Tag: Updates

Author Index: Update

~ Bookstooge ~ 31 Comments

Back in November I began to work on my Author Index Project for the blog. I started out haphazardly but then decided to be a bit more organized about it. I started at Z and have been steadily working my way backwards. Once I finish I’ll go through and add all the new authors I’ve read since then and then try to update it on a monthly basis.

BUT!

I am finished with up to the M’s. What a chore! 79 authors with the last name starting with “M”. And only about half of them had their names as tags so I had a bleeding lot of work to do. The only other letter with more authors is “B” at 87. I am not looking forward to that already :-/

But rejoice with me. Things like this make me happy 😀

Author Index: My Next Big Project

~ Bookstooge ~ 53 Comments

After finishing up The Hotel Bookstooge Project, it was evident that I needed another blogging project to keep me busy in the background. But something that wouldn’t disturb everyone quite so much. Bormgans gave a good suggestion that should help anyone searching the site, ie, an Author Index.

While I never use an index if a site has one (I always use the search bar), I’ve heard that other people DO use them, to good effect too. So instead of alienating these good folk of the internet and impeding their unquenchable thirst for all things Bookstooge, I have decided to begin work on an Author Index.

I’ve created a new page and posted the link to it at the top of my home page along with all of my other Important Things. It will slowly fill in over the upcoming year/s. If you are that kind of person, I hope this helps you out a lot. If you are not that kind of person, it will be going on completely in the background so you won’t be bothered or notice a thing. You’re welcome 😉

So Stay Calm & Index On

Need More Space? Bookstooge Has You Covered Part II

~ Bookstooge ~ 29 Comments

Two years ago I wrote a post (Part I) detailing how to utilize Dropbox as a picture hosting site so you didn’t have to eat into your free space here at WordPress. I’ve been using it on any picture over 100KB and it seems to work well for me. But just because something is working well doesn’t mean I am content to sit on my lees and let WordPress continue to work against me behind my back. It would be just like them at some point to disallow outside hosted pictures on free sites, so I decided to investigate what I could do for picture compression. Just in case you can’t tell, I have an extremely adversarial relationship with WP.com.

What I found was the Caesium Image Compressor. Here is the website and the download for various OS’s is part way down the page: Caesium Website.

I have been very pleased so far. Once I installed it, it took a while of playing around to get all the various options set up how I wanted. What I didn’t realize, and was very pleasantly surprised with, is that Caesium can also resize your photos along with compressing them. This is wonderful for me as I use the high quality pictures from my Calibre Library for my book reviews. Instead of having to use a separate resizer tool and then Caesium to compress that, I can do it all in one step. I even have it save the picture where I want so everything is conveniently stored for upload.

I use it on the little pictures for the book reviews (which are 194px wide) and I regularly get 30-60% compression. Going from 30KB down to 18KB isn’t a world breaking but if I want to continue blogging for years and years, every little bit adds up. I also use Caesium on any files I upload to Dropbox as well. Saving space any way I can means I don’t have to worry about hitting that 3gb limit (or 1gb if you’re a poor new user to WordPress. You newbs really have my sympathies in that regards!) It is another step in the blogging process however. So you have to decide if that is worth it to you or not. For me, it totally is. It is free, it is small and once you set it up to your taste, it is almost just 3 clicks of the mouse and you’re done.

I hope this post has been helpful even if just to inform you of options that you have. Because knowing is half the battle!

GI Bookstooge is the REAL American Hero, but we all knew that anyway

The Hotel Bookstooge – Now Open for Business

~ Bookstooge ~ 60 Comments

Back in 2018 I started working on my blog to neaten things up (Site Update). Four and a half years later, I have finished. All 4060 of the books I have read since April of 2000 now each have their own little room in The Hotel Bookstooge. (+/- for omnibus and the occasional stray manga volume I lost track of)

And the best part? They can’t check out NOR can they leave. Mwhaahahahahahaa.

I’d like to thank everyone of you who gets posts emailed to them for putting up with this construction. I know this added up to a LOT of emails over time (and sometimes even within just a couple of days) but you can rest assured, the last beam of lumber has been cut, the final coat of paint has been splashed on the walls and the staff have all been vetted and are ready to cater to my every whim. So please, enjoy!

I would say feel free to wander around and check out the over 4000 rooms, but there is a small cover fee to keep the riffraff out. I’m sure you understand. Oh, and watch out for security. I’ve set them on “kill” instead of “stun” because it’s more fun that way. That way as I watch you on the cameras I can be sure you’re genuinely terrified as you run screaming down the falls, begging for mercy and desperately trying to find the way out. My goodness, I’m already chortling in glee just thinking about it! Sounds like a great time, eh?

And to help you take the first step on your fun filled adventure, just click the following link which will take you to a random page on the blog. And THAT service is on the house! Yes, yes, I know, I’m just too generous.

CLIKCC MEE (or else. jus’ sayin’)

Of course, the only problem is what do I do next? I shall have to give that some serious thought. Cheers!

