The Thoughts and Ramblings of Steve

Migrating all my blogs to Wordpress

Recently — like maybe a month or so ago — Posterous announced that they would be shutting their service down. This has really gotten me thinking about just how stable these public blogging platforms really are. OK, I’m sure that many could argue that services like Tumblr, because they’re independent, will likely be here for the foreseeable future, but as I look at the frustration experienced by many as they attempt to migrate away from Posterous, i ask myself: is it worth taking the risk? For me, the answer is no.

I’ve decided to migrate my blog over to a self-hosted Wordpress site. Self hosting will give me greater control over exactly how the blog functions and the types of things I’m able to post. Wordpress contains a fantastic plugin architecture that allows it to be customized in what seems like an infinite number of ways. I’m also impressed with a number of on-going initiatives to help make Wordpress more accessible, this in contrast to Tumblr that seems hesitant to make any accessibility-related enhancements or changes.

What next? I’ve got my new blog set up at http://steve.sawczyn.com and am currently in the process of migrating posts over from Tumblr and my old Posterous site. New posts should be coming from this new address. Eventually, I’ll get this http://ssawczyn.tumblr.com URL configured to redirect to the new blog.

Although it’s a bit overwhelming, I’m really excited about all the possibilities and on-going accessibility conversations around Wordpress. I hope people will continue to read my posts on the new site.

Steve

Gabby’s Christmas Wish and how you can help

> Dear Family and Friends
> Every year Steve and I, like many parents, asked our kids what they wanted for Christmas. This year Gabrielle gave us an answer that made us burst with pride. She stated that since she has so many things her Christmas wish would be to help the children that are having to stay in the hospital over the Christmas Holiday. She has used her own money to purchase many items on the Amplatz Children’s Hospital wish list. She would also like to reach out to all of our friends and family to see if they would like to help her with this effort. Amplatz Children’s Hospital is a part of the University of Minnesota Hospital located in Minneapolis. We have to deliver our donation by the 20th of December so they have enough time to wrap and assign the gifts. If you would like to help Gabrielle achieve her Christmas wish please let us know what you would like to donate. We can take donations via PayPal. Since Gabby is too young to have her own Paypal account we are using Steve’s. The email address is Steve@sawczyn.com.
> As her parents we are very proud of Gabrielle’s generous heart and want to encourage her endeavors. Thank you for considering this.
> Thanks So Much
> Jenn

Anonymous asked: This is very cool. How did you tweet a sound file?

There are actually a few ways to do this, two popular options are: Spreaker which is how I posted this particular bit of audio and Audioboo which is also a popular and fantastic service. Both services work very well with VoiceOver on iOS devices and allow audio submissions recorded on a PC, or Mac.

Cultural fare at Gabby’s school