Web Hacking

The retired moocher is webmaster for two non-profits: Unitarian Church of Norfolk and ODU Institute for Learning in Retirement. Over the years that I’ve worked as a retired moocher amateur webmaster, I’ve learned a bit about hosting services, content management systems, and the interaction of the two.

Originally, I moved both sites from their legacy implementations to Drupal 7 distribution based sites. As I write this, UCN is moving from Open Outreach Drupal 7 to the Unitarian Universalist Association’s WordPress 4.4 theme for congregations. As Drupal 8 replaces Drupal 7, it is likely that ODUILR will migrate from Drupal to Wild Apricot to allow improved member service.

The posts below describe these two journeys.

  • A house call goes wrong (7/2/2019) - How not to do a WiFi network update. What happened, the back story, and hot wash. Never ever manage a WiFi network from a WiFi only laptop!
  • Moving to Unifi USG Router (5/10/2019) - This article describes migration of the Dismal Manor network to a new gateway and access point. The article focuses on the motivations and benefits of the change rather than the switchology.
  • Further thoughts on the GDS3710 (7/10/2018) - The Grandstream 3710 Door System provides a video intercom, security camera (its recordable using compatible NVRS), RFID reader, and door unlock control relay. The device has a contact input that can be used for an inside exit demand input and a second that can be used as a door status sensor input. And all of […]
  • Updating a WordPress Page at a future time (9/16/2017) - Ever need to update a club page at some time in the future? There’s actually a way to do it using Tao Schedule Update plugin. References https://wordpress.org/plugins/tao-schedule-update/
  • Do It Yourselfer’s Guide to Web Hosting (12/19/2015) - A couple of years ago, I wrote a guide to web hosting for small non-profits having relatively simple content management system based sites. Since then several acquaintances have asked about personal web hosting for DIY efforts by folks who are not software engineers. This article explains the planning you need to do in the beginning […]
  • oduilr.org goes live (12/12/2014) - This has been a busy week bringing http://www.oduilr.org live. Earlier, I wrote an article about developing an Open Outreach Drupal 7 based site for my church. This summer, I joined ODU Institute for Learning in Retirement and joined the communications and technology committee. At the first meeting I found myself volunteered to become webmaster and […]
  • Hosting Options for Small Non-profit Web Sites (9/12/2014) -     This spring, I enrolled my church in Google Apps for Non-profits. Being new to the process, we started with a Small Business Trial enrollment, then the non-profits enrollment, and finally, tying the two together. Today, I started my second Google Apps for Non-Profits application, this one for Old Dominion University Institute for Learning […]
  • Google Apps for US Houses of Worship, Part 2 (8/30/2014) - Google Apps for Non-Profits Google offers its Google Apps services to qualified non-profit organizations. In the United States to qualify an organization must be either a US IRS 501c3 corporation whose Employer ID number is registered as such in the IRS EIN database An affiliate of a 501c3 corporation that has established an Group Exemption Number […]
  • New URL: Retired-Moocher-Dave.org (8/28/2014) - The New URL Today, I finally took the plunge and gave this beast it’s own URL, http://reitred-moocher-dave.org. Those of you having davehamby.wordpress.com book-marked will find that you are forwarded to retired-moocher-dave.org. Please update your book-marks as Automattic makes no promises about how long the mapping will be maintained. I registered the domain indirectly via Automattic, […]
  • Web Scale Software Challenges for Lay Folk (8/9/2014) - An Example This post grew out of a chat with Jae Sinnett, a great jazz drummer, composer, band leader, and music educator here in Tidewater Virginia. Jae likes to write essays about jazz music and the joys and trials of being a working jazz musician. He publishes these on Facebook and he writes well and […]