AlexRaiano.com | All Things Alex Raiano…

In case you care, here are the states that I’ve visited.

create your own visited states map or check out these Google Hacks.

WordPress 2.0.2 was released some time today. This release is mainly a security release so anybody with a WordPress blog should consider upgrading. Changes for this relase can be viewed here.

I just finished upgrading all of my WordPress sites: TiVoBlog.com, RaianoFamily.net & this site. At first I wasn’t going to upgrade RaianoFamily because of the problems I normally have with WPG2 and an upgrade.  Being the big geek that I am, I wouldn’t have been able to live with having two of my blogs use WP 2.0.2 while RaianoFamily was on 2.0.1. So, needless to say I bit the bullet and upgraded RaianoFamily. Let me know if you have any problems…

Here’s 10 reasons why WordPress kicks ass (in no particular order):

1. Free, Free, Free. Did I mention that it is free? Why pay $4.95/month for TypePad when you can get WordPress for free?
2. Easy to install. It truly is a 5 minute install.
3. Plugins: WordPress has tons of great plugins. I use a bunch of different plugins on my three WordPress blogs.
4. Themes: There are countless number of sites dedicated to providing WordPress themes. What I usually do is find a theme that I like and then modify it so that it is just what I want.
5. Support: WordPress has one of the best support communities. If you have a question head on over to the support forum.
6. WYSIWYG editor: Some people don’t like this but I do. The WYSIWYG editor allows you to post stuff without having to worry about HTML. Yeah it may produce some bloated code however, the extra HTML that it might produce is worth it in my opinion. Besides, if you don’t like it, you can turn it off (My Account –> Personal Options).
7. Image upload: WordPress makes it extremely easy for you to integrate photos into your blog posts. Without this feature, you are forced to ftp an image and then write the html to reference it. I don’t have the time to do this. WordPress makes it quick.
8. Documentation: The WordPress codex is a great resource. Check it out if you haven’t already.
9. Pages: WordPress allows you to create pages that host “static” content.  Pages aren’t displayed like blog posts.  Instead they are additional content on your site that you can manage with the WordPress admin interface.
10. Tons of features that I haven’t mentioned (including spam controls, pinging)!

I saw the following error messages on a Hertz driving directions terminal at Norfolk Airport.

 
For whatever reason, Norfolk seems to be having problems with Windows :)…

Podz has posted an interesting article on how to run WordPress from a thumb drive.

Why would I want to do this you ask? Mainly because it would allow me to try out new plugins without having to upload them to my site. Once I was happy with the plugin I could then upload it and integrate it into the site. Also, it would be nice to have my theme with me at all times so that I can edit it when I want to. Take today for example, I spent nearly seven hours in the airport. It would have been really nice to have a WordPress install so that I could have screwed around with my theme. Maybe I’m just a geek…..

Whenever I think about leaving our current home I get a little sad. Shell and I have made a lot of wonderful memories in this house…..

With all of these wonderful memories you may be wondering why we would want to sell our house in the first place. Our main reason for selling is because we would like a house with a little more room. Shell and I plan on having more kids so it would be nice to have a little bit bigger of a house. Also, I’ve always wanted to have more land so that Alex can run around and so that I don’t feel like I am on top of our neighbors. I’m sure that we will make just as many memories in our new house. Leaving will be sad but at the same time we are extremely happy to get the new house!

A Google local search for Alex Raiano produces the following results.

I don’t know why but I find it kind of interesting….

Everything is going smooth with the new house. The water test passed, the inspection went well and the owner has agreed to remove an old oil tank that was buried underground. Shell and I already purchased a washer, dryer and a new stove top. We received a tentative closing date of April 15th! After you stop by the post office to drop off your taxes, make sure that you come over to our house and help us move ;). We’re planning on getting a mover to move the big items so moving the rest shouldn’t be that difficult (famous last words).