I’ve started to put my musical experiments at ExaVox.

Feel free to check it out, if you like.

Dynadot

I registered one domain name with Dynadot back in 2006. My only issue with them was that their whois privacy still left your name exposed, but that’s the way it was designed and I knew that when I registered. I left when I got a DreamHost account with free domain name registration.

Transfer out from Dynadot to DreamHost was smooth. Dynadot responded to the transfer request within 5 hours and the transfer was completed right away (within 5 hours).

DreamHost

For the next 3+ years, I used DreamHost. I transferred one domain from Dynadot, and registered a few more. I know what they say about keeping your domain registration and hosting separate, but I got 5 free domain names with my DreamHost account, so it was a good deal. DreamHost included free whois privacy.

The only issue I had with DreamHost domain name registration, is that their DNS control panel only works if you’re hosted with DreamHost. If you want to use it for a site hosted elsewhere, you need to change the DNS to use non-Dreamhost DNS servers (which they allow). This doesn’t seem too unreasonable since their main business is webhosting, but something to be aware of if you just want to use them as a registrar.

When I moved away from DreamHost, I transferred my domain names to Name.com. The transfer out from DreamHost to Name.com was smooth. DreamHost responded to the transfer requests within 24 hours. I don’t have a record of receiving emails from Name.com after the transfer completed, but from my memory, they were set up right away after DreamHost approved the transfer requests.

Name.com

For the next 6 months, I used Name.com. I transferred 4 domains from DreamHost, and registered one new one at Name.com.

I chose Name.com because of the good reviews and the free whois privacy they were offering at the time.

One thing to mention, at least if you’re using Name.com DNS (not sure if it applies otherwise), is that Name.com puts their own advertising page on any subdomains that aren’t defined in your DNS records. I didn’t really care for this, but setting up a wildcard DNS record stopped it.

After the Name.com whois privacy fiasco, I decided to switch registrars. I thought about it for awhile and read reviews, and decided to switch to Internet.bs.

(In case you haven’t heard, Name.com stopped giving out free whois privacy. There’s a coupon you can use to get free whois privacy now, but no telling how long it will last. I decided not to play the Name.com coupon game.)

Transfer out from Name.com to Internet.bs was not smooth. Name.com never responded to the transfer request, so I waited exactly 6 days, 4 hours, and 10 minutes for the transfer to complete.

Even one day after the transfer completed, the domains still showed up in the Name.com control panel.

I emailed Name.com support to let them know, and they responded and removed them from my Name.com account within 12 hours. They said if I had wanted the transfer to be completed sooner, I would have had to contact them so they could manually authorize the transfer out.

I had assumed since Dynadot and DreamHost could automatically respond to the transfer requests, that all registrars did. But I guess Name.com is not as automated as Dynadot and DreamHost.

Internet.bs

I just started using Internet.bs, transferring all 5 of my domains to them.

I chose Internet.bs because of the good reviews and the free whois privacy. They’re also cheaper than Name.com, though that’s not the main reason I chose them.

Internet.bs states that transfers are completed 5 days after the domains have been submitted to the registry for transfer (after the current registrant approval), if no response is received from the existing registrar. I kept track of the timing from the emails they sent me (yes, including timezone differences), and after 6 days, I emailed Internet.bs support to ask them to check into the transfer.

Even though it had already been 6 days, they were insistent that the transfers would be completed after 5 days, and that it was an automated process. Shortly after contacting them, the transfers completed, after exactly 6 days, 4 hours, and 10 minutes (to the second).

Another thing worth mentioning, is that there was no field in the whois contact details for the State/Province, so I had to include the Province in the City field.

These are minor things, though. So far I’m satisfied with Internet.bs.

Other Registrars

For completeness, I’ll mention that in the past I’ve also used Network Solutions (back when they were the only registrar), Gandi.net, and GoDaddy. I never transferred out from those registrars and no longer have any of those old domain names. Of those three registrars, I had a favorable impression of Gandi.net, and I’d probably use them again, except their prices are a little high.

Our bill went up, but it was due to increased consumption, probably due to the heat (air conditioners working harder).  Our April bill was P9,894 ($220) for 1,337 kWh, or P7.4 ($0.164) per kWh. For comparison, our March bill was P8,982 ($200) for 1,182 kWh, or P7.6 ($0.169) per kWh.  The rate actually decreased a little.

