Google+ Custom Vanity URLs

Get your own Google+ URL, but in familiar Google fashion, the "roll-out" is you have to be invited by Google, and you must meet specific criteria to get an invite.

http://portagedesign.com/google-plus-custom-vanity-urls/

Gmail: Default to Full Screen Compose for New Emails

With recent changes to the GMail interface, the default compose window is now a tiny little pop-up window.  (I'm composing an email, not firing off a short text or Tweet, so a little more screen space will be needed).

In order to change to the window size you simply click the 'double-arrow' expand button on the top right corner of the small compose windows.  This is tedious so you don't want to do this every time.  And to shrink it back again you click the 'double-arrow' collapse button.

But to make the expanded full-screen view your default compose view you need to:

• Click the down-arrow button in the bottom right-hand corner or either Gmail Compose window.
• Click the 'Default to full-screen' item to toggle the setting and place a check-mark next to it.

Next time you click compose, the full screen view will be your default.

emoji in OS X 10.9 Mavericks

Whenever you are in a text field on OS X 10.9 Mavericks, you can press: 
Control-Command-space bar
and an emoji picker will be displayed. 

MediaWiki Error: “Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_NAMESPACE, expecting T_STRING in includes/Namespace.php on line 46″

Huge help, thank you very much.  Saved me a tonne of time.

http://icesquare.com/wordpress/mediawiki-error-parse-error-syntax-error-unexpected-t_namespace-expecting-t_string-in-usrlocalwwwapache22datawikiincludesnamespace-php-on-line-46/

To get MediaWiki to provide you with any error information, instead of a blank page, you have to do this first:

http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Errors_and_symptoms#You_see_a_Blank_Page

MySQL Backup & Restore mysqldump

My favourite reference for this command:

http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2008/09/backup-and-restore-mysql-database-using-mysqldump/

centos6article: How to create Password protected website on Apache...

centos6article: How to create Password protected website on Apache...:

Thanks Vijay ;-)

Top 10 Website & Social Presence Mistakes

How many of these mistakes is your small business website committing?

http://portagedesign.com/top-10-smb-website-mistakes/

Learn from these to ensure you business succeeds on-line.

Durham Real Estate: Durham Realtor Ian Gibson - Testimonial

Durham Real Estate: Durham Realtor Ian Gibson - Testimonial: Durham Realtor Ian Gibson - Testimonial  for both buying and selling my home in Whitby Shores.

Email from Command Line using bmail

Windows batch scripts can be used to perform a bunch of handy administrative tasks, like nightly backups.  Especially when you configure them to run via the OS Task Scheduler, 'Schedules Tasks' as it is called in most versions of Windows.  But to count on such automated task regularly you need to be able to see the output and history of such tasks.  The Task Scheduler isn't much help for this.  Instead, I prefer to email the task log to myself so that I can view and archive the results accordingly.

My overall strategy for such batch scripts it is to redirect the output of every command within the batch script to a log file, use > for a new file, and >> to append to the existing file.  Then I use bmail to email a copy of the log file to myself.

Bmail is a very handy command line email tool created by Craig Peacock.  (http://retired.beyondlogic.org/solutions/cmdlinemail/cmdlinemail.htm)

So an oversimplified script I would craft would look something like this:

  date /t > C:\taskx\backup.log
  
  (task commands go here: e.g.)
  copy c:\sqlbu\*.bak "x:\bu-archive\sql\" >> C:\taskx\backup.log
  
  date /t >> C:\taskx\backup.log
  bmail -s smtp.runbooks.info -t admin@runbooks.info -f server-x@runbooks.info -a Task X -m C:\taskx\backup.log -c

BMail option are:
-s smtp server
-t To address
-f From address
-a Subject of message
-m file name that contain the body of message, the task log file that was created
-c Prefix above file with CR/LF to separate body from header

I note the date and the beginning and end of the task so I have an idea how long it takes.

Put the bmail.exe somewhere within your %PATH% locations, most likely C:\Windows\System32\, so that it universally accessible to all script you write.

Also, when you are copying backup files for archive purposes, (as this trivial snippet might suggest) you might also want to use forfiles to ensure that your archive of backup data doesn't grow indefinitely.

Omemee Web Design Promo from Portage Design

Attractive offer to all residents and business from Omemee, the Omemee Web Design Promotion by Portage Design.  Inspired by the Shop the Village of Omemee post by the Youngtown Museum.

Omemee Web Design by Portage Design

HP Printer - Unable to Ping/Print from Different Subnet

Encountered a strange issue where our HP M401dn was working fine on the local subnet, could ping and print to the device, no issue.  But despite having the correct gateway and subnet, connectivity from across the WAN was intermittent.  Was able to confirm by doing an continuous ping from across the WAN to the IP of the printer. Connection would flap, in and out, while local connection was rock solid.

Found this HP Support thread with others experiencing the same issue:
http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Print-Servers-Network-Storage/Unable-to-ping-Printer-from-a-different-subnet/m-p/6219017/highlight/false#M28064

Firmware on the HP 401dn is Firmware Datecode: 20120221.  Going to see if there is an update for this device of if the HP Support channel has any suggestions.