Tag: blog

I’ve changed the site theme. Do you like it?

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I’ve changed the site theme. Do you like it?

I’ve been using the LeftSide theme on this blog site for some time now, but it hasn’t been working as well on phones and tablets recently, so I’ve decided to update the theme to Rebalance. This new theme was designed to adapt more appropriately to desktop, phone and tablet screens, so it should give everyone a better view of my blog.

Do you like the new Rebalance theme compared with the previous LeftSide theme on my blog site? Please answer for every device you use:

  • Desktop: it works better than LeftSide (33%, 1 Votes)
  • Phone: it works better than LeftSide (33%, 1 Votes)
  • Tablet: it works better than LeftSide (33%, 1 Votes)
  • Desktop: it is about the same as LeftSide (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Desktop: it is worse than LeftSide (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Phone: it is about the same as LeftSide (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Phone: it is worse than LeftSide (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Tablet: it is about the same as LeftSide (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Tablet: it is worse than LeftSide (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 1

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Desktop: LeftSide

Desktop: LeftSide

Desktop: Rebalance

Desktop: Rebalance

Phone: LeftSide

Phone: LeftSide

Phone: Rebalance

Phone: Rebalance

Microsoft Exchange 365 is dead! Long live Google Mail! …but maybe not!

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I’ve finally realised that my company’s email server on Microsoft Exchange 365 is too unreliable to use for emails from my SAS blog server, so I have configured the email client to send emails through Google Mail instead. This means that:

  1. Emails will no longer be sent from phil@hollandnumerics.com
  2. Emails will now be sent from hollandnumerics1992@gmail.com
  3. Hopefully emails will be sent more reliably

If you have existing email filters that accept emails from phil@hollandnumerics.com, please can you add hollandnumerics1992@gmail.com to your accepted email addresses.

In case you are wondering why I phrased the title of this post as I did, it is based on the announcement from Buckingham Palace when a monarch dies and the succession of a new monarch to the throne of the United Kingdom. It is a statement of continuity!

Stop Press

Various attempts to send out emails to members have made me realise that the reliability of the Microsoft Exchange 365 servers is better than the traffic restrictions of the Google Mail servers. As a consequence I’ve decided to revert back to sending emails from phil@hollandnumerics.com.

However, I may make use of the email server on my hollandnumerics.org.uk server in the future, so watch this space!

My SAS-related blog site is being encrypted, so please be patient!

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My SAS-related blog site is being encrypted! However, some links on the blog pages may still open pages that haven’t yet been encrypted until the process has been completed, so please be patient.

If you access the blog site using “blog.hollandnumerics.org.uk”, then you will now be automatically directed to the secure blog site (with the URLs beginning with https://). If you are using a direct link (beginning with http://hollandnumerics.org.uk), then you may have to update that link to use “https://” instead of “http://”.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused, but the changes will make this site more secure in the future.

I’ve added a tag cloud for all of the forums used by blog members

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As part of the development of the VIEWS UK forum infrastructure, I’ve added a tag cloud for all of the forums used by logged-in blog members. This means that clicking a word or phrase in the tag cloud will generate a list of forum topics with that tag. I’ve also added a search form at the end of the page, in case you would like to search a specific forum.

Once you have logged into the blog site, this can either be accessed directly at Forum Tag Cloud page, or through the Menu via Forums, Features and Subscriptions > Forum Tag Cloud. If you have not logged in, then you will be directed to the Join Us page, and you won’t be able to see the item in the Menu! This is because the forums on the blog site can only be accessed by logged-in members.

Did you miss the links to the blog posts and forums? They are now visible again under the menu!

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Did you miss the links to the blog posts and forums? They are now visible again under the menu! I’m not sure when these links vanished, but I re-instated them this morning:

  • Blog posts are visible whether you are logged into the blog or not.
  • The Forum widgets are only visible when you are logged in.

My blog and forums are open for business in their new premises!

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On 28 March 2017 I completed the migration of my blog and forums to a new server. You will not have to do anything different to access the new server, as it is all managed transparently by my router.

The new environment is protected by an uninterruptible power supply, and has an increase in its available disk space. I’m hoping that the chance of future interruptions has been dramatically reduced.

Alongside the blog are 2 forums where you can ask questions:

(1) The SAS Skills Discussion Forum is included when you register for the Free membership, and is where you can ask questions about SAS skills, but not SAS coding problems.

(2) The SAS Programming Forum, which has a very small subscription cost, is where you can ask SAS coding questions, including those from homework and interviews. This forum also includes a growing SAS course in the form of small topics. There are currently 3 main sections to the SAS course: Data Steps, PROC SQL and macros, but more are being developed.

After a period of instability my SAS blog should have more availability, and may be quicker too!

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Following my SAS blog server crash in September I have experienced occasional access interruptions from a few minutes to several hours since then. There have been various reasons for the down time, including WordPress plugin updates causing incompatibilities, server software updates, accidental disconnecting of the router, and my internet service provider temporarily interrupting their service to me.

To correct the last problem I decided to change my broadband connection from ADSL to a “Superfast” fibre, which meant changing my provider. This has now been completed, but the changeover process did more than change my internet service provider. While running the two broadband connections in parallel I discovered some issues in the setup of the network gateway, which had itself caused a number of interruptions. I can’t guarantee that there won’t be more short interruptions in the future, as I’m in the process of reorganising the cabling in my office, but I wanted to assure everyone that, if you have difficulty connecting, then wait a short while before trying again, as I will be back, and the blog could be quicker too!

Apologies for my blog server crash – normal service has now been restored

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I suspect many of you will have a “bucket list”, a list of places you would really like to visit and activities you would like to do. I have bucket list myself, which included visiting the Alhambra in Granada in Southern Spain.  Last week my wife and I joined a tour of Andalusia, which included a visit to the Alhambra on the first day, where we enjoyed the splendour of the Moorish palace.

Little did I know at the time, but just after we had left for our tour my blog server switched itself off. I have still not determined the exact reason for the crash, but I think it could have been a local power cut that caused the shutdown. Anyway, I was 900 miles away with no remote access to the server, so I had to relax and enjoy the rest of the tour. On returning to the UK it was simply a matter of restarting the server, and normal service was restored in a few minutes.

I will conclude with some simple questions for you. I could have bought and installed an uninterruptible power supply to the server, which would have, hopefully, prevented the crash. However, I would not have been able to tell you about my bucket list!

My questions for you are:

  • What is the value of a blog, more or less than the cost of purchasing and running an uninterruptible power supply, or flying back to fix it?
  • Would a week where the blog is unavailable affect its value?
  • Should I have told you all about the crash immediately, or when it was fixed?