hours just cleaning up the thousands of junk phishing files which were uploaded to my web server and then changed my root password. I’m safe as a button again. Or so I think. dum dum dum.

Adieu. Navid.

I also added two new categories: Photography and Code. I don’t even own a camera… I guess that’s going to be the first step.

As you probably guessed from the epilogue, almost 14 months after its honorable introduction, I have phased out my thin and slick African-American Motorola Razr in favor of the new, full-featured (albeit bulky) Cingular 8525 smartphone. The Razr and I will always have cherished memories. Our long road-trip up the Pacific coast. Our first days together at Microsoft. Our adventures in house hunting. Life will be different. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

The 8525 brings a whole new dimension and power of productivity into the palm of my hand. I get corporate email, synchronized calendar and tasks, and a slew of other mumbo-jumbo buzzwords like BlueTooth and WiFi. It has a nice, easy-to-read large screen, expansive microSD slot, and runs Windows Mobile 5.0. Represent. All in all, it’s going to be the staple of my young corporate career. The pitch is that I’m going to be more organized, more connected and more efficient with my knowledge work. Of course, stated that way, it’s easy to rationalize the steep price-tag. After all, I am the digerati. If not me, then who? I predict that, as with all new toys, I’ll use it heavily for the first six months then start throwing it around when I am intoxicated or angry in hopes of having to buy a new one. Captialism. You can’t fight it.

Although most of my studious readers will think that I just wasted six minutes of their life — which they will never get back — rambling on about a piece of geeky gadgetry; there is a lot more to this entry than getting a new phone. It represents a major paradigm shift in my life. It’s almost a coming-of-age story for a young twenty-two year old boy. A boy who traded in his college wardrobe, his college gadgets and his college priorities for a meager chance at corporate yuppihood. Stay tuned.

Adieu. Navid.

I kicked off the New Year with a soft bang. I am now finally running on Windows Vista (Beta 2, Build 5270). It was quite the battle and I am still ironing out the kinks but expect a more thorough report in time. I also installed Office 12 and upgraded to WordPress 2.0. It seems that the new year has brought a world of new software for me to play with. But really, only 3% of my six readers give a damn about technology and software. In fact, in a recent study, most of my readers reported that they read my site because (a) I am deathly good looking, (b) I am engorgingly smart and brilliant with my words, or (c) I pay them by the comment.

Anyway, I digress, back to my stupid resolutions for 2006:

• Read 40 Books by the end of the year.
• Release v2.0 of my much anticipated WP List Manager plugin.
• Get to work consistantly before 10-11am.
• Expand my vocabulary by at least 24 good words.
• Learn to manage my time better.
• Take at least one real vacation.

Those are mine so far. I’ll add more if I come across anything else that is worthwhile or mildly witty. So, what are your resolutions? (Edit: These are unpaid comments.)

Adieu. Navid.

The next generation Windows® and Office® applications contain productivity tools and wow-factors that I couldn’t even begin to describe. I think most people look at applications like Word, Excel or even PowerPoint and accept them as relatively complete or done products. But then you get the chance to see the next version and you realize there was so much you were missing out on that you didn’t even know! To me, it’s that exact moment of clarity that is absolutely priceless. It’s what makes technology my passion. And to imagine, that these products are going to be used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide everyday is even more incredible.

The XBox 360, which is due to hit shelves by mid-November and pictured above, is a remarkable piece of machinery. It has simultaneously fulfilled its role for both the die-hard gamers and the everyday family crowd. The interface is clean, slick and easy to use. The features are rich and powerful. And best of all, even the most demanding audio/visual home entertainment aficionados will be impressed. The implicit integration and collaboration between these applications is tight and seamless — definitely the chocolate frosting on this gigantic chocolate cake. All in all, all I can say is that I am extremely excited and looking forward to create the ultimate in home entertainment during this coming year.

Adieu. Navid.

However, with me entering the professional world and technology moving at its current pace, I felt it was only naturally that I opted for a more professional mobile phone rather than the traditional bulky Nokia that I have been so very fond of.

