Typepad is no more. The blogging platform that I have used since I began my Flight Artworks endeavour is closing down, pitching myself and thousands of others into the internet abyss.

With very little notice, we have been told to pack up and leave or lose everything.

In my case it’s 60-odd articles; others have many years of documenting their lives, hobbies and other activities to attempt to migrate.

Obviously it raised the question, is it worth it? I am largely retired now and no longer creating the Flight Artworks images, although you can still buy prints. I did not have to think about this for long: I had put an enormous amount of effort into creating the articles in the first place, typically telling the stories behind the images and howI came to create them. It felt like a tremendous resource. And I know from Google data that people do still access them all the time.

So I downloaded everything. Typepad made that straightforward–but it is not possible to simply set up stall elsewhere with a few clicks. For one thing, the “download everything” facility did not include the images – which of course were almost entirely what my blog was about. The text was exported … but with links to the images as they were hosted on Typepad’s servers.

So I then had to painstakingly replace every single one.

LEARNING CURVE

I have opted to have the pages hosted from now on by 123-Reg, the British-based platform that has always hosted my various domain names. When I explained to one of their support guys what I was having to do, his response was, “I’ve never heard of Typepad” – which, coming from a professional in the business, doubtless tells you all you need to know.

I then bit the bullet and decided it was time I got to grips with WordPress, “The open source publishing platform of choice for millions of websites worldwide—from creators and small businesses to enterprises.”

So that has shoehorned another steep learning curve into a year that has already involved Home Assistant and a bunch of new astrophotography equipment and processes, including off axis guiding, and getting an e-bike.

“Oh well, it keeps your brain active,” my wife said cheerily.

Anyway that is what has been occupying my time recently, and I have just finally worked my way back to my very first blog post, which was this one from February 2012.

The upshot is, by the end of the month when Typepad turns off the servers I am hoping that you will not notice much of a change here. The web address – aerialcombat.co.uk – remains the same.

I have taken the opportunity to have refresh of the style somewhat, but retaining the white-on-black theme that extends to my main website. But if there are some glitches or (more likely) the odd missing image, now you know why.

And I keep thinking I have retired . . . .