As a former independent web developer, I had very little use for GitHub as my project base consisted of small business owners and their requirements mostly never got past having a WordPress website and business email setup.
Today, using Git repos are vital for my workflow as I’ve been working with various teams to push web apps to live status. Now, I can’t picture not using Git repos for any project. After being a largely siloed developer, my work is now part of a very collaborative process.
With that said, I’ve been working on a personal project, jsldvr/example.com, which is a PHP web app that is supposed to make developing a website as easy as possible for those that use cPanel or AWS. The app is more of an exercise in learning how to use GitHub, and building a secure PHP app from scratch.
I don’t have a road map with this project. I simply want to have fun with it and learn as much as I can about collaborating and/or developing on GitHub.
I’ve been using ChatGPT as a development tool as of late. Prior to searching for possible bug fixes, I’ll check to see if ChatGPT has an answer to what I would normally use as a query on Google or Bing. In this instance, I receive the following error after running service apache2 start.
Me:
AH00558: apache2: Could not reliably determine the server’s fully qualified domain name, using ::1. Set the ‘ServerName’ directive globally to suppress this message
ChatGPT:
This message is generated by the Apache web server and is indicating that the server is not configured with a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the current IP address.
To resolve this issue, you can set the ServerName directive globally in the Apache configuration file to specify the FQDN of your server. This can be done by following these steps:
Open the Apache configuration file for editing. This is typically located at /etc/apache2/apache2.conf or /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf.
Search for the ServerName directive. If it is commented out (i.e., prefixed with a #), remove the # character to uncomment the line.
If the ServerName directive does not exist, add it to the configuration file as follows:
ServerName yourserver.example.com
Replace yourserver.example.com with the FQDN of your server.
Save the configuration file and restart the Apache service to apply the changes:
sudo service apache2 restart
After completing these steps, the message should no longer appear and the Apache web server should be able to determine the server’s FQDN.
Establishing your own website or blog is not just a statement of independence, but a strategic move to ensure your voice is heard, unhindered by the whims of social media giants.
No matter what social media platform dominates the market, or who owns your favorite platform, the best method for anyone to get their message out is via their own website or blog. It’s never been easier to purchase a domain name, setup a web hosting service, and install a CMS like WordPress. After some configuration, the site is ready to go live.
Eventually, I may post an easy-to-use guide on how to launch your own personal website. But in the meantime, here’s a link to WordPress hosting suggestions by the folks at WordPress. Don’t wait, blog today!
Please note: this suggestion works well for individuals that need to get a message out, and not businesses. For that, I would recommend hiring a good cloud developer with a strong sense of cyber security.
Since October of 2021, I’ve been working with a great start up web team. With that said, I’ve scaled back taking in new clients. If you’re interested in working with me, please contact the person that referred you to make an introduction. Thanks and God bless!
While fishing in Oklahoma, I’ve run into some interesting people whom I’ve had the pleasure of befriending. One group of guys who became friends with me, however, had a peculiar method pier fishing for catfish. They’d use a Carolina rig with a slip bobber made of a 2-3 liter bottle.
About a 17 pound blue catfish at Stanley Draper Lake, April 2021.
This technique uses the wind to cast a lure past 100 yards at a predetermined depth. If there was a hit, the bobber—made of a 2-3 liter soda bottle—would stand up and help set the hook on the catfish.
My brother-in-law called it, “The Stanley Draper Special,” as he’s never seen anything like it in his years of avid fishing. It was a fitting title as I’ve only seen this done at Stanley Draper Lake in Oklahoma.
I simply call it, The Stanley Draper Rig.
These days, when I use this rig, I’ll get questions about it (sometimes, folks will even take a picture of it), and after a while, I decided to share it here. Here’s a rundown of the rig and what’s needed to get started.
Starting this list is a good fishing reel. Personally, I enjoy using vintage conventional fishing reels, but you can use whatever you like. Pictured is an old Penn Senator 4/0 that I use often, but, there are modern, Made in the USA Penn Senators anyone can purchase from Amazon. I’ve also used the Penn 309 which is a great reel. It has a high line capacity and it’s a level wind. Typically, anything with a large line capacity will work. As an aside, I do not recommend using a spinning reel.
I typically use 6-foot boating rods for this system as they have incredibly strong blanks, but, Berkley Big Game rods also work just fine and are much less expensive.
I’ve used Power Pro and H2O line from Academy, it’s about preference and/or budget, and I—personally—like using Power Pro…but…boy! that can get expensive…with that said, I have the Senator outfitted with ~500 yards of Academy’s H2O brand.
Team Catfish Double-Action Circle Hooks 8/0One to two hooks per leader line
I absolutely love using Team Catfish Double Action Circle Hooks for this system as they are incredibly sharp, and durable. When it comes to catfishing and hooks, I’m a Team Catfish guy. They’re a solid product anyone can find at Amazon or Walmart. They’re not the least expensive but they’re worth it.
5-6 oz lead weight
Main line, three beads, a bobber stop, 6 ounce lead weight, two swivels.
The setup is a modified slip rig bobber, except, in place of the in-line bobber, the fisherman will want to use a swivel that can be attached to the 2 liter bottle. Below find some images as a guide.
First, insert the main line into the bobber stop knot and bead.Add a bead, then a small swivel for the 2 liter bottle.Add another bead, then the lead weight.Finally, add the last bead, then the swivel leading to the leader line.Setup your leader line with one or two hooks.I like my first hook after the swivel to clear the bobber at about 16 inches.Carolina slip rig ready for the bobber.
The star of the show is the two to three liter bottle. It’s a pretty straight forward setup, it just looks fancy. Over the years, this is the most reliable setup I’ve had. It consists of an eye bolt (available at Home Depot or Lowe’s), some washers, a nut and bolt to attach the two liter and frisbee, some silicone to water proof the holes, and voilà! Ya’ gotcha self the Stanley Draper rig.
PROS AND CONS
As is the case with anything, there will be some pros and cons to this method of fishing. Here’s just a few I’m able to think of off the top of my head.
Pros
Cons
Get the rig where you want and let the bobber set the hook for you.
Boaters—unaware of your jug—line may drive over your line causing all sorts of damage to your rig and/or their boat.
Cover a great distance.
Reeling back to the shore/pier can take a while.
Enjoy the benefits of jugging without a boat.
If not setup property and securely, you can lose your rig.
Great conversation piece at the pier.
Horrible if you want to fish incognito in a populated place…it may attract attention.
At the end of the day, it’s a great method of fishing, but always use common sense when on the waters with any rig you decide to use and make sure you check your local regulations.
15 pound flathead catfish at Stanley Draper Lake, Oklahoma
For me, a nice day is when there is a lot of wind, a lot of waves, and crazy weather as that will sail that bobber to a nice hole where those fish will be hunkered down, and I’m able to present bait to them.
Leave a comment below if you have any questions or comments! This post may be updated in the future.
I usually don’t post “Throwback Thursday” images, but when I do, it goes on my blog. Anyway, the following image is of me and my beautiful wife (fiancé at the time) in 2003. Thanks, Kim, for the photo!
