Almost-beta WordPress 3.1 is now running for 15 million blogs on WP.com, the feedback has been really good already and hopefully we’ll iron out some of the few remaining bugs before we do the beta release. The link gives a nice overview of some of the user-facing features of 3.1.
Category Archives: Asides
We are made to feel that at any point, somewhere on the globe, something may occur to sweep away old certainties—something that, if we failed to learn about it instantaneously, could leave us wholly unable to comprehend ourselves or our fellows.
On Distraction by Alain de Botton. I’ll finish this later, I need to reload Techmeme.
15 Blogging Best Practices
Top 15 Blogging Best Practices, which I found via the Share the Word blog.
RTE Interview
When I was in Ireland last week I got the chance to appear on the nightly news show on RTE, which you can view here on WPTV. It was interesting because (1) I was standing in the oddest spot and (2) because it was live broadcast I had one of those things in my ear and there was a second or so delay, which was kind of fun. Here’s the view from the broadcast van. The guest photos were taken by Ciara Beades and Aisling Keane.
Spike Jonze and Kanye
I’ve seen two interesting online short films recently, and I’d recommend both (if you’re above 18). The first is “I’m Here” by Spike Jonze, a love story, which you can see on its official Absolut-sponsored site or on Youtube through these Ebert links. The second is Kanye’s new bizarre but gorgeous short film Runaway, viewable on YouTube, which features the beautiful Selita Ebanks. Both are about 30 minutes long, and will have you thinking and talking to your friends.
Implications Of Blogging
Philip Leigh writes about The Implications Of Blogging for MediaPost. “[M]uch like the printing press transformed publishing, the true cultural significance of blogging — which is only incipient at present — will be a consequence of its production process.”
FoodPress and Nokia
Two fun launches today: FoodPress is a new collection of the best WordPress food writing in the world, right now from .com only. Don’t visit if you’re hungry. 
Second, we’ve launched the WordPress mobile app for Nokia and it’s in their Ovi store. Update: And a bonus, check out the slick new design on Akismet that just launched.
John Medina in SF Tomorrow
John Medina, the author of one of my favorite books Brain Rules, is going to be at Automattic’s office tomorrow (Tuesday the 2nd) at 5 PM to have some after-work drinks and give a short talk. We’ve reserved some seats for the SF WordPress community to come by, and we even have free copies of his books for the first 30 people to show up. RSVP is required, so register here. Hope to see a few of you guys there!
Jane Kim Again
I first posted about Jane Kim in 2004, on my first visit to San Francisco. Fast-forward 6 years and she’s President of the School Board and going for District 6 Supervisor in tomorrow’s elections. If you’re in San Francisco, or know someone cool who is, check out her website and keep her in mind at the polls tomorrow. Tomorrow will also be my first time voting in person instead of by mail, which I expect to be annoying but worth it Update: And she won!
Mashable Interview
Sarah Kessler at Mashable did an interview with me she’s posted under the title WordPress Founder on the Key to Open Source Success. We talk about capitalism, IPOs, how the internet has changed, and Open Source.
Adobe on WP
Adobe Migrates to WordPress, switching 1,200 blogs from Movable Type.
Automattic Becomes a Domain Registrar
As some folks have noticed already, Automattic is now a “real” domain registrar (ID #1531). This has been a goal of mine for several years now, chiefly because I am a bit of a domain collector myself and I’ve never been completely satisfied with the domain buying or management experience on any of the usual players. Second, custom domains are a popular feature on WordPress.com and should become even more popular with some changes we’re introducing this month and it’ll be good to be able to provide a fully integrated experience for our users there. It’ll be a few months while we build all the tools necessary to begin taking advantage of our registrar status so in the meantime we’ll continue to use Godaddy, who has been an excellent partner.
Price of Aid
Disturbing but worthwhile article in the New Yorker about how humanitarian aid can prolong and intensify conflict and strife. Link is just an abstract — anyone have a full copy?
FSF Profile
The Free Software Foundation has a new profile/interview of me on their site. The pull-quote: “Fundamental issues of freedom in software are fundamental issues in our lives, even if most people can’t see it.”
Email Graphs
The email levels on my contact page now show graphs when you click on them. I’ve found this new feature to be very motivating for me.
Experience Design
Hipmunk
Hipmunk is a flight search tool with a twist, and even if you don’t travel as much as I do you should give it a try next time you’re taking a trip somewhere. (It’s hard to describe, but easy to use.) As announced elsewhere, I’m happy to be part of a group of people supporting the team as an investor.
Adam Savage On Problem Solving
Adam Savage of Mythbusters talks about how he solves problems, with an entertaining Q&A afterward. Hat tip: Paul Kedrosky.
Greatest Golf Photo
Saw this on Yahoo: Tiger Woods gives us the greatest golf photo you’ll ever see. Basically he mis-shot (which almost never happens) straight into a camera man who was taking a picture right that instant. Here are larger versions. I love how everyone is looking at the camera, Inception-like, and the guy with the cigar. “For camera buffs, Pain was using a Nikon D3S camera, with a 24-70 mm lens and a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second.”
Offsite Redirects
A new upgrade launched on WordPress.com today, Offsite Redirects. Basically this allows you to retain all of your links, SEO, and visitors when you move from WP.com to self-hosted (or any platform, for that matter). I point it out only because I think it’s central to Automattic’s philosophy, and something I learned from Dave Winer: the easier you make it for people to go, the more likely they are to stay.