Author: Doug Berger

Founder, visionary, and editor of Doug's Views. Need more info - see the About page linked below the masthead.
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New search method from Google

Sometime ago I moved to a new server because my previous Host just didn’t support my use of Moveable Type. They severely restricted the program to where it was useless to me to have on a regular basis.

I moved to a new host who I learned didn’t restrict the use of MT scripts and especially didn’t after I bought a virtual server.

A few months into the new arrangement my blogs started going down on a regular basis. The server would crash so bad that it didn’t exist when you tried to visit. I upgraded the memory 3 times and was still getting crashes.

The problem is mt-search.cgi file in the base install of my MoveableType v3.36 I used the script for Tag searches on the site. What happens is some yahoos run a script that crawls the site and hits every tag which causes the script to fire. The overhead would build up and crash the server.

I immediately disabled the mt-search script and the crashes stopped.

The problem is a blog is really not whole unless a visitor can search it. It would especially make the Tag feature useless since tags are just a search keyword that serves up posts with that keyword.

I looked for another solution.

One I tried was a PHP whole text search plugin that was suppose to be fast but after following the instructions to the letter and spending several hours, I still couldn’t get it to work with my blog (although the basic version did work with Doug’s Views). The basic support for the script was lacking. I kept having an issue with mod_rewrite exceeding the max redirects with Moveable Type’s base htaccess file declaration for dynamic publishing – which was needed for the plug in to work. No dynamic publishing no search.

I found a solution that didn’t require a phd in computer script programing and server mechanics.

Google has a product called Custom Search Engine. You use your current Google account or get one, and CSE allows you to create a custom search – you can host the form and results on your site, use Google for the results, place your own ads on the results, limit the search to certain pages, include more than one site. The one downside is you have to put up with ads on the results page.

Once you setup the base search engine then Google provides the code to put on your blog to display the search box and results. I haven’t figured out how to host the results myself yet but Google will serve the results for you.

The cool thing is I can still have Tag searches by writing a URL that will pass the info to CSE as if you used a search box. Here is the example of my code I use in my MT templates:

"a rel="tag" href="http://www.google.com/cse?q=<$MTTagName encode_url="1"$>&cx="your value will very here"><$MTTagName$>"

Now when I click on a Tag in the entry or on my Tag Index it brings up a Google search results page with hits on that Tag.

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Put Dummy Hoy in the Hall of Fame

I am always fascinated by tiny little towns in Hancock county that back in the day were thriving but now seem only known to old timers. These population centers usually focused on the railroad, grain, or the finding of a clean water source.

There are several I learned about in my youth. There is Deweyville, Shawtown, Mortimer, and Houcktown.

So I was tickled when I read an article about a baseball player who was born in Houcktown. His name was William “Dummy” Hoy. His claim to fame was he is the first deaf mute major league baseball player to play the game.

Legend has it that it was because of Hoy that umpires use hand signals for balls and strikes today. Some even say that all the various hand signs are the result of his playing days. There is no documented proof of that but it sounds interesting.

Hoy was active from 1888 to 1903 and played in 1796 games with an average of .287 that included 2004 hits, 1426 runs, 40 homers and 726 runs batted in. He played for the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1894 to 1898. The Redlegs were the predecessor to the current Cincinnati Reds.

A recent film was shown in Columbus documenting Hoy and his life. It is called “Dummy Hoy: A Deaf Hero”. The film is part of a long time effort to get Hoy inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

So here is a tip of the hat to the newest entry in my Famous Findlayians – William “Dummy” Hoy.

For more information:

In baseball limbo

Baseball Biography Project

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Can’t we all just get along

After reading some left leaning blogs this primary campaign season, you kind of have to remind yourself that people don’t all think alike. You don’t want to draw some false conclusions that paint everyone in a particular group with too wide a brush. It has been pretty tough for me to read those blogs.

The stars seem to be aligning for the Democrats in 2008. They have two history making candidates wanting to be the next President, a current President whose approval rating puts him in league with some nasty people like Nixon and Hitler, and some of the largest turn outs for a primary in decades.

It all seems good so what is the problem?

At least from a blog perspective the problem is too much of a good thing and internal strife is threatening to sour people on the whole mess.

What do I mean?

Well I expected to see and read negative stories and treatment of Hillary Clinton in the mainstream press (MSM) since that has been their bread and butter since the Clinton administration. From “stories” about her pantsuits to repeating invectives as news, the MSM has shown no love for Hillary.

I just didn’t expect to read those negative stories in left leaning blogs like Daily Kos as well as local the Buckeye State Blog.

Just today 2/29/2008, there were three negative Hillary stories on the front page of Daily Kos. Clinton allies threaten “imminent” lawsuit over Texas caucuses and The Dog That Hasn’t Barked and Ickes and Penn, After School, Behind the Bike Racks

On Buckeye State it had Ted Steps In With The Hail Marry Clinton Ad, Toledo Blade Loves That Obama Guy and Note To The Clinton Campaign on its front page today.

