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   <title>a blab by idle</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/" />
   <link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/atom.xml" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6</id>
   <updated>2007-11-13T02:57:37Z</updated>
   <subtitle>other inane astral sisyphus: foley catheter, he&apos;d rather forget</subtitle>
   <generator uri="http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/">Movable Type 3.34</generator>

<entry>
   <title>Whither content?</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/rant/whither_content.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5140</id>
   
   <published>2007-11-13T02:49:24Z</published>
   <updated>2007-11-13T02:57:37Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Thanks for the link, Arthus! The embarrassing thing is that there&apos;s no discernible content here anymore, since I started (and never finished) sorting my content into &quot;public&quot; and &quot;private&quot;. If you&apos;re actually looking for something useful about me right now,...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="rant" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="53" label="arthus" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="52" label="IETC" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="55" label="OLPC" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="57" label="XO" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[Thanks for the <a href="http://myfla.ws/blog/2007/11/12/xoxo/">link</a>, <a href="http://myfla.ws/">Arthus</a>!  The embarrassing thing is that there's no discernible content here anymore, since I started (and never finished) sorting my content into "public" and "private".

If you're actually looking for something useful about me right now, might want to hit <a href="http://staff.imsa.edu/~scott/">my work site</a> instead.  So many projects, so little time&hellip;.  BTW, if you're going to Springfield for <a href="http://www.il-edtech.org/">IETC 2007</a>, I hope to see you there!

ObOLPC: <a href="http://www.laptopgiving.org/">G1G1 started today</a>!  Get out there, spend $399, donate an XO to a worthy cause, and get one for yourself in the process!]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>blogs are *so* 2006</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/technology/blogs_are_so_2006.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5130</id>
   
   <published>2007-08-08T15:42:30Z</published>
   <updated>2007-08-08T15:53:57Z</updated>
   
   <summary>I haven&apos;t blogged in, what, three to six months? (Except on my edu blog.) Until I get a moment to actually start blogging again, IM always works to reach me. I&apos;ve just started trying out twitter, so if you want...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="technology" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[I haven't blogged in, what, three to six months?  (Except on my <a href="http://staff.imsa.edu/~scott/">edu blog</a>.)  Until I get a moment to actually start blogging again, IM always works to reach me.  I've just started trying out <a href="http://twitter.com">twitter</a>, so if you want in on some of that action, my twitter handle is scottswanson and you can find my twitter page at <a href="http://twitter.com/scottswanson/">http://twitter.com/scottswanson/</a>.

Oh, and <a href="http://www.secondlife.com/">SL</a> is still a good way to reach me.  On maingrid I'm still Kyle Thorn, and fairly soon, I'll be bringing the Gaia estate owner, Sullivan Rhode, over to TG to take possession of our first island.

As for social networking, I'm available through all the usual suspects, though like everyone else, I'm focusing on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=516518525">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/swansong">LinkedIn</a> now.

Of course, in low-tech modes, I need to get back to Chicago sometime just so I can pick up my slacks from the <a href="http://www.karollscustomclothing.com/index.html">tailor</a> and get a haircut already&hellip;.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/rant/09_f9_11_02_9d_74_e3_5b_d8_41.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5093</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-03T20:43:04Z</published>
   <updated>2007-05-03T20:49:44Z</updated>
   
   <summary>09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 &quot;&gt;09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="rant" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="41" label="HD-DVD" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="42" label="revolution" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[<a href="http://blog.digg.com/?p=74?">09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0</a>
<a href="http://www.cjmillisock.com/2007/05/how-i-got-banned-from-digg.html
">09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0</a>
<a href="http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=cd2862cdc65d3c44e0efc857e4f0f7bf&t=121866">09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0</a>
<a href="http://www.esnips.com/doc/7d70f3c1-59d7-429d-9058-0cd5b10ad446/09-F9-11-02-9D-74-E3-5B-D8-41-56-C5-63-56-88-C0">09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0</a>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/technology/03code.html">09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0</a>
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6615047.stm">09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0</a>
&hellip;]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Summarizing the promise of Second Life</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/technology/summarizing_the_promise_of_sec.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5091</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-02T02:46:59Z</published>
   <updated>2007-05-02T02:49:27Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Watch the video. Understand why, now that virtual reality has achieved a fledgling critical mass, there&apos;s simply no reason, if perhaps even no way, to go back. Oh, and let me know if you can get through it without shedding...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="technology" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="26" label="disability" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="39" label="Second Life" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6D9K9xTmt0">Watch the video</a>.  Understand why, now that virtual reality has achieved a fledgling critical mass, there's simply no reason, if perhaps even no <em>way</em>, to go back.

