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Greg Work

Ongoing Work

This is a summary of the current regular maintenance tasks being performed on the website:

  • Cleanup HTML content pages fixing broken links and converting HTML to simpler modern standards
  • Create links to HTML pages from NJ.org WordPress and RFL as well as other locations. See email from G to N on 7 Mar 2021 at 12:34 PM – “Simultaneous promotion of both RFL and NJ.org”
  • Promote site content periodically to help bring site visitors.
  • Update Divi theme as needed
  • Update Plugins as needed
  • Update WordPress regularly

Work Archive

Past work is listed below in chronological order with the most recent at the top.

1 March 2021

Starting on 1 Mar 2021 we began working on the Recent Publications file. Greg will continue to fix broken links and cleanup HTML in this collection of materials which will be presented as four lists rather than one large one. There are email exchanges with details about this.

26 Feb 2021

Updates are listed according to time. The directory/folder name will be in the title as bold text after the time.

7:50 PM – WordPress – “Material by Source”

Responding to the email from 4:03 PM today. This page was mostly working fine, but some links pointed to older HTML folders that needed to be fixed with a .htaccess file and index.html file. Below are some of the corrections in alphabetical order.

  • Audio-Video – This link was set to the WordPress Audio and Video page. Now it has been changed to directly link to the YouTube channel. [Audio and Video]
  • Blog Index Excel File Download – This link was not working. It will now download an Excel file which contains a list of blog article titles and links, but also what appear to be internal “notes to self” about the various blog entries. So, it might be good to review the file and create something better designed for public use. [Download]
  • FCC Opinions Link – Change the link from http to https and place a .htaccess file into the FCCOps folder. [View]
  • Magazine Articles Link – Change the link from http to https and place a .htaccess file into the writing/MagsArts folder. [View]

2:44 PM – biblio – “Master Bibliography”

There were two folders, biblio and biblio-2014-larger. Renamed biblio to biblio-20210226fr1527, then renamed biblio-2014-larger to biblio and fixed up the biblio folder with a .htaccess file and used bibmpage.html as the new index.html page. The biblio folder index file is now viewable. [View]

2:22 PM – About Seemingly Disparate Folders

Looking at these seemingly disorganized and disparate folders of html content, you might wonder why it was originally organized that way.

You’ll recall that early DOS and then Windows computers would organize files by type. Documents from Scriptsit, WordStar, WordPerfect, or Microsoft Word would be organized in a documents folder. Images would be in an images or pictures folder. Audio files would be in an audio folder. Videos would be in a videos folder.

This thinking transferred over to early websites. There would be a folder for all the images used on a website. Then the HTML would point to the image files in that folder. The same was true for audio and other media types.

Early website software, such as Microsoft FrontPage (which you used) enforced this folder structure, as did any reference guides at the time.

So, following the convention of the time, you would have had a “Pictures” folder and folders for other media like audio and video.

As Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

2:13 PM – pix – “Pictures”

The pix folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

However, all of the contents of this folder and its subfolders have been emptied as explained in the index file that loads when you visit the pix folder.

Here is a list of the empty subfolders:

  • 0623fran
  • CindDrew
  • CRKids24
  • family
  • georgia
  • lr25play
  • lr27play
  • Nia
  • Phillips

2:09 PM – politics – Repository Folder

The politics folder is a repository and has no ‘files’ at the top level of that folder. It only contains these sub-folders. Those with index.html files are indicated below with a [View] link. I describe the folder as a repository folder because it mostly contains numerous documents on different topics.

  • education
  • general
  • IaChild [View]
  • IaChild2
  • kucinich [View]
  • PubPower [View] – “Iowa City, Iowa, and Public Power”

2:00 PM – publications – Forwards to new Portal Page on WordPress

The publications folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

However, as you’ll see, the page automatically forwards to the new Portal Page. [View New Page]

This change seems to have been made on 10 May 2017.

1:55 PM – rcntpubl – “Nicholas Johnson’s Streaming Audio and Video Page”

The rcntpubl folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

A spot check of the links on the main page shows that some have been updated to link to NJ.org files. Other links still point to the old ~cyberlaw locations.