I pulled out a bill from around 6 months ago (October 2009) and it was P7,578 ($168) for 1,142 kWh, or P6.6 ($0.147) per kWh. So in 6 months it’s increased about 12%.

We’ve usually got one air conditioner running almost 24/7, water pumps, and an electric hot water heater, along with lights and all of the other usual things. I’d really like to get a solar hot water heater some day. I think that would help.

There’s a protest for the increased Meralco rates going on at Facebook and it’s gotten some press coverage. Good luck. The increase comes at an especially unfortunate time, during the hottest part of the year.

UPDATE: The cost of electricity increased about 10% with the May billing, to P8.1 ($0.18) per kWh.

Trying to stay cool on a hot day and the power is out? I got this 12V battery pack and 12V fan more than 10 years ago, and I’m still happy to have it.

I actually found a link for the old Century BPIP-99 Electri Pac model here. I remember it having 37 AH capacity, but according to the link it’s actually two 17 AH batteries (most likely 12V, so it has 34 AH total capacity). It has a built-in 300 watt inverter, but I rarely use it. These types of battery packs are fairly common, and I’m sure you can find similar newer models around.

You could also just get an SLA battery and wire a connector onto it, but it’s kind of handy to have the nice case with the connectors built-in.

I found the 12V fan at Camping World. I don’t see the same model there any more, but there are others that look just as good or better.

The 12V fan that I have is rated at 1.4 amps. I can generally use it all day or all night on the high speed setting before the battery wears out.

It’s no replacement for an air conditioner, but on a hot day it’s much better than nothing.

Quirino Bridge in Ilocos Sur

We took a weekend trip to Vigan, Ilocos Sur back in July 2009.  As we approached Vigan, we were rewarded with wonderful scenic coastal views.  You can see the photo above as we’re about to cross the Quirino Bridge.

We arrived in Vigan mid-afternoon on a beautiful Saturday and checked into the Vigan Plaza Hotel.  July being the off-season, we didn’t have any difficulty getting a room without a reservation.

We stayed in the Ancestral Suite.  It was a nice, large room with two beds, air conditioning, and a good bathroom.  There was some noise from a bar downstairs at night, but it wasn’t too objectionable.

It’s conveniently located right next to Calle Crisologo, sort of the main attraction in Vigan.

Horse and Buggy vs. Motorbike

Right across from the Vigan Plaza Hotel, we hired a horse and buggy (Calesa) to take us around Vigan.

Calesa (Horse & Buggy)

Here’s a picture of the horse and buggy we rode in.

Since we got a late start, we weren’t able to make all of the usual stops, but we got in quite a bit.

Quirino President

The first stop was the Syquia Mansion, the home of President Quirino, and now a museum. A nice older gentlemen who had lived at the mansion for many years, and still lives there today, took us around and told us all the various stories. We gave him a donation.

Cafe Uno Vigan

We had a pleasant ride around town. Here we passed by Cafe Uno. I hear this is a neat place to eat. We didn’t have time to stop in, but I’d like to if we ever make it back in the future.

Bell Tower in Bantay, Ilocos Sur

We also passed by Bantay to see the Bell Tower. This is a really lovely area. The grounds were neat and well maintained. It’s a great spot for taking pictures.

Vigan Pottery

We stopped at small bunch of shops where there were potters at work, and got to watch them. It’s amazing how quickly they can fashion a perfectly formed piece of pottery. I remember making pottery in school many years ago, and it took me quite a bit longer and the result was not so perfect! But they make it look easy.

Hidden Garden

Hidden Garden is an interesting and beautiful place. We strolled around an amazing garden. It’s also a nursery you can buy plants from, and they’ve got a coffee shop you can get snacks at. I was thinking there might be a restaurant there, but there isn’t, really. It is a lovely place to stroll around and relax.

Baluarte Zoo

Next stop, the Baluarte Zoo. It was beginning to get dark by this time, so we only stopped long enough to peek inside and take a few photos. The huge dinosaur replicas were a unique touch.

Calle Crisologo in Vigan at Night III

By the time we made it back to Calle Crisologo the sun had set, and we were greeted by the wonderful soft glow of the warm street lamps and horse & buggies making their way up and down the cobblestone street.

The ambiance here at night is magical, and it made the trip really worthwhile. We ate dinner outside at Max’s, which was excellent, and headed back to our hotel room.

