Migrate from Blogger to Wordpress

I've migrated my wordpress.com blog Lifeasplay to self hosted wordpress at play.fit2thrive.co.uk. The next step is migrating my blogger sites to self hosted wordpress.

I started with the same plugins as my other site. Then looked to import from Blogger.

I'm starting with competitiveurge.co.uk. I search for export blogger to wordpress.

So here's the process I'm using to migrate.

• How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings

Importing the posts went pretty easily

Update Wordpress

For each new wordpress install I created my first task was to update it to the latest version. I consistently found that I would kick off the install process and no progress would occur. I would just see the message downloading wordpress.

What should happen is that the page slowly fills with all the completed update tasks and then an upgrade complete message appears. This generally didn't happen. The quick fix I found was to install another plugin and then come back and update wordpress. I reasoned that the update process was either not configured correctly first time or caching faulty data. Updating a plugin reset the process and it worked fine after that.

I don't know if this is specific to my hosting. I'm surprised I had problems with such a basic process as upgrading a fresh install but I share this incase it helps anyone.

Pages

These weren’t imported  by the importer so I just created and moved them myself.

Settings

general/basic

Copy the site name and tagline from blogger to wordpress

Theme

I need to find something suitable. My http://thecompetitiveurge.blogspot.co.uk/ template had a specific image.

Redirection

I need to finish the redirection part of the guide. I adjusted the permalink structure. Now I need to adjust the blogger template to redirect to http://compete.fit2thrive.co.uk/

Statistics

How do I get them from blogger?

Promotion

Promotion and redirection is the same for my self hosted wordpress site

• Directories:I signed up competitive urge with a bunch of blogging directories. These need changing
• social accounts: Adjust my blog url on sites like favebook. twitter, gplus

Migrating from wordpress.com to self hosted wordpress

I've migrated my wordpress.com blog Lifeasplay to self hosted wordpress at play.fit2thrive.co.uk so I thought I would share the process.

To make the process smooth I follow the excellent guide Going self-hosted: my step-by-step guide for wordpress.com users.

The extra details I would add are the plugins I have installed. Being a newbie to wordpress I'm going with the basic plugins I've been recommended. If you are like me I though this would be helpful. Most of these were recommended by the majority of people, books and blogs I consulted.

Plugins 

• Jetpack: An amazing plugin that seems to do everything
• All In One SEO Pack

From the book word press for beginners

• Google XML Sitemap 
• wp dbmanager 
• contact form 7 
• wp policies: Pages are hidden by default. Add them to the theme footer. The Plugins main page tells you how 

Security

Wordpress isn't very secure by default. A friend suggested these plugins to lock it down.

• BulletProof Security 
• Look-See Security Scanner 
• WP-Sentinel 

Promotion

What I still have to do is tell the world my blog has moved

• Add to blog lovin and the other blog sites I have registered with
• Submit the site xml through Google webmaster if the plugins haven't already done this.

Planning my blog migration

I like to plan and experience has shown me this saves a ton of pain later. My blogs have become really important to me which is why I am moving them in the first place. Of course I have a specific plan in mind and I have to talk to my new hosting company to see how best to achieve it.

Aidan from TSOHost emailed yesterday with the nice and professional mail

Thank you for your order, please let us know if you need any help in future.

This is why I went with them. So this morning I have replied to mail with my first set of questions.

I've included the text of the mail because you may have similar questions. It feels weird to share because it feels private but then I realised it's not. It's the future of this blog and all my others. This blog may become fit2thrive with my others being divisions of it e.g. play.fit2thrive.co.uk and compete.fit2thrive.co.uk. 

What I actually end up with may change but you may be interested in my current vision. I like it when others share their plans about their blogs, apps and things so I'm doing the same. I haven't gone into all the detail yet. I thought I would let that come out in time. 

So here is the mail I sent them. 

Thanks Aidan,

I've got multiple blogs to import so I'm picking the easiest first leaving the hardest until last.

My first task is to migrate my existing blog lifeasplay. It's a wordpress blog and I need to migrate it to wordpress on my tsho hosting. There are a few questions I have first

1) Sub domains: I want lifeasplay to be a subdomain of my main account with the url play.fit2thrive.co.uk. Before I do anything like install wordpress I want to understand how you guys achieve this.

Do you point subdomains at:

1. specific directories on the same server
2. separate servers or instances 

This then leads onto questions about how I will set up wordpress. Will I have multiple instances to maintain or just one instance.

I assume this is a common question so I would prefer your lead on achieving this best on your site.

2) Free migrations. Do I simply tell you what I want and you sort it out or do you need more from me. I'd like to see how you guys set things up atleast once so I can use this as a template for later. It would get me started much faster.

I believe you will need login details for the sites to migrate. I can supply these when needed.

I'm just starting the conversation first.

regards

colin

What are TSOHost like to buy from?

Following on from my Search for wordpress hosting I will now share the experience of signing up with them and moving my blogs over. 

I'm planning a slow migration while I learn Wordpress in more depth, figure out the plugins I want and deal with migration issues. I'll move my smaller blogs first and learn the process before attempting Colchambers because with over 500 posts I need practice beforehand.

Account Details

I went for wordpress hosting on the professional grade. The free domain name I bought was fit2thrive.co.uk. 

Payment

What impressed me right away was being able to pay through paypal. Services like this usually seem to use bricks and mortar credit and debit cards which are clunky. Paypal is a much nicer approach

mails of invoice and receipt came through instantly along with the new account details.

Domains

When you buy your domain you get a mail confirming your registration. It starts with

Hi Colin,
The domain name fit2thrive.co.uk has been successfully registered. The details of your domain are as follows:

I like that in the mail they make it clear you own your domain and aren't locked in. Their words are:

Advanced Users: If you have hosting elsewhere, you can point this domain elsewhere by logging into My.Tsohost.co.uk and changing the nameservers or DNS settings.

 I like companies that believe in their ability to keep your loyalty without locking you in. It's good business in my eyes.

