My time out of the operating roomhttps://thefragens.com/https://thefragens.com/blog/2001/age/https://thefragens.com/blog/2001/age/A brief, somber note on learning that a family friend at 101 years old is developing serious heart failure.Mon, 24 Dec 2001 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2001/birthday-one/https://thefragens.com/blog/2001/birthday-one/A warm snapshot of a first birthday celebration featuring family, stuffed animals, an ignored cupcake, and the exciting coincidence of first wobbly steps.Sat, 22 Dec 2001 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2001/busy-day/https://thefragens.com/blog/2001/busy-day/After a full day of surgeries and an evening consult, arriving home in time to read to one child and watch the other take her first steps made it all worthwhile.Wed, 19 Dec 2001 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2001/night-owl/https://thefragens.com/blog/2001/night-owl/A charming observation on a one-year-old who refuses to go to bed because everything around her is simply too new and interesting to sleep through.Wed, 05 Dec 2001 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/age-part-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/age-part-2/A brief, somber follow-up noting the passing of Winnie Cozier at 102 years old.Fri, 04 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/busy-week/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/busy-week/A hectic week of ten surgical cases concludes with general surgeons convening to draft a proposal to hospital administration seeking compensation for ER call coverage.Fri, 19 Apr 2002 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/cars-looted/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/cars-looted/On a birthday morning, the family discovered their cars had been burglarized overnight, with valuables including a purse, checkbook, credit cards, and a Game Boy stolen -- prompting a long day of account cancellations and a hard-learned lesson.Thu, 09 May 2002 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/insomnia-posting/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/insomnia-posting/A candid note explaining how busy surgical days leave no time for writing until the house is quiet, and even then insomnia keeps the mind racing.Sat, 19 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/med-mal-talk/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/med-mal-talk/A recap of a compelling ACS Conference talk that challenged the widely-cited claim of 98,000 annual deaths from physician negligence by exposing flaws in the source study, and made the case that effective tort reform is essential to controlling insurance rates and preserving patient access.Wed, 09 Oct 2002 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/more-shit/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/more-shit/A detailed account of taking a critically ill patient back to the OR for bowel leakage, discovering interloop abscesses and a small bowel perforation, and managing the case with an ileostomy, colostomy revision, and an open abdomen using a Bogota Bag.Tue, 06 Aug 2002 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/the-joys-of-being-a-surgeon/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/the-joys-of-being-a-surgeon/The final day of ER call means four Sunday operations and missing visiting family, offering a candid look at the personal costs of surgical on-call life.Tue, 05 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/vacuum/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/vacuum/A brief musing on the one-sided nature of blogging -- writing into the void with no expectation of a response, and finding that oddly therapeutic.Sun, 17 Feb 2002 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2002/what-i-wanted/https://thefragens.com/blog/2002/what-i-wanted/A frustrated venting after a radiologist performed the wrong exam without calling to confirm the order, leaving the patient with an unnecessary charge and the surgeon without the study he needed.Fri, 08 Feb 2002 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2003/birthday-boy/https://thefragens.com/blog/2003/birthday-boy/Son Jonathan is turning eight and has been given a motivating challenge: reach reading and writing fluency and earn a new iMac connected to the home wireless network.Tue, 11 Mar 2003 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2003/off-to-the-islands/https://thefragens.com/blog/2003/off-to-the-islands/Vacation is finally here, and the greatest anticipation is reuniting with a wife and kids who have been away for nearly five weeks.Tue, 12 Aug 2003 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2003/rearranging-the-office/https://thefragens.com/blog/2003/rearranging-the-office/The practice is expanding into a new suite, and while one office battle was lost, new space was secured for both the author and his mother -- with a move of the general surgery practice under consideration once the current lease expires.Thu, 27 Mar 2003 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2003/sophie-talk/https://thefragens.com/blog/2003/sophie-talk/At just over two years old, a daughter is forming multi-word sentences and speaking with great seriousness -- even if the actual words remain largely undecipherable to her captivated parents.Tue, 11 Mar 2003 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2003/west-virginia-surgeons-strike/https://thefragens.com/blog/2003/west-virginia-surgeons-strike/West Virginia surgeons took coordinated leaves of absence from hospital practice to protest malpractice insurance rates exceeding $100,000 per year, and this post explains the mechanics of their action and why it does not constitute patient abandonment.Fri, 03 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/bipartisan/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/bipartisan/A rhetorical challenge to the common assumption that bipartisanship means the majority must yield to the minority.Sat, 06 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/communicate-with-your-consultants/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/communicate-with-your-consultants/A frustrating on-call experience illustrates why attending physicians must communicate their clinical concerns directly to surgical consultants before the consult visit.Thu, 25 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/consultants-and-transfers/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/consultants-and-transfers/Building on a GruntDoc post about consultant rudeness, the author argues that calling surgical consults purely to spread liability -- rather than for genuine clinical need -- is neither efficient nor conscientious medicine.Sat, 25 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/folder-action/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/folder-action/An experiment using an OS X Folder Action to automate blog upstreaming reveals it only fires on direct file additions or deletions in the watched folder, not in subfolders, making its practical value questionable.Mon, 19 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/its-finally-over/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/its-finally-over/Relief that the 2004 election is over, with a call to set aside anger and partisanship and a suggestion that those shocked by the results need to better understand and listen to rural America.Thu, 04 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/jeff-cheneys-take/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/jeff-cheneys-take/A reflection on a civil email debate with a friend about 2004 election issues, along with frustration at bloggers who parrot political talking points without independent thought.Sun, 