The major feature I was looking for was BlueTooth because it will allow for complete integration with BMWs. This cut my choices down considerably since there are not many phones from Cingular which offer BlueTooth. To make a long story short, I ultimately went with the Black African-American Razr V3 (term coined by Arshia). It has a lot of subtle features like speakerphone and voice recording that I see myself using often, too. Not to mention it’s razor thin, sleek and very sexy. This is the beginning of something very beautiful.

This is the first time I’ve ever had a fancy phone and let me tell you, it’s pretty exciting. I’ve waited patiently for so long, and now I’m rewarding myself.

Adieu. Navid.

I know I am missing a lot of people, so please don’t hesitate to leave me your name and URL so I can add you to the list. Remember, I have a hefty page rank, I can propel you up the search engine charts.

• Added an External Western Digital 250gb Hard Drive (Total Storage Space: 290gb)
• Added an additional 512mb of RAM (Total RAM: 768mb)
• Upgraded to Mac OS X Tiger (10.4.1) from Mac OS X Panther (10.2.8)

And most importantly, the house was upgraded to High Speed DSL — rendering the interweb once again usable and free from the cluthes of dial-up AOL.

These upgrades have easily prolonged the life of her computer for quite some time. And ultimately, when she upgrades to a new computer all together, the external hard drive will easily follow. The RAM and OS upgrade should ensure the longevity of machine for (most probably) her sister when she is off to do her college thing.

Ultimately, I need to buy and install Microsoft Office for Mac OS X but I’m not going to buy that until September (cough employee discount cough). In any regard, that’s one big item checked off this summer’s to-do list.

Adieu. Navid.

Therefore, without further adieu, I present you the latest theme. I’d love to hear some feedback but do keep in mind that I am slowly rolling out more features and kneading out bugs while the code is in production. I felt the green was much more appropriate and the red/pink highlights give the website some character. I am finally happy with the way comments are turning out and I think the general flow of information has much improved. Maybe I can finally be one of the big hitters in the world of WordPress blogs. Actually, once you folks realize what I have in store for WP Lists 2.0 — I just might be.

Adieu. Navid.

Adieu. Navid.

Adieu. Navid.

Adieu. Navid.

Okay, so it sounds pretty cool in theory but what does that mean and what tags are currently implemented?

Samples and Examples

Please note that each function is only shown with one or two parameters at most. You should check out the projects page for a complete list of all parameters that can be used.

Date: This is a very simple example but you can easily embed the current date or time in any post or page.

<exec type="date" />

Saturday February 04, 2012 at 2:11 pm

<exec type="date" format="m:d:Y g:ia" />

02:04:2012 2:11pm

Archives: This is probably the most common usage I found. Instead of faking the templates in order to include a list of archives using the <?php wp_get_archives(); ?> function — you can simply create a new page and embed:

<exec type="archives" />

• November 2010
• March 2009
• February 2009
• January 2009
• December 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• June 2007
• May 2007
• April 2007
• March 2007
• February 2007
• January 2007
• December 2006
• November 2006
• October 2006
• September 2006
• August 2006
• July 2006
• June 2006
• May 2006
• March 2006
• February 2006
• January 2006
• December 2005
• November 2005
• October 2005
• September 2005
• August 2005
• July 2005
• June 2005
• May 2005
• April 2005
• March 2005
• February 2005
• January 2005
• December 2004
• November 2004
• October 2004
• September 2004
• August 2004
• July 2004
• June 2004
• May 2004
• April 2004
• March 2004
• February 2004
• January 2004
• December 2003
• November 2003
• October 2003
• September 2003
• August 2003

<exec type="archives" mode="daily" limit="7" />

• Sunday November 28, 2010
• Sunday March 15, 2009
• Sunday February 01, 2009
• Thursday January 01, 2009
• Sunday December 28, 2008
• Friday October 03, 2008
• Saturday September 13, 2008