Support

I did get a strange mail during the regeistration process.

Hi Colin,
Thank you for registering the domain name fit2thrive.co.uk with Tsohost. In order to complete the registration, the co.uk registry require additional information to be provided.
Please visit my.Tsohost to supply these details. We will then re-attempt your domain registration.
Should you have any problems or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.

I've never had this type of email before when registering domains and there was no detail about the problem. I logged into my account and checked and found no more information. Not a good start!!!

I quickly emailed TSOHost and got a courteous and clear reply about 5 minutes later. The bad formatting of this response is down to blogger. It's part of the reason I'm leaving.

Hi Colin,
Our apologies for that.
It looks like that e-mail is in error.
I suspect there may have been a momentary delay in the registration process which caused our accounting system to log it as a failure.
The domain is registered, so that should function perfectly well once you've added that to the Hosting Account as a new site.
Please feel free to let me know if you require any further assistance.
Kind Regards,

 I can live with mistakes when I'm supported like this. So my confidence is restored.

Overall

So far I'm happy but of course that was the easy part. Next I've got to configure my account and start a migration. That's where the fun should start :-)

Using AWS

I don't really know what AWS is other than it's a cloud based it infrastructure.

You get account details:

• home
• Manage Your Account

Tutorials

• Getting Started with AWS
• How Do I Get Started with the Free Usage Tier?
• Dynamic Website (PHP & MySQL, .NET & SQL Server, etc.)
• Computing Basics for Linux
• Tutorial: Hosting a WordPress Blog with Amazon EC2
• Tutorial: Installing a LAMP Web Server
• PHP Developer Center
• sdk

Key questions

• AWS native or supplier like Bitnami?: Do I use AWS as it is or go through a 3rd party supplier and checkout the marketplace
• Do I just stick with the hosting I have bought for now. Figure out AWS over time? It seems very complicated for now.
• Do I just need to understand what AWS is instead of forcing PHP on it? Is it ready out of the box. e.g a data store on demand?
• 
  

Simple DB

•  Online games: Docs mention it is good for games

Search for Wordpress hosting

Unless I find something better I'll be using Wordpress in future so I'm looking for hosting. Here is the list of hosts I've found so far.

I'm not totally sure what I want yet. Just seeing what's out there. I'm not set on this being my long term host. I've used hosting before but not for a while. So I know you only really know the market and what you need from it when you actually set up your site and use it. In most situations you either love what you have or get by for long enough. So I can't expect perfection in my first choice because I don't have the time to find it. Compromise is expected, I just don't know which aspects I will be compromising on yet.

Review Process

So the layout of this post is:

• Reviews: A quick search on the current market
• In the hunt: Hosts that fit my criteria
• Favourite: My preferred choice
• Failed the grade: Hosts that don't match my criteria

Related reviews and discussions

My search for "good wordpress hosting uk" returned:

• suitable wordpress host in the uk
• hosting-review: Top 10 Web Hosting Providers - Updated February 2014: Just alist of sites. I'm not clear what the metrics really mean. 

I found others but I quickly found some hosts that impressed me enough and then a clear winner.

In the hunt

These hosts are currently in the hunt as part of my current search.

Detailed review: As my review progresses I've begun a spreadsheet to make a thorough review easier

tsohost (My Favourite) : We're UK WordPress Hosting Experts, Supporting Over 10,000 Installations.

• package:
• Standard Hosting package at £2.99 a month (paying £34.99 for the year).
• Pro: £4.99/month (£50/year)
• Hosted software: The list of supported software isn't obvious. I found it in web hosting under the second 1 Click Apps section. Click on the title  "1 Click Apps" to expand the list which includes:
• Wordpress
• Drupal
• Moodle
• phpBB
• OpenCart
• 1 free domain name: What are their terms? Is it easy to migrate the name out?
• support: email 24hr, phone 9am - midnight
• I asked a question through the sales query tab on their site. Got a response within a couple of minutes. It was a tough technical question "Is it possible to use git with your professional hosting package?". Not something everyone would know. The way it was handled was very professional.
• used by: mumturnedmon
• review rgbartlett
• 2.5gb disk space
• network information provides an in depth explanation of the whole technical setup from network to server and database infrastructure.
• I like their backup statement "Unlike conventional hosting systems, we are able to take backups multiple times per day with absolutely no performance degradation. These backups are instantly browsable via our online control panel and files can be downloaded or restored at will with no need to contact support."
• Knowledgebase is a giant forum: Checked some recently updated threads on 
• .Net 4.5 and was impressed by the clarity of response. A lot of useful detail companies don't usually share. A good sign.
• Domain auto renewal period again very professional. Good clear explanations. This one took 16 days to reply though so not super quick

EVO Hosting 

Good UK hosting. More expensive than TSOhost. Not as much information available as TSOhost and everything EVO offers is matched or bettered by TSO.

• price: slightly higher at £64.99/year £6.49/month
• Faster web servers: For better performance, we use LiteSpeed, a premium web server that's up to six times faster than Apache. 
• Interesting but could that also mean compatibility problems.
• free domain for life: We'll keep your domain registered for you for free for as long as you host with us! Not included on monthly billing.
• I have to check they allow you to take it with you if you leave and don't charge extra.
• SSH Access Available (On request - Further T&Cs Apply) implies I can use git
• lists the software actually available including Joomla, Mambo, WordPress, Coranto, ocPortal, Drupal, b2evo, WordPress MU & More!
• Crowley said I have been using them for the last 6 months, as they are in the UK and my customers are too I get a better UK Google ranking on my affiliate blogs than if my sites were in the USA. Their support guys are great -- I can't say anything bad about them, you can install wordpress in 1 click using their Installatron and they give you a free domain.
• Their not standard hosting options could be a blessing and a curse. Could make things faster and easier but also make it hard to find support on google. 
• knowledgebase just a simple page with a few links. 
• 
  