Max’s Restaurant in Vigan

The next morning we had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and walked over to Calle Crisologo to check out the shops during the day. Here’s a shot of Max’s Restaurant in the daylight.

Horse and Buggy in Vigan

While my wife shopped, I stood around outside taking photos of the horses and buggies.

Vigan Street Scene

It was a beautiful, sunny morning.

Lucy’s Antique Shop

There was lots of neat woodwork for sale.

After our morning walk, we went back to the hotel to pack up, and headed home.

Ilocos Sur Coastline

We were treated to the lovely view along the coast on our drive home.

Next time I’d like to make it farther north and spend some time in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Maybe another stop in Vigan along the way would be in order.

If I were to visit a second time, I think I’d like to make it to Cafe Uno, and spend a little extra time at my favorite stops; the Bell Tower and Hidden Garden. And a night time stroll along Calle Crisologo.

You can see more photos at my photoblog, voxph photos. Here’s a link to all the Vigan and Ilocos Sur photos.

Have you been to Vigan? What were your favorite spots?

Do you need a UPS that can run your computer gear during all day power outages? I put together a homemade double conversion online UPS using off the shelf components, and now when the power goes out, my computer doesn’t skip a beat, even if the power is off for an hour or two… or all day.

The main components of the UPS are:

1. A pair of 6 volt golf cart batteries wired in series
2. An automatic battery charger with a DC UPS mode
3. A 300 watt sine wave inverter

With a double conversion online UPS, your equipment runs off of batteries and an inverter full time. When there is line power, an automatic charger supplies enough current to power the inverter and keep the batteries float charged. When line power is lost everything continues running normally, with the batteries handling the load. When line power is restored, the automatic charger supplies enough current to power the inverter and recharge the batteries.

This also has the side effect of providing really clean, isolated power to your computer equipment, assuming you’re using a sine wave inverter. Power is always converted to DC and back to AC before being used (double conversion).

Batteries

To get an all day run time, you need some big batteries. Most golf cart batteries are at least 200 AH, and offer a good value at the expense of some convenience. You need to check the water levels in the batteries and add water to them periodically. Also, you should not use them indoors due to outgassing. Lead acid batteries outgas hydrogen as they charge, so they should be used outdoors and need to be well ventilated to prevent explosion.

If you’re willing to spend more money (perhaps twice as much), you could look into using sealed AGM batteries, which don’t normally outgas unless overcharged. These are often used indoors, though I think I’d still prefer keeping them outside if possible.

Here you can see the pair of golf cart batteries I’m using, inside a battery box. I’m using Water Miser Vent Caps on the batteries to help reduce battery watering and to make watering more convenient with flip-tops. They’re optional, though.

I’ve heard Trojan makes great golf cart batteries. I’m using Motolite golf cart batteries, which is what I could find locally, and they work fine. They’ve been in use 3+ years now and still going strong.

Desulfator

I’m also using a Power Pulse desulfator connected to the batteries. This is optional, but I think its really helped. Over time, sulphate will form on the lead plates in the batteries causing reduced capacity. The desulfator helps prevent and even reverse the sulfation. It’s not perfect and the batteries won’t last forever, but it helps.

Before I hooked the desulfator up to the golf cart batteries, I hooked it up to an old 37 AH SLA battery pack that had been in use for about 10 years and was starting to show substantial wear. I kept the Power Pulse desulfator on the battery pack along with a 500 mAH charger for a few weeks, putting it through a few charge/discharge cycles and it really helped improve the condition of the old battery pack. I wish I’d gotten a second Power Pulse desulfator to use on my car battery.

Battery Connections

The golf cart batteries are 6V so to get 12V for the UPS, a pair of them are wired in series. I’m using a 65A automotive fuse between the negative post of the first battery and the positive post of the second battery. It’s really important for safety to make sure everything is fused properly.

I’m using heavy gauge wire for the battery connections. On the batteries themselves, I’m using some thick yellow automotive wire (labeled with a marker +/-). For the inverter and charger connections, I’m also using heavy gauge (8mm²) wire, but it’s properly color coded (black & red). If I was doing it over again, I’d use the color coded wire for the battery connections, too.

