WordPress is a great platform for building your own blog, but, as with any open-source code base, it has a few annoyances that makes writing your own custom code harder than should be necessary. One of my biggest complaints has to be the inconsistency with functions that return strings versus output the string via echo. Most major functions in WordPress have echo and string variants. For instance, we can output the title of a WordPress post with: Alternatively, we can store the value of the post title as a string variable with: As I said, most major functions in WordPress follow this pattern— but an annoyingly small set only have their echo variant. This is the case for the function » read more «

Given that I’ve been gallivanting around the United States for the last two months, I’ve had a harder time coming up with relevant updates about my life on Roatan. Therefore, it’s come time for me to reevaluate the purpose of TheScubaGeek.com and implement some long-outstanding revisions to the site. Changes are coming. I’m currently working on an updated layout and structure for the site along with a bevy of new content. The updates will be slowly rolled out over the next two months, but for now here’s a sneak peak at what is under development: More Scuba. Dive site reviews, professional tips to improve your diving, fish facts, industry news, and more. More Geek. Web design advice, code samples, Photoshop » read more «

Procrastination is like masturbation: you only screw yourself. I’ve been putting off posting version 4.0 of TheScubaGeek.com for some time. Why? Partially because I was experimenting with new layouts and blog editors, partially because I was busy busting my bum on a slew of other websites, but mostly because, quite frankly, spending more time on the less-than-speedy Honduran internet updating my blog wasn’t something that I felt too keen to do in the evenings. Just call it real-time development on island time— who wants to look at more code when there’s a sunset to watch and a ron y piña to drink? Not this beach bum.