34sp.com

• Good testimonials and sample sites: Of course these are presented by 34sp themselves. I like to see it but have to take them with a pinch of salt. Though they have got people to put their name and site to the 34sp brand and they have presented it well.
• Features and version easy to find
• weekly backups
• limited one click installers: phpBB and wordpress. No Moodle
• Data Centres and Network : sounds good but no match for TSOHost. They do everything here and more.
• Support
• forum though when I looked through there wasn't much recent activity. Particularly recent support activity!!!. Don't know the hours of forum support and its priority
• knowledgebase Seems ok. Information seems accurate, useful and easy to follow. Searching seems easy

bluehost.com

• feature list is clear and extensive
• .ssh access
• moodle, drupal, phpbb
• courtesy site backups. How often and not offsite!!
• detailed hosting plan details including server details if you choose advanced in the feature list then advanced features in the capabilities field. Impressive to actually see the server spec you are buying. 
• US host

Favourite

TSOHost are my favourite so far. They seem to match everyone else on price and features and then do more. The customer service seems implicit in what they do.

I didn't complete the Detailed review completely because it was hard to find all the information. That in itself helped make the decision. TSOHost has everything filled out because they made the info clear enough. In the end TSOHost beat their competitors on:

• support, 
• ease of use of their site: which implies ease of use of their services. What you see often reflects what you get
• price, 
• features
• backups

So the choice is hands down TSO Host. To top it off I heard such good things from mumturnedmon who hosts a busy wordpress site. Independent reviews make all the difference.

Outstanding questions

• Free Domain Names
• Q: who owns a domain your register?
• A: You do. We always register domains in your name not ours.
• Q: how easy is it to transfer out? any costs and requirements
• A: It depends on the type of domain. They don't apply restrictions and you can obtain the EPP(auth) code through their web admin panel and initiate a transfer without contacting support. Though some like uk domains require support to update the IPSTAG
• Q: Do I get to manage the DNS?
• A: Yes
• Site transfers
• Q: Does this include blogger to wordpress transfers?
• A: Yes
• Multihost
• Q: Can I host multiple wordpress sites each with their own domain name?
• A: Yes. I double checked the web hosting page and it's pretty clear. The number of sites depends on your package. Professional hosting would allow 6 separate sites.
• Database Storage
• Q: You can have unlimited mysql databases on a professional account but what storage limit will the DB be taking up? Is it the hosting storage or a separate one and what is the limit?
• A: Database storage is included in hosting storage. There is no separate storage quota.

I just emailed sales@tsohost.com with these questions. I got an instant reply with a ticket number which I find a good sign. I now have a solid reference I can use any time I contact about this query.

Now I just see how long they take to respond. I'm quite excited to get started but it's a big decision so I need these questions answered.

Response

About a minute later I got the following response. It's pretty general so I feel it's ok to share.

Hi Colin,

We always register domains in your name not ours. We are your registration agent but the domains are yours. That means if you ever want to transfer them out then you can do - we won't stop you.

With Nominet (UK domains) the domain will be registered to you or your company, with us just being the TAG holder. With gtlds you have the ability to change the registrant, technical and admin contact details through the client area.

In terms of transfer outs, you can get the EPP (Auth) code through the client area, as well as unlock the domain name. That means you do not need to contact us to move the domains away. If you have a UK domain and want to change the IPSTAG away from us, just open a support ticket and we can do it right away.

On our systems, space is allocated for everything in one go. So you can use that space for website files, emails, databases, logs etc -- it all comes out of one pot. The only other limit we set space-wize is that a database should not be bigger than 1GB. If it is then it becomes inefficient on shared hosting and we'll suggest you move it to a virtual server instead.

Wordpress migrations are usually pretty straightforward. We can move the files and database, then update the wp-config.php file to get it running through us.

If you are moving from a self-hosted Wordpress (or another blogging platform like Blogger) it's slightly different. There is an import tool we can use to do it for you. However, bear in mind you may need to reupload images and so on, as our migration team usually require full access. We always try our best though!

regards

--------

I'm very impressed. A nice clear answer with plenty of advice and detail and a lightning fast response. Of course when you contact sales in any company you generally get a faster response than contacting support but it's a good sign. I'm convinced any way. 

It's a risk who ever I go with but these guys seem to be really high quality.

Failed the grade

US hosts but the exchange rate suggests I could buy more there.
http://wpbloghost.com/

• not impressed couldn't find a list of features
• prices are around £5/month - £8/month
• You don't know what you get for your money

site5 Failed because they're US based and no better than UK offerings. Couldn't find enough detail

• seems ok. US based in Texas. Provide server specs, 
• no monthly plan for cheaper options
• recommended by t31os who said  i also found http://www.site5.com to be very good, very fast response times to tickets etc... but this was Posted 4 years ago!!!

What is Microsoft Azure?

I was talking to a tech buddy during a play date this weekend. He's currently updating his Microsoft accreditation and is really impressed with what he's learning. He's telling me how he can write one application and publish it to multiple devices, phone, tablet desktop in a snap.

Backend cloud processing for Unity

Yep, we've heard it all before, it's called html 5 these days, but this guy isn't a newbie, for example he's already using phone gap and loves it. We're talking here about solutions for serious backend cloud processing that are maintainable and scalable. Essentially something to rival Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Web Toolkit (GWT).

I was interested because Unity has introduced me to the power of .NET. I already know other Microsoft products like Visual Studio from when I used it years ago and I've been supporting and developing on Microsoft software for so long I'm pretty familiar with their quality. It's not perfect but I was wondering if this could be a useful solution, particularly something to work with Unity.

I've been searching for Unity backend services including Photon and Smartfox Server and both have the strengths and weaknesses. I was wondering if Azure would be a good fit given it's microsoft and so I assume .Net pedigree.