2003 is DONE!

~ Bookstooge ~ 26 Comments

This is just a little note to myself that I’ve finished down to 2003 in my Blog Construction Project. Every time I get to knock another year off the To-Do list is a good moment for me. 2002-2000 is looking more and more doable.

It took me a year to do 2005-2003, so I am really hoping I can finish this blasted project by the end of 2022. I started this project back in ’18, so it will have been 4 years. That’s a LOT of work, sigh.

Anyway, carry on with your day and know that I’m giving you the queen wave….

2006 Is DONE!

~ Bookstooge ~ 34 Comments

I know, you probably think I’m a little late to the party. Admit it. In my defense, it’s only been 15 years. And besides, 2006 was a good year. Tennant was the Dr and Billy Piper was his lovely companion. Good memories!

Anyway, this is just a little note to myself that I’ve finished down to 2006 in my Blog Construction Project. Every time I get to knock another year off the To-Do list is a good moment for me. 2005-2000 is looking more and more doable. So be happy and rejoice with me!

Oh Hurray!

~ Bookstooge ~ 23 Comments

I just finished editing the blog (for today, not as in “It is Finished”) and have gotten 2007 done. This was a huge step, as 2007 was when I started recording the volumes of manga that I read alongside the novels, which meant that my numbers exploded on a monthly basis. With 2007 and up done, what I still have to do back to 2000 is much more manageable.

I’ve been working on this Project for the last 2 1/2 years and I must admit, there are times I wonder if it will ever get done. Then there are the times when something like the Block Editor happens and I wonder if I’ve wasted my time. Thankfully, little milestones like this keep me going. It is also a milestone in that I have now passed the 3400 post mark.

While the end of this project isn’t exactly near, it’s a LOT nearer than it was 2 1/2 years ago 😀 I guess I should probably start thinking of what my next blog project should be.

Anyway, this just felt good to accomplish this today and I thought I’d share. Cheers!

Why I’m Working on the Blog

~ Bookstooge ~ 52 Comments

When I’ve posted about the fact that I am Working on the Blog, I didn’t think of some of the smaller reasons that have recently come to my attention. The following is one of the unexpected benefits of doing this fiddly kind of work.

I keep my reviews in a program on my computer called Calibre. It’s an ebook manager but has the capability of being a database for reviews. Instead of just using a spreadsheet, I use calibre so I can include covers, etc. Anyway, today I woke up rather early and decided to get another month from 2007 out of the way, so I began creating reviews. When I do this, I also double check what is on my blog against what I have in my calibre database just to make sure I’ve got the complete picture. 99% of the time they agree. It’s that bleeding 1% you have to worry about 😉

Sure enough, today was a 1%’er of a time. I was putting up the review for Down the Long Hills by Louis L’Amour and was copy/pasting my review and when I checked in calibre, my review there stated “no original review, here’s a blurb”. My guess is that I had a record of reading the book from my time at Devilreads but that the review got lost in the transition to Booklikes and when I tried to search my blog for Down the Long Hills, since it was in a monthly post and not it’s own, it didn’t show up. You wouldn’t believe how many books I’ve read, that are in my monthly posts, that won’t come up in a search. It is one of the reason I’m doing this. This time I was able to update my calibre library with an actual snippet. That is always a good thing.

All of this to pretty much say that today’s been a good day so far and it’s only 5am. It’s either going to turn out to be a great day or a really baaaaad day 😀

Happy Sabbath all.

Dombey and Son: I’ve read 28%

~ Bookstooge ~ 38 Comments

One of the things I still miss about Booklikes was their Update style of posts for the books you were reading. It was easy to add a bunch of info that looked good. I don’t do many “Currently Reading” posts because I haven’t found a good style that I like and that “fits” my sense of style. But this was just too much to hold inside and I needed to get it out.

I am currently reading Dombey and Son. One of the side characters, a Captain Cuttle, is trying to help one of the main characters, a young man named Walter who works for Mr Dombey. Captain Cuttle has the best of intentions but sadly, every time he opens his mouth he is making things worse. I am literally cringing as I read the current couple of paragraphs.

We all know people like that, I’m sure. Good hearted folk who really are trying to help others and everyone wishes they wouldn’t.
Ok, that is vented. Thanks for listening.

If anyone has any ideas on how to make a classy “Book Update” post, please, let me know. I’d love to have a template so I can do more of these when I end up with lots of feelz whilst reading a book. Here’s a prototype picture of what I’m hoping to use as the header for all my update/currently reading/quote posts:

Construction Continues

~ Bookstooge ~ 29 Comments
under-construction

If you’ve started following me in the last 6 months or so, and you get my posts by email, you might have noticed there are times you get a TON of emails. Short story, I’m working on Phase II of my Blog Construction plan.

Here’s the post I originally wrote in 2018 that goes into more detail than you really ever wanted to know. But it adequately explains what is going on and what to expect:

Bookstooge Under Construction

bookstooge (Custom)