The longest part of the upgrade to WordPress 3.0 was backing up my databases. I’m running six separate sites on WordPress, one of which was running WP3 RC1. Logging into my host and backing all six up through MySQL took 15 minutes. Upgrading all six sites concurrently took under a minute.
The clean new look of the dashboard is a welcome change, and a unified update panel makes maintaining a site much easier with fewer clicks.
The next step will be to merge these sites into a single WordPress installation using WPMU. That’s going to have to wait for the weekend, however.
Check out the improvements in this recently released video from WordPress.org
Astroturf is a pretty nasty thing – it happens when big industry wants to get their point across, but they know they’re not landing their message from a corporate PR standpoint. So instead, they create fake “citizens groups” that are apparently made up of people like you and I.
It appears that Balanced Copyright for Canada is one of these groups. They’re using stock images on their site, seeding out reports that are known to have been commissioned by Entertainment industry groups, and even going as far as to reprint headlines that have been purchased almost like ad placements on sites.
The claims are that balanced copyright will protect creator’s rights and keep jobs in Canada. They do not go into detail as to how that will happen. They don’t touch on the fact that you could face a $5000 fine for making a backup of a DVD so that you kid doesn’t wreck the original. They don’t want to talk about the fact that this bill is virtually useless for consumers because of the digital lock provision.
Canadians like buying media. Sales have been strong in both traditional and digital formats. There is no need for the digital lock provision, and there’s no need for industry reps to lie to us through a faux-grassroots movements.
It’s up to you, as a consumer, not to be fooled by this. Contact your MP and let them know that Digital Locks don’t help artists, they hinder them. Real artists have come out against Bill C-32, based on the digital lock provisions – and if you like the freedom you have with your gadgets you will too.
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The industry has been hot with speculation, but Sir Richard Branson made it official today: Virgin is bringing gaming into the fold with Virgin Gaming. Calling the move an “online destination for competitive gamer console gamers”, the worldwide press release states that it will help to connect gamers of all skill levels from around the world, letting them play head to head and in tournaments for cash, points, and prizes.
Future Shop has two bloggers on the ground and others (like myself) analyzing the data as it comes in. Today’s presentations from Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft are all being covered, in-depth, by the tech blog crew. Check it out here!