Quick Comparison

Talking to another colleague I learned that AWS and Azure are pretty similar services but key differences were

• Pricing: 
• AWS billed per hour. Fire up your machine and you are charged for an hour even if you just use 10 minutes
• Azure billed on time machine is running: You only pay for when your machine is actually running
• Builds and publishing
• With AWS being unix based it's easy to build your server locally and publish to AWS. A very quick process. Same as building your applications
• Azure: Longer more difficult process for building your server and then publishing code and software builds

This is an on going explorative article. Helping me decide if Windows Azure is fit for my purpose. So if you have anything to add please do. Particularly if details are wrong. The comparison of services is more hear say at the moment. Something I need to clarify. 

Concerns

My concern with Microsoft is always lock in. They are in my view a walled garden because I learnt to support and work on Microsoft first and from then on I've been struggling to get out. Over time I have learnt that this comes directly from their business model and hence their way of doing business. 

Their systems and products are always sufficiently different to anything else they ensure you must buy their next product. Here's a quick list of MS products I've used along with competitors that I found I prefer:

• I ran IIS servers for years and then I found apache. 
• I ran windows for years, recently I found Apples OS X. So far it's hands down better.
• MS Office v Google Docs, I don't need the power of Office. I need the presence and accessibility of Gdocs
• Exchange and Outlook v GMail, With GMail I often search for details 7 years old and find them in seconds. 
• Visual Studio v Dreamweaver or eclipse. Dreamweaver does better HTML, eclipse does more than just MS code for free

The big lesson of course has been Internet Explorer v Firefox and Chrome as a web developer with passion for the front end I have always designed for firefox and chrome first and then made things work in IE. This is probably the simplest way of describing Microsofts solutions in my experience. 

Develop for the solid quality products first. Then make it work on Microsoft

So why consider a Microsoft development pipeline at all? 

I like to keep my ears and eyes open. Not be prejudiced. Mainly it's because Unity uses .Net. I assume this is because of Xbox. So I don't want to dismiss MS out of hand because there could be some part of the process that's useful or other benefits I don't yet realise. 

Related Articles

• Windows Azure: Pricing seems steep at $48/month minimum

Who are PrimeSense? Microsoft Kinect and Apple

Primesense are a fascinating firm because they developed the sensors that made Microsoft Kinect possible. The Israeli company are the market leaders in providing computers with the ability to read natural gestures from humans like moving their arms and body. This enables us all to interactive with our digital devices without a mouse, game controller or other device. We just use our selves as the input device.

This evolution is opening up tremendous opportunities for interactivity and experience in the virtual landscape of computers, tv and any digital device.

While Microsoft brought the technology to the mainstream through their Kinect platform it is rumoured that Apple were the originally intended patron. Turning down a deal at the time preferring Siri, the voice recognition technology, instead.

Apple just bought Primesense signalling an about turn in strategy and triggering inevitable speculation on the reasons why. Forbes speculated why without coming to a conclusion. cnet say it's to enhance their maps offering.

What I notice is that PrimeSense are incredibly passionate in the concept of natural interaction with digital devices. To the point that they have developed thier own OpenNI (Open Natural Interface) standard and development kit linked to OpenNi.org. This is the kind of leadership I would hope for from the leaders in Natural Interaction.

As I learn more about Apple, having recently bought my first device, a macbook air, and then an ipad mini I learn that under the hood the standards they set are particularly high. Git and Unix spring to mind. They care about incorporating best of breed technology into their infrastructure and ultimately consumer products. This takes time. So I am wary of listening too much to the gossip I hear about failed mergers. It's never as simple as just plugging a company and its technology in.

We're still waiting to see where this will all lead. The first signs are that the Primesense web site has stripped all news and other info. I remember reading that they had shrunk their technology so much they were now aiming for mobile phones. That implies it will be in iphone and ipad soon. When and if isn't clear. What purpose they would have isn't clear either. The most obvious application is for Apple TV. A real game changer and the most common rumour.

What makes most sense to me is owning the platform not the app the Structure sensor is a fully funded kickstarter project promising amazing potential for Apple products. Now that Apple own the OpenNI standard they can ensure projects like this get the best support possible. Taking the competitive advantage away from their rivals. Structure for example allows your device to scan a room and generate a 3d model. What this means for users isn't Apples concern. That's for app and device manufacturers to explore. Apple has just ensured that they will do it on Apple products.

I'm certainly growing in my faith in the Apple brand and its mission as I learn more about it.

What we do know is that tt's certainly an exciting time to follow tech.

Related news

• Structure sensor: Capture the world in 3D on your phone

Moodle Unity Question Type

Brief

Connect unity with the drag and drop question type so I have a unity front end and moodle question back end. Like pattern match has jme for visuals.

Use it to connect with sports and life science guys at the OU and elsewhere along with games for change people.

Detail

Connect unity to moodle through a question type. Moodle is the backend. Storing data, doing analysis and providing the quiz and course aspects. Unity is the front end. Providing the content and interface.

Can develop and deliver in the open using tools I know. I combine earning and playing while developing a symbiotic infrastructure other educators can use. Making it easier for them to improving the quality of their teaching process.

Provides a stable location on which all platforms can depend and share. One place connecting all users. 

Just figured out that I could easily connect unity with the drag and drop question type so I have a unity front end and moodle question back end. Like pattern match has jme for visuals.

Can do the same with unity. Then have a simple api to build moodle quizzes into my virtual training.

Moodle is my backend and I'm writing a contrib solution as a way to start talking about biology and sports science while building a specialist interface between techies and non techie specialists.

Builds into Moodle + Unity + AWS Infrastructure

Affiliate Marketing: Finding what products and brands fit?