31 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/marsedit-10-released/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/marsedit-10-released/A brief enthusiastic endorsement of the newly released MarsEdit 1.0 blog editor from Ranchero Software, praising it for simply working like all of Brent Simmons software.Sun, 12 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/mission-san-juan-capistrano/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/mission-san-juan-capistrano/A family visit to Mission San Juan Capistrano, prompted by a fourth-grade school project, proves well worth the trip, with a tip to arrive at opening time to beat the crowds and get better photos.Tue, 12 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/sen-barack-obama-d-il/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/sen-barack-obama-d-il/A brief note on Barack Obama handily winning his Illinois Senate seat after his breakout keynote at the 2004 Democratic convention, with a prediction that this sharp politician is worth keeping an eye on.Thu, 04 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/stem-cell-research/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/stem-cell-research/California voters approved a $3 billion bond measure for stem cell research despite the state deficit, prompting the argument that nationally beneficial medical research should be funded federally or through private money rather than state bonds.Thu, 04 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/surgical-education-in-the-united-states-portents-for-change/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/surgical-education-in-the-united-states-portents-for-change/A Medscape article is highlighted that documents alarming surgeon shortage figures and argues that declining reimbursement, malpractice costs, and subspecialty migration threaten to strip general surgery of its professional identity.Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2004/what-this-country-needs/https://thefragens.com/blog/2004/what-this-country-needs/A note about neighbor John Kimberling and his book making the case that both major parties have failed Americans and that a new third party is needed, with a promise to share thoughts on the argument after reading it.Thu, 04 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/and-then-there-was-one/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/and-then-there-was-one/A brief tribute to grandmother Ruth Fragen, who passed away at age 102 after years of unconsciousness following a stroke, remembered as a lawyer who never practiced and an accomplished violinist.Fri, 23 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/bargaining-with-hmos/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/bargaining-with-hmos/Responding to a surgeon colleague facing an unacceptable HMO contract, the post argues that relentlessly declining physician reimbursement will turn most doctors into salaried employees, threatening professional drive and innovation, and predicts a major US healthcare collapse before things improve.Sat, 26 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/breast-ca-for-cosmetic-surgeons/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/breast-ca-for-cosmetic-surgeons/A recap of a breast cancer talk given to the American Society of Cosmetic Breast Surgery, covering three core points: refer cancer cases to specialists, investigate suspicious exam findings before any cosmetic procedure, and always obtain a screening mammogram first.Mon, 06 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/flipping-the-switch/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/flipping-the-switch/An announcement that the blog has been quietly switched from Radio UserLand to Squib, a Ruby on Rails replacement, with an invitation for tech-savvy Radio users frustrated with that platform to ask about the alternative.Fri, 30 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/gambling-in-the-or/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/gambling-in-the-or/A candid pre-operative reflection on the uncertainty of relying on a nuclear medicine GI bleeding scan to guide surgery for an AVM, with fingers crossed that the bleeding stops before the operation is finished.Mon, 08 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-anniversary/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-anniversary/A brief heartfelt note celebrating 14 wonderful years of marriage and expressing that he would do it all over again without hesitation.Wed, 15 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-birthday-dave/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-birthday-dave/A short belated birthday message to Dave Winer on his 50th birthday, with thanks for the opportunity to beta test Pike years earlier.Tue, 03 May 2005 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-birthday-jonathan/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-birthday-jonathan/A loving birthday message to son Jonathan on his 10th birthday, reflecting on how profoundly fatherhood has changed life for the better.Tue, 15 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-birthday-sophie/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/happy-birthday-sophie/A short birthday note celebrating daughter Sophie turning five years old, with a reminder to eventually add a photo to the post.Tue, 20 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/interesting-precedent/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/interesting-precedent/Responding to Aggravated DocSurg, the author argues that the FDA advisory panel overstepped its mandate by restricting silicone implant sales to board-certified plastic surgeons only, since credentialing is a hospital responsibility, and predicts the FDA will have to back down.Mon, 18 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/jama-article-on-cpoe/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/jama-article-on-cpoe/A JAMA study finding that a widely used CPOE system facilitated 22 types of medication error risks is highlighted, challenging the assumption that such systems reliably prevent errors, while the author notes he has been tapped as physician liaison for a Cerner Millennium rollout at his hospital.Fri, 11 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/my-trip-to-the-apple-store/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/my-trip-to-the-apple-store/A first visit to the Apple Store at Fashion Island results in spending more than ten times the planned budget, prompting the rueful observation that it is probably a good thing there is not one nearby.Mon, 06 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/silicone-breast-implants-are-back/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/silicone-breast-implants-are-back/An FDA advisory panel voted 7-2 to recommend lifting the ban on Mentor silicone breast implants with strict conditions, including a board-certification requirement the author argues constitutes an unlawful restraint of trade given the varied specialties of surgeons who routinely place implants.Thu, 14 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/thanks-alan/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/thanks-alan/A thank-you recap of a snowy Park City ski trip hosted by brother Alan for his 40th birthday, highlighted by the kids thriving in ski school and a private chef who cooked nightly dinners for the group of seventeen.Sun, 02 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2005/voodoopad-as-cms/https://thefragens.com/blog/2005/voodoopad-as-cms/VoodooPad, a desktop wiki application, is highlighted as a surprisingly capable CMS for static sites through its template-driven Web Export feature, while also mentioning involvement with Squib, an open-source Ruby on Rails replacement for Radio UserLand.Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/bachelor-time/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/bachelor-time/The family has headed to the islands for the rest of the summer, leaving the author at home alone for about a month with a mix of longing and reassurance that they will have a wonderful time.Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/happy-birthday-jonathan-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/happy-birthday-jonathan-2/A quick birthday note to son Jonathan on his 11th birthday, with the real celebration deferred to the coming weekend.Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/happy-birthday-sophie-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/happy-birthday-sophie-2/A warm, brief birthday greeting to daughter Sophie, noting how fast she is growing up.Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/hindsights/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/hindsights/Guy Kawasaki commencement speech highlights are shared as a top-ten countdown of life lessons, ranging from cherishing family and obeying absolutes to pursuing joy rather than mere happiness.Fri, 13 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/intellectual-property/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/intellectual-property/A surgeon and independent contractor recounts a dispute with his former employer over ownership of a domain and website he built unpaid on his own initiative, revealing at the end that the former employer is his father.Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/managing-passwords-easy/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/managing-passwords-easy/A recommendation for 1Passwd, a Mac app that leverages the system Keychain to manage web passwords with support for multiple logins per site and responsive developers.Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/medical-reimbursement/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/medical-reimbursement/A pointer to a blog series demystifying the maze of medical coding and reimbursement for a general audience that has little understanding of how physicians actually get paid.Wed, 05 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/snowboardin/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/snowboardin/A quick note about heading to Park City for a family snowboarding weekend organized by brother Alan, bringing all the siblings and their kids together at The Canyons resort.Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/snowboarding-aftermath/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/snowboarding-aftermath/A brief recap of a great snowboarding trip to Utah where the weather was beautiful, Jonathan did well on the board, and everyone returned home thoroughly sore.Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/so-you-really-want-to-take-er-call/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/so-you-really-want-to-take-er-call/A reaction to a BBC report about a surgeon held responsible for the death of a self-stabbing patient, arguing that removing a penetrating chest object is inherently risky and that personal responsibility should fall on the patient, not the surgeon.Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/sorry-if-your-google-ranking-slipped/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/sorry-if-your-google-ranking-slipped/A short account of being accused of harming someone else Google ranking, requiring a moment of genuine reflection before concluding that no individual blogger has any influence over how Google ranks pages.Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2006/specialty-board-equivalency/https://thefragens.com/blog/2006/specialty-board-equivalency/A California Superior Court ordered the Medical Board to grant the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery specialty board equivalency after it met all 19 regulatory requirements, a win that lets cosmetic surgeons advertise board certification and raises questions about future turf disputes with plastic surgeons.Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/closing-the-office/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/closing-the-office/An announcement that the author is closing his elective surgical practice to join a local trauma group, a move driven by the rising costs of running a private office.Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/cuban-flu/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/cuban-flu/A surgical analysis of Fidel Castro reported acute diverticulitis and multiple operations, arguing that skipping the standard Hartmann procedure in favor of immediate bowel reconnection was a critical error that caused all subsequent complications.Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/cuban-flu-pt-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/cuban-flu-pt-2/A follow-up citing a BBC report that Fidel Castro refused the colostomy procedure, confirming the prediction made in the original post about the root cause of his surgical complications.Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/iphone-needs/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/iphone-needs/A doctor explains why the iPhone cannot yet replace his Treo 650 for on-call use due to insufficient alert volume, and offers a five-point wish list of notification improvements that would make it viable for medical professionals.Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/more-sed/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/more-sed/A brief note about using sed to inject verification meta tags into the head section of a freshly rendered HTML page, with a candid admission that sed is powerful but not quick to write.Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMTcodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/moved-to-wordpress/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/moved-to-wordpress/A short announcement that the blog has been migrated to WordPress, with MarsEdit configuration and hosting transfer still pending but the initial switch going smoothly.Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMTwordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/no-more-white-coats/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/no-more-white-coats/A reaction to a UK government plan to ban the traditional white coat and restrict clothing to reduce hospital infections, arguing the policy lacks research support and that consistent hand-washing would produce far better results.Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/running-spamassassin-locally/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/running-spamassassin-locally/A walkthrough of using DisSpam with SpamAssassin in a cron job to filter POP3 spam before it reaches an iPhone, including a custom patch that checks headers against a hash file first to dramatically speed up processing of large mailboxes.Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/securing-email/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/securing-email/A brief account of getting SSL working for IMAP, POP, and SMTP on a Leopard Server Mac mini after two frustrating days, resolved by following Panther-era instructions from Joel Rennich with only a minor workaround for the serial file.Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMTapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/tpa-and-the-trauma-patient/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/tpa-and-the-trauma-patient/A cautionary case note on the dangers of using TPA in a trauma patient with a bullet wound crossing the liver, which led to three trips to the OR before Factor VII controlled the bleeding and the abdomen was finally closed about 36 hours later.Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2007/url-rewriting/https://thefragens.com/blog/2007/url-rewriting/A reposted tutorial covering Apache mod_rewrite, explaining how to transform messy dynamic URLs into clean, human-readable ones using basic redirects, regular expressions, trailing-slash rules, and match modifiers.Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMTcodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ambulance-chaser/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ambulance-chaser/A lawyer showed up uninvited outside the ICU to solicit a trauma family, claiming a vehicle defect — even though the driver was intoxicated and traveling over 100 mph — confirming that ambulance chasing is very much real.Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/biden-veep/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/biden-veep/Obama selected six-term Delaware senator Joe Biden as his running mate, prompting skepticism about how a longtime Washington insider squares with a campaign built on the promise of change.Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTpoliticshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/bill-of-non-rights/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/bill-of-non-rights/A satirical list of eleven things Americans do not have an inherent right to — written by Lewis Napper — is shared as a counterpoint to entitlement culture, emphasizing personal responsibility over government guarantees.Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/bullseye/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/bullseye/A brief firsthand account of an emergency department thoracotomy on a pulseless penetrating chest trauma patient, revealing a large atrial wound that let air flood the chest with every breath — a stark reminder of why ED thoracotomies carry such high mortality.Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/general-surgery-in-ny/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/general-surgery-in-ny/Observations from the American Society of General Surgeons meeting in New York City, where academic presenters championed controversial minimally invasive approaches — such as laparoscopic closure of diverticular perforation without resection — that struck the author as treatments that would fail an oral board exam.Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix/A single AppleScript solution is presented to fix the broken time zone information that Microsoft Exchange injects into iCal meeting invites, preventing Mac users from missing meetings by correcting the TZID before the event is imported.Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix-chapter-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix-chapter-2/A substantially rewritten iCal-Invite-Fix AppleScript handles the three main Exchange/Outlook invite types (REQUEST, PUBLISH, and CANCEL) and multiple encoding formats, with detailed setup instructions for configuring script properties and wiring the script to a Mail rule.Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix-chapter-3/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix-chapter-3/The iCal-Invite-Fix AppleScript was updated to support multiple Exchange servers in a single script by using two paired list properties that map Exchange TZID fragments to the correct iCal time zone identifiers.Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix-part-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ical-exchange-time-zone-fix-part-2/An interim update to the MailExchange2iCal-TZ-fix script fixes a parsing failure for .ics invites delivered only as attachments or in base64 encoding, and corrects the script so it runs reliably from a Mail rule.Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/immediate-breast-reconstruction-and-cms/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/immediate-breast-reconstruction-and-cms/A frustrating CMS billing dispute is recounted after performing immediate breast reconstruction following another surgeon's mastectomies, with Medicare refusing payment because the add-on code requires both procedures to be done by the same physician.Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/importing-mail-message-attachments-into-aperture/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/importing-mail-message-attachments-into-aperture/An AppleScript called SaveAttachments2Aperture was created to import email attachments directly into Apple Aperture, filling the gap left by the missing Quick Look shortcut that iPhoto users already enjoyed, with later versions adding file-type filtering and support for common camera raw formats.Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ivory-towers/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/ivory-towers/A regional Level 1 trauma center refused a difficult transfer for specialized endovascular care, sparking reflection on how academic medical centers have drifted from their traditional mission of supporting community surgeons without question.Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/mean-people-suck/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/mean-people-suck/A personal reflection on how meanness is always a choice and the hurt it causes can outlast any apology, with a hope that a young son learns early to let slights go and give people second chances.Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/never-events/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/never-events/CMS expanded its list of so-called never events — hospital-acquired conditions it will no longer reimburse — and a surgeon argues the policy is a cost-cutting measure disguised as patient safety, since many of these conditions cannot be prevented 100% of the time.Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/new-year-blues/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/new-year-blues/The new year brought grief when a dear friend lost his mother in the emergency department, a loss made more painful coming just over seven years after the death of her son Henry, who was also a close friend.Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2008/saving-medicare/https://thefragens.com/blog/2008/saving-medicare/The post argues that physicians brought the Medicare reimbursement crisis on themselves by accepting low contracted rates, and endorses letting the 10.6% cuts stand in hopes the financial pain will finally compel doctors and hospitals to cancel their Medicare contracts and force real systemic change.Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2009/amavisd-settings/https://thefragens.com/blog/2009/amavisd-settings/Spam with malformed MIME boundaries was bypassing SpamAssassin on an OS X Server mail setup and reaching recipients unscored, and changing the Amavisd final_bad_header_destiny setting from D_PASS to D_REJECT is proposed as the fix.Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2009/appendiceal-duplication/https://thefragens.com/blog/2009/appendiceal-duplication/An unusual operative case is described in which a patient with classic appendicitis signs was found intraoperatively to have an appendiceal duplication — a rare anomaly confirmed on pathology — with the perforated duplicate forming a phlegmon and a relatively normal true appendix discovered just before closure.Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2009/baby-steps-to-healthcare-reform/https://thefragens.com/blog/2009/baby-steps-to-healthcare-reform/Three concise healthcare reform proposals are offered — eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions, allowing insurers to sell across all US markets, and adopting a loser-pays malpractice standard — with particular emphasis on how loser-pays would curb frivolous suits and the hidden costs of defending dropped claims.Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTmedicinepoliticshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2009/fail2ban-on-leopard-server/https://thefragens.com/blog/2009/fail2ban-on-leopard-server/Getting fail2ban running on Mac OS X Leopard Server required several workarounds — a launchd plist to create a missing run directory, tweaks to the ipfw action module, and a custom filter for bots hammering nonexistent URLs — all of which are documented and shared.Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2009/happy-birthday-alan/https://thefragens.com/blog/2009/happy-birthday-alan/A short birthday greeting sent to a friend, wishing him a great day on the golf course and looking forward to seeing him in a few weeks.Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2009/nationalized-healthcare-and-the-free-market/https://thefragens.com/blog/2009/nationalized-healthcare-and-the-free-market/A scenario is laid out in which nationalized healthcare arrives not through legislation but through a government-sponsored insurance option so much cheaper than private plans that employers adopt it by default, eventually leaving physicians and hospitals with a de facto single payer.Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMTmedicinepoliticshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2009/voodoopad-pro-blogging/https://thefragens.com/blog/2009/voodoopad-pro-blogging/A complete workflow is documented for using VoodooPad as a static-site CMS, combining Lua script plugins, a web export plugin, and shell scripts to handle file organization, sitemap generation, Atom feed creation, and URL correction, with a sample project package included.Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/dont-send-ical-replies/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/dont-send-ical-replies/A tip for suppressing automatic email replies when accepting or declining iCal invites on Mac OS X, with a downloadable script bundle containing install and uninstall shell scripts and a pointer to the iCal Reply Checker app for those who prefer a GUI.Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/dovecot-permissions/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/dovecot-permissions/After migrating to OS X Snow Leopard Server, Dovecot mail folder permission errors caused webmail failures, and terminal scripts using chown are provided to bulk-fix ownership across all mail user directories or reset permissions for a single account by GUID.Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/fail2ban-and-os-x-server-part-deux/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/fail2ban-and-os-x-server-part-deux/An overview of custom Fail2ban modifications for Snow Leopard Server adding jails for SMTP, POP, IMAP, VNC, and invalid web requests, distributed as a downloadable tarball with an installation script and LaunchDaemon plists to keep Fail2ban running reliably.Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/fail2ban-problems-and-solutions/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/fail2ban-problems-and-solutions/A fix for a Fail2ban issue on OS X where multiple bans sharing the same ipfw rule number get cleared prematurely, solved by generating a random rule number via a shell variable, with custom jails and filters available as a downloadable bundle.Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/false-positive/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/false-positive/A command-line workflow for reviewing and releasing SpamAssassin-quarantined email on OS X Server using TextExpander snippets to automate copying, unzipping, previewing, and releasing messages, making the entire process manageable from an iPhone or iPad.Wed, 05 May 2010 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/ipad-arrives/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/ipad-arrives/First impressions of the original iPad after handling one at the hospital, noting its light weight, bright display, and usable keyboard, while looking forward to the upcoming iPhone 4.0 announcement.Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMTapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/server-side-email-filtering-with-sieve/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/server-side-email-filtering-with-sieve/A step-by-step guide to enabling server-side email filtering with Sieve on Mac OS X Server, covering the Sieve service setup, installation of the avelsieve SquirrelMail plugin, and a fix for an authentication bug in its PHP library.Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/setting-up-snow-leopard-ical-server/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/setting-up-snow-leopard-ical-server/Quick notes on configuring Snow Leopard iCal Server with the correct Wiki Server settings to get group calendars working, including the exact CalDAV URL formats for both macOS iCal and iOS clients.Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/snow-leopard-sieve-rules/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/snow-leopard-sieve-rules/A guide to manually editing Sieve email filter rules on Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server using terminal commands to locate and modify user-specific sieve script files, including a workaround requiring HTTPS for wiki settings changes to take effect.Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMTapplecodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2010/wordpress-automatic-updates/https://thefragens.com/blog/2010/wordpress-automatic-updates/How to get WordPress automatic plugin and theme updates working on OS X Server by fixing Apache file ownership with chown and adding a direct filesystem method constant to wp-config.php, with a note that the fix works for plugins and themes but not core WordPress updates.Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMTapplewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2011/chrootd-sftp-on-mac-os-x-server/https://thefragens.com/blog/2011/chrootd-sftp-on-mac-os-x-server/A detailed walkthrough for setting up a chroot jail for SFTP on Mac OS X Server, covering sshd_config changes, directory ownership rules, using bindfs via Homebrew to mount folders into the jail, and an extra step required after upgrading to Mountain Lion Server.Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2011/happy-birthday-sophie-3/https://thefragens.com/blog/2011/happy-birthday-sophie-3/A short birthday message of love for Sophie.Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2011/rip-steve/https://thefragens.com/blog/2011/rip-steve/A brief personal tribute to Steve Jobs following his death, expressing sadness at losing someone whose creativity and genius enriched so many lives.Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2011/setting-up-webdav-share-in-mac-os-x-server/https://thefragens.com/blog/2011/setting-up-webdav-share-in-mac-os-x-server/How to set up a personal WebDAV share on Mac OS X Server as self-controlled online storage, covering creation of a Web Realm in Server Admin, setting folder permissions, and creating a symlink so the share can be mounted via Connect to Server from macOS or iOS.Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMTapplehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2011/sixteen-candles/https://thefragens.com/blog/2011/sixteen-candles/A birthday note for Jonathan on his sixteenth birthday, revealing that his gifts include an iPhone 3GS from his parents and an iPad 2 from his grandparents.Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2012/add-alarm-to-events-calendar-pro/https://thefragens.com/blog/2012/add-alarm-to-events-calendar-pro/Announcement of a WordPress plugin that adds alarm and reminder support to calendar events created with Events Calendar PRO, requiring an Additional Field to be created in The Events Calendar settings before installation.Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2012/happy-birthday-sophie-4/https://thefragens.com/blog/2012/happy-birthday-sophie-4/A brief birthday wish for Sophie, who is nearly a teenager.Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2012/the-events-calendar-category-colors-plugin/https://thefragens.com/blog/2012/the-events-calendar-category-colors-plugin/Introduction of a WordPress plugin that adds background color support to event categories in the month view of The Events Calendar, integrating with its settings page via the Tribe Settings API and available in the WordPress plugin repository.Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2013/bank-bail-outs-happy-birthday-tarp/https://thefragens.com/blog/2013/bank-bail-outs-happy-birthday-tarp/A sibling breaks down the three major TARP programs on their fourth anniversary, showing that while bank and AIG investments returned a profit to taxpayers, the GM bailout remained billions underwater due to bankruptcy proceedings that controversially prioritized union claims over other creditors.Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedeconomyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2013/free-time/https://thefragens.com/blog/2013/free-time/A quick photo from a visit to the Apple Store to pass the time.Sun, 15 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMTphotoshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2013/happy-birthday-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2013/happy-birthday-2/A brief photo post celebrating becoming a teenager and the excitement of receiving an iPhone 5C as a birthday gift.Fri, 20 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMTphotosfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2013/on-the-fence/https://thefragens.com/blog/2013/on-the-fence/A sibling makes a data-driven argument that federal spending well above its historical 20% of GDP average has put the country on an unsustainable debt path, warning that rising interest rates could eventually crowd out all other government priorities.Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedeconomyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/add-custom-header-images/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/add-custom-header-images/A refactored WordPress plugin submitted to the plugin repository automatically registers all images uploaded to a page called The Headers as selectable or randomized header images, replacing any defaults.Sat, 17 May 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/automatic-plugin-theme-updating-github-part-1/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/automatic-plugin-theme-updating-github-part-1/The origin story of GitHub Updater traces the plugin from its roots as a frustration with manually FTP-ing updates across multiple sites, through a series of forks and collaborations with Gary Jones, Seth Carstens, and Paul Clark, to a combined plugin-and-theme updater.Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/automatic-plugin-theme-updating-github-part-2/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/automatic-plugin-theme-updating-github-part-2/A technical deep-dive into how GitHub Updater scans plugin and theme headers, queries the GitHub and Bitbucket APIs with transient caching to avoid rate limits, and hooks into WordPress core update mechanisms with minimal overhead for both developers and end users.Thu, 21 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/automatic-plugin-theme-updating-github-part-3/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/automatic-plugin-theme-updating-github-part-3/Recent improvements to GitHub Updater include privileged-user-only execution, spl_autoload_register for class loading, Parsedown for changelog rendering, a new Settings Page for storing credentials outside the repository, and a fix for a long-standing bug preventing Bitbucket private repository updates.Tue, 16 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/delete-tag-github/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/delete-tag-github/A quick tip showing how to delete a remote tag from GitHub with a single terminal command, motivated by not wanting to create version tags for minor CSS tweaks to personal child themes.Sun, 20 Apr 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/dreamhost-wordpress-webdav/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/dreamhost-wordpress-webdav/Setting up nested password-protected WebDAV directories on Dreamhost required only a small .htaccess tweak to coexist with WordPress, after which a hierarchy of directories with per-user access was configured successfully through the Dreamhost panel.Sat, 03 May 2014 00:00:00 GMThostinghttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/events-calendar-outlook-import-fix/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/events-calendar-outlook-import-fix/A WordPress plugin was created to remove the X-WR-CALNAME header from The Events Calendar iCalendar output, fixing the Outlook behavior of creating a new calendar instead of adding the event to the default one.Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/gaming-during-vacation/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/gaming-during-vacation/A photo post capturing a moment of gaming while on vacation.Thu, 31 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMTphotosfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/marilyn-at-night/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/marilyn-at-night/A photo post featuring a nighttime shot of Marilyn.Sun, 16 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMTphotoshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/private-bitbucket-repositories/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/private-bitbucket-repositories/An update to GitHub Updater reorganizes the Settings page so clients enter their own Bitbucket credentials, improving security by letting developers add clients as read-only users without exposing the developer password.Sat, 20 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/running-server/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/running-server/After more than five years of self-hosting, the decision was made to move to Dreamhost and let professionals handle server administration, with transferring existing IMAP email being the biggest concern.Sat, 26 Apr 2014 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplehostinghttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/sporting-new-look/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/sporting-new-look/Tom McFarlin released his Mayer theme for WordPress.org sites, making it the first purchased theme for this blog, chosen for its embrace of the decisions-over-options philosophy that results in leaner, more efficient code.Thu, 26 Jun 2014 00:00:00 GMTwordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/sunrise-in-the-desert/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/sunrise-in-the-desert/A photo post featuring a sunrise over the desert landscape.Sun, 02 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMTphotoshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/transferring-imap-messages/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/transferring-imap-messages/The final phase of migrating to Dreamhost involved using imapsync with a caching and sync command to transfer all IMAP mail, completing successfully for all users after a