Analog Weblog

There was another recent update for Movable Type, which is the weblog program that I am using.

Although this was a major update, there were no update issues worth mentioning this time around, and everything went very smoothly.

However, since this is a major update, there are new features that I would like to look into as I get more accustomed to using this version.

For better or for worse, I do most of my posts in my Japanese Blog , and as a result, posts in the English Blog have been next to none this past year.

I would like very much to make more updates on this end, but I would like to make this something different than just random thought on random issues (as is the case with my Japanese Blog).

A while back, there was an update to Movable Type, to version 3.35.

Since I am using the Japanese version, even for my English Blog, I waited for the Japanese update.

There are a few changes from Movable Type 3.34-ja to Movable Type 3.35-ja:

1) Movable Type Enhanced Installation Process

This is when no `mt-config.cgi` file is present, I didn't get to check this out since I am doing an upgrade, which is pretty easy in itself.

2) XSS Vulnerability fix: script injection is allowed in author and email parameter of mt-comment.cgi

I don't know how this will work out, but you have to edit your templates for it to come into effect.

3) Fixed broken help links

Pretty self explainatory.

4) Fixed MTDate tags to display correct timestamp under daylight savings

I was always disturbed by this, since Japan does not have daylight savings. I always wondered what the people in states like Arizona, who also don't have daylight savings, were doing. Upon first glance though, this does not seem to be working...

5) SQLite BerkeleyDB to MySQL migration script fixed

All my files are currently MySQL, so no immediate problem here.

6) 48741: convert-db garble characters sometimes

Same as above.

7) Increased the size of "template_name" column

This may be helpful for me, but I never noted the need for this before.

BTW, all of these can be found at Sixapart:
http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/news/2007/04/mt335_released.html

Another problem with Movable Type and MySQL, this time I had the problem where Japanese Text, Shift-JIS was not encoding properly in my MySQL account.

New files are correctly displayed in Japanese, but all my previous entries and comments are not encoding properly.

I have thought long and hard and searched the internet, but it seems like the easiest thing to do is to just re-upload the entries that I had saved in text format.

of course, I'll have to delete half of my entries afterward....

Since there was so much spam in my Trackback folder, my rental server suspended/disabled the folder where I had my Movable Type files. Upon inquiry, I decided to reupload all MT files into a different directory. I upgraded to version 3.34 in the meantime.

Thanks to MySQL, I was able to update easily. Had my files been Berkeley DB, the /db folder would have been suspended along with the MT directory.

In order to reduce future attacks, I decided to do the following:

1) Delete RDF from the Individual Entry Archive

Just delete the tag <$MTEntryTrackbackData$>and save, rebuild.

2) Rename CGI files

Renamed mt-tb-cgi to mt-tb-somethigelse.cgi, mt-comments.cgi to mt-comments-somethingelse.cgi.

Added the lines

TrackbackScript mt-tb-somethingelse.cgi
CommentsScript mt-comments-somethingelse.cgi

in mt-config.cgi, and rebuild.

We'll see if this has any effect.

It had come to my attention that comments on my Blog were not being accepted.

Wanting to figure out the problem, I tried to logon, but I was unable to logon to my Movable Type account. It gave me a 404 error -- file not found.

It seemed as though mt.cgi was looking for the mt-update.cgi file, which I had deleted after my previous update, version 3.33. So I uploaded said file, but then it told me I could not logon.

I feared for the worst, but could think of a few possible causes:
1) The rental server I use is upgrading
2) The database file (DB) is corrupt
3) Memory overload

So I first checked out the Sixapart Movable Type Knowledge Base.

http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/kb/authors/invalid_login.html

One thing it mentioned was that Berkeley DB database is prone to server upgrades.
http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/kb/databases/converting_berk.html

I couldn't do anything on the server since telnet is not provided, but I was able to login after a while. It seems as though it was a server upgrade.

But I saw this as a good time to change the database file to MySQL. So got a MySQL account from the provider, used a script to change the db files to sql files and was up and running in no time. Since MySQL files can be kept in a different place than the DB files (which are in the same folder as the mt.cgi file), I see this as an advantage.

Just in case there are any more problems in the future, I will try to backup more often...

(When reading this...just imagine the newest Molson Canadian TV Ad)

Hi........

I'm not a Salaryman, a samurai or a ninja.

I don't live in a capsule hotel, I don't eat Sushi every night (although I wish I could), and I don't drive a Honda.

And I don't know Tanaka-san, Suzuki-san or Yamada-san from Japan, although I'm certain they're really really short people.

I drink sake... not beer.

I don't use chopsticks to eat a burger.

And I pronounce it "Hello", not "Haro-".

I can proudly fly my country's flag on my back while I watch Karate Kid II.

I have a "Prime Minister", not a "Shogun".

I believe in Hair-dying, not plain black hair color.

A Katana IS a sword, Tofu IS food and Kurosawa IS the best director in the World!!!!

And it IS pronounced "Wasabi", not "Wazaaaaabi", WASABI!!!

Japan is the ONLY country shaped like a Sea Horse, the FIRST nation of Sumo, and the BEST part of the Orient!!

My name is Kats!!!
AND I AM JAPANESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

..........arigato.

I went back to Canada on August 3rd, for a 5-day 3-nights-of-sleep trip. Seems insane, since it's the high season and only staying for a few days coming all the way from Japan.

But a good friend and a pseudo-little-brother of mine was getting married to my pseudo-little-sister, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I was honoured by just being invited to their special event, since the marriage is doubly special for me, but I was also asked to be the best man, which made it a triple-special.

So you see, this made it a can't-miss trip for me, even considering the short(time-wise), long(distance-wise) trip there.

The event itself was great, both the ceremony and the reception. I stopped from drinking too much, and I tried to do as much work as possible on-site because I hadn't helped out in the months prior (much more to do, I might add).

There were a few instances where I choked up, and I tried my best to cover it up. Once was during the ceremony, somewhere between the exchange of vows and the rings. The rings became sweaty in my hands as well, part from the nerves and part from the temperature of the chapel.

I tried to be on my best behaviour during the reception, but one thing I hadn't done was rehearse my speech, and it showed. I stumbled over a few words and forgot a few points I wanted to make. That is a huge regret for me, because although this day wasn't about me, it was about two people I really care about.

However, all in all, a great day, and I was glad I could be there.

*As a bonus, I got to meet the firstborn of another pair of good friends of mine. Now I can brag to the kid when he's 20 that I held him in my arms when he was less than a month old.