I have 3 blogs I would like to use affiliate marketing with:

• colchambers.co.uk exploring human performance and sharing what I learn including 3d worlds, software development
• competitiveurge.co.uk competing: business, sports (particularly tennis), education
• cellyoursole.com gaining health through activity and understanding your body better

The challenge is in finding the right affiliates and products to promote so I'm wondering what guidance you can give. I've had a quick browse and quickly felt I could do with a little support picking the right things

Competitive Urge

For the competitive urge I found fantasy sports this is from twist, I forget whether I found this through MoreNiche or elsewhere but right now I'm just trying to pick the relevant genres. Then I can find specific brands and products. I played fantasy sports before and enjoyed them so I can see the fit with CompetitiveUrge though I'm still looking for more ideas

Cell your sole and colchambers are trickier

Cell Your Sole

Cell your sole is in the health and lifestyle area but most money is made through pills and nutrients. The complete opposite of what my site is about. Apps that help you get healthy fit as do review sites or maybe health programmes. I wonder if you have any ideas. The key is about helping people get more active and help them see the benefits. Pedometers, personal trainers, fitting movement into your day. Stuff like that

Colchambers: Human Performance

Colchambers is my general stuff following my lifelong passion to understand my body and get the best out of it. Something I want to share with my family. A combination of cell your sole and competitive urge and also my day job as a programmer. I'm an entrepreneur and inventor. I'm currently exploring unity3d for designing 3d virtual worlds and just bought a macbook air to make development easier and as part of an entertainment solution. These might give you some ideas.

Taking my time

So, you may see why I will take a while to get the most out of affiliate advertising. If you can help please get in touch. I'm already using amazon affiliates and adsense so I have put some effort in but I like exploring options. I'd like to support products that fit my existing interests. If you can help me then I'll get there sooner.

What is the best cloud application production infrastructure for me?

This is another exploratory post considering the way forward this year. Blogging is now core but still just one strand of a wider goal I've been pursuing for years.

I see blogging as conversation but also specification and wider thought. In the process of delivering a product or service I've found early discussion and collaboration to be essential. Blogging is the simplest way to do that.

I can easily try ideas out. Present them, get feedback and see what people actually use or engage in. It also allows me to pursue many different paths of though. See where they lead and develop the core concepts of an idea better.

The long term vision though is to produce media and programs ultimately leading to games and experiences. So the question today is what is the best infrastructure to support this. Now the web has become a utility and most products and services support it you can basically take your development and production process where ever you go and get the job done. At least you can if you pick the right tools and learn how to make them work in your workflow.

First I'll brainstorm my current thoughts to see what I already have in place or could put in place. See if this covers enough bases and look for holes in the idea. This should also give you more of an idea of what I am rambling on about.

Essentially I'm asking what is a good enough, or brilliant, development and production setup that works at work, home and out and about. Is there one or must I compromise and where?

What I want to do and how I currently do it

• Blogging: Blogger and Wordpress. Will move to self hosted wordpress early this year
• Unity 3d: code stored in github, Store output files in dropbox public folder
• HTML 5: code stored in github, developed and published through cloud9ide
• Content store: Dropbox public folder. Works on all devices, reliable and built for scale
• Distributed Versioned file store: for managing codebases. Use github free version.
• Learning tools: planning a self hosted moodle install
• Web server: PHP is the language I use the most and supports the most popular web software I'm likely to use
• Drupal, 
• Wordpress
• Moodle

The questions I have are many and varied and I'll answer them over time. Here are a few to give you can idea of where I am going:

1. Is there one host that would do all this? I don't think so and I don't think I would want it. Too much lock in. The hassle of so many different solution is balanced by the freedom to connect and switch them as needed. AWS or bitnami for example
2. Do web hosts support github these days or is ftp still the norm? github is so much more straightforward. Cloud9ide does it so well.
3. Is it possible to provide data and server side programming on a web host and use this as required in html 5 and unity applications? Seems a relative no brainer. Just haven't got round to it.
4. Is dropbox a good enough content delivery network (CDN)? Isn't designed for professional use but for now is it good enough. What metrics should I gather?

Creating this article has been useful already. It's helping me formulate what it is I'm actually trying to do and see that I do have most of it already in place or I know it can be done and how to do it. 

Essentially I feel we're entering a world where many parts of the infrastructure that support an application or experience are distributed. The networks and data rates are so good and reliable and the tools understand how to make it work easily enough. 

For example I think the way Tennis results are expressed isn't very good. I find it really hard to follow the tours as a result. All I need is a reliable source of results in a format I can reinterpret as requoired. Then I need tools to visualise this data in ways that help me follow the tour and understand the results better. 

That's just one example out of hundreds. The infrastructure you would need is 

Data provider

The web server provides and stores most of the data. Handling the following jobs:

• something to pull in the data, 
• turn it into a standard format 
• and store it. 
• Then supply it when needed. 

Visualise the data

 The tools to visualise the data include:

• HTML 5 developed and published within the cloud9ide editor or dropbox public folder
• Unity developed within the unity editor published in dropbox public folder

Both have excellent cross platform ways of sharing and visualising data. 

Content delivery network (CDN)

Dropbox hosts the media files for me including the unity files. It hosts images too. Not a good place for videos.

Youtube hosts many of the videos I share and some I have uploaded. 

Should this be my web server instead or is it best to keep these things separate?

Distributed Code Management

Git manages the code throughout the infrastructure and gets it where it needs to be. Currently using the free public version.

I'm asking questions like:
Which hosts support a git workflow?
Should my wordpress sites be under a git workflow?
My gut tells me not yet. Just get good WP hosting first so I learn what that's like. Get a separate git hosting elsewhere and when I'm ready combine the two some how.

For now I'm just surveying the scene.

My search returned plenty of results with people doing just this so it's possible.

• Workflow for working with git and WordPress
• you need .ssh access so VPS or a dedicated server is required.
• need a private git hub repository if you have premium wordpress plugins or themes.
• Keeping WordPress Under [Version] Control with Git
• example.gitignore file
• wp-content/uploads should you track it?

Graphics and image Editor

I'm using the pixlr editor app in chrome. So it is the same across all my desktops and does the basics I need for now. Mainly editing photos. Resizing them for web. Accepts photo urls as well as local files. Means I don't need to install a separate image editor on each desktop and maintain it. 

