Seth Neal (dotCom)

Where I occasionally share my musings.

Luke Willis Neal

I was the older brother, so I never really had that much sympathy for the younger sibling growing up. But as a father, there’s no question that younger one gets the short end of the stick most of the time. And this blog is definitely an example of that, when The Little Dude was born, he immediately got pictures posted and talked about several times here.

The Littler Dude? Well, you know the answer. Not a whisper, and the 2nd birthday is only a few short months away.

So this post is for you Luke Willis Neal. You’re cuter than the other kids and I’m already proud to call you my son. Love, Dad.

The Littler Dude, doing what he does best.

The Zen of WordPress Security: A Guide for Newbies

I’m a big fan of WordPress. A WordPress site I run is responsible for putting food on the table for my family! And if you remember, I’m One of the 3 Most Important People in WordPress–and I have the certificate to prove it. (I’m not really; long story).

WordPress is great because it is simple and accessible for almost anyone to use. And because of that, LOTS of people use WordPress to run websites these days. Maybe you do too.

What’s less simple is keeping your WordPress installation secure from those who want to turn your site into an Adult-themed Drug Store. WordPress Security is a HUGE topic. And there is a lot you should be doing (and even more you could be doing) to keep your site secure. And if you know what those things are, this post isn’t for you.

However, if you consider yourself to be a newbie when it comes to WordPress security, read on. I’m going to walk us through one of the simplest ways to secure any WordPress site using–what I consider–the best WordPress security plugin out there!

The plugin in question is called Better WordPress Security. Its developed by Chris Wiegman of Bit51. And this free plugin is the first plugin I install on any WordPress site I work on. I kid you not.

However, setting this plugin up correctly is important. And there are many things you can do to completely bork your site. So… read along and find out how this guy (I’m using my thumbs to point at myself right now) uses this plugin to harden all my WordPress installations! Read More…

New Year’s Resolutions: 2012 Edition

It’s 2012.

The Bears won. And its looking really good Albert Ma is going to lose. I think I’m going to like 2012.

Of course, as I look forward to a great 2012, I also reflect on 2011 and wonder what I can do differently to make 2012 better. That’s where these silly resolutions start to come into play.

A Fresh Start

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. ~Oscar Wilde

Its always exciting at the chance to start fresh! I’m guessing that’s how a million dollars feels… but I have no first hand knowledge of that, so emphasis on the guessing part.

A new year means new beginnings. A chance to start being the people we want to be but who we clearly and empirically are not. I love this. Its like our collective better selves get together once a year and cheer, “hey, we can do this!”.

Dear Shiva, that Sucktard Albert Ma Doesn’t Deserve You!

Note: If the Title of this Post means nothing to you, cue up Netflix and catch up on Season’s 1 and 2 of The League. Please also note this post is categorized under “fun”.

So its come to this. The final weekend of the regular season. Of course, that can only mean its championship weekend for many fantasy football leagues.

Of course, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about fantasy football here. Or about Albert Ma.

A little History on Albert Ma.

Albert Ma cheated adoring mom, loving wife, and (relative) fantasy football newbie Karen Wilson in a midnight hour trade–the details of which are no longer important–the effects of which are still felt all over Boise. In summary, Albert Ma = Sucktard. Read More…

Screw the Dallas Cowboys!

If you know me, you know I have a certain affinity for the Chicago Bears. I have a deep love for all our Chicago Bears.

And as a Bears fan, there are teams I “hate”. The Green Bay Packers come to mind. But this is the sort of hate you have for your brother who picks on you every day after school. You hate his dumb ass; but he’s your brother… so you can’t really imagine life without him. Besides, you’re just going to get even the next time you get a chance anyway.

But then there are the other teams who aren’t in the family (AFC teams, non-NFC North teams). I hate them like I hate malaria in Africa. I know I should hate them, but I don’t really think about them all that often. Nor do I really care what they do unless we are playing them that week.

Enter the anti-christ

But every once in a while there’s special exception to this structure. Enter the Dallas Cowboys. Like everyone else in the NFL I didn’t like the Cowboys much when they were winning all those super bowls in the 90s. But in the last 3 weeks I’ve grown to hate this team with a new passion.

As you may know, the Bears are on an epic 3 game losing streak against the pathetic AFC West. Its horrible.

But its the role 3 former Cowboys have played that has soured me forever on this team. Read More…

Imagine There’s No BCS

Its easy if you try.

No polls to discuss.

No one left standing to cry.

Imagine all the fans happy cheering today.

Playoffs? PLAYOFFS?!

One of my first posts on this blog was about the BCS.

See, I went to a school where we found out who had the best football team on the field. The University of Montana Grizzlies play in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision as opposed to that vile fiend your team likely plays in know as the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. You know, the one that gets to play in all those bowl games.

I can understand your love for these bowl games. I mean, who doesn’t get a little amped up to watch the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl or the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl or especially the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl? Read More…

Its the 4th Quarter, and we are in trouble…

If you know me, you may know I’m a big Chicago Bears fan.

Simply put, they are the greatest professional sports franchise in America.

But we are in trouble in 2011.

First, Jay Cutler goes down with a broken thumb.

Then, this week, Matt Forte goes does down with a knee injury.

That’s our best two offensive players DONE for the season. Shit.

11-11-11

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3 Lessons Learned from Steve Jobs

Image of Steve Jobs Steve Jobs died today.

I’m not sure this is necessarily going to be one of those “where were you when you heard Steve Jobs died” sort of things or not. But I know I’ll always remember. I had just finished dinner, grabbed my iPhone and read this tweet.

My heart immediately sunk.

I went to Apple’s homepage to see this.

“Damn. Too soon.” That is all I could think.

My History with Apple

Apple Computer is one of those companies that has always been in my life. In 1980 I went to kindergarden in rural Montana to find one Apple II Plus in the classroom. The first time the school had ever had a computer and certainly the first time I’d ever seen one. Read More…

The First Time is Magical

I’ve been a bit self reflective recently, I admit. I’m not sure what the deal is, hopefully not cancer of the brain or something.

Whatever is going on I ended up watching this video 4 times today. Its making the rounds on the interwebs. The video is of Sloan Churman, a 29 year old woman who is recorded as she hears ANYTHING for the very first time. Its truly an inspiring experience to watch. Read More…