The batteries are wired into an ordinary 50A 240V AC circuit breaker mounted on the outside of the battery box. Ideally, this would be a DC circuit breaker. AC and DC circuit breakers are designed a bit differently, and there are situations where using an AC circuit breaker with a DC load could be problematic. Since the batteries themselves are fused separately, I’m mainly using this as a disconnect switch for convenience. It seems to be working fine for me so far.

From the circuit breaker, connections are made to both the automatic battery charger mounted on the front of the battery box, and the sine wave inverter mounted on the side of the battery box underneath the circuit breaker.

Automatic Battery Charger

I’m using a Samlex SEC-1230A 12 Volt 30 Amp Automatic Battery Charger. I have the DIP switch settings set to “Battery with Load” so the charger effectively becomes a DC UPS. There’s a good manual that explains the settings, and it’s available from the Samlex website as a PDF.

The charger comes wired for 120V 60Hz input, but there’s an internal jumper that can be changed to make it 230V 50Hz. If you do that, you need to change the fuse as well. I made the change, and use it with a 220V 60Hz power source and so far I haven’t had any problems.

Sine Wave Inverter

For the inverter, I’m using a Samlex PST-30S-12A 300 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter (12VDC-120VAC).  I’ve used a modified sine wave inverter with my computer equipment in the past, and it mostly worked fine, but there was some buzzing on my phones. There’s no buzzing with the sine wave inverter.

Some of my gear uses 110V, some uses 220V, and some will use either.  For the stuff that needs 220V, I use a small 100 watt step-up transformer.  I also run my computer (an HP Laptop) off of 12 VDC with an HP KS474AA 90W Auto/Air/AC Adapter.  Other laptops may have similar 12 VDC adapters available.

You’ll need to calculate your load requirements.  If you’re using a desktop system instead of a laptop, you may need a larger inverter. My inverter is supplying power for a 22″ LCD monitor and an assortment of peripherals:  a pair of USB hard drives, speakers, DSL modem, router, switch, USB hub, ATA, and 3 phones.

I’ve got a power meter hooked up to the inverter output, and I’m using less than 100 watts. So for my use, a 300 watt inverter is plenty. The inverter could handle my laptop, too. I already had the 12 VDC laptop adapter, though, so I use it for maximum efficiency.

Ventilation

I keep the custom built battery box on an outside covered patio that gets plenty of ventilation and is conveniently located next to my office. There are plastic screens on the top and the sides of the box to let the batteries vent.

Connections

I’ve got a set of connectors mounted in the wall in utility boxes to keep things clean. The outdoor connectors (from left to right) are: antenna, ground, line power, UPS power inlet, and 12 VDC input posts.

There’s another set of connectors mounted on the other side of the wall in my office. The indoor connectors (from left to right) are: two 12 VDC outlets, two 110 VAC UPS outlets, line power inlet, ground, and antenna. The antenna connector isn’t used for the UPS.

Cost

The rough cost for the major components of the system was:

1. $250 Two 6 volt golf cart batteries
2. $225 Samlex SEC-1230A Battery Charger
3. $135 Samlex PST-30S-12A Sine Wave Inverter

I got the golf cart batteries locally, and ordered the charger and inverter from altEstore.

An alternative to all this, is to use a small off the shelf UPS for short power outages, and to simply take a break from the computer during longer power outages. I hear its nice to spend time outdoors. What do you do when the power goes out?

Please note: I’m not an electrician, but I did have an electrician do the wiring for this UPS system for me. There’s no guarantee any of this meets electrical code. Please consult an electrician and check your local electrical code if you want to undertake a project like this.

I really enjoy and appreciate photoblogs and think they’re underrepresented on the internet. So I’ve started a new project to help photoblog owners promote their photoblogs.

Photoblog Collection

It’s a free way to give your photoblog a little more exposure.  Submissions are manually reviewed to prevent spam.  Having other websites link to your photoblog is a good thing.  Search engines like to see that, and with enough links they start to give your photoblog more exposure when people search for places and things you’ve photographed.

Another place to promote your photoblog that I really like, is VFXY Photoblogs.  It aggregates photoblog feeds, so you can check out new photos from many photoblogs.  I enjoy finding new photoblogs there, and recommend it.

It’s also good to be listed on DMOZ. Check the various categories, and don’t overlook non-photoblog categories that fit the theme of your photoblog.  It may be easier to get listed in some categories than others.  What I’ve found, is that once you’re listed in DMOZ, many other sites copy the directory (including Google Directory), so it really increases the number of sites linking to your photoblog.