<exec type="archives" mode="monthly" count="true" />

• November 2010 (1)
• March 2009 (1)
• February 2009 (1)
• January 2009 (1)
• December 2008 (1)
• October 2008 (1)
• September 2008 (1)
• August 2008 (1)
• July 2008 (1)
• April 2008 (2)
• March 2008 (1)
• February 2008 (1)
• January 2008 (1)
• December 2007 (3)
• November 2007 (2)
• October 2007 (1)
• June 2007 (1)
• May 2007 (1)
• April 2007 (2)
• March 2007 (4)
• February 2007 (2)
• January 2007 (3)
• December 2006 (5)
• November 2006 (3)
• October 2006 (1)
• September 2006 (1)
• August 2006 (2)
• July 2006 (2)
• June 2006 (3)
• May 2006 (3)
• March 2006 (6)
• February 2006 (2)
• January 2006 (5)
• December 2005 (4)
• November 2005 (3)
• October 2005 (6)
• September 2005 (7)
• August 2005 (6)
• July 2005 (4)
• June 2005 (2)
• May 2005 (9)
• April 2005 (7)
• March 2005 (9)
• February 2005 (15)
• January 2005 (20)
• December 2004 (23)
• November 2004 (10)
• October 2004 (14)
• September 2004 (17)
• August 2004 (8)
• July 2004 (2)
• June 2004 (4)
• May 2004 (4)
• April 2004 (6)
• March 2004 (14)
• February 2004 (6)
• January 2004 (3)
• December 2003 (5)
• November 2003 (9)
• October 2003 (11)
• September 2003 (11)
• August 2003 (3)

Categories: Again another common usage would be listing all categories in a post or page.

<exec type="categories" />

• ALL
• Thoughts
  • Academia
  • Dark
  • Proposals
• Humor
• Tech
  • Website
  • WordPress
• Political
• Anecdotes
• Favorites
• Reviews
  • Movies
• Annual
• Facebook
• Relationships
• Shorts

Function: This tag will allow you to arbitrarily call any user defined functions (including any wordpress functions and even functions in activated plugins). Tres cool!

<exec type="function" name="pluginsUsedAsTable" />

<exec type="function" name="get_archives" params="postbypost, 20, html" />

Include: This, I think, is the neatest feature of this plugin. It facilitates dynamically including a post or page within one another. You can embed a post inside another post or vice-versa. You simply need to supply the tag the ID number of the post or page you are attempting to include. You can also embed other information by using the field tag (but by default the content is used).

<exec type="include" id="#" />

<exec type="include" id="#" field="excerpt" />

bloginfo: This tag simply gives you quick access to the global information regarding your wordpress installation.

<exec type="bloginfo" show="version" />

3.2.1

Finally, please note that archives and categories just like their PHP counterparts should be encapsulated by <ul> or <ol> in order to be displayed properly.

More Information

You can find more infromation and download this WordPress plugin (wp-exec) from http://www.navidazimi.com/projects/wp-exec/.

Enjoy!

Adieu. Navid.

Specifically, I have major problems copy and pasting text and/or URLs from Firefox. I am not sure if this is a widespread problem or if it has anything to do with any extensions I have installed (which generally are only 3 or 4) but it is really really aggravating to have to highlight and copy something at least 10 times before the copy will stick. And yes — I have tried all sorts of different combinations the menu bars, context menu, shortcut keys, etc. All to no avail.

If anyone has heard or experienced this problem and has a solution please send it this way. I do not recall having these problems on Firefox 0.93. For what it is worth, I run Windows XP Pro on the laptop and Windows 2003 Server both on the desktops at home and at the office, respectively. I run into this problem at least several times a week pretty much sporadically — and as such — tracking it down has become pretty much impossible.

Adieu. Navid.

I am now experimenting with the blues again trying to get something elegant going. In addition, I am working on bringing back the stylesheet switcher so that each person can have their own theme. I am personally resenting the blue more and more… please help me out.

Adieu. Navid.

List Attributes

Patrick — a WordPress user just like you and I– suggested in an email to me the idea that date and time of when a list was last updated/modified should be made available. So, there you have it, you can now let users automatically know when the list was last modified/updated. This was slightly more difficult than I had originally anticipated but instead of hacking it, I decided to introduce the new custom tag which can be used inside posts and pages. This new functionality now paves the way for easy future additions.