Oh, and let me know if you can get through it without shedding a tear.  I couldn't.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Save Eight:18!</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/rant/save_eight18.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5079</id>
   
   <published>2007-04-19T20:35:47Z</published>
   <updated>2007-04-20T01:49:57Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Apparently, with only six weeks of notification, the Unity Church of Chicago (a wonderful organization) has pulled the plug on Eight:18 @ Unity, probably the premier monthly Chicago metaphysical event; the last one will be Friday, June 1, 2007. This...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="rant" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="30" label="Eight:18" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="32" label="Unity" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[Apparently, with only six weeks of notification, the <a href="http://www.unitychicago.org/">Unity Church of Chicago</a> (a wonderful organization) has pulled the plug on <a href="http://www.eight18atunity.org/">Eight:18 @ Unity</a>, probably the premier monthly Chicago metaphysical event; the last one will be Friday, June 1, 2007.  This is quite shocking, and I'm trying to get details.  Hopefully an agreement can be reached, although I'm sure Unity must have a reason for deciding this; I just don't know what it is.

I also worry a tad because we have another group that meets there twice a month; is Unity decommissioning all outside gatherings?

Any information would be appreciated!  If you know of a way that we can rebuild the harmony that seemed to exist between the two, please let Emily and Preston know.  Failing a reconcilliation, Eight:18 will need to find a new locale; if you know if "the perfect new locale," it would also be great if you let them know.  (I would be happy to convey your message if you would prefer as well.)

To the credit of everyone involved, the copy-of-a-copy I received of a letter that Emily and Preston put out about this speaks only lovingly of Unity and implores everyone to work towards finding a resolution that serves everyone's highest good.

More information can surely be found from their YahooGroup, <a href="http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/GivePeaceADance/">GivePeaceADance</a>.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Spoon Theory</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/rant/spoon_theory.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5071</id>
   
   <published>2007-04-11T03:14:51Z</published>
   <updated>2007-04-11T03:23:25Z</updated>
   
   <summary>No, not that spoon. Christine Miserandino pegged it quite well with her Spoon Theory, one of the best practical analogies I&apos;ve ever seen for living with an invisible physical disability. Worth a read if you want to bring it home...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="rant" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="26" label="disability" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="25" label="spoon" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[No, not <a href="http://www.thetick.ws/wavs/spoon.wav">that</a> spoon.  Christine Miserandino pegged it quite well with her <a href="http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/2004/11/the_spoon_theory.php">Spoon Theory</a>, one of the best practical analogies I've ever seen for living with an invisible physical disability.

Worth a read if you want to bring it home &mdash; or if you've been looking for a good way to explain to your friends why, some days, you just aren't as much fun as anyone else.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Children of Men</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/rant/children_of_men.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5062</id>
   
   <published>2007-04-02T05:51:49Z</published>
   <updated>2007-04-02T05:56:57Z</updated>
   
   <summary>I would like to say that I found &quot;Children of Men&quot; vaguely unsatisfying, except that actually, I found it wholly unsatisfying. Every single aspect of this film was taken about one-third as far as it should have been. The result...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="rant" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="24" label="Children of Men" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="22" label="cinema" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[I would like to say that I found "Children of Men" vaguely unsatisfying, except that actually, I found it <em>wholly</em> unsatisfying.  Every single aspect of this film was taken about one-third as far as it should have been.  The result was a lukewarm film that excelled in absolutely no virtue or capacity.  I had been looking forward to watching this film for a while; my nephew and I looked at each other and realized "there's two hours of our lives we're never getting back."