And don’t get me started on some of the comments to articles on those blogs. One would think you came across a right wing blog with all the b and c words used about Hillary and the Clinton’s in general and watch out if you try to post a negative Obama story or comment.

I get it. I know that these blogs and the regular contributors have taken sides. I know they don’t write in the subtle manner of the conservative loving MSM. I understand that some people are very passionate and have put in many hours of labor and love to promote their candidate. What bothers me is the personal attacks.

Sure complain about the person’s views or previous votes but stop with the personal attacks. Stop with the irrelevant look at campaign tactics and strategy. Both candidates are going to do everything to win. Just because you don’t like a particular candidate doesn’t make their tactic any better or worse. I need to point out that Bill Clinton was popular and won reelection because he out Republicaned the GOP and took the Democrats to the center. John Kerry, in 2004, stayed with the Northeastern liberal elites and lost.

And what does that say about those readers and writers who take right wing talking points that have been used in the past and pass them off as proof that Hillary is no good yet dismiss talking points that paint Obama in a negative light.

It has come to the point that I have practically stopped reading those blogs. I skim the titles and skip about 80%. I still read Cheers and Jeers on Daily Kos.

This year it looks like no matter who is the Democratic candidate this will be the year for change in the White House. My fear is these inter-family squabbles might upset the apple cart and the Democrats will miss out again like they did in 2000.

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Blizzard of ’78 – 30th Anniversary

In the early morning hours of January 26th 1978, thunder woke me up. Rain was hitting our trailer hard. We lived on Trenton Ave. where the Wal-Mart store is now, at the intersection of US 224 and I-75.

At the time I was 10 years old and afraid of thunderstorms so I did my usual run to mom’s room and I crawled into bed with her. I fell asleep soon after.

That didn’t last long.

Just before dawn the roar of the wind woke both of us up. The wind banged the various loose metal pieces and trim around our windows. My mom turned on the radio and WFIN was broadcasting about a blizzard hitting Findlay. It wasn’t even 5 am and Findlay City Schools closed for the day. In fact all the schools in the county closed.

We laid there in the morning gloom listening to the radio until the power went out. Not only was the radio off but so was our propane furnace. Mom got up and filled a bucket and some empty milk jugs with water. She told me to put on some extra clothes to guard against the cold.

The roar of the wind didn’t stop. I looked out the window and saw nothing but sheets of snow.

The Great Blizzard of 1978 had arrived in Findlay.

That first day was an adventure. Mom got out our camping gear and setup the Sterno stove so she could have some coffee. We had little food in the house as the storm caught us off guard. Later in the day, when we tried to open our front door to let the dog out to pee, it was frozen shut. The rain the night before froze on the metal frame. My poor dog couldn’t go outside even if she wanted to. It took about a half hour and a butter knife to get it open. The dog went to the open door, sniffed around, and refused to go out in the wind and snow.

I had to lift her down onto the stoop and as she went into the drift around the door I only saw her snout. She was gone for only a minute and slowly made her way up the stoop. I had to reach out and lift her back into the house.

Being 10, I started to complain about being cold. Even cuddling with Mom on the couch under every blanket we owned I was still cold. Mom told me to stop thinking about it. But I couldn’t. She got up and poured me a shot of whiskey and said that it would make me feel warm. It made me sleepy. We both got into my bed and pretty much slept the rest of the day away.

The next day the power came back on so life returned to some what normal. We needed some food and the radio said that Great Scot down the road would be open for a few hours. I got out my sled and we started out for the store. Before we left the trailer park we stopped off to see our neighbors, the elderly couple Pert and Lou and found out they had a wood stove and were fine. We asked if they needed any food and Pert said he needed toilet paper for sure.

My mom and I walked the mile or so to the store. Driving was banned so dozens of people were walking to the store like we were. Some used cross country skis. There were some snowmobiles and a few 4 wheel drive trucks. The only clear spot was the middle of Broad Avenue. The store had plenty of can goods but no bread or milk. I was just happy to be out of the house.

On the way back we looked down on I-75 and there were cars and trucks abandoned on the highway. The drivers had been rescued the day before.

It took a few days and front end loaders from the National Guard before they allowed people to drive again. We were out of school for a week and I remember burning out on sledding down the hill of the US 224 I-75 interchange. I also spent a lot of time digging our car out.

The next weekend we went to McComb to visit my grandparents and the drifts along the roads were huge. At one point it was like driving through a tunnel as banks of snow towered over our car and the road.

The one thing we learned during that Blizzard was not be unprepared again. For years we stocked up on can goods during the winter months and if a storm was coming we bought extra bread and milk just in case. We also made a Blizzard box with extra blankets, candle, more Sterno, and a battery operated radio.

Toledo TV station WTOL has posted video of their newscasts on January 26th and 27th 1978 so you can see what it was like back then. The ironic thing is since our power was out we never got to see the shows when they first aired.

Blizzard of ’78 – 30th Anniversary

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