1:51 PM – real – “Nicholas Johnson’s Streaming Audio and Video Page”

The real folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

Most of the links point to the UIOWA.edu/~cyberlaw/real folder which no longer exists. These links could be updated to point to the NJ.org/real folder. However, real audio files only point to their location on servers — which by now are no longer available. So, this content could probably be offloaded for reference and research.

1:47 PM – resource – ” General Resources for Nicholas Johnson Teaching”

The resource folder did not contain an index.html file. It contained only a resource.html file. So, I have placed a .htaccess file in the resource folder and updated it to point to the resource.html file instead of an index file. The content is now viewable. [View]

1:43 PM – SBWG – Offloaded

The SBWG folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

As you will see, the content of that directory has been offloaded and it’s not clear what had previously been there. The directory can probably be removed at this point.

1:40 PM – SchBoard – “Nicholas Johnson – Schools”

The SchBoard folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

I’ve noticed there seem to be folders, like the school board content, where two almost identical folders exist with one having a -2 in the name. We should try to remove whichever folders are duplicate folders and stick with a single folder.

1:33 PM – SchBoard-2 – “Nicholas Johnson – Schools”

The SchBoard-2 folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

Note that some of the links on the main page point to content on MyWeb, such as the Schools – Cities page. [View]

That page is available as SchBoard-2/ webpages/ sbdcitie.html [View]

1:23 PM – writing/masmedia – “Nicholas Johnson and Media Reform”

The seniorcollege index page had a link pointing to the writing/masmedia folder. So, I put a .htaccess file in the mas media folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

1:19 PM – seniorcollege – “Perspectives on Media and Our Lives – Fall 2007”

The seniorcollege folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

1:13 PM – sla12 – “Sports Law – Spring 2012”

The sla12 folder has an index.html file. So, I have put a .htaccess file in the folder and now the content is viewable. [View]

However, the index.html file has some links that point to ~cyberlaw and will need a global search and replace to fix the links.

1:05 PM – Site Updates

I performed updates of WordPress plugins and the Divi theme.

12:47 PM – sports – “Sports-Related Online Resources”

The sports folder did not contain an index.html file. It contained only an sla12resources.html file. So, I have placed a .htaccess file in the sports folder and updated it to point to the sla12resources.html file instead of an index file. The content is now viewable. [View]

12:47 PM – swednpix – “Swedish Relatives’ Pictures”

The swednpix folder contains only an index.html file stating that the original pictures have been removed. The folder has an index.html file and only needed a .htaccess file to make the contact viewable. [View]

12:42 PM – swiss – “A View of Switzerland: Schools, Government and Railroads“

The swiss folder contains what could be considered as a May 2001 post about Switzerland. [View] It could probably be fairly easily converted into a post in WordPress and have the HTML directory removed. The folder has an index.html file and only needed a .htaccess file to make the contact viewable.

12:35 PM – SYWTBL – “So You Want to be a Lawyer: A Play in Four Acts”

The SYWTBL folder does not have an index.html file, but it does have the njsywtbl.html file which serves the purpose of an index.html file. So I have placed a .htaccess file in the SYWTBL folder and updated it to point to the njsywtbl.html file instead of an index file. The result is there anyone going to the folder will automatically see the correct directory page of contents. [View]

12:05 PM – Backup of HTML

Using FTP software, I created a back up of the HTML files and any of the images or audio files that are located under the NJ.org site. That way we can recover any files that get accidentally deleted or otherwise altered in an undesirable way.

11:50 AM – FTP Settings

It is important that we use the correct server and port settings for secure FTP (SFTP) in the FileZilla or other FTP software. The server should be set to ftp.nicholasjohnson.org:2222 where the 2222 signifies the port setting. If the FTP software allows for entry to indicate the port setting then use 2222 for the port and ftp.nicholasjohnson.org for the server.

11:47 AM – WJohnson Audio

I’ve been reviewing the index file that is located in the /wjohnson/wjaudio/ folder. [View]

In summary, most of the URL links on that page go to MP3 files on a nonexistent web server at the University of Iowa.