I suddenly feel far less concerned that I haven't been going to the movies much lately.  Bring on the DVDs!  More House, Law and Order, and Hong Kong cinema for me.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Broken in many ways</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/administratia/broken_in_many_ways.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.5033</id>
   
   <published>2007-03-03T17:00:25Z</published>
   <updated>2007-03-03T17:04:39Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Apparently something I did with the whole fastcgi debacle broke a lot of things, and they&apos;ve been broken for a month. Oopsie! I&apos;m going to have to look into this and fix things up (although it will have to be...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="administratia" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="14" label="blogosphere" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[Apparently something I did with the whole fastcgi debacle broke a lot of things, and they've been broken for a <em>month</em>.  Oopsie!   I'm going to have to look into this and fix things up (although it will have to be later, as I've got soup on the stove and have a chapter to review before a meeting in two hours).]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Choosy DBAs choose the Fox</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/technology/choosy_dbas_choose_the_fox.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.4964</id>
   
   <published>2007-01-21T17:02:34Z</published>
   <updated>2007-01-21T17:10:32Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Got the Jan 07 Oracle Database Insider in email today. There was a news link there about their &quot;Free DBA Toolbar&quot;, which intrigued me, so I clicked through. I can&apos;t tell you how tickled I was to read the following...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="technology" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="20" label="humor" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="19" label="Oracle" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[Got the Jan 07 Oracle Database Insider in email today.  There was a news link there about their "<a href="http://www.oracle.com/technology/toolbar/install/index.html?msgid=5289281">Free DBA Toolbar</a>", which intrigued me, so I clicked through.  I can't tell you how tickled I was to read the following first sentence:

<blockquote>The Oracle DBA Toolbar (available for Internet Explorer only at the moment - yeah, yeah, we know; a Mozilla/Firefox version is forthcoming) gives you one-click access to key DBA resources on OTN.</blockquote>

I wonder if it launched like that, or if they changed it after getting deluged with "BUT WHAT ABOUT..." emails.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>MT 3.34 update</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/technology/mt_334_update.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.4959</id>
   
   <published>2007-01-19T12:02:39Z</published>
   <updated>2007-01-19T12:34:28Z</updated>
   
   <summary>I updated to Movable Type 3.34 today, after Wednesday&apos;s release. One of the promises was integrated and instant FastCGI support. However, there&apos;s a small environmental change you have to make to get it that instant support running; unless you read...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="technology" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="14" label="blogosphere" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="17" label="Movable Type" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[I updated to Movable Type 3.34 today, after <a href="http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/news/2007/01/mt334_released.html">Wednesday's release</a>.  One of the promises was integrated and instant FastCGI support.  However, there's a <a href="http://www.lifewiki.net/sixapart/HostingMTUnderFastCGI">small environmental change you have to make</a> to get it that instant support running; unless you read the announcement carefully, you might miss it.  Furthermore, that doc is only linked to from the release note, which itself does not come up (nor does anything but a changelog) if you do a documentation search for <code>3.34</code> at sixapart.com.

I'll probably make those changes within the next day or two; I'm curious to see if FastCGI makes any difference on this system at all.

[6:32 AM] Update: Tried moving the five core CGIs to .fcgi to make them run under FastCGI.  mt.fcgi, however, seemed to blow a gasket in the middle of a site rebuild, so I had to backout the AdminScript change and rebuild the site again.  I've left the other four; let's see how that goes through the day.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Web 3.0: the Complex Web</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/fun/web_30_the_complex_web.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.4951</id>
   
   <published>2007-01-13T17:26:24Z</published>
   <updated>2007-01-13T17:28:48Z</updated>
   
   <summary><![CDATA[I've seen the future, and it transcends the blogosphere. &hellip;okay, well, at least it's good for a laugh. Read all the little juicy bits for maximum smilage....]]></summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="fun" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="14" label="blogosphere" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[I've seen the future, and it <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/c124.html">transcends the blogosphere</a>.

<i>&hellip;okay, well, at least it's good for a laugh.  Read all the little juicy bits for maximum smilage.</i>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Betcha thought you&apos;d never hear me say something nice about a med student</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/medical/betcha_thought_youd_never_hear.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.4940</id>
   
   <published>2007-01-09T13:13:59Z</published>
   <updated>2007-01-09T13:20:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>This guy is really funny. I&apos;d digg him or give him some other kind of blogosphere cred if I knew how. But I don&apos;t, so I&apos;m just posting a link to his blog....</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="medical" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="14" label="blogosphere" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="16" label="medical school" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[<a href="http://ahyesmedschool.blogspot.com/">This guy</a> is really funny.  I'd <a href="http://www.digg.com">digg him</a> or give him some other kind of blogosphere cred if I knew how.  But I don't, so I'm just posting a <a href="http://ahyesmedschool.blogspot.com/">link to his blog</a>.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>ピタゴラスイッチ</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/fun/pythagoraswitch.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.4931</id>
   
   <published>2007-01-03T15:57:43Z</published>
   <updated>2007-01-03T16:20:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>ピタゴラスイッチ, known in English as PythagoraSwitch, is a darling little NHK children&apos;s show that seems to be a highly focused left-brain cousin of Sesame Street. There are segments throughout the show known as &quot;Pythagorean Device&quot; (ピタゴラ装置) featuring Rube Goldberg-esque devices...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="fun" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="11" label="Pinball Number Count" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="9" label="Pitagora Suitchi" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="7" label="PythagoraSwitch" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[ピタゴラスイッチ, known in English as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PythagoraSwitch">PythagoraSwitch</a>, is a darling little NHK children's show that seems to be a highly focused left-brain cousin of <a href="http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/">Sesame Street</a>.  There are segments throughout the show known as "Pythagorean Device" (ピタゴラ装置) featuring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine">Rube Goldberg-esque devices</a> that are incredibly reminiscent for me of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Number_Count">Pinball Number Count</a> segments on Sesame Street.  (Come on, you <em>know</em> you know them and loved them, even if you didn't realize that it was the Pointer Sisters voicing it.)  Anyway, <a href="http://www.thefoolandhismoney.com/">Cliff Johnson's website</a> pointed me to a YouTube-hosted collection of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XyWWQaW-ZU">the best of ピタゴラスイッチ</a>, and they range from amusing to truly incredible.  The fact that they seem to be all made at home with pretty much nothing but standard household items really takes the cake.

Check it out; it's well worth the watch.  Totally safe for work, too.  (Not that I'm suggesting anything about where you should watch it&hellip; um, wow, look at the time; gotta run!)]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Why use the MT GUI when MySQL has a CLI?</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/technology/why_use_the_mt_gui_when_mysql.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007://6.4932</id>
   
   <published>2007-01-02T22:59:52Z</published>
   <updated>2007-01-03T23:19:33Z</updated>
   
   <summary>I had 500 or so entries I needed to define a default category for. I did about 100 with the entry bulk change GUI but even that was abysmally slow. I figured this had to be stored in a table...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="technology" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="13" label="movable type" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      <![CDATA[I had 500 or so entries I needed to define a default category for.  I did about 100 with the entry bulk change GUI but even that was abysmally slow.  I figured this had to be stored in a table somewhere, so I started poking around the database to see what I would find.  mt_entry indeed has a "category_id" , but it curiously turned out be NULL for every entry, even ones with a single, default category.  I pried around for about an hour to no avail until I was saved by Google leading me to a <a href="http://mike.kruckenberg.com/archives/2004/07/aha_moment_rest.html">post by Mike Kruckenberg on his blog about Movable Type categories</a>.  Turns out that MT abandoned that field a while ago in favor of a linking table for mt_entry and mt_category called "mt_placement" (like <em>that</em> name was obvious) which allowed for primary and secondary categories.  So after a bit of learning, translating my Oracle SQL to the MySQL dialect, I came up with the following one-stop query to set a default category (17, determined by looking through mt_category) for just one blog's entries that didn't already have a category assignment.  In case it saves anyone the hour or two of hair-pulling, here it is (but be sure to change the blog ID and category ID as appropriate for you):

<code>
INSERT INTO mt_placement (placement_entry_id, placement_blog_id, placement_category_id, placement_is_primary)
SELECT e.entry_id, 1, 17, 1
FROM mt_placement p RIGHT OUTER JOIN mt_entry e ON p.placement_entry_id = e.entry_id
WHERE e.entry_blog_id = 1
AND p.placement_is_primary IS NULL;
</code>

Note that this does not catch the screwball case where an entry has secondary categories but no primary category, and would still post a primary category for the entry.  (I'm not sure if the MT software actually would allow such a condition to occur, however.)]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Pardon our dust!</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://blog.truegeek.org/administratia/pardon_our_dust.html" />
   <id>tag:blog.truegeek.org,2007:/dev//6.4929</id>
   
   <published>2007-01-01T06:00:00Z</published>
   <updated>2007-01-01T17:24:56Z</updated>
   
   <summary>blog.truegeek.org is in the middle of a reformat and rebuild. Your patience is appreciated while we complete the necessary alterations. Please stand by....</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="administratia" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://blog.truegeek.org/">
      blog.truegeek.org is in the middle of a reformat and rebuild.  Your patience is appreciated while we complete the necessary alterations.  Please stand by.
      
   </content>
</entry>

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