minor hiccup with moving mail accounts between domains.Mon, 26 May 2014 00:00:00 GMTapplehostingcodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/transferring-wordpress/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/transferring-wordpress/A step-by-step walkthrough of successfully migrating a multisite WordPress installation to Dreamhost using WP Migrate DB Pro for the database and SFTP for plugins and themes, tested on a spare domain before going live.Sun, 27 Apr 2014 00:00:00 GMThostinghttps://thefragens.com/blog/2014/wclax/https://thefragens.com/blog/2014/wclax/A short announcement about attending WordCamp LAX, with plans to bring a daughter along and hopes she enjoys it as much as her brother did.Sat, 09 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMTwordpressconferencehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-4-1-0/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-4-1-0/The v4.1.0 release delivers community bug fixes and a new remote install feature that eliminates the manual download-rename-upload workflow for GitHub and Bitbucket plugins and themes.Sat, 14 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-and-error-messages/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-and-error-messages/HTTP error codes from the GitHub and Bitbucket APIs are now surfaced as WordPress admin notices, with a 401 indicating an authorization failure and a 403 indicating a surpassed rate limit along with the reset time.Fri, 06 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMTgit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-and-gitlab/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-and-gitlab/Version 4.5.0 adds support for GitLab, GitLab CE, GitLab Enterprise, and GitHub Enterprise via new plugin headers, alongside a refactored abstract API class and a dedicated Messages class.Sun, 24 May 2015 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-and-remote-installation/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-and-remote-installation/The v4.0.0 release introduces namespacing and PSR-4 autoloading, and the upcoming v4.1.0 adds one-click remote installation of plugins and themes from public and private GitHub and Bitbucket repositories using the WordPress upgrader classes.Mon, 09 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-logo/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/github-updater-logo/A hand-drawn concept sketch submitted to LogoMajestic resulted in a professional logo for GitHub Updater that matched the original vision on the very first pass.Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMTgit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/happy-birthday-sophie-5/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/happy-birthday-sophie-5/A short birthday greeting of love to Sophie.Sun, 20 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMTfamilyhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/looking-for-a-logo/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/looking-for-a-logo/A WordCamp sponsorship request prompted the search for an official logo for GitHub Updater, leading to a hand-drawn concept sketch and the start of work with a professional logo designer.Fri, 27 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMTgit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/refactoring-autoloaders/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/refactoring-autoloaders/Refactoring work on GitHub Updater and The Events Calendar Category Colors adopts PHP 5.3 namespacing and PSR-4 autoloading via spl_autoload_register, with class aliasing used to maintain backward compatibility across plugin versions.Tue, 03 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/smash-api-rate-limit-more/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/smash-api-rate-limit-more/Version 4.3.0 adds a personal GitHub Access Token setting to raise the API rate limit to 5000 calls per hour, along with plugin branch switching and a View details link on the plugins page.Sun, 05 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2015/wordcamp-lax-2015/https://thefragens.com/blog/2015/wordcamp-lax-2015/Slides and a WordPress TV recording from the WordCamp LAX 2015 talk on plugin development are shared here.Fri, 09 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMTwordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2016/wordcamp-orange-county-2016/https://thefragens.com/blog/2016/wordcamp-orange-county-2016/Slides from the WordCamp OC 2016 talk on contributing to open source are embedded via the Embed PDF Viewer plugin and also linked from SpeakerDeck, with a WordPress TV video to be added once published.Wed, 13 Jul 2016 00:00:00 GMTwordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2017/medical-staff-hospital-alignment/https://thefragens.com/blog/2017/medical-staff-hospital-alignment/The growing misalignment between hospital medical staffs and administration is examined, with a hybrid solution proposed involving employed physicians and service line co-management agreements to improve engagement and quality metrics.Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMTmedicinehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/gallery-test/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/gallery-test/A test of the gallery layout and component.Sun, 22 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMTfamilyphotoshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/github-updater-and-background-updates/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/github-updater-and-background-updates/GitHub Updater now offloads its remote API calls to WP-Cron so update data is fetched in the background, dramatically reducing dashboard wait times while providing status indicators so users know processing is still in progress.Mon, 18 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMTgit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/github-updater-and-gitea/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/github-updater-and-gitea/GitHub Updater gained support for Gitea, a lightweight self-hosted Go-based git server, through a collaborative pull request with community contributor Marco Berchart, with the integration being the simplest to add yet thanks to the Gitea API closely mirroring the GitHub API.Wed, 25 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/github-updater-the-path-to-8/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/github-updater-the-path-to-8/Version 8 of GitHub Updater raises the minimum PHP requirement to 5.6, introduces a more modular architecture with new hooks, adds automatic plugin renaming on activation, and improves the Settings UI with icons, tooltips, and WP-CLI and webhook support.Wed, 27 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/install-a-zipfile-with-github-updater/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/install-a-zipfile-with-github-updater/GitHub Updater gained the ability to install plugins and themes directly from a local zipfile path or remote URI, treating the zipfile as just another git host type in the Remote Install workflow to solve build-process dependency issues.Fri, 28 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/installing-gitea-on-a-raspberry-pi/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/installing-gitea-on-a-raspberry-pi/A guide to installing the self-hosted Gitea git server on a Raspberry Pi 3B+ to maintain a long-term test environment for GitHub Updater integration, linking to a detailed gist with step-by-step instructions verified through multiple installs including notes on updating Go and Gitea afterward.Mon, 13 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/local-by-flywheel-pressmatic-and-symlinks/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/local-by-flywheel-pressmatic-and-symlinks/A