First of all, I hope y’all understand and have some sympathy for why I’ve left my blog on autopilot recently. It’s not just that I’m lazy. Winter is kicking my ass and I’ve got a million irons in the fire. Extreme weather burns too much of my limited time keeping pipes and chicken waterers thawed. Something had to give. The blog was volunteered to take the hit.
Sooner or later I’ll warm up. Then I’ll get my shit together and have time to generate more original posts. Don’t bail on me. I’ll be back!
Second, something went wonky with one of the endless updates to WordPress software. I have bits of code called widgets on the left side of my blog. Some are links to cool shit I like from Amazon. I get a small kickback from Amazon if you buy the items (or anything else) from those links.
With such a seemingly simple task it should be a no-brainer. However, the fluid world of the internet conspires against me. That’s one of the things I hate most about digital media. If I write shit on a piece of paper, it will still be there until I’m dead. If I write shit in bits and bytes and some wingnut in an office in a a different timezone barks the word synergy and my stuff gets scrambled. You’ve all experienced this in your lives too.
Apparently most of my widgets are “legacy” and they’re getting funky. (Yes “widget” is the the whimsical term the dipshits use. I can only assume someone with a business degree and excellent hair but no brain came up with that term. Is there something wrong with adult words like “code” or “plugin”? But I digress.)
Meanwhile, my browsers (yes, I use a variety of browsers, doesn’t everyone?) don’t necessarily display WordPress widgets in a way I can see them. Most of my browsers are set to eradicate advertisements on sight; which includes (ironically) my own links to Amazon. Note, if you’re not using some privacy based browser with paranoid and vicious settings stop reading right now and fix your shit. You don’t need data collectors crawling up your ass any more than I do. I like Brave but your mileage may vary. I use several different browsers. I also use VPS and various operating systems too. Remember this, loyalty to software is dumb.
This created a conundrum. I can’t see what I (or an update) might have fucked up because most ads are nuked before I know it. Thus, I can’t easily rectify the situation. (Chew on that logic. Because I can’t see the fuck up, therefore fixing it is hard. I’m pretty sure I share this trait with the president. I also like ice cream.)
This post is a diagnostic tool and storage place. I like all the links and don’t want to simply lose them. I decided to paste those old widgets to this new realm. Can you see them?
Eventually I’ll figure out a more efficient solution… possibly just dumping Amazon altogether or maybe some other idea. But this ought to hold the line while I go plow snow for the umpteenth time.
Stay warm!
It’s OK, AC. I never have and never will do business with Amazon, so no loss.
I might have to dump them myself. I think I got something like $2 in the month of January from Amazon. I’m happy to have two bucks as the next guy but it’s definitely not worth sweating over some damn links.
Sounds like they’re not worth the aggravation; a very curmudgeonly thought. Eliminate the inefficient and aggravating.
Peace on you, man. Do what you can when you can. Trying to push beyond your limits is for young, resilient people.
Yes, I can see the widgets. I normally don’t because I wipe most of that with my browser settings.
I figured you must be as busy as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
The question is, are you winning?
Speaking of Farking WordMess, them dumb bastards must work 24/7 trying to figure out new ways to screw up their code.
I have literally already gotten THREE notices of “Upgrades” to their crap just this week.
Yeah, I think I am winning. The pipes have been replaced where they burst, most in my vehicles are running, the driveway is plowed, and the woodstove is cranked up. Thanks for asking!
“Most” of your vehicles are running. For me, 4 out of 6 qualifies as most. Fortunately, I have a ’86 Toyota 1 ton that seems to be, almost, immortal.
Hang in there AC. Looking forward to when you have more time, but day to day life and family comes first. Maybe you could sell some of those “cracked” pipes to the government for them to give away as “crack pipes”.
Hi AC,
You have links on the LEFT side of your blog? I have never seen them, probably due to my assorted ad blockers/extensions. Win 10, Brave browser, AdBlock, Ghostery, Malwarebytes Browser Guard, HTTPS everywhere, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials & IBA Opt-Out.
In this post, I can see seven “placeholder” images below “Stay Warm!” When I hover over them, all seven link to Amazon.com for various products. I would have never known you have ads until this post.
Hope that helps.
Best wishes,
KA
Thanks. I’m oddly pleased you wouldn’t have known I had ads. I didn’t want to hassle my readers. This also means I’m the worst marketer in creation.
Sadly, I’ve got to get back to ignoring my blog. This winter is a rough one. I’ve had to plow snow three out of the last four days! I’ve had enough of it. I’m daydreaming of motorcycles and heat!