#8 Atomic

WordPress, one of the best blog platform, has released WordPress 2.8.5, on the way to WordPress 2.9 that still under development. The point from this upgrading version is security hardening changes, as Peter Westwood said on WordPress.Org blog.

Here is the list of headline changes:

• A fix for the Trackback Denial-of-Service attack that is currently being seen.
• Removal of areas within the code where php code in variables was evaluated.
• Switched the file upload functionality to be whitelisted for all users including Admins.
• Retiring of the two importers of Tag data from old plugins.

WordPress also recommend user to use WordPress Exploit Scanner, plugin that scan  wordpress blog and it will asked you to cleare out all traces of recent exploits.

But, as far as i know, until now WordPress didn’t send any notification for WordPress.com blogs; “Upgrade” alert only comes up on WordPress.org blog dahsboard.

Related links:

• WordPress 2.8.5: Hardening Release
• Exploit Scanner
• WordPress Exploit Scanner

There is a new ‘awesome’ feature for WordPress blogs.
Start from now you dont have to worry about copyright of grabbing pictures from another resource if you grab from PicApp.Com.

However, this feature actually is not only for WordPress, because although yours is not wordpress, you can grab from PicApp as well. But, there is some ’shortcut’ to apply picture tag from PicApp directly to you WordPress editor by adding shortcode instead of html tag.

As posted on PicApp Support, these premium images is not totally free.

…but the way these photographers and agencies get compensated is when a visitor to your blog clicks on the related images ( those thumbnails images at the bottom of the photo ), the subsequent pages that are loaded on picapp.com display a couple of ads, and that advertising revenue pays the photographers who took these images. Your visitors can click the small arrow on the right to hide the related images.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to PicApp.Com and search image by typing keyword and press button.
2. Choose one of picture from gallery, click on it.
3. Choose your code. If yours on WordPress.com, better to choose ShortCode, for example rather than HTML image code.
4. Paste that code to your editor.
5. That’s it!

So, forget about grabbing pictures from another resources with ‘funny’ copyright stamp on their collections; feel free to grab from PicApp.

Related links:

• PicApp Support
• Access to Premium Images

Are you posterous member?
If yes, now you can add theme on yours since they announced five themes and lots more on the way. Their themes are Tumblr-compatible.

You can upload your favourite header image, choose colors that would be applied on link text using color picker so you don’t need touch their code at all.

And, the best think is if you re web geek, now you can totally change the CSS and HTML layout of your site.

That’s the news!
So go now to your Manage page, and click Edit Settings > Theme and Customize to get started or if you don’t have Posterous blog, let’s create one and have fun!

Related links:

• Posterous Theming: It’s here, it’s live, and it’s time to make your site yours!

WordPress.com (and .org as well) added new feature, AftertheDeadline on wp Visual Editor blogs and it’s sooo great!
This feature will check your ‘grammar and style’ before published and can be activated from your Visual Editor by clicking “ABC” button with green check sign on toolbar.
Once you press the bar, AftertheDeadline will give you suggestion word(s) or phrase(s) in every ‘error’ that found.

For further information, you can check Matt’s article and video about how to use and set AftertheDeadline on your WordPress blog.
Updated info:
Automattic has acquired After the Deadline since July 09, and together, Raphael (AtD) and Matt (WP) will extend features to another languages very soon!

Related links:

• AftertheDeadline
• Acquiring press release
• After the Deadline Live for WP.com

Bing released Bing Maps for Government blog!

*Anyone know how many community blogs released by Bing.com*
Stay tune by signing up their RSS feed and you’ll get latest information about Bing Maps such as relevant news, customer, partner applications and events related to government.

related link:

• New Bing Maps for Government Blog

Bing Maps and Microsoft Surface: SE7EN: Green Initiative.

Develop by Telos Corporation, SE7EN provides a scure view of an organizations power and processing efficiency, reporting energy consumption, carbon footprint, and facility benchmark and assessment data sets.

I think this is such a good colaboration between Microsoft Surface, which is hosted this application and Bing Maps, which provides context to data through its road maps.

related links:

• “Green” Assessment through Bing Maps and the Microsoft Surface
• Telos Corporation

So, is this right time to move to Bing Maps?