I know it’s easy to get discouraged if you’ve got a new photoblog.  So please take this as encouragement to stick with it, and keep sharing your photos!

Vitamin K2 + Vitamin D + Vitamin A, The Missing Link?

There has been research lately that shows the importance of a vitamin many have never heard of: Vitamin K2. Typically when you think of Vitamin K, you think of Vitamin K1. Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables and aids in blood clotting.

The thought is, that Vitamin K2 aids the body in effective use of calcium. Basically, the calcium in the bloodstream goes where it’s supposed to go, allowing proper calcium absorption in the bones to keep them strong instead of clogging arteries with arterial calcification. There’s some suggestion it may even reverse existing arterial calcification.

Vitamin D and Vitamin A may also be part of the mechanism that allows Vitamin K2 to be effective, the three nutrients having a synergistic effect.

While we may get some Vitamin D from our diets and sun exposure, many people aren’t getting enough Vitamin D to maintain healthy blood levels. Check out the Vitamin D Council’s “Am I Vitamin D Deficient?” article. They recommend taking enough Vitamin D to maintain 25(OH)D blood levels at 50-80 ng/ml. A few months ago I increased my Vitamin D dosage from 2,000 IU to 7,000 IU daily.

I also take Beta Carotene to insure I get enough Vitamin A. Vitamin A in Retinyl Palmitate form can be dangerous if too much is taken. Beta Carotene is generally safer. The body will use it to make as much Vitamin A as it needs.

Vitamin K2 MK-4 vs. MK-7

There are two commonly available forms of Vitamin K2: MK-4 and MK-7. The MK-4 form is found in butter from grass fed cows. The MK-7 form is found in a fermented soy product called Natto. Both of these are also available in supplement form.

Some research studies have been done with MK-4 whereas others have been done with MK-7. The MK-4 form is cleared from the blood stream faster. Significant amounts of Vitamin K2 MK-7 remain in the blood stream for 3 days.

It’s not clear which is best. It might not be a bad idea to take both. For the time being, I’ve been taking 90 mcg of Vitamin K2 MK-7.

CoEnzyme Q10

Many people have heard of CoQ10. I take it to improve my energy levels and strengthen my heart. A nice side effect I noticed was that it improved the health of my gums. I got a nice complement from my dentist. I take around 100mg twice a day (with breakfast and dinner).

Curcumin and Cayenne

I also take Curcumin/Tumeric and Cayenne to help prevent clogged arteries. The Cayenne burns my stomach a little bit, but it helps to take it just before eating instead of after. I take 500mg of each daily.

Fish Oil

One more thing I take to help keep my heart healthy is Fish Oil. I used to take fish oil capsules, but I think the liquid fish oil is a better value. The particular brand I use has an orange flavor and doesn’t have much fishy taste. I usually take 1-2 tsp a day.

What sorts of things do you do to keep your heart healthy? And if you take Vitamin K2, what has been your experience with it?

Recommended Links:
VitaminK2.org (There’s a good series of videos under “Scientific Presentation.”)
Food sources of vitamin K2 at The Heart Scan Blog
Vitamin K2: MK-4 versus MK-7 on ImmInst.org Forums
Vitamin K2, menatetrenone (MK-4) at the Whole Health Source Blog
Can Vitamin K2 Reverse Arterial Calcification? at the Whole Health Source Blog
Are the MK-4 and MK-7 Forms of Vitamin K2 Equivalent? at the Whole Health Source Blog
Vitamin D Council
Getting vitamin D right at The Heart Scan Blog
Vitamin D: It’s Not Just Another Vitamin at the Whole Health Source Blog

Photoblogging with style

Now you can have the Mimbo style for your photoblog. Do you want to integrate an advanced photoblog into a WordPress site? By running both Cheesecake and WordPress, you can move between both and maintain a consistent style and design. Think of the possibilities:

• Run a dedicated Mimbocake/Cheesecake photoblog
• Add a photoblog to your magazine-style Mimbo/WordPress site
• Add a WordPress blog to your photoblog
• Use WordPress to host videos for your photoblog

You can visit my photoblog to see a sample of MimboCake.

http://www.voxph.com/

It uses Cheesecake and MimboCake for the photos, and WordPress and a modified version of Mimbo for a videos section in a subdirectory. It could just as easily be the other way around, with Cheesecake in a subdirectory for a WordPress site.