Spongelab: Build a body

Just recording the sponge lab game Build a body that I just found. Click on the launch interactive button to play the game.

It's like the google virtual body but also part of a much wider assortment of learning tools on spongelab. Very interesting to find.

Spongelab calls itself

The best in digital learning.

and claims to be

A global science community 

So of course I want to explore this site over time. I'm starting  with their Build a body game.

I could pick apart the interface and interactivity but I think that's unfair. I find it quite simple and straight forward. I didn't need any instruction. It just worked. You place parts of the body where they're supposed to go and learn about them as you go.

What more could you ask?

In truth simplicity is great for learning. This tool doesn't try to be more that it needs to be to demonstrate the concepts. So I like it. Of course I would suggest it be made in either HTML 5 or unity for cross platform support but that's just a future feature. The concept it what is important and it's done well in my eyes.

So I'm looking forward to looking at the other resources sponge lab offer.

Wimbledon: The All England Club - Court 1 as a 3d Model you can download

Another 3D model you can download as part of Google Earth is court one at Wimbledon.

The All England Club - Court 1

So excited to have models like this and Rod Laver arena. Using them will be fun.

Blogging Platforms: A look at Wordpress

In my search for the right blogging platform for me I expect to go with wordpress unless a recent alternative shows up. This is a post I am writing as I go. I'm hoping to make a decision in the next month or two but life often gets in the way and deadlines drift. That's life. I keep notes like this all the time but it's the first time I've made them public. I have just noticed how much I benefit from others sharing their notes so I am doing the same.

So the obvious questions are

• what I actually want to do with blogging?
• why wordpress? 
• what does WP offer and why is it better than blogger. 

what I actually want to do with blogging?

The first question is what are my needs for the future?

1. create content: It's relatively easy to create content right now but I feel it should be much easier. The blogger mobile app for example ruins the formatting of existing posts so I'm put off using it and rely on desktop browsing. Not good. Lots of other issues.
2. connect: Blogger connects easily to google plus but nothing else. I'm looking at other options like livefyre. I want automatic publishing to major platforms. Though IFTTT and others get around this.
3. promotion: It's a lot of work right now to promote what I do. I hear wordpress has a lot of plugins to help
4. monetise: Blogger does well so far in allowing adsense but overall the feeling is amateurish and the stats seem unreliable
5. Admin: Blogger doesn't have great admin tools. The mobile app doesn't even report stats.

Why Wordpress? 

Wordpress is the tool for the majority of bloggers I know of or hear about, professional or amateur. My experience of wordpress has really impressed me considering my 7 or see years experience of blogger

Quick Review

My wordpress blog life as play gives me a basic insight into Wordpress. I started it a few years ago but left quickly because there were a few things I couldn't do. Mainly it was about restrcitions on what you can embed but now I don't have the same concerns. If I host I should get round any problems anyway.

So I thought I would just list the features I really like:

• The editor: 
• putting it fullscreen is lovely 
• pasting test in is easy. Blogger needs a lot of formatting
• Quick draft: Now I have found it I love it. Something I've been needing
• php and opensource: I'm a developer who write php code all day. So the ability to adjust wordpress if I need to is a nice option to have. Not expecting to do anything but this is not an option with blogger. 
• related posts: Categories done as I have always expected. Every post ends with a list of related posts determined by the categories it is assigned to. With blogger I'm having to do this manually. What's the point of that?
• Social: 
• Blogger does an OK job. Publishing to G+ was particularly good until I started scheduling posts. Now they don't appear there unless I share manually. What's the point.
• on tennisfrontier I can post to all the big networks but also customise the post to the network. Set key tags for each using @, # or whatever.

I also post on tennisfrontier which runs wordpress. This is properly setup i.e. not the basic hosted package so I get a chance to see more of the plugins that are available. The content sharing and promotion options are much better. Particularly the ability to coordinating social media campaigns for each post.

Wordpress.com

I am still learning what wordpress can do by running my blog life as play. It's the next blog I want to focus on and now I'm a starting to think properly about it.

• how to setup a wordpress.com blog: A useful article that showed me a few features I hadn't noticed. The sharing options that I have been looking for.

Install

I am likely looking for a hosted service. Thought I checked with a frind who set up a self install wordpress site. He said wordpress isn't particularly secure by default. So most of the work was in setting up the right security plugins. He chose these:

• BulletProof Security
• Look-See Security Scanner
• WP-Sentinel

Self hosted

So I just found some guides for transitioning from blogger and wordpress to self hosted word press. I know there will be a lot of these out there and planned to search in time but I came across these today. Worth including

• mumturnedmon: Going self-hosted: my step-by-step guide for wordpress.com users
• host: tsohost :We're UK WordPress Hosting Experts, Supporting Over 10,000 Installations.
• package: Standard Hosting package at £2.99 a month (paying £34.99 for the year).
• Hosted software: Couldn't find a list of software they support. Wordpress and Drupal were shown in their demo
• Transfer your followers and email subscribers:  Over 40 and a Mum to One shows it is possible, you just need to find the right forum on WordPress! So here’s the link that explains what you should do, note the Jetpack Subscriptions requirement (note: at the time of going to press the support forums were very busy and limiting queries to upgraded users).
• tots100: what we learned at back to blog school
• must have plugins for word press users
• how to set up a self-hosted blog

Plugins

Word press is all about the plugins so I looked at what is popular then checked a few more sites:

• 40+ essential WordPress plugins including plugins focused on
• related content
• security
• revision control
• google analytics
• dropbox backup
• SEO
• Tweet old post
• The Best WordPress Plugins same as previous article just different plugins
• unity
• unitydog
• unity web player plugin
• Embedding unity into your wordpress site

Tutorial sites

• wpbeginner.com
• 14 Most Common WordPress Errors and How to Fix Them

Git

I use git a lot now. I basically swear by it. I'd rather use this instead of ftp if I could. So, naturally, I'm going to look at how to use it with my hosting and with word press.

