Friends Don’t Let Friends Use Divi

I've had the Divi WordPress theme from Elegant Themes for almost 10 years. In all that time, I have been reluctant to use it for client or serious Web sites. And for good reason.

The whole decade has been much like the Biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites through the desert. That was 40 years, and through all that time, things just didn't seem to get better. Promises remained unfulfilled. The talk was that, "some day, you will get to the promised land".

That describes my experience with Divi. When I first got it, all the hype was focused on Version 3 and the Visual Builder. It was "just wait! It's gonna be amazing!" After six months of relentless proselytizing, the visual builder arrived. And it was slow, buggy, and often unusable.

It remained so for years to follow, with only marginal improvements. Then came the hype about Version 4 and the Theme Builder. Same thing, except that the hype went on for a few years. Then, finally, Version 4 arrived and it was...meh. Surprisingly little in the way of customization options, especially navigation bars.

Meanwhile, Divi always remained awkward, slow, and buggy. Always with the exhortation to "just wait...as soon as we launch [insert promised new feature here] it's gonna be great!"

Fast forward to 2026. We have been hearing about Divi 5 - I kid you not - for around five years now. It's still in beta. And it's very buggy, slow to work with, clumsy, and nowhere near as good as using the default WordPress theme coupled with the Twentig and GenerateBlocks plugins.

Do NOT waste your (or your friends', colleagues', or clients') money, time, and effort. Just learn block editing. It's so much faster, simpler, and better. For example, the subpar Divi text editor STILL doesn't let you create internal links without technical knowledge. Yet, core WordPress has had that feature in its text editor for well over seven years. Furthermore, I can no longer save or reuse layouts I've created, as the Divi Library and Divi Cloud no longer work for me. And sometimes page images inexplicably won't display.

I could go on. Reach out if you want more details on problems I've had with the Divi WordPress theme.

Not that it's 100% bad. On the front end, pages load quickly enough for visitors and generally look good on mobile screens, with only minor tweaking. Once a site is set up, it's not terrible to maintain - if you don't mind waiting three times as long for the Divi editor to load as with the default WordPress one. And Elegant Themes' tech support is usually helpful and quick.

Plus, Moses did eventually get the Israelites to the promised land. It took 40 years, but he got them there.

Nonetheless, I only use Divi if I already have sites made in it. I don't recommend using it for anything new. Block themes are the future of WordPress, and Divi is not a block theme.

Just my humble opinion as someone who's been working extensively in WordPress for over 17 years.

Comedy Redux

I've resurrected my droll standup comedy. Be forewarned. Also, please bookmark this site so you can find out when and where I'll be performing.

Gee, that's thoughtful of you. You're swell.

Raceway Park Auto Show Redux: April 30 in Englishtown, NJ

It's that time again. Or at least it was. I usually attend the Raceway Park auto show on Sundays, the two weekends it's held each year. This year, the Saturday version had much better weather than the Sunday version, but I was at the gloomy and chilly Sunday show. Also, by the time I arrived (around 11:30am), it seemed like many of the cars on the display track had been driven away. But there were still some cool sights to be seen, both on and off the beaten path