To use this new functionality, in your posts or pages, simply add the following custom tag where ever you would like to insert the date/time.

<list id="#" attribute="lastmodified" format="g:ia" gmt="false" />

• id: just like the normal list tag, we need to know which list we are dealing with.
• attribute: we need to know what attribute we’re looking for, so set this to lastmodified or lastupdated (same thing).
• format: if you omit this tag, it will automatically grab the default WordPress values, otherwise use the PHP date() syntax to specify the format. (optional)
• gmt: if you want to display gmt instead, set this value to true. defaults to false. (optional)

Of course the custom tag is based off the new API method available — in case you prefer to use this functionality directly within PHP:

<?php wplists_last_modified( $list_id, $format = "", $gmt = false, $echo = true ); ?>

List Count

In addition to the “lastmodified” attribute, there are two more attributes available: count and countchecked. Basically, just like above, you can embed the following tags anywhere in your post or pages:

• <list id="#" attribute="count" />
• returns the total number of items in the list
• <list id="#" attribute="countchecked" />
• returns the number of items checked or crossed off in the list

Again, this functionality, is built off the following API methods:

<?php wplists_count_total( $list_id, $echo = true ); ?>

<?php wplists_count_checked( $list_id, $echo = true ); ?>

Documentation

Also, I have taken the time to basically clean up the “documentation” so its much easier to understand and use this plugin overall. This was suggested by Lorelle regarding on how to import lists. Therefore, I changed the “Example Usage” layout in order to answer specific questions regarding how to use the plugin. I hope things are much more clear.

As always, if there are any feature suggestions or bug reports, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Adieu. Navid.

1. Color Scheme: Adam Polselli predicts that purple is the new pink. And I agree with him but I gave my hand at trying to compose a masculine purple themed color scheme and well, it simply didn’t work. I may revisit purple soon but in the meantime I took Adam’s other advice and gave the “desaturates” a try. Tell me if you like it.
2. Readability & Line Spacing: I am a very verbose fellow and reading my entries with the default line-text is almost nauseating. I have vertically spaced out the lines and lightened the text to create a much easier reading environment. I still don’t expect any of you to actually read what I write, but this way I can continue to pretend you care.
3. Contrast & Background: I have put an emphasis on attempting to create a much more open and lighter presence. The old dark gray background did not seem to go over very well. Again, lighter colors and more open space has been the key.
4. Search Functionality: I have not only enabled searching but I have also added a new search template to the theme. Maybe I will throw LiveSearch in down the road. We’ll see.
5. Categories: I added a lot of new categories to help organize the ever growing collection of entries. Originally, the sidebar only displayed the parent categories.
6. Banner Design: I still think the top header looks plain as an all white background but its going to stay that way until I (or my cousin Arshia) find something better.
7. Color Scheme: I have also added little minor touches of color here and there to spruce things up. I am really liking the new design but then again, I could be totally alone in this category.

Your comments are always well received especially when they pertain to the websites’ readability, accessibility and just plain old good looks. Let me know what you think and if you feel this is a step into the right direction.

Note: If you still see the blue banner with Audrey’s picture in the header, please refresh.

Adieu. Navid.

In other semi-related news, I have finally put the latest version of my DVD Collection up. You can find it here or under the “lists” section on the sidebar. And yes, it is powered by the wp-lists plugin.

Adieu. Navid.

I was about to shit a brick — all that hard work, all that tweaking and perfection — down the mother fucking drain. I fortunately found the latest copy I had (which was still relatively new but did not include all of yesterdays changes) but given the circumstances it was better than anything else I could find. I uploaded that version and noted the revisions necessary. However, when I came to re-implement those changes I noticed that I had actually opened the original file and it was still sitting there in my TextPad. As most computer science majors and computer literate folks know, you can do whatever you want to a file — but if its already open in an non-locking application the contents remain intact. I quickly copy and pasted the code over and I just had to make two minor changes to the stylesheet and I was back in business.

Damn, that was a close call. Moral of the story: start backing up my shit.

Adieu. Navid.