• How to Install WordPress Plugins and Themes from GitHub

Australian Open: Rod Laver Arena as a 3d Model you can download

Of course I love looking for 3D models that I can use. Preferablyl stuff I can use straight away in Unity but you can normally convert them if needed for Unity. The process of importing seems to be a skill in itself anyway.

That aside I'm listening to the Aus Open 2014 and realised I had never seen Melbourne Park where it is played. So with the wonders of modern technology I can do the next best thing. A 3d tour of sorts.

So I jumped into google earth and searched for Rod Laver Arena and Voila. I love seeing how these tournaments are laid out. It's always different to how I imagined but now I know it adds a little to the experience.

Imagine my excitement when I found that Rod Laver Arena has been modelled and you can download it (apparently for free)!!! I know. I was floored too. Properly salivating.

I can't see a way to embed the visualisation here so a link will have to do.

check out Rod Laver Arena 3D model

Watch this space for the upcoming models I am so excited to list :-)

Building my portfolio of models I can use in Unity is an on going quest. I already have a whole gamut of Nasa models. No joke Jupiter orbiters and apollo rockets no doubt and the amazing space shuttle. No joke. Downloaded from Nasa itself. I'll post the link in due course but if you want it just get in touch.

Thanks for dropping by. I haven't used this Rod Laver 3d model yet so if you do please let me know how it turns out. If you need to do some jiggery and pokery :-) to get it right, which I find you have to do with all models, then it would be great if you share what that was.

Thanks

Blogging and comments: Livefyre Wordpress only?

Part of considering the best blogging platform for me and investigating word press is considering what I lose migrating from Blogger. Blogger has been  particularly slow recently thus taking more time to work with. That's annoying but a topic for later.

Right now I'm considering comments. Blogger gives you something because it's built straight in to google plus which is a growing platform that's increasingly useful for traffic and discussion but it's only one place. I'd rather connect to all and let my visitors decide how they want to connect.

I've seen livefyre on several sites and found it useful. so I checked it out a little more.

Default Install

Is it a no brainer or a bit of work? You get 4 options as standard

• wordpress
• tumblr
• custom
• Joomla

Implying wordpress is a no brainer install. 

Blogger install

Can you add livefyre to blogger then? a quick search apparently you can. 

Doesn't seem too hard. Next question is which of my blogs I might try it on.

The Plague and the benefits of Horizontal Gene Transfer

How do you express the concept of Horizontal Gene Transfer in a way most people could understand and also see where it could be useful?

In fact I have several related concepts and questions I think I can express in one idea:

• What is Horizontal Gene Transfer
• Is  horizontal gene transfer natures software update?
• Can viruses can do good?
• Can programming teach you about biology?
• Is biology built into programming?

These are the challengea I've been considering for a few years. One idea I like is creating an experiment to demonstrate the concept in a historical context. Once I understood Horizontal Gene Transfer I quickly started to wonder if this would be a simple answer to why certain people are immune to pandemics like the plague while others aren't.

The point is that anything that would help you survive the plague would be selected for in an evolutionary fashion. Even in the most deadly plagues and pandemics there always people who are immune and survive. It makes a lot of sense that if this immunity were the result of a viral infection then it could spread.

As long as the virus doesn't harm the individual enough that they don't survive then the virus would actually help people live when those around them would die. This would become a symbiotic relationship as long as the plague lasts. It would also encourage the transmission of the virus. Those who are immune would obviously become more common relative to those who are not immune. Stories of miraculous recoveries by being touched or in the presence of certain immune individuals would be abound.

Viruses survive because they can change the genetic code of the hosts they infect

This may sound fantastical but the concept is already in place and called active immunity. The individual themselves would produce the immunity. A related example is Sickle cell anaemia. It is dangerous and uncommon in normal populations but more common in places where malaria is prevent.

Sickle Cell Anaemia protects against malaria. So while normally it would be a bad condition to have but in an environment where Malaria is common is would be quite a benefit. So it demonstrates the principle of an affliction being an advantage however Sickle Cell is an inherited genetic disease.

All we are really talking about here is for nature to come up with a way of being able to transfer this condition to others. That's actually what viruses do. In fact it's how they live. Viruses survive because they can change the genetic code of the hosts they infect. Otherwise they wouldn't be viruses.

So that's the basic theory. A virus uses horizontal gene transfer and could infact do good instead of harm. Giving a species selective advantage. How to demonstrate this though, that's a fun challenge.

We have always known more about evolution and biology than we think. We just haven't appreciated enough different viewpoints. 

So the context is the plague. I'm obviously thinking of the great plague that affected Europe in the middle ages and came to England because I'm English. You pick your own similar story that interests you. The concept is most important.

Working in software is for me an advantage. I practice horizontal gene transfer on a daily basis so the concept and its application becomes quite straightforward once I'm in the right mindset.

The story I want to follow is of a cell or cells being attacked by plague bacteria. You must introduce a virus containing code to protect against the bacteria. Essentially an update to the cell code base. Now the exploit on the code has been fixed.

This explains in one example how a virus could protect us against infection and thus be beneficial. Not just harmful. And how our genetic code can be constantly updated through exposure to the world around us. Just like our devices and apps are constantly being updated.

I described how to translate this into software so this article is about putting context and story behind the techniques. Why you would bother to create this app and why Unity interests me so much as a development platform. You could do this through html 5 but I think it would be easier and have more impact through Unity.

Overall This demonstrates neatly my view that we have always known more about evolution and biology than we think. We just haven't appreciated enough different viewpoints.

Where to buy domain names?

A question many of us have is where is best to buy a domain name from? and also should I try a new supplier? That's what I asked when I wanted to buy a domain name. Here is my journey.

