Fix for blank popup box in WordPress

July 10th, 2010 · WordPress

Blank Popup Box in WordPress

If you get blank popup boxes in WordPress, for example when using the visual editor you are unable to add or edit a link in posts, then try the following..

  • Add your domain (like example.com, no need for the http or the www.) to the whitelist in your firewall or antivirus program that is blocking popups/ads/banners. I use Kaspersky, and to do this, go to Settings, Anti-Banner, then click on Settings and add your domain.
  • Check your browser addons, some have URL checkers that could be causing a problem. I use FireFox with the Kaspersky URL Advisor Add-on. Try adding your domain to the exclusion list by clicking in FireFox – Tools, Add-ons, click on Options under Kaspersky URL Advisor, then add your domain to the exclusion list.
  • Close and reload your browser.
Normal Popup Box in WordPress

This is another very good example of how a problem or setting change in one piece of software can impact on the performance of another piece of software.

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Glossy Laptop Screen Filter

July 9th, 2010 · Computing

The current trend these days seems to be one of giving laptops super glossy screens. Yes, they look great, but spend more then five minutes doing actual work and your eyes begin to ache. The main culprit appears to be the ambient light reflecting off the screen into your eyes.

Through Google searching I found a filter called ViewGuard. Specifically a ViewGuard Anti-Glare Matte Screen Protector.

Check them out here:  http://www.buyviewguard.com They delivered promptly, with excellent packing.

See the picture below for my before and after results.

Glossy Screen Filter

The difference is impressive.. my headache disappeared and I find working on the laptop far more enjoyable. However, fitting a filter is no match for having a matte screen in the first place. I could not find a laptop in my price/performance range with a matte screen, so I knew when I ordered it that I would have to find a filter solution or get used to working with a glossy screen. I also found the large filter ( 17.3″ ) hard to fit.. notice the bubbles in the after picture, I’ll have another go at removing them later, however I hardly notice them in use, so I may just leave them for now.

I found this link interesting on the current thinking from one of the major laptop manufacturers…
http://www.digitalversus.com/interview-sony-where-next-for-screens-on-laptops-news-13618.html

Personally, I’d like to see laptop manufacturers offering a matte filter as standard – something designed to fit into their bezel.

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IVLM2-5/7 Display Interface

September 24th, 2009 · Electronics

The IVLM2-5/7 is a dual colour VFD display. It has two sets of segments. One BLUE and one ORANGE, arranged in the standard 5 rows x 7 columns format.

Driving the display is as simple as scanning the rows and columns with the desired segment patterns. This interface board I designed takes care of all the tedious display refresh work, freeing up a host microcontroller OR old fashioned logic circuits to do other things.

IVLM2-5/7 mounted onto PCB

Bottom of VFD board.



The display does not flicker to the human eye, the video camera is picking up the refresh.

The details in a nutshell….

Display power requirements:

  • 200mA filament current
  • up to 70V DC bias voltage ( I am using 30V DC in my example above )
  • 5V supply for logic.

It sounds complicated, but in reality it is very easy! ( Honest! )

Display interface options:

  • I2C
  • SPI
  • LOGIC (no host microcontroller required! )

- several general purpose digital I/O available for use with future software upgrades to onboard controller.

Display features:

On-board microcontroller handles all the scanning and VFD refresh requirements.
Standard character-set stored in microcontroller memory for access via one of the interface options. Special characters and effects selected by external pin or in software.

Display PCB settings:

  • Address – for SPI/I2C
  • Bias brightness control, important to trim each individual display
  • Mode setting jumper

PCB Mounting:

Four holes allow easy mounting to a backplane.

I’ll soon be making a mini wall of these VFD displays. Check back soon!

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WordPress Comment Highlight

August 16th, 2009 · WordPress

It’s a nice touch to be able to quickly identify the original post author or site owner comments. I think the easiest way to achieve this is by styling the background.

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Jumbo Single Digit Clock Kit

August 12th, 2009 · Kits

I picked up this bargain on eBay recently. It’s a Velleman kit ( they make pretty good kits ). I dont normally buy kits, as I can design my circuit, but the price made this worth buying.

Jumbo Single Digit Clock Kit

MK153 Jumbo Single Digit Clock Kit.

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Essential iPhone 3GS accessories.

August 6th, 2009 · iPhone

My mini review of essential iPhone 3GS accessories I have been using regularly for just over a month…

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How to create a favicon

August 4th, 2009 · Web Tips

A fav… what???

Put simply, a favicon is that little logo you see next to the web site title in your browser tab bar and bookmarks list. Think of it as a graphical fingerprint for the site.

A favicon :

  • makes your site look more professional.
  • visually tags your site in bookmark lists and browser tab navigation.

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List bookmarks with favicons

August 3rd, 2009 · WordPress

Here on this site, I ran into the problem of using images, in this case favicons, with text in link lists. For some reason the wp_list_bookmarks() function in WordPress does not allow link text to be displayed simultaneously with an image. A quick google search showed numerous solutions, and I present here the one I decided to use.

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