Download

Download MimboCake theme v1.0

Change Log

v1.0 3/15/2008 Initial Release (for Cheesecake v1.6 Beta 3)

Installation

If you’re not already running Cheesecake, you’ll want to get Cheesecake installed and running properly before proceeding. You can download Cheesecake Photoblog and get more information about it at:

http://cheesecake-photoblog.org/

The theme needs to be installed in the cheesecake /app/ directory. If you’ve placed the mimbocake file in the /app/ directory, you can unzip it using a command similar to this:

unzip mimbocake10.zip

This will create a new Mimbocake directory under /app/views/ and /app/webroot/. The /app/views/Mimbocake/ directory contains the bulk of the theme files, with the stylesheet, theme images, and javascript under /app/webroot/Mimbocake/.

After installing the files, activate the theme by logging into Cheesecake and selecting Mimbocake as the theme in the Admin Settings.

Settings

Under Admin/Addons the variSizer setting for the Normal size should be 760 proportional and selected as the Default size.

Under Admin/Settings the Maximum size of thumbnail in pixels should be 75 and the Total number of photos in filmstrip should be 5.

Customization

Like the Mimbo theme for WordPress, MimboCake requires some customization to get it setup. You should feel comfortable editing files to make the necessary changes for your site.

Custom logo

The theme installs a blank logo image by default. You can replace this with your own logo. Upload your new logo image to /app/webroot/Mimbocake/img/logo.png. To work without stylesheet changes, it should be a 605px x 70px png image. If you want to change the image type or size, you can do so by updating the stylesheet at /app/webroot/Mimbocake/css/style.css.

Look for this section:

h4 {
	text-indent:-9999px;
	background:url(/Mimbocake/img/logo.png) no-repeat;
	width:605px;
	height:70px;
	}

You can change the image filename in the background setting, and the width and height as necessary. There are some Status messages displayed to the right of the logo in Mimbocake, and a search bar to the right of the logo in Mimbo, so making the image too wide may interfere with those.

Image file location

There are several image files referenced in the stylesheet. If you’re installing Mimbocake in a subdirectory, you may need to adjust the URLs for the images. If you’ve uploaded a logo and it’s not displaying, this is likely the cause. Just search the style.css file for “url”. The URLs that begin with /Mimbocake/ are the ones to modify with the path appropriate for your site.

About page

The about page can also be customized by editing the /app/views/Mimbocake/pages/about.thtml file. Just edit the html as desired. There is a blank about.jpg image displayed by default. You can upload a new about.jpg image to /app/webroot/Mimbocake/img/about.jpg. If you delete this about.thtml file for Mimbocake, Cheesecake will use the default about.thtml file under /app/views/pages/about.thtml.

Most Viewed / Last Viewed changes

There are a few modifications to Cheesecake system files you may want to make for best results. The most important one involves the hitstats plugin for the Most Viewed and Last Viewed browsing options. There are Hover Box images that pop up as you hover over the thumbnails that interfere with the drop down menus. To disable the Hover box functionality, you can replace the /app/plugins/hitstats/views/mostviewed.thtml system file with this one:

Download mostviewed.thtml for MimboCake theme

You can unzip the file after downloading it like this:

unzip mostviewed.thtml.zip

It’s a good idea to make a copy of the original file first, in case you need to change it back sometime.

Tag List

The second system file change fixes some spacing inconsistencies when you’re browsing tags and click on “Show all tags.” It would be good to make this change, but it’s not required if the spacing doesn’t bother you. To make the change, you can replace the /app/views/tags/ajax_index.thtml system file with this one:

Download ajax_index.thtml for MimboCake theme

You can unzip the file after downloading it like this:

unzip ajax_index.thtml.zip

It’s a good idea to make a copy of the original file first, in case you need to change it back sometime.

Comment display order

The third system file change is optional. By default, comments for each photo are displayed in reverse order with the newer comments first. If you’d prefer to change the display order so the first comments will be first (similar to the default in WordPress), you can edit the /app/models/photo.php system file.

Search for this line:

'order' => 'Comment.created DESC',

Remove the “DESC” at the end, so it looks like this:

'order' => 'Comment.created',

This is a personal preference, and there’s no need to change it if you’re happy with the reverse order comments the way they are.