walkthrough of using symlinks with Local by Flywheel to mirror a local git repository into the wp-content plugins or themes folder, with a bash script to automate recreating the symlinks after the Volumes addon sets up shared folders so IDE editing and version control work together seamlessly.Wed, 06 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/translations-updater/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/translations-updater/Translations Updater is a Composer library that brings decoupled language pack updating to plugins and themes hosted outside of WordPress.org, letting developers maintain a separate public translations repository and distribute only the locale files a site actually needs.Tue, 09 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/translations-updater-and-easy-digital-downloads/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/translations-updater-and-easy-digital-downloads/The Translations Updater Composer library integrates with Easy Digital Downloads Software Licensing to provide decoupled language pack updates for EDD-licensed plugins and themes by adding just two extra entries to the existing EDD SL configuration array.Wed, 17 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2018/wordpress-debugging/https://thefragens.com/blog/2018/wordpress-debugging/The WP Debugging plugin automatically enables WordPress debug constants in wp-config.php on activation and removes them on deactivation, bundling optional tools like Query Monitor, Debug Bar, and a log viewer to make PHP error identification accessible without manual file editing.Thu, 23 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2019/bringing-wordpress-core-to-php-5-6-and-beyond/https://thefragens.com/blog/2019/bringing-wordpress-core-to-php-5-6-and-beyond/An overview of the Servehappy / Site Health project and the safeguards added in WordPress 5.1 and 5.2 to protect sites during the transition away from end-of-life PHP versions, covering the dashboard PHP callout, plugin install and update blocking, activation protection, and WSOD recovery mode.Wed, 24 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMTwordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2019/wp-core-dev-with-local-lightning/https://thefragens.com/blog/2019/wp-core-dev-with-local-lightning/Step-by-step instructions for setting up a WordPress core development environment using Local Lightning on macOS, covering both the core.git and develop.git repositories, PHPUnit, patch application, npm build tooling, and Apple Silicon-specific notes for nvm and Node.Sat, 27 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMTcodewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2020/git-remote-updater-the-personal-remote-management-system/https://thefragens.com/blog/2020/git-remote-updater-the-personal-remote-management-system/Git Remote Updater is a WordPress plugin that serves as a personal remote management system, letting developers push Git Updater-managed plugin and theme updates to multiple sites with a single click via REST API webhooks, organized either by repository or by site.Mon, 03 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2022/setting-up-wordpress-local-docker-environment-for-apple-silicon/https://thefragens.com/blog/2022/setting-up-wordpress-local-docker-environment-for-apple-silicon/A step-by-step checklist for standing up the official wordpress-develop Docker environment on Apple Silicon, covering Homebrew, git, Docker, nvm, npm, docker-compose overrides, and shortcut commands for initializing, cleaning up, running PHPUnit tests, and applying Trac patches.Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMTcodeapplewordpresshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2024/contributing-to-wordpress/https://thefragens.com/blog/2024/contributing-to-wordpress/An open letter to Matt Mullenweg arguing the WP Engine controversy has harmed the community and proposing cost-sharing for WordPress.org infrastructure, placing the site under the WordPress Foundation, and broadening what counts as a contribution under Five for the Future.Sat, 28 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMThostingwordpresslife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2024/git-updater-lite/https://thefragens.com/blog/2024/git-updater-lite/Git Updater Lite is a lightweight composer library that lets WordPress plugin and theme developers distribute updates outside of wp.org by pairing with a Git Updater-based Update API Server, offloading data-gathering to the server and keeping the embedded updater minimal.Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2024/wcus-2024-in-pictures/https://thefragens.com/blog/2024/wcus-2024-in-pictures/A photo gallery of images taken at WordCamp US 2024 in Portland, displayed in a three-column grid.Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTwordpressphotosconferenceshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2024/wordpress-on-hiatus/https://thefragens.com/blog/2024/wordpress-on-hiatus/A long-time WordPress Core contributor explains pausing his contributions after Matt Mullenweg added a politically charged login checkbox to WordPress.org that he cannot in good conscience check, while reflecting on nearly a decade of Core contributions and expressing hope the community can heal.Sat, 26 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTlife-unscriptedhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2025/pressconf-2025-in-pictures/https://thefragens.com/blog/2025/pressconf-2025-in-pictures/A photo gallery from PressConf 2025, the reincarnation of Pressnomics, shot mostly in black and white on a fixed 35mm lens with a rangefinder camera and lightly processed in Photomator.Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMTphotosconferenceshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2025/the-hiatus-is-over/https://thefragens.com/blog/2025/the-hiatus-is-over/The author announces a return to the WordPress ecosystem after a hiatus, focusing on the FAIR Package Manager project -- a decentralized and federated plugin and theme distribution system built on the ATProto protocol that reached MVP and launched at the Alt Ctrl Org Conference during WCEU 2025 in Basel.Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMTcodegit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2025/update-api-server/https://thefragens.com/blog/2025/update-api-server/This post clarifies that Git Updater functions as an Update API Server rather than a direct update server since actual plugin and theme files are served from the git host, and describes virtual integration via the Additions tab along with a cache-flush REST endpoint for use with GitHub webhooks.Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMTgit-updaterhttps://thefragens.com/blog/2025/wcus-2025-in-pictures/https://thefragens.com/blog/2025/wcus-2025-in-pictures/A photo gallery from WordCamp US 2025, shot almost entirely in monochrome on a rangefinder camera, with generous crops on some images.Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTwordpressphotosconferenceshttps://thefragens.com/blog/2026/astro-and-claude/https://thefragens.com/blog/2026/astro-and-claude/After seventeen years on WordPress, I rebuilt my blog as a static site using Astro and Claude — and I had no idea what either of them were a week ago.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTcodehttps://thefragens.com/blog/2026/pressconf-2026-in-pictures/https://thefragens.com/blog/2026/pressconf-2026-in-pictures/A collection of photos from PressConf 2026, showcasing the event's highlights, speakers, and attendees.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTconferencesphotos