“Someone flip me over, I’m done on this side.”
Sometimes I feel like an old cat. All I want is a sunny spot and the time to stretch out in it.
But eventually I must arise, if only to hit the litter box, grab a bite to eat, and sharpen the claws on the ol’ blogaroo.
Then comes the popping, snapping, and buzzing as levers and switches are thrown and pressed. Bent tabs lurch into ragged slots; parched bearings thirst for lubrication. Gonna have to use the kick-starter on this sumbitch today, boys. Pass the ether and that big fuckin’ hammer. No, not that one, the big one. Now stand back. Gimme room!
Which is the scenic route toward saying that the WordPress elves have been monkeying around under the hood again, making “enhancements” that I did not request and revising or disabling tools that I actually use.
And after extended consultation with support it appears that I may be compelled to arise from my sunny spot, stretch myself, and read the updated owner’s manual, even perform some hideous experiments on secondary and tertiary WP blogs long forgotten by the world at large. Don’t tell the killjoys at The Hague.
There seems to be a concerted push on to shift all WordPress users to Gutenberg, the block editor (cursed be its name, yes). The few times I have examined it, like a remnant of squashed turd upon one shoe, I have been dismayed, even appalled. I am a simple fellow, and there is nothing simpler than the original WordPress editor. It is the 22R engine, solid front axle, manual locking hubs, and five-speed stick shift of bloggery.
But time passes and things change, not always for the better (may I refer you to the modern Toyota truck, which has become nearly as preposterous as its American counterparts?).
So, if you notice anything off kilter around here in the coming weeks — which is to say, more off kilter than is usual for this joint— please remember, it’s (a) not my fault, and (2) free of charge.
Tags: Gutenberg, Miss Mia Sopaipilla, WordPress
Mad Blog Media 
December 19, 2021 at 3:04 pm |
It’s always disheartening when you find something has been “upgraded “ while your back is turned. It rarely does you any good but some wonks think it’s soo necessary. Then the wonks run for cover and point fingers instead of taking the blame for screwing up a perfectly fine running system.
December 19, 2021 at 4:07 pm |
Yeah, it’s irksome. But engineers gotta engineer, I guess. Your fridge is going to call you up and say “We need some provolone” whether you like it or not.
The support people were all very helpful in that not-really-helpful “Hey, sucks to be you” fashion, like Tony Soprano shrugging and mumbling, “Whaddaya gonna do?”
It is what it is, and sooner or later all the fans of the “Classic” editor will have to assume the position. So I should probably learn the new drill now instead of when I have no other options available.
“Whaddaya gonna do?”
December 19, 2021 at 3:49 pm |
I always wonder why developed systems do not allow older versions to continue to operate. There nothing wrong with creating new, with greater benefits, bells, whistles and carbon fiber winglets, but the capability of operating an older system alongside upgraded versions is possible. You are reading my fine words on a conglomeration of old stuff. I must also admit that the limited time I have spent at trying to add a photo image to my WordPress account exceeded the time I wanted to dedicate to the issue, so my posts are of the guest style.
As for the new Toyota trucks, they are just like all the other big American trucks that are a pain in the ass to drive in confined areas and are as obnoxious as the insecure individuals that buy them want them to be. Although with respect to a few readers of POG-dom that have taken the lunge, some of those obnoxious truck owners are pretty decent folks. I’d love to be able to step up to the heights of justifying the purchase of a new vehicle, but my CFO says “Hell no, that old jalopy you have is just fine”. That’s ok with me though, I can be assured that the energy and emissions to keep my old rig operating will over a very long time, be less then that required to produce a new vehicle especially for me.
That sunshine (or reflection of as displayed on the carpeted floor of your cat house), sure looks nice.
December 19, 2021 at 4:14 pm |
All this has to be an “enhancement” that serves the provider rather than the customer, is my guess. I don’t think the block editor is more intuitive than the Classic editor; very much the opposite, as a matter of fact. Gotta make WP’s life easier on the back end somehow.
No new vehicles for us here at El Rancho Pendejo. What I wouldn’t give to find a mint-condition 1987 Toyota 4WD that some old codger has been babying the way my step-grandpa did his maroon Caddy. Sigh.
Miss Mia loves that sunny patch at the foot of the bed. This time of year it lights up around 10 a.m., when the sun peeks over the Sandias and around the backyard trees.
December 19, 2021 at 4:59 pm |
When you said it was as good as a 22R engine, that was all I need to know. I thought about sharing Sandy’s blog with her and doing a post or two on guitars and playing from a beginner’s perspective. I got a couple of paragraphs into a draft and then gave up.
December 19, 2021 at 5:16 pm |
Of course, part of the appeal of the Classic editor is that I can use it in my sleep. I’ve posted to the blog from a tent in Arizona, using an iPhone.
I may have gotten my first peek at the New World Order while posting using the iPhone, now that I think of it. I had a go at using the WordPress app, but it seemed so grotesquely unintuitive that I went back to working the blog in Safari, which is no picnic on a small phone’s screen, or even an iPad Mini.
No doubt I can puzzle the block editor out, maybe even get comfortable with it. But at the moment it annoys me. Even more so because the theme I use for the blog is no longer supported, so the whole shebang is basically 15 minutes ago and losing ground.
My needs are simple: I want to write copy, add art, headlines and cutlines, and blockquotes, run a quick check for libel, and hit “Publish.” If I wanted to play with blocks I’d go back to kindergarten, see if I could pass this time around.
December 20, 2021 at 7:15 am |
Same here. I’d give anything for another SR5 from the mid-90’s. I sold mine with 335k miles on it and it still ran like a champ.
Of course even back in the day, Toyota “improved” the 22R. From Wikipedia, FWIW: “…Toyota swapped the dual-row timing chain used in older engines for a single-row chain with plastic guides in 1983. The new system reduced drag on the engine but introduced a new maintenance problem. After about 100,000 miles (160,934 km) of operation, the chain may stretch to the point that the hydraulic-operated chain tensioner cannot take up any more slack…The result is any of several failure modes… ”
I had a Dodge Colt with a robust double timing chain on its SOC 1.6 L engine. Never failed me, until one day my first wife took off in it after leaving a Dear Khal letter on the table and settled into new digs in a different city. The car revolted against such treatment, as I heard halfway between Long Island and upstate NY the windshield wipers stopped working.
December 20, 2021 at 7:32 am |
Our 1990 Toyota 4-Runner and 35-year-old Kenmore refrig are still running fine, thank you! Ooooops …. what’s that grinding noise(s) I hear coming from the garage? Just kiddin’!!!! 🙂
December 20, 2021 at 11:38 am |
If it’s anything like what happens in Portland, OR, grinding in the garage could be late night visitors freeing your truck / car of their catty-lickit converter.
December 20, 2021 at 11:52 am |
Or, if you’re on a windswept rockpile outside Weirdcliffe, it could be the woodrats chowing down on your wiring harness.
December 20, 2021 at 4:35 pm |
Wouldn’t that be a little nibble here, a rustle there and then the occasional zap and squeak. Later of course there would be the god $^*#*!!# son-of-a $&*#(@!!, I’m going to kill those little &#$%(!@!!terds.
December 21, 2021 at 6:04 am |
Welcome to the shortest day of the year up here. These brothers know their way around a fretboard!
December 21, 2021 at 7:55 am |
My favorite day of the year, as I typically live on the Dark Side.