This week I decided to give Cloudways a test drive. On the surface, the platform looks modern and polished. It gives you the impression of a clean, efficient hosting environment. But once I got into the actual workflow, things went sideways. Between the fragmented navigation and a WordPress migration tool that failed repeatedly, the experience … Continue reading Cloudways Review: My First (and Probably Last) Attempt at Using Their Platform
Technology
Technology Posts
Spam: Thomas Walker jmailservice.com
This email form thomas.walker@jmailservice.com is almost certainly not legit. The email domain jmailservice.com is also widely used for mass‑marketing and low‑reputation outreach. Combined with the generic sales pitch and no referer to my site, this fits the pattern of automated lead‑gen spam. Below is a breakdown of my assessment. Why This Contact Form Submission Looks … Continue reading Spam: Thomas Walker jmailservice.com
Is zen.tekroc.com Really ADmantX? My Experience with a Suspicious Bot
On TrailsNH, I prioritize real hikers and human visitors— so I built a suite of verification systems to defend our server resources from bots and automated traffic. So when a supposed ADmantX crawler started hitting our site over 900 times per day, something didn’t add up. What I See How TrailsNH is Blocking It I’m … Continue reading Is zen.tekroc.com Really ADmantX? My Experience with a Suspicious Bot
Joomla 4 Release Frequency
Joomla 4.0 was released on August 17, 2021. On average there was an update to Joomla 4 every 28 days, more frequent than Joomla 3 updates at every 34 days. Version Release Date Days Release Notes 4.4.0 October 17, 2023 56 v5-0-and-4-4 4.3.4 August 22, 2023 42 v4-3-4-bug-fix-release 4.3.3 July 11, 2023 42 v4-3-3-and-3-10-12-bug-fix-release 4.3.2 … Continue reading Joomla 4 Release Frequency
Password WordPress Generator
Generates 50 new strong passwords on ever page load that pass the WordPress password strength test.
Is SurveyResearch.online Legit?
I got the following text message on my work phone 603-497-2500 today, from 208-510-6483. I’m pretty sure I’ve received other text messages just like it, but I have no record of it as that number. The link in the email had a tracking code as the page name. I’ve changed the tracking code below to … Continue reading Is SurveyResearch.online Legit?
Ezoic’s – MAXIMIZE YOUR SITE’S REVENUE Feature Review
Summary: For sites that target user experience over advertising revenue, this feature sucks.Do Not “ENABLE” Ezoic’s MAXIMIZE YOUR SITE’S REVENUE Ezoic’s “MAXIMIZE YOUR SITE’S REVENUE” Feature A little background on my experience with Ezoic: I have been using Ezoic on TrailsNH.com for 18 months. I have written 3 reviews on the experience along the way. … Continue reading Ezoic’s – MAXIMIZE YOUR SITE’S REVENUE Feature Review
Joomla Site Infected With khutmhpx.src = jqscr.com/XXxxxXXn
On a site I support I found this infected code in the /plugins directory. The infected file injects JavaScript code into the top of the rendered HTML page, above the <head> tag. The infected file only runs once a day, per user, so it’s hard to spot. For a user’s first visit of the day, … Continue reading Joomla Site Infected With khutmhpx.src = jqscr.com/XXxxxXXn
Bob Hanson Website Builder Scam
Don’t you hate those Bob Hanson robocalls? Me too, I get that annoying call at least once a month. It has to be a scam, because clearly I do not need a website developer, I have been a freelance web developer for years. The call with “Bob’s” annoying voice starts like this …. “ Hi, I’m … Continue reading Bob Hanson Website Builder Scam
Password Generator – WordPress Plugin
I created this Password Generator plugin for WordPress. Running my own random password generator I can be sure 1) the passwords are truly random, and 2) the passwords are not copied or saved at all when they are generated. My plugin adds a shortcode to WordPress and accepts the following parameters: The display below has … Continue reading Password Generator – WordPress Plugin
Scam: DreamHost Domain Renewal Notice – January 2023
Watch out for this DreamHost Scam. It’s not from DreamHost. It’s a trick. I received this scam via email today, January 9th. The email from name says DreamHost, but the from address is contact@dwstaff.com. The “[Renew Now]” button goes to wfsindicos.com.br, not DreamHost. This is a Phishing Scam designed to steal your credit card and … Continue reading Scam: DreamHost Domain Renewal Notice – January 2023
Joomla! 3 Release Frequency
Joomla! 3.0 came out 10 years ago in 2012. Since then there have been 102 Joomla 3 updates and patches released. These updates came out 34 days apart on average, one update per month. Many of the updates include fixes for know security holes and vulnerabilities. If you are not installing each Joomla Update soon … Continue reading Joomla! 3 Release Frequency
Ezoic – 6 Month Review (March 2022)
My hiking website TrailsNH started running Ezioc Ads in August 2021. This is my 6-Month Review of the Ezoic Ad Network as a Publisher. To get caught up, check out my earlier Ezoic Reviews: Week-1 with Ezoic and Week-5 with Ezoic. Ezoic offers many services for Publishers beyond running ads. I do not need or … Continue reading Ezoic – 6 Month Review (March 2022)
Google Featured Snippets: Short answers for Who, What, When, Where, Why, How and Is
Recently I have been picking up extra web traffic with Google Featured Snippets. Below is what I learned so far about them and simple steps you can follow for adding them to your website. What Are Featured Snippets? Google uses Featured Snippets to provide a short quick answer for Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How type … Continue reading Google Featured Snippets: Short answers for Who, What, When, Where, Why, How and Is
WordPress SQL-Injection Vulnerabilities
WordPress Recommends Updating Right Away Four vulnerabilities are now public and out in the open. These security issues affect WordPress versions between 3.7 and 5.8. It is extreamly important that you update your WordPress installation to the latest version: 5.8.3
Bunker Hill Security 120 Lumen Solar Motion Security Light Review & DIY Modification
Specifications: Brand: Bunker Hill Security Model: 120 Lumen Solar Motion Security Light LEDs: 20 SMD LED array Battery: 3.2v, 600mAh Lithium Ion Circuit board part number: DG606a Bright Mode: 120 Lumens (motion detected) Bright Mode Duration: 1 Minute +/- Low Mode: 10 +/- Lumens (always-on after dark) Low Mode Duration: From sunset till sun up … Continue reading Bunker Hill Security 120 Lumen Solar Motion Security Light Review & DIY Modification
TrailsNH DB Outage
Yesterday, November 4th TrailsNH had a 5 hour database outage. The database was near but not over the maximum space allocation, and a mistake made by my hosting company caused them to shut down access to the database. Three days prior (November 1st) my hosting company informed me I was over the limit by almost … Continue reading TrailsNH DB Outage
How Do I Check MySQL Database Usage?
Has your MySQL database exceeded the size limit? This query will help you review which tables are using the most space
Week-5 With EZOIC
EZOIC Ads went live on my hiking website TrailsNH.com about 5 weeks ago. This post covers what I learned over the last 4 weeks. See Week-1 With EZOIC for what I learned prior to this. Is EZOIC A Scam? EZOIC is not a scam. I have received my first revenue check from EZOIC. It’s just a … Continue reading Week-5 With EZOIC
Week-1 With EZOIC
EZOIC ads went live this week on TrailsNH. This post covers a bit of the signup process and how the first week went.