I've been using 123-reg for almost a decade now for some basic reasons. Mainly because they fit the bill at the time. That was

• They don't lock your domain in. You can move it to another host at any time. I heard of companies acting as though they own your domain and expect a release fee for it or won't even let it go.
• Good prices: One of the cheapest at the time
• Redirecting: I just point my domain colchambers.co.uk at this blog. No extra cost.
• Easy renewal
• Simple tool to find the best domain name at the right price. checks for all major domains e.g. .com, .co.uk, uk.com etc at once. Tells you what is available, price options etc
• Ok admin panel: You can do all the basic things I might need to do. Change where your domain points. change DNS and nameservers, web forwarding
• Ok support site: So far I have found the answers that I need

They were the best on this criteria years ago and seemed ok since. Yesterday though I tried buying another domain name and was frustrated with all the extras they kept trying to sell me. It felt like if I forgot to remove each one in each step then I would get overcharged. 

I hate that style of business but I thing this has always how 123-reg have done it and I just put up with it. I know I don't need the extras and I don't buy domain names often so I ignore it. 

I just felt it worth checking to see if there is any thing better out there. Just a quick check. I know 123 and they don't seem to have changed much but it's always nice to look around. 

New features: Do I need them

The reason I'm looking again is because I have forgotten whether I need the stuff 123-reg tried to sell me. Things like:

• Mail accounts: My memory is that this is irrelevant to your domain. Tied to your hosting instead. Hosting isn't something I would get with 123-reg. 
• Whois privacy: A new thing to me. I assume it's just ex directory for domain names. I dont want to hide my address at this point. Some people will. 
• hosting: as for mail. I get it elsewhere

Providers

The other providers I found were:

• names.co.uk more expensive. Support site says you can move your domain away or point it elsewhere. No cost mentioned. Support is ok. Search for domains is ok.
• ukreg.com good terms do email forwarding
• 1&1 

123-reg email forwarding

This quick check reminded me about email forward.

• Tried to set it up email forwarding at 123-reg that worked fine
• Forwards show on the manage email admin screen only when you choose the relevant domain
• Tried the advice on adding a catch all forward it didn't work at first. Said "incorrect forward recipient". Not helpful and frustrating. Turns out I already had a catch all forward set up. didn't know because the manage email screen doesn't show yoru forward rules by default. Removed it then added the new one.

Results

I stayed with 123-reg in the end. Mainly because I've not had any problems yet and the others I found weren't any better. I only had 20 minutes to compare but the key point is that with these guys I'm not locked in. So the price was right and the risk is minimal. The admin screens are very clunk but for now I am getting what I pay for.

After sales

This is often most important to me. So I thought I would share a little of what you get and why I'm not in a rush to change once I find a company that's ok. Domains are cheap but crucial. With the wrong supplier you could lose control or not renew or something. 

Don't worry about who I'm with. It's more about know what you should be getting. I don't know everything I should be getting because it's just one aspect of putting a web site and app or blog together. 

ICANN verification

I got this straight after my purchase. I haven't shared the whole mail. Just the important intro bit

Please be advised that as of the 1st January 2014 it has now become a mandatory requirement from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Name and Numbers (ICANN) that all ICANN accredited registrars verify the WHOIS contact information for all new domain registrations, domain transfers and registrant contact modifications.
You have received this email as you have recently registered one or more domains from 123Reg/Webfusion with the following registrant details:

• Invoice: Obviously key.  Came through instantly with attached pdf. e

Direct Debit

Direct debit confirmation: I set up a DD and the email confirmation came through quickly with full details of supplier 123-REG, 5 Roundwood Avenue, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1FF, UNITED KINGDOM, dd@123-reg.co.uk, 17 / Jan / 2014 the mail gave the correct details and support info was

If any of the above details are incorrect please call Customer Services as soon as possible on 0845 450 2310or email us at dd@123-reg.co.uk. However, if your details are correct you need do nothing and your Direct Debit will be processed as normal. You have the right to cancel your Direct Debit at any time. A copy of the Direct Debit Guarantee is below.

For information, the collections will be made using this reference:

References for support were given so I should be able to contact customer support and have a correct reference number making the process much faster.

Virtual Worlds in Unity: Gone Home: what happened to the Greenbriars?

Has anyone played this game? It sounds fantastic. I've been tracking Unity for a long time and developing with it has been a real pleasure. Finally I am seeing Unity hit the mainstream as both a game and simulation platform. This title particularly is something that I am considering buying.

The concept seems genre defining. I love crime dramas, this sounds like an interactive one. The synposis is

A multiple award-winning story-exploration game that asks: What do you do when you get home and your entire family has disappeared? Spend your time going through their rooms to find out what’s happened of course.

Gone Home
by The Fullbright Company
for Windows, Mac and Linux

I head about it from the monthly Unity news letter. The promo video seems amazing and about gone home on the makes site tells you more.  What interests me is the concept. The interactive aspect of solving a crime. Moving from the passive process of which TV or film to the more interactive nature of games.

Whether the game is good is less important than the value that the gaming experience can bring. The genre is very young compared to the big or small screen. So seeing it evolve and grow is what really excites me.

If you can tell me any more about it. What is good, what is bad. Is there anything new to the concept, gameplay, interactivity that moves the genre on?

Build a Virtual Body: Bacteria communicate with their hosts

This article Communication between bacteria and their hosts is the kind of thing I look for to support my dream of a virtual body. My interpretation is essentially simple.

I consider bacteria and viruses to be to the human body like plugins are to software. The body is an entire organism but in fact it's a symbiosis of multiple organisms that evolved together. These organisms are so interlinked they couldn't exist separately.

Normal evolution means that the body must continually keep up with the changing environment in which it lives. Bacteria and Viruses are simply natural means to facilitate these changes. Horizontal gene transfer is part of this mechanism and there is plenty of evidence that the organisms we host talk to each other. This is just the same as software and operating systems. They all talk to each other. Lots of tiny applications and scripts slowly get incorporated into software and ultimately built into operating systems. 

I simply see the same pattern happening in biology. In fact I feel that we are just seeing the normal processes of evolution occurring in digital fields as we have seen in the biological ecosystems.