I’ve just been using ManageWP beta – the web utility for managing multiple WordPress installations – to delete an obsolete plugin from several of my older blogs.
The functionality to delete or deactivate plugins was a much requested feature that was added to the many useful operations that ManageWP can perform for you just a couple of weeks ago, and it really does make this web service indispensable for anybody with more than just a couple of WordPress installations. I was recommending before, but even more so now.
The plugin I wanted to deprecate in my installations was called Viper’s Video QuickTags, very handy in it’s day for embedding youtube videos withing blog posts, but that functionality was added into the core WordPress code several versions ago, which renders the plugin redundant for me.
Plugins and Themes
With ManageWP I could select “plugins and themes” from the sidebar, then chose All Websites, tick plugins, active, and search by keyword: “viper”. That gave me a list of five blogs that still had the old plugin active. I could have deactivated the lot in one fell swoop just like that, but I wanted to make sure all my old posts with videos embedded would still work so, without even leaving the ManageWP dashboard, I went to each affected individual WordPress dashboard in turn, and searched through the posts for the string “[youtube”, that being the way the old plugin recognised source posts needing to have the embed code added. I then removed the shortcodes from each end of the video identifier leaving just the youtube url on one line by itself, which WordPress now interprets as a request to embed video inline. Once the legacy code was removed, I could then deactivate and delete the plugin, leaving me with a nice feeling of having tidied up a longstanding loose end.
YouTube allows the rediscovery of highlights from very distant memory, in this case the seminal TV series ‘Do Not Adjust Your Set” featuring the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
Here they are performing “Hunting Tigers Out In Indiah”:
“I really did see them in black and white!”
Somebody called ‘Dormouse’ in the alt.fan.bonzo-dog newsgroup put me onto these videos, but with YouTube it takes no time at all to browse around and find more rare gems. The live concert in Belgium, extracts from films, interviews, alternative performances and outakes – they are all there.
Incidentally, alt.fan.bonzo-dog was the first online group I ever founded, in February/March 1998 the the process of which I learned a lot. Here is the original charter:
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1998 20:46:11 -0000 Organization: ESBI Lines: 54 Sender: richard.bryant@ukonline.co.uk Approved: richard.bryant@ukonline.co.uk Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: p81-as2.dubexs.tinet.ie Summary: Newgroup message X-Newsreader: Anawave Gravity v2.00 Xref: news.isc.org control.newgroup:17319 For your newsgroups file: alt.fan.bonzo-dog The Bonzo Dog (Doo Dah) Band: Neil Innes, Viv Stanshall etc DISCUSSED IN alt.config: proposal for alt.fan.bonzo-dog posted by andyrobts@aol.com on 19th March 1998. reply from Sysop 20th Mar. Justification posted, various contributions demonstrated strong international interest and traffic in newsgroups. Name finalised without -band.Richard Bryant suggested posting a Charter, charter posted No further objections. JUSTIFICATION: A dejanews search on bonzo+dog indicated 2100 matches. There is a mailing list with 65 subscribers which is intended strictly for low volume informative posts. It is envisaged that this would continue and the ng will attract wider ranging discussion, probably medium volume traffic. References to the Bonzo's regularly crop up in alt.fan.capt-beefheart, alt.fan.frank-zappa, alt.comedy.british, alt.fan.monty-python newsgroups. Also in rec.music.beatles, rec.music.dementia, rec.music.rock-pop-r+b.1960s.
CHARTER:
A forum for fans of the ‘The Bonzo Dog Band’ previously known as
‘The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Topics might include the recorded output of the Bonzo’s, TV shows and
videos and the careers of former band members. No commercial
advertising allowed unless for goods or services related to the
subject of the group. Private individuals may advertise their Website
or business in their signature files . Binary postings are forbidden.
All Binary files should be posted onto the relevant group with a pointer
to them in this group Format: Text files only, HTML , graphics and
sound files should be placed on the Web with a pointer to them in
this group
Moderation:
The newsgroup will not be moderated. We are an anarcho-syndicalist
collective with a rotating chair.
There are many folly buildings at Kew Gardens and yesterday I learned that the person who instigated them had a swivel chair installed inside the little domed colonade at the top of the hill near the lake next to the Palm House. From that vantage point she could survey the results of the gardeners’ labour. The view would have been much different in those days but I thought I’d make a mock swivel chair video of the view from yesterday at Kew Gardens.
Many more Kew Gardens photos are amongst my photosets on Flickr such as :
Hello, I’m cooking fresh fish with cider over a trangia camping stove in sunny Galicia, northern Spain.
With videography by Evan Roberts, this youTube is pretty self explanatory.
The actual location is a campsite at Camping Moreiras, O Grove, Pontevedra, Galicia. The fish, a whole monkfish, came from the fish market on the harbour at O Grove itself, as did the vegetables and the cider is an Asturian Sidra Natural obtaine en route from one of many Eroski supermarkets.
Just a bit of fun really, but it captures one of many happy mealtimes from a memorable holiday touring Asturias and Galicia in September 2011. There are loads of photos online at both my collection and Linda’s Flickr photostreams.
via posterous
Andy Roberts is a writer who initiated DARnet. Contact me on aroberts@gmail.com or @aroberts on twitter
