Category Archive: Blog Stuff

Testing embedding files from Google and other blog stuff

The other day, I tested embedding/linking photos from SmugMug.

I hit on a limitation that’s inconvenient: I cannot create a tiled gallery by linking photos in SmugMug. More specifically, I can only create a tiled gallery by either uploading photos (and using up my allotted storage) or by choosing to link from Google and from a stock photo site I assume is associated with WP (Pexels Free Photos).

Note: this isn’t the first time I’ve linked photos in WordPress. In fact, for the first few years of this blog, I would upload small files and then link them to the larger versions in SmugMug Galleries. All that stopped when — because of constant “upgrades” — WP would wipe those links. That’s why there’s a note on the sidebar (sidebar on the PC, bottom of post on phones and tablets) letting users know that if I mention SmugMug, the links may have been wiped by inconsiderate and user-unfriendly WP developers. Well, it’s likely management, not the developers who are to blame, but the developers should have argued more vociferously against changes that would ‘break’ how the site worked in the past.

Anyway, here’s my first link from Google (single file test).

WAIT! I first have to connect my Google Account to WordPress. Meaning, I have to give WordPress access to my Google Photos . . . but, even after doing that, it seems to hang up.

Uh-oh . . . that’s not ‘linked’ or ’embedded’ the same way as when I link or embed from SmugMug . . . it’s actually downloaded and added the file to my media library.

Furthermore, unlike when I share a SmugMug photo, it downloads the full size, costing me multiple MBs of storage.

Note: that’s not the photo I loaded from Google Photos. The copy above was already in my Media Library. I replaced the one I linked/downloaded from Google and deleted it from the Library since it took up 4MB of storage.

Also, the interface to find and choose photos or albums is (to say the least) crappy. What do I mean by that?

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Testing embedding files from SmugMug

This will be a quick post (I hope).

Here’s the deal . . . I’m nearing my storage limit for my WordPress plan. Mind you, I still have enough for probably more than a year of posts (depending on how nuts I go with photos), but at some point, I’d be forced to either delete some stuff or upgrade to the more expensive plan (for which I currently have no use).

But, I found an advantage with blocks. I’m still playing with them, but here’s the thing . . . my workflow goes something like this: after inserting resized photos here, I upload the full-size photos in SmugMug. I then link the SmugMug gallery back here, and maybe two people visit it. The same two people are also the only ones who might click on the photos in the blog post to see the larger size.

Now, I can kill . . . er . . . show two birds with one photo. Well, it’s the same bird, but work with me here.

The above photo is embedded from a gallery on SmugMug, and it’s not using up any of my WordPress storage. Furthermore . . .

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Happy 2022 and some calendars

Well, 2021 hightailed it outta here at the last possible moment of the last possible day of the last possible month of the year, and it’s now up to 2022 to dazzle us with normalcy (we hope).

I’m reusing a photo from December 2016, our first New Year’s Eve in Hawaiʻi . . . a time that now seems centuries ago. It’s been three years since we left the islands, and I can’t say they’ve been great years.

And I’m not just referring to the pandemic and the apparent stupidity insanity running rampant in the land. Still, we’re healthy (for now) and there are some things we can be grateful for. For now, that will have to do.

As we head into a somewhat uncertain 2022, I wish all my readers, be they family, friends, or just passing through, good health, peace of mind, and the fortitude to navigate these sometimes difficult times.

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2021 Season’s Greetings

I’d crossed paths with the above graphic in early December and saved it for this occasion. For them interested in it, it came from THIS website (the above is a link to the image).

I’ve written of my feelings about the Holidays, and Christmas in particular, both in 2019 and 2020.

In general, I have nothing against the celebrations; the lights look nice, and, yes, after a month, the music begins to grate, but it’s also (mostly) nice.

Of course, as an atheist, the underlying reason(s) are of no concern unless forced on me, and since we don’t socialize much, not much is forced on me.

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Another heartbeat post and Sweet Potatoes

Haven’t been around much, and part of the culprits are the two remaining sins of the SDS Challenge, Pride and Sloth — as in I ain’t got much of the first and too much of the second.

That’s right, I’ve still not written my Pride story. At this point, I don’t know if I will. I might let the Broxson Twins duke it out (although I’ve not heard from them either — they had said their stories were almost done, so I assume any day now).

That is a sweet potato … one of three that I found crammed inside a six-inch pot I was cleaning out. We had planted a sweet potato vine in the pot (they have nice ornamental leaves and are a favorite of passing deer). I wish I had a photo of the plant, but I didn’t snap any so — if curious — you’ll have to look it up on the InterWeb.

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Another quick update

I’ve been too lazy to post stuff, and for that, I’m sorry. I have a number of new photos (and videos) I want to share, photo series I want to finish presenting, and, of course, the next installment of the Seven Deadly Sins Challenge; the Envy stories.

This post, however, is just to tell you all that is coming . . . eventually. Oh, remember Bagel Faces from a few post ago? Well, I kept playing with them . . .

They might look the same, but these have been run through Topaz’s Impression plugin. It modified the bread-like complexion and made them more . . . well, more face-like. or so I think.

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Nikon P900 — is it still a thing?

This post has photographs, but the main impetus is photography equipment. Reader beware, some might find it a long slog unless interested in the topic.  

For them not interested in reading, you can see the photos in THIS<<link SmugMug Gallery.  

For a SmugMug slideshow, click HERE<<link. When you click the link, it will open in a new window, and you have two options:
1) Manually scroll through the photos by clicking the “<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos.
2) There’s a PLAY/PAUSE button at the top-left of the screen with the transition set at about 5 seconds. Note: clicking the PLAY arrow will run a full-screen slideshow. You can then still use the”<” and “>” symbols to the left or right of the photos (this will pause the slideshow).

If you want the full experience, keep reading.

I purchased the Nikon P900 in 2017 and for that year, it was my primary camera. Meaning, I took twice as many photos with the P900 than my then camera, the Nikon D7000, including using it almost exclusively on our 2017 Alaska cruise (which, I’m still documenting!), and wrote a lot about it.

For the next few years — until 2020 — I managed at least as many photos with the P900 as with the DSLR. And, I wrote about it (LINK). I especially revisited the issue of cameras at the beginning of 2019 when I was looking to make a change to my DSLR … and wrote about it …

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A comment on “A Comment on comments” … and Sphinx

So, yesterday I posted a quick observation about the state of comments on this blog (and maybe blogs in general, based on some of the feedback).

I might have come across as rueful of the situation, hence let me clarify a few things because I fear unintended consequences from that post . . .

Namely, I fear an increase in comments due to people (consciously or unconsciously) thinking I was pressuring them (consciously or unconsciously) to comment more often.

Well, let me set the record straight . . .

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A comment on comments

In yesterday’s post, I linked THIS<<link post and my sister AnnMarie mentioned how nice it was to see multiple comments. I went back and counted . . . there were 16 unique individuals leaving comments.

It’s something I’ve also noted as I occasionally go back and read old posts. Namely, there used to be more people leaving comments as late as four years ago than this year. To be clear, the slowdown started sometime in the last three years and it has now reached a point where I can expect comments from a maximum of two, maybe three people leaving a comment, and it’s the same two or three people.

Most of the readers who at one time I considered “regulars” are no more. I don’t mean they’ve died (although — sadly — a few have, and they are deeply missed). I mean they no longer seem active in the blogging community. Some have blogs that have gone dormant without explanation, and some indicated their focus and interests have shifted.

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Quick preview post no. 2 and more looking back

Yup, still busy . . . these days are just flying by and before I know it, it’s late at night. So, more samples of photos that will appear in future posts (with others, of course). Yesterday morning, a few Northern Mocking birds frolicked in my backyard . . .

They gave me lots of opportunities to get decent photos both with the D7500 (above) and the P900 (below).

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Quick preview post and a look back

Yup, still busy . . . but, I want to give a glimpse of a few things coming up. Meaning, these are photos that will appear in future posts (with others, of course). For instance, bugs . . .

I have a ton of hummingbird videos and photos . . . I’ll need to decide what and how much I want to share, but whatever it will be, it will look something like this . . .

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A whole day without Internet

It’s late and I’m tired . . . and we’ve gone the whole day without Internet service.

Apparently, a contractor cut a fiberoptic cable . . . it must have been a pretty big cable for it to be out most of the night and all day . . . wait . . . I don’t think contractors work at night. I’m guessing Mediacom has got other issues and are blaming it on some hapless contractor.

I saw this doe and fawn this morning in my backyard. These are shot through a window and screen, and at a shallow angle.

I’d love to add phot or two, but the wonderful WordPress App is not showing me the Media Library. Rather, it shows the library as a bunch of blank files.

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