The Archive.org Wayback Machine is able to provide downloads of those files but it turns out they are RealAudio files with a .ram extension. The RealAudio files point to a UIOWA streaming audio server that no longer exists.

I’ve written to the help desk staff at ITS to inquire about any possible back up from around 2007 that might contain those files. A copy of that email from 11:17 AM today also went to the NJ@Gmail address.

I believe we should look in our own files to see if we can find the original MP3 audio files. They may have been saved as a back up or the originals may be on a hard drive somewhere.

25 Feb 2021

2:59 PM

Here are notes from my work today. I’ve changed my FTP password while not in use to about 30 auto-generated random letters, numbers, and special characters. I’ll change it back to something easier whenever I need to use FTP. This only impacts my FTP access.

  • tpfl – “Test Pattern for Living” The .htaccess is now in the folder and the index.html file is viewable. The links point to the ~cyberlaw folder, but a global search and replace should fix that since the files are now in the NJ.org/tpfl folder. [View]
    • NOTE: We spent quite a bit of time taking these old HTML pages and converting them into a nice WordPress website. At one point, we had paid for a dedicated dot com URL. The site still exists without a dedicated dot com address. [View on WordPress]
  • ucsd – Page Summary: “Nicholas Johnson served as University of California Regents Lecturer January 29-February 5, 2000. He was on the campus of the University of California San Diego under the sponsorship of its Department of Communication. This page will be expanded over time to include transcripts of more of the events, as indicated below. — N.J., February 7, 2000; updated July 12, 2000” The .htaccess is now in the folder and the index.html file is viewable. A link on that page for Mary goes to http://soli.inav.net/~mvasey/ which indicates the page is outdated. Other links go to UCSD pages and some work. [View]
  • UI – This folder only contains an HTML file SMason-070801.html and to make that file visible, I used a special .htaccess entry so that visitors to the UI directory will automatically see the Sally Mason letter from Aug 2007. This text can probably be copied and pasted to some other location on the website or saved to your computer and deleted from the website. [View]
  • UIMelros – “The University of Iowa and the Historic Melrose Neighborhood.” The .htaccess is now in the folder and the index.html file is viewable. The links point to cyberlaw, but a global search and replace should fix the links since the files are in NJ.org/UIMelrose. [View]
  • v-web – This folder contains an images subfolder, but is otherwise empty and can be deleted.
  • videos – “Sample Videos” The .htaccess is now in the folder and the index.html file is viewable. The links work, but the videos are not of high quality. [View]
  • Virtualosity – This folder only contains an index.html file which is 0 bytes in size, so an empty file. [View]
  • wj – There is no index.html file in this folder. It is a repository of HTML files, JPG images, and audio files in the wjaudio subfolder. I’ll wait to do any work with these items. They are mostly linked from elsewhere.
  • wjcc – “The Journalist in Cyberspace, A Warsaw Journalism Center International Conference” This folder now has the .htaccess file and the content is accessible through the index.html file in that folder. Some of the links on the main page have been updated and point to NJ.org/wjcc but others have not been updated and still point to the UIOWA cyberlaw folder. Changing the URL to NJ.org will fix those because the files seem to exist on NJ.org/wjcc [View]
  • wjohnson – “Wendell A. L. Johnson, Memorial Home Page.” This folder now has the .htaccess file and the content is accessible through the index.html file in that folder. I checked many of the links and they seem to be working. [View]
  • wp – This is the WordPress directory with all of the WordPress system files and content.
  • writing – I’m going to skip working on this folder because it is mostly a repository of writings that are linked to from other pages.
  • writing-2 – I’m going to skip working on this folder because it is mostly a repository of writings that are linked to from other pages.
  • WWWStats – Old stats for cyberlaw. Added .htaccess to directory so it would be viewable. This entire directory can probably be downloaded and then deleted. [View]
  • YourPrimo – Draft of Francisco’s initial business website. Added .htaccess to directory. It is now viewable. This folder could probably be downloaded and then deleted. [View]