Doing Things Wrong

WordPress is a PIG

WordPress image handling is completely insane, and they don't ask and they don't give you a choice. Not only does it idiotically generate image titles from EXIF data ( usually the camera name! ) but it generates masses of extra files, wasting disk space, clogging up the server, and making any sort of manual image management near-impossible. What a behind-the-scenes disaster.

I had written some code into my theme to stop at least some of this madness, but the new version of WordPress apparently found a way around it. So I re-wrote it, and attached it to the back-end on every admin page load. Fight that, you PIG !!!

All I want is the original image file at whatever size I see fit to upload it, and an uncropped thumbnail that fits in 200x200 box for the media library. This makes the media library nice and snappy, but still gives a useful display of each image. Anything else WordPress wants to do is GARBAGE.


image

This is a fret slot cleaning tool that I made from my old favorite steel packing strap in about 5 minutes. Once again, the inspiration is the StewMac catalog, where their tool is much nicer, and about $15. I ground the strap to a hooked point on the bench grinder and made the handle from popsicle sticks and tape. My tool is double-ended, very similar to my binding scrapers. The material is nearly the right thickness, a few passes on a file and it was perfect. The edges are all square, so the tip is a tiny chisel.