2019 is recorded in photos here on DarkerView.
The 2019 Gallery
Category: Blogging & Net
The art of feeding a blog
Top Posts of 2019
The top posts of 2019 are a little different than I have seen in the past. Usually it is a mix of a few big hit posts that were linked on other sites and a lot of older posts that have long lives.
This year DarkerView’s traffic was dominated by the controversy on Mauna Kea. Publishing a series of posts on specific issues resulted in a lot of shares, mostly on FaceBook that drove traffic.
TMT supporters would routinely link DarkerView to provide more information in the raging online arguments that drove so much of the controversy. I can only hope that the posts had some effect in countering the dizzying amount of misinformation that featured in these arguments.
Of course the Backyard Telescope Pier article continues to be the most popular long term post. This post has been on every DarkerView top post list since I started the blog. A number of other similar reference posts can be found in the top post lists.
Overall DarkerView had 74,125 page views from 39,679 unique visitors, a large increase from the 46,707 views of 2018, almost double.
Arguing with a Flerf pt. 2
So I pressed the conversation longer than I really should have. But I did discover a number of motivations behind the obstinate adherence to an easily disproved view of the world. It took more conversation, but his motivations did become clearer.
To no surprise part of the reason is religion. When he began to quote bible verses in support of his claims of a “immovable” Earth one can begin to see where he is starting from.
Our flat, enclosed, immovable earth is absolute proof of a creator. God is real. We don’t have to believe in Him anymore. We can know it to be true.
Adam Asing in a Facebook Comment
Flat earth absolutely destroys the atheist/humanist worldview. Just like that.
If one begins with the belief that the Earth is flat, it is easy to reinforce that idea in this modern internet age. A thriving community of flerfs form one of the clearest examples of an echo chamber to be found on the net, a cult really. Circulating photos and YouTube videos reinforce the worldview, ridicule the “globe heads”, cement a community together in a belief of “true knowledge”.
Continue reading “Arguing with a Flerf pt. 2”Favorite Posts of 2018
While the top posts of 2018 are interesting, the list is quite different when treated to a list of my favorite posts of 2018. The posts chronicle a very eventful year, a little too eventful perhaps. Fire and destruction was brought to a large section of the island, the entire island shaking and shuddering as the volcano erupted.
As I compile this list I relive 2018 a bit, recalling good memories and the year’s many adventures. As I often state… DarkerView is a blog in the old sense, a web-log or online diary. It may be public, but it is also quite personal, a record of my life.
- The 8″ f/6 Cave Astrola Lightweight Deluxe
- Restoring the Cave Astrola
- HB1767 4WD On Waipio and Mauna Kea
- Scientific Misappropriation
- A Moonlit Hike to Lake Waiau
- A Very Unstable Day
- To See The Eruption
- Burning Farms
- Midnight Run
- Emergency Alert Fatigue
- Stray
- Please Define Normal
- To Fly
- The Mavic Air
- Learning to Fly
- Another Hop Across the Pond
- Gypsum Creek Mine
- Fixing the Boat
- At Anchor
- The Ruins of Namu
- Mowing the Lawn
- TMT Permit Upheld by State Supreme Court
- Justice Wilson’s Dissent
- The Divide
- Ancient Nothings
- A Walk in the Park
That is a long list! I find myself unable to shorten that list by much, indeed, there are good posts that should be added. The length of that list states one thing very clearly… 2018 was an eventful, interesting year.
A distinct change in this year was my increased political activity, particularly as it surrounds Mauna Kea. I am not just discussing blogging here, there was more… From submitting written testimony on state legislative actions, to attending public meetings, and testifying on issues I feel strongly about. The blog posts record some of that, but by no means all.
The year was eventful on the mauna. With record bad weather in the beginning of the year ruining many night of observing. there was plenty to keep my busy through the year. There is much to feel satisfied about, a few nice accomplishments, even a small victory or two.
The annual Alaskan voyage may very well be my last, my father is considering selling the boat, something that was always part of his plan. Certainly this was my last run along the Inside Passage, a milestone that I mark with some sorrow.
I re-read my written memories here, recall much of what has happened this year. I suspect that 2018 will stand out in my memory when other years have grown dim with fading memory.
