Posted inReference Info Posted in genres
How To Clean Suede
As with all other advice-y sounding things on this site, don't take my word for it. I'm just telling you what worked for me. Use your discretion. I'm not responsible…
Subfolders
Latest "Workshop" files
Posted inReference Info Posted in genres
How To Defrost A Frozen Steak In 30 Minutes
As this is a food handling tip, it is presented as documention of something I do. That does not mean I suggest you do it. As with all things, the…
Posted inIT Grimoire Posted in genres
CURL and Browser get different page versions (301 redirects, content changed, etc. — due to Yoast url parameter stripping only for non-logged-in users)
I had a truly maddening problem where my /embed/ functionality was sometimes returning full pages to CURL commands and online services like redirect-checker.org, etc. It turned out, it was Yoast's…
Alternative Education Review: Welcome to the Wobbly Wombat Academy, Where the Curriculum is as Unpredictable as the Weather
Richmond-upon-Thames, UK – Nestled precariously on a foundation of questionable architectural decisions and a deep-seated commitment to the unconventional, the Wobbly Wombat Academy stands alone in its unique approach to…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Determining which javascript script changed an element’s attribute
Determining which script changed an element's attribute So, I had an issue where quite a while ago I added some js code that would open a [code]details[/code] disclosure element if…
Posted inIT Grimoire
SQL query to list all WordPress post revisions for archiving
Here's the SQL query to get all post revisions, which I do prior to cleaning them out of the database, which seems to make it much faster: SELECT p.* FROM…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Speeding up rsnapshot (rsync) backups by removing wildcard paths from exclude
I removed a bunch of wildcard paths from rsnapshot.conf's exclude, and suddenly tonight my backup ran in a few minutes instead of taking over a day like it usually does.…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Display “fixed” elements still scrolling, not fixed to page (also, if z-index not working properly)
I had an interesting problem where I set an image's CSS rules to display:fixed and it still scrolled with the page. Here's what I discovered: In CSS, display:fixed means fixed…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Performance troubleshooting & settings changes 2025aug29
Following several days of frequent freezes, I tried changing the following settings updated in : [opcache] original settings ;recommended by https://vpsfix.com/14433/virtualmin-post-installation-configuration-and-server-optimization-guide/ opcache.enable= opcache.memory_consumption= opcache.interned_strings_buffer= opcache.max_accelerated_files= opcache.validate_timestamps= opcache.revalidate_freq= opcache.save_comments= ;end recommendation…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Directory and File Locations particular to this server
PHP config - Includes: - opcache settings - error warnings PHP slow log setup is in PHP log - PHP error and slow logs by pool are in
Posted inIT Grimoire
Resolving an rsnapshot error — “rsync: –delete does not work without –recursive (-r) or –dirs (-d). rsync error: syntax or usage error (code 1) at main.c(1795)”
I discovered rsnapshot hadn't run in a few days. Checking /etc/rsnapshot.log, I found every recent day had this: rsync: --delete does not work without --recursive (-r) or --dirs (-d). rsync…
Posted inPhotojournal Posted in genres
Subterranean SF: Fort Mason Tunnel
This is a placeholder to remind me to post the photo album of exploring the hidden Fort Mason rail tunnel.
Posted inPhotojournal Posted in genres
Everybody says she’s the brains behind Pa: Wendee’s Farm
This is a placeholder page to remind me to post my gallery of photos from Wendee Key's plantation.
Posted inIT Grimoire
Post-migration steps when migrating or restoring Linux from backup
There are intentionally vague broad steps, here just as a reminder to myself; best to look specific instructions for each of these steps up at restore time for the particular…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Fastest way to delete a large, deep directory in Linux
Per numerous references around the web, to delete /path/to/directory-to-delete/: cd /path/to/ mkdir empty_dir rsync -a --delete empty_dir/ directory-to-delete/ rm -r empty_dir rm -r directory-to-delete Disclaimer: this is for my own…
Posted inReference Info Posted in genres
Web Developer Reference: Comprehensive List of CSS Units
Here’s a guide to all currently available CSS units, with explanations and common use notes. This includes all CSS units listed in MDN Web Docs as of 2025aug15. Sections: By…
Posted inIT Grimoire
VMWare VM unreachable via IP after reboot, even from host machine
My VWWare VM lost internet connectivity after a reboot. Even the host machine could not access any service on it. Http/https got 523 errors. I powered down the VM, changed…
Posted inNews & Info Posted in genres
What It Is: Start Here—What is the General Reference Library section?
I have always been a dedicated archiver and curator of interesting information: trivia, facts, tidbits, how-tos, items of possible future interest. In the internet age, some of this it makes…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Reducing rsnapshot or rsync resource usage
I've had sporadic problems with clearing the WP cache causing the server to return 520 errors for a few minutes. Usually other sites on the same server are fine, it's…
Posted inCode & Algorithms Posted in genres
Software Index Placeholder
This is a placeholder page left here to remind me to set up a single-page index of links to all my various software projects.
Posted inIT Grimoire
Force Git to overwrite local changes if there is a branch conflict
Use code you find here at your own risk! I am not responsible if you damage your data or system by following any instructions you find here. Navigate to your…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Getting Web Browsers Not To Blur Images on Retina Screens
Unfortunately this must be set by site, but on retina screens on MacOS, many browsers blur small images, such as 88x31 buttons. You can overcome this, at least for the…
Posted inIT Grimoire
How to fix if the “Save” button is grayed out in Photoshop CC 2017 save and export dialogs
I don't know if this affects other versions of Photoshop, but on MacOS Photoshop CC 2017 frequently starts unexpectedly graying out all save buttons when you have made changes to…
Posted inCode & Algorithms Posted in genres
Nothin' But A Drag: Draggable Elements WordPress Plugin
This will be written up in detail, but for now, this is just a demo page for my KupieTools Draggable Elements WordPress plugin. If you select "View Page Source" in…
Filtering LinkedIn Posts, Notifications, and Comments by keyword
I use the uBlock Origin browser plugin to filter my LinkedIn Posts, Notifications, and Comments to hide anything containing objectionable topics. uBlock Origin allows you to add custom rules to…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Deactivating, deleting, and completely removing a plugin that WordPress won’t let you deactivate
I installed the WordPress plugin LWS Optimize, which turned out to be unusably broken (which is the reason I'm not linking to it) and made my site unusable. To make…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Website returns 503 server errors, but no errors in logs
Had a weird one today. Last one website of the several of on this server suddenly started returning 503 (service unavailable) errors. There was nothing in the PHP error log…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Get names of all input fields in a FileMaker Pro table
ExecuteSQL ( "SELECT FieldName FROM FileMaker_Fields WHERE TableName='[TABLE NAME]' AND FieldClass='Normal'",",","¶")
Posted inIT Grimoire
How to monitor RAM for tuning pm.max_children
How to monitor RAM usage: free -h: This command shows your system's total, used, and free memory in a human-readable format. Key metrics: total: Total RAM. used: RAM currently in…
Posted inIT Grimoire
Add sar logging for CPU, RAM, and disk I/O
Add or change /etc/cron.d/sysstat to this. This creates a cron jobe to write file /tmp/outage_resource_log.txt that keeps minute-by-minute stats, sometimes useful in troubleshooting slowdowns. However, it's not a great way…
