The comment spam floods have subsided very suddenly and it can only mean that the spammers are re-grouping or working on some killer app in the spamming world. I am afraid that can only mean more trouble for us bloggers. Stay tuned.

My server is having some Mysql connection issues. I know that the number of queries has increased exponentially and I am also aware that the server is doing a lot more work. However, I am wondering if I can tweak some Mysql parameters to make things work better. Here are some details: Mysql frequently runs out of connections. I close every connection after I am done with it, and I try to reduce or break up all my slow queries. The server averages about 10 queries a second and the number of threads hover around mid 90s all the time. I have reduced the max_timeout and the connect errors to try and reduce the number of threads but that does not seem to make much of a difference. I have tried to increase the number of max connections and that just seems to grind the server to a halt. I […]

A WordPress Rant: A frustrated reader points out a “persistent” bug in WordPress. If there is a quick answer, please feel free to point it out to him. But the reason for this post is more of a question for an idea I had while reading the above post. I want to know if a “paid” set of forums for WordPress (where you are gauranteed an answer and a fix) would fly. Every user would be allowed to register, log on and search for free. However, they would be charged ‘x’ amount of dollars to be able to browse the full text of the forums and ‘y’ amount of dollars to submit a new bug/thread/problem and get a timely fix for it. The ‘y’ dollar amount would be determined by the nature of the problem and the propensity of the fix. This venture would need far more than one developer […]

Google Search: rel=”nofollow”: I am surprised at how excited the blogging world is about this development. I might just be missing something but the benefits of this feature just does not outweigh the weaknesses. I would go so far as to say that this is Google’s way of easy categorization of an indexed page as a blog page more than anything else. Conspiracy theory? Maybe.

My colo is experiencing some bandwidth/power difficulties and the uptime of this site is horrible. So please bear with me while my colo company works out their kinks.

The IndiBlog Awards: Its time to vote for the 2005 IndiBloggies. There are some very talented people/exciting blogs on those lists. This blog appears under Best science/technology IndiBlog. Congratulations to everyone that was nominated!

CSPAM, Three Strikes 1.1 and Three Strikes 1.2 Alpha have been updated to check for trackback spam. Please download them again to get the updated versions. Nothing special to be done, just replace your existing plugins. Three Strikes 1.1 Download Three Strikes 1.2 Alpha Download The CSPAM plugin can be downloaded from the same link as has been privately provided to you through email. I take this opportunity to promote it again. If you would like to participate in the CSPAM project, please email me or leave a comment and I will send you the download link for the plugin. Please report bugs.