RSS Feed images

The fourth system file change is also optional. By default, thumbnail images are used for RSS feeds. If you would like to use a larger image for the RSS feed without increasing the size of the thumbnails, you can use the “small” image set to whatever you like for the RSS feed. To do this you can edit the /app/controllers/photos_controller.php system file, under “function rss()”:

Change:

$thumbSrc = substr($this->siteUrl,0,-10). "app/webroot/img/thumbnails/" . $photo['Photo']['filename'];

To:

$thumbSrc = substr($this->siteUrl,0,-10). "app/webroot/img/photos/small_" . $photo['Photo']['filename'];

Also change:

$thumbSrc = $this->siteUrl . "img/thumbnails/" . $photo['Photo']['filename'];

To:

$thumbSrc = $this->siteUrl . "img/photos/small_" . $photo['Photo']['filename'];

This is useful if your RSS feed is picked up by VFXY Photos. I have “small” set to 130px sqaure, and it works well for this purpose (you could try proportional instead of square, if you prefer). If you’re happy with the thumbnail images for the RSS feed, there’s no need to make this change.

Custom colors

There are a few colors used in the theme you may want to change:

Blue: #186fd0
Light Blue: #dce9ff
Lighter Blue: #edf5ff

These are different from the default Mimbo theme colors. You can do a search and replace on /app/webroot/Mimbocake/css/style.css and substitute whatever colors you like.

Gravatar enabled for comments

Gravatar is enabled for comments by default. If you want to disable the gravatars, you can remove this section in /app/views/Mimbocake/photos/index.thtml:

<?php
/* Begin Gravatar Code */
$grav_url = "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=".md5(strtolower($Comment['email'])).
"&amp;rating=PG&amp;size=32";
/* End Gravatar Code */
?>
<img src="<?php echo $grav_url; ?>" alt="" width="32" height="32" />

Also remove this section in /app/views/Mimbocake/comments/index.thtml (almost the same):

<?php
/* Begin Gravatar Code */
$grav_url = "http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=".md5(strtolower($Comment['Comment']['email'])).
"&amp;rating=PG&amp;size=32";
/* End Gravatar Code */
?>
<img src="<?php echo $grav_url; ?>" alt="" width="32" height="32" />

You can also change the PG rating in those two sections if you want it set differently.

Removing the Login menu item

If you want to remove the Login menu item, you can edit the /app/views/Mimbocake/layouts/default.thtml theme file and remove this line:

<li><?php echo ($session->read('rdAuth.admin') ? $html->link("Logout",'/users/logout/') :
 $html->link("Login",'/users/login/')); ?></li>

You can login by going to the /users/login/ page manually, and logout by going to the /users/logout/ page.

Adding new menu items

If you want to add additional menu items, you can add them to the same section in the /app/views/Mimbocake/layouts/default.thtml theme file. For example, after this section:

<li><?php echo $html->link("Comments",'/comments/'); ?></li>
</ul>
</li>

You could add a link to another area of your site. For example, to link to a videos section you could add:

<li><?php echo $html->link("Videos",'/videos/'); ?></li>

That’s assuming your videos section is in the /videos/ subdirectory (perhaps using WordPress or some other software).

Changing the footer

The footer is also found in the /app/views/Mimbocake/layouts/default.thtml theme file. The footer is at the end of the file under div id=”footer”. It adds a copyright message for your site name by default, but you can change that here:

<div id="footer">
<?php echo ' &#169; ' ?>
<?php echo $session->read('cheeseCake.siteName'); ?>

You can add additional links to other sites in this section as well. For example, if you use VFXY Photos, you could add a link similar to this:

<?php echo ' | <a href="http://photos.vfxy.com/" title="VFXY Photos">VFXY Photos</a>' ?>

That’s all.

Forum and Discussion

Cheesecake Photoblog Forum

Credits

Cheesecake Photoblog for the software and the Modern theme which was the starting point for this theme.
Darren Hoyt for his Mimbo theme for WordPress and stylesheet, and updated comment styling.
kde-look.org for the image control icons.
TwinHelix for the IE PNG Fix (fixing transparent png images for IE5.5 and IE6).
Gravatar for the PHP implementation information and sample.

This page may be updated from time to time with new or corrected information.

Last Updated: 3/29/2008