Today, Matt Mullenweg announced on the WordPress.org blog that the latest and greatest version of WordPress is now available for download. The new Happy Cog-designed user interface is an amazing improvement—WordPress has always been sophisticated software, but has never until now had a serious user interface to match.
Along with it we’re bringing you an all-new (well, almost!) WordPress.org. I first mentioned this redesign a few weeks ago and more than a few friends and WordPress users have expressed their relief to hear about this long-overdue revamp. The site is still in its infancy—with the launch of 2.5 time was very tight to design and code a new web site, too, but we’ll be continuing to polish and shine in the coming days.
Also—I meant to mention this earlier. WordPress is an open source project built by a community of people, most of whom don’t work with us at Automattic. But it goes beyond even that. WordPress also benefits from the generosity and hard work of others who have released their own open source projects. Everaldo Coelho is the designer behind the Crystal Project icon set, a beautiful collection of free, open source icon art. Because he released the project under the LGPL, we were able to incorporate it into WordPress, and his icons can now be found in the new Media Library in WordPress 2.5. Thanks, Everaldo.
After thorough review of this complex and protracted record, we conclude Siegelman has satisfied the criteria set out in the statute, and has specifically met his burden of showing that his appeal raises substantial questions of law or fact.
It’s just a first step, but it’s good to see justice is finally being served in this case.
More pathetic or sad? In the first day of jury selection in the trial of a man accused of murdering a Mobile transvestite, a “significant number of potential jurors informed the court that due to their religious beliefs they might not be able to hear the case without prejudice.”
If your religious beliefs lead you to believe that being a transvestite is a sin punishable by death, I hope you’re right about the existence of Hell.
“Hillary Clinton recently used stock footage of a little girl sleeping peacefully to make a political ad. The kind of footage normally used in commercials for pajamas and cough syrup. But she wanted to scare you into voting for her…”
Matt Mullenweg has posted the first public overview of WordPress 2.5 Release Candidate 1. Just a few months after I joined Automattic, Toni Schneider and I talked about the WordPress redesign, and it turns out both of us had Happy Cog in mind to do the job. Working with Jason Santa Maria and Liz Danzico in implementing their fantastic design work has been one of the highlights of my job so far. If you’ve got the inclination, download Release Candidate 1 and join the wp-testers mailing list to give us your feedback.
The SNL alum made a guest appearance last night with a ridiculously funny monologue. The transcript and video is at the link above. My favorite:
Barack is qualified. Personally I want to know what qualifies Hillary Clinton to be the next president. Is it because she was married to the president? If that were the case then Robin Givens would be the heavyweight champion of the world!
“The lives of homosexual and of heterosexual couples are worth the same. The new law is not a weakening of the institution of marriage; rather it represents a strengthening. The value of marriage does not decrease because more people gain access to it.”
A recently-discovered patent filing made by Apple discusses, in great detail, an Apple-developed DVR user interface for Apple TV. These are words I’d be happy to eat—although I still can’t imagine why Apple would want to get into such a messy game.
The British government has refused to grant asylum to two gay Iranians, saying that they need only be “discreet about their homosexuality” to avoid being put to death for being gay. Absolutely shameful.
Dan Savage:
In Mr. Kazemi’s case, a gay teenager, Iranian authorities have already arrested and executed his boyfriend. If he’s sent back, he dies. Period. If Ms. Emambakhsh is sent back, she dies. Period. And if the British government sends them back, it will be a party to their murders. Period.
UPDATE: The UK Home Secretary has announced a temporary reprieve for one of the two, Mehdi Kazemi, saying that the decision to return Kazemi to his certain death in Iran was made “in the light of new circumstances since the original decision was made.” Kazemi’s boyfriend was hanged in Iran while Kazemi was in the UK after having been convicted of sodomy. This was known when the Home Office made their original decision. “In light of new circumstances?” I knew about the horrible situation for gays in Iran before the British Home Secretary did?
I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold,” the New York senator told reporters crowded into an infant’s bedroom-sized hotel conference room in Washington. “I believe that I’ve done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you’ll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy,” she said.
Sounds to me like Hillary Clinton is saying that if Obama wins the Democratic nomination, she’ll endorse John McCain.
Today, Matt Mullenweg announced on the WordPress.org blog that the latest and greatest version of WordPress is now available for download. The new Happy Cog-designed user interface is an amazing improvement—WordPress has always been sophisticated software, but has never until now had a serious user interface to match. 
Also—I meant to mention this earlier. WordPress is an open source project built by a community of people, most of whom don’t work with us at Automattic. But it goes beyond even that. WordPress also benefits from the generosity and hard work of others who have released their own open source projects. Everaldo Coelho is the designer behind the Crystal Project icon set, a beautiful collection of free, open source icon art. Because he released the project under the LGPL, we were able to incorporate it into WordPress, and his icons can now be found in the new Media Library in WordPress 2.5. Thanks, Everaldo.