The word forum derives from the meeting place situated between the Capitoline and the Palatine Hills in ancient Rome. It was a place of meeting for open discussion… and frequent hot debates. And, thankfully, it hasn’t stopped since.

No debate, no case. No argument, no point. No motion, no lotion. “No pressure, no diamonds.”

State your point, make your case, defend your point of view, stand on your principles, win the argument! On the “Did you know?” forum.

The big day of WordPress 3.0 finally arrived on June 17th. To the cheers of many, upgrading from previous versions was the usual simple click of the upgrade button – one of the features of WordPress that makes it the preferred presentation platform of blogs and web sites.

Upgrading from WordPress MU (Multi-User) to WordPress 3.0 was, however, a slightly different issue. Fortunately – and as usual – the friendly WordPress community is there to help. Pete Mall of developsmind.com posted an easy-to-understand WordPress upgrade tutorial on how to step WPMU up to WordPress 3.0. Follow the 3 simple steps he provides and you’ll have your blog in flashy new clothes in a matter of minutes.

WordPress is simply awesome. Not only only because of the code or ease of use but because WordPress has become a world leading example of what is possible if politics and money are left out the equation. WordPress is totally open source: there is no egotistical prima donna blowing his/her own trumpet, no fraudulent weighted voting system, no bribery; it is a system by the community for the community. Everyone benefits.

Even though the WordPress domain name is registered to Matt Mullenberg the WordPress community carries development and distribution forward. Names of the WordPress lead developers are listed on the WordPress blog. For some interesting background reading see Wikipedia for History of WordPress.

Trust the critters to strike when you’re out! Last week thousands of sites across the web experienced a hack attack on php files and didyouknow.org got nipped too… just as I was busy traveling between continents with phone and laptop safely packed away. But upon landing at the airport a text message from a friend alerted me and the usual quick fixes send the little buggers along their not-so-merry way. (Next time I fly Emirates – a very comfy airline with nice gadgets – I’ll certainly make use of their onboard phone and Internet connection service!) The hack had sneaked in via a little crack found in host providers software, thus surprised even the big ISPs.

So, if you had visited this site in the few hours it was hacked and got a nasty virus message on your screen, please accept my sincere apologies. If you have been a regular visitor for a number of years you will know that it was the first time this site has ever been hacked in any of its formats – meaning it was the first hack since it was first established in 1997. Which goes to show that taking a few extra measures on site security really is worth it.

If you maintain a blog, personal web page or web site you’ll know that fun content can add to the stickiness of your page. But you don’t want overbearing, flashy widgets to take away attention from your own content. Here’s a solution: the fast-loading, tiny “Did you know?” factoid gif. It’s only 100 x 60 pixels and is delivered in gif format, meaning it won’t disturb any of your carefully chosen keywords and phrases. And it displays a new factoid every time your page is reloaded. It also is family friendly. Smooth!

Remember, you can also get the factoids and stories on your phone and your kindle. Or test your knowledge on the “Did you know?” Facebook Fun Quiz.

Have fun!

You know what they say: as soon as you’re about to reach the finish line they move the goal post. But that’s just to push you a little harder, a little further – and perhaps a little faster. All for the good. And so it is with getting this site ready for co-authoring. All is ready but WordPress is about to make a major upgrade by merging the stand-alone and Multi-User platforms, said to be launched in April as WordPress 3.0. This might mean a slight difference in the way categories are structured. Since it’s just a few sleeps away, it’s best to wait for what promises to be an awesome blogging platform.

A number of regular visitors have keenly expressed their interest in running their own story section, which will be totally awesome! It will be interesting to follow what the experts will have to say about such subjects as astronomy, education, engineering and health but there has also been requests for managing complete sections such as the inside story of gaming, food production, and pet parrots. If the latter made you smile, keep in mind that in the US alone there are some 40 million pet parrots. If you feel you would like to manage your own “Did you know?” section (before someone else grabs it), please write to us. Or feel free to submit an article or list.