Top Posts of 2018
Examining the most popular posts for the year shows trends we have seen in the past. Certain subjects have a very long lifetime, with steady interest and thus search engine hits. The backyard telescope pier plans continue to be one of my all time most popular posts, it has been in the top spot for a few years running. In general a number of amateur astronomy how-to articles are represented on the list.
Other articles reflect what was popular this year. Getting to the lava may now be obsolete, but the eruptions and the news boosted this post into my top rankings. Canon mirrorless cameras also garner a lot of news this year, and thus more hits on DarkerView.
The message is clear, while the new articles on DarkerView are popular, it is the old articles that form a legacy here. People continue to search for and read a lot of the old material on the blog, a result that gives me some satisfaction.
WordPress Blocks
WordPress 5 introduced an entirely new editor, Gutenburg. I knew it was coming, but had not really paid attention. So when I updated DarkerView to WordPress 5 I was unprepared for what was coming.
Oh *#$@! This is different.
Blocks? What are blocks? Everything is blocks? I think I get it, it makes sense, the concept is straightforward… The trouble is in the details of actually doing anything useful, learning what icon to press, how to arrange things. There should be a way to do this, but where is it?
Now that I have had some time with it, and watched a couple training videos, I think I am getting the idea. At least I have been able to produce new posts without struggling.
The new editor is truly more powerful, more of a desktop publishing editor than a simple blogging editor. With Gutenburg the power of WordPress to produce professional websites is dramatically improved.
I wonder what new users will think of when they encounter the editor. Gutenburg dramatically steepens the learning curve necessary before using WordPress. It is possible to use the classic editor, but only within a block. A more explicit way to use the classic editor may be a good idea.
The only real effect on DarkerView right now will be a modest increase in the time it takes me to write a post, there are more keys to press and a few more mouse clicks to get the job done. There will be no real change in the appearance or function of the blog, at least for now.
4K Screen Backgrounds
I was just re-editing one of my photos for use as a background. In my life complicated by multiple computers, many of which are virtual, I use unique screen backgrounds to remind myself which computer I am on.
Hmmm? Maybe I should share a few.
These are sized for the newer 4K monitors at 3840 x 2160, which is the usual 16:9 aspect ratio now used for most monitors. The images should display well on full HD monitors as well. You can use these for personal use only, no commercial use or re-posting to other services!
Use the ‘full size’ link under the image to download it.
Darker View is Back
You may just have noted that DV was down for a few days. While I poked at the issue a bit I did not find the problem until today, Saturday. I finally had time to really sit down and figure out what was wrong.
I probably received some e-mail explaining that there would be a change. I just ignored it in the usual torrent of messages I get every day.
Server names updated in the setup files and a few PHP scripts, it appears everything is back online. Sorry for any confusion!
File a Lawsuit, Break the Law in the Process
So… The Office of Hawaiian Affairs filed a lawsuit against the University of Hawaii challenging the lease for the summit of Mauna Kea. This is news across the state, press conferences were held, a big media deal.
You can see the images here. There are two shots, one of a wrecked Toyota from earlier this year, one of an ancient Hawaiian ahu or shrine high on the mauna.
As one Facebook friend already noted “At least they credited you!” That does not make the infringement go away, it is still infringement. They even left my watermarks and copyright symbol on the image, there is simply no excuse.
Interestingly it appears that OHA, a state agency, does not host their website on a state server. Rather they use Google Cloud Services to host the website. Thus it makes filing a DMCA take-down notice much easier.
I have done just that.
This is not my first DMCA takedown action, or even my third, done this a few times, it works fairly well. The notice goes to the hosting service, if they do not take action, they become legally liable. As a result service providers take DMCA notices fairly seriously.
A legal notice has been served and should be addressed in the next few days. We shall see what the OHA webmasters do with that. Either they remove the material, or the entire website goes poof.
Connecting the Community
This island is a small community, anything that happens is likely to involve someone you know, or a friend of theirs. There are often only a one to three degrees of separation between you and nearly every event that makes the local news.
It is amazing how fast information moves from mauka to makai, the grapevine is very well connected on this island. This connectedness is accelerated by social media. Where once you would have to wait hours or days for official confirmation, or a newspaper report, we now know immediately.
There are specific places everyone goes for this type of informations. Two notable Facebook groups cover island happenings, Big Island Thieves and Big Island Popo Alert.