Tech Tip : Updated Right-Click Menu Fix for Blogger’s BlogThis! Feature in IE6
Posted on June 23, 2003 at 1:07 pm | No Comments
With the hard working crew at Pyra/Google in the process of changing tons of Blogger users over to the brand new interface, I spent some time figuring out how to get the handy right-click menu option for their BlogThis! feature up and running on Internet Explorer 6.
This is all, of course, on the condition that you once had right-click BlogThis! running when you were using pro.blogger.com, and that it no longer functions now that you’re using new interface at new.blogger.com. (If you never installed BlogThis!, I highly recommend that you first go here and install this. Give thanks to Phil while you’re there).
1. First and foremost, back up your registry. Run ‘regedit’ from your start bar, choose Registry / Export and select All for the Export range. Save it in a convenient location.
2. Next, rename your current BlogThis file, which is located in Program Files/BlogThis. It should be called blogthis.pyra. Rename it to blogthis.orig.
3. Grab this file (right click, save as…) and save it to that same directory. It should have the same name as the one you just renamed. Windows may try to rename it with a .txt or .htm extension on the end of it, so make sure your folder settings show file extensions, and that this file is simply named blog_this.pyra.
NOTE: The new BlogThis that the folks at Blogger have come up with references a file called “blog_this.pyra”. Note the addition of an underscore. If you’ve already tried to mess with the settings, your registry may be looking for blog_this.pyra instead of blogthis.pyra. You have two simple options:
A. The easy fix : make a copy of the new blogthis.pyra file you got from me and rename it blog_this.pyra. That should allow either registry setting to work.
B. The almost as easy fix : edit your registry. Run regedit and browse to: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMenuExtBlogThis! Make sure that the Default string points to the name of the file you have in your BlogThis directory (either Program FilesBlogThisblog_this.pyra, or blogthis.pyra).
Once you’ve got everything all set, close all instances of Internet Explorer, reopen one, open your right click menu. You should see a choice for BlogThis!, so choose it and cross your fingers. Hopefully the BlogThis! interface will open and you can post to your heart’s content.
Of course, I can’t guarantee this will work for all users… it is Windows we’re talking about here, after all. If you mess up your machine, call me blameless.
A Big Day for Candidate Dean
Posted on June 23, 2003 at 9:00 am | No Comments
At noon today, on the main street of my hometown, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean will officially announce his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States of America. The roadways are filling with Dean supporters, and the rally is hours away.
It’s a big day for all involved, and even for those who may not know it yet. If we’re lucky (and by we, I mean the entire population of the U.S.), this day will go down in history as the day that marked the beginning of a new era… when the guy who brought our country back from the brink officially threw his hat into a hard-fought and well-deserved victory.
Almost 13,000 people have officially registered to be part of the celebration today, at events in all fifty states, as well as virtual gatherings. I wish I could be up there in Burlington, rather than down here in Boston, but I’ll be watching the webcast at 1pm, and tuning in to as much coverage as I can. Given all the media attention he’s getting lately, Dean is clearly up with the front of the pack. Finally, today, the race is on.
According to ABC’s the Note : “Today, Howard Dean’s announcement speech will be seen live by more supporters than any announcement in the history of presidential politics….”.
To get involved in today’s countrywide party, head on over to the Dean Action Site and find out where the masses are gathering near you. When asked where you were on the day things started changing, you’ll be able to say “I was with the people who believed.”