Category: Technology

Pinterest: Can WordPress users prevent their images from being pinned to Pinterest?

Aynaria 12 Comments

 

Pinterest has become increasingly popular for many internet users, it gives the user a way to pin items of interest, and can generate additional traffic to the site where the images were found.

However, there are some that aren’t thrilled about this new service. The obvious reason, is the complete disregard (knowingly or unknowingly) that some users go about pinning copyrighted material. Not every site wants their images copied. It’s always a good idea, to read the websites copyright policy before you pin. In doing so, you avoid being sued if a website owner decided to come after you for stealing their original work.

I used Pinterest, briefly, but grew weary of tracking down to make sure what I was repinning wasn’t in violation of the original owners copyright. From my own observation, I’ve seen many users pinning images that weren’t supposed to be copied.

One way to avoid items being pinned, is by implementing a simple code into your header tag.

<meta name=”pinterest” content=”nopin” />

According to Pinterest, if you install the above code to your site a Pinterest user will receive the following message.

This site doesn’t allow pinning to Pinterest. Please contact the owner with any questions. Thanks for visiting!”

Oh by the way, the meta tag information, can be found in the Pinterest Help section under Linking to your Blog or Website.

Pinterest LogoRed

Pinterest: How can WordPress users block their images being pinned to Pinterest?

  1. Click on Appearance tab
  2. Click on Editor
  3. Click on Header (header.php)
  4. Insert the code listed below on the line immediately after the <head> tag.
  5. <meta name=”pinterest” content=”nopin” />

WordPress Plugin that blocks Pinterest users from copying my images

Users that don’t want to mess around with their themes, can always install the NoPin WordPress Plugin created by Shawn Hooper. It can also be found on the WordPress Addon site; NoPin WordPress Plugin.

Will it stop all pins? I’m sure someone might find a way around it, but it will decrease some of it. Additionally, it’s a good idea to watermark all your copyrighted photos.

Edited to add WordPress Plugin information.

Photo Source: Pinterest

 

MegaUpload shut down; Day after websites went dark to protest SOPA/PiPA

Aynaria 13 Comments

Behind bars

I find it interesting that the day after many websites went dark to protest SOPA/PIPA that MegaUpload was shut down. MegaUpload, for those of you who don’t know, is one of the largest file sharing sites available. It’s based in Hong Kong, and has been around since 2005.

According to TorrentFreak, it was shut down by the US federal prosecutors in Virginia. I have to admit this has me a bit confused, since MegaTorrent is a legitimate file sharing site.

The Justice Department’s website states this about MegaUpload...

WASHINGTON – Seven individuals and two corporations have been charged in the United States with running an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works, through Megaupload.com and other related sites, generating more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and causing more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners, the U.S. Justice Department and FBI announced today.

This action is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime.

The full indictment regarding the MegaUpload shut down, can be read at Scribd.com. To be honest, I’m a bit puzzled by the entire ordeal. I know they used the DMCA notice for people wanting to download files… If the allegations are true, I’m guessing some people were sharing copyrighted material and this is why it’s being shut down? I’ve seen similar things happen on Youtube, where copyrighted material has slipped through, but once it’s found YouTube removes it.

I’ve known about MegaUpload for a few years, and so I’ll be following this story closely.

Photo Source: My Side of the Story

What is SOPA and PIPA? How it could this bill change your internet experience (if passed).

Aynaria 4 Comments

As mentioned, I participated in the internet blackout on all my sites on Wednesday, 01/18/12.

The good news is that 25 senators are now against the bill. Naturally this is great news, but is something to keep a close eye on to make sure that these bills aren’t tacked on to other bills.

If you’re not sure what the SOPA and PIPA are abut, please check out the video, which is 11 minutes and 15 seconds, below. Thus far, this is the best video I’ve seen about these two bills, and I’d encourage you to watch it — if you haven’t already.

SOPA/PIPA: Going Dark on Wednesday, 01/18/12

Aynaria 3 Comments

Zappy censored 300x300

As you travel the net, tomorrow, you might notice that some of your favorite websites are inaccessible.

The reason is simple, some websites are Going Dark, to protest Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). I’ve read about these two bills last year, and over the past few months the outrage amongst those not wishing to be silenced has picked up momentum.

Although written about a month ago, 1st Webdesigner Foundation has written a great article about SOPA/PIPA and how it can affect you.

Several of the big name tech companies like Wikipedia, Boing Boing, Reddit, and Google are joining in the protest…

“Like many businesses, entrepreneurs, and Web users, we oppose these bills because there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue Web sites without asking American companies to censor the Internet,” a Google representative said. “So tomorrow we will be joining many other tech companies to highlight this issue on our U.S. home page.”

In response to questions about how the protest link would be displayed on the page, all Google would say is that the link would not replace the company logo.

The White House has spoke out against SOPA

Right now, Congress is debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the very real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN). We want to take this opportunity to tell you what the Administration will support—and what we will not support. Any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.

While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.

Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small.

Last week, I read about a protest that’s been scheduled for Wednesday, 01/18/12. Perhaps some of the politicians who’re trying to pass this bill don’t  care too much about some websites going dark. I do believe some of them will care if their constituents start calling them complaining about the bill that they read about online, and so I’ll be participating. Go Dark, is the Word Press Plugin I’ll be using to join the protest against SOPA/PIPA.

References

  1. CNET: Google will protest SOPA using popular homepage
  2. The White House: We the People
  3. ABC news: ‘Wikipedia Blackout’, SOPA and PIPA explained

Photo Source: XBMC

 

Two festive WordPress Christmas Plugins

Aynaria Leave a comment

Can you believe it? This year is almost over. Since I’ve done almost everything for Christmas, the only thing left for me to do is relax. Later this week, I’ll be posting a few pictures of the Christmas lights I’ve hung, along with the Christmas tree that we have. It’s not a live tree. While my real home is very festive, I’d neglected to spice up my virtual home for the Christmas holidays — until now.

Earlier today, I added two WordPress Christmas plugins to my site. I took screenshots of the WordPress Plug Ins from the admin perspective, so you could see what they look like. I like them, since it brings a festive touch to my virtual home.

Word Press Christmas Plugins

    WordPress Plugin Christmas

  1. Wp-Christmas (Download Here)

    Aren’t those snow folks cute? I owe it all to the WordPress Plug in Wp-Christmas. I thought the snowmen animation was adorable, along with the message Wish you a Merry Christmas, so naturally I installed this WordPress plugin. This plugin also has an option for you to add customized messages, and so I’ll be hanging onto this one after the holidays end. next year I’ll be having a few contests on this site, and I already have a few ideas of the type of messages I’d like to create with this addon.

    2. WordPress Plugin Snow Balloons

  2. Snow, balloons and more (Download Here)

    Do you see the falling snowflakes on my site? The WordPress plugin, Snow, balloons and more is responsible for adding the virtual snow to Celebrate Life. What I like about this WordPress plugin is there’s a variety of images I can choose. Although the majority of the images included are Christmas based, there’s other images like balloons and leaves. You also have the option to incorporate your own customized images to this plugin. Later on, I’ll be taking advantage for that feature.

I wouldn’t have known about these WordPress plug-ins if I didn’t follow The WordPress Experts via their RSS feed. If you’re a WordPress user, or thinking about making the switch to WordPress, I highly recommend following this site. It’s chock full of helpful information that will benefit WordPress users of all levels.

Farewell Steve Jobs; Revolutionary dies at 56

Aynaria 5 Comments

On Wednesday, October 5, 2011 Steve Jobs died (three days after my birthday).

Steve jobs

I’m not surprised by the news, In April 2011, he stepped down as Apple’s CEO, because of health complications. However, I’m still sad. He was still a young man, in my opinion, being only 56 years old. However, in that short period of time, he achieved a lot.

Steve Jobs was adopted, He was a poor college dropout. That didn’t stop him from dreaming and attempting to turn those dreams into a reality.

Evelyn Parham a natural health writer recently wrote about how speed bumps can slow you down. It’s obvious Steve Jobs picked himself up and kept moving when he faced obstacles. He accomplished a lot, my thoughts and prayers for his family/friends.

I bought my first Apple product in 2006, three days after my birthday. It was the 17″ Macbook Pro. Once I went Mac, I never went back. I even brought my father along on the journey. I purchased a desktop Mac version for him. I also bought him an iPod which he still uses religiously. He has it loaded with sermons that he buys from CD’s, I load them onto the computer and transfer them to his iPod.

Steve Jobs commencement speech

Regarding Apple products… I can’t say enough good things about the company. Since my switch, I’ve written about Apple-related products for online and print publications. I’m still a technology geek. However, these days instead of picking up Windows certifications my studies are mainly focused on Apple.

The Highwaymen: Highwayman

Lyrics: The Highwayman

I was a highwayman. Along the coach roads I did ride
With sword and pistol by my side
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five
But I am still alive.

I was a sailor. I was born upon the tide
And with the sea I did abide.
I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
But I am living still.

I was a dam builder across the river deep and wide
Where steel and water did collide
A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado
I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below
They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound
But I am still around..I’ll always be around..and around and around and
around and around

I fly a starship across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I’ll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I’ll be back again, and again and again and again and again..

Staying organized with FlexTime for Mac

Aynaria 9 Comments

 

FlexTime for Mac

Recently, my schedule has become hectic. Working on projects, it’s easy to get sucked into my work and block everything out. However, there are times when I need to snap back into reality and do important things such as prepare meals, pick my daughter up from school, take a break, and exercise. When my daughter is home, I step away from my projects and spend time with her.

My problem isn’t motivation. When I’m focused on a project, at times I have to force myself to stop. It isn’t always easy. Last evening, I finally got around to purchasing FlexTime for Mac. Think of it as a productivity planner for your computer, it keeps tabs on the projects that you’re working on, and alerts you when time expires. Setting up tasks is easy. I’ve already added numerous tasks for myself,  and I’ll be adding more. Currently, I’ve had a warning set up, 10 minutes before I want to stop working on a project. It’s my gentle reminder that its time for me to wrap up my thoughts, slow down and change my focus.

If you’re a Mac user and want to try out FlexTime, pop by Daniel Jalkut’s (owner & developer) website and download FlexTIme. You’ll be able to try out the product for thirty days. I first tried out FlexTime in 2007, I tried the free trial, loved it but really had no use for it. I do now. FlexTime is only $18.95, if you’re a Mac user, and enjoy productivity tools, check it out!

Although I do affiliate marketing on this site (Amazon, I only recommend products I’ve used) I’m not paid anything for recommending FlexTime. I simply like the product. Daniel Jalkut does a great job of responding to his clients, via email and through his forums, so I’m happy to point others to his fabulous applications. I also use MarsEdit, another app developed by him, it’s an only blog editor. As with anything I like, I’ll recommend it to others. I know a few of my readers are Mac users so if you want to check out an amazing productivity product that’s free to test for 30 days, try it out.

Question: Does anyone else using a productivity application? If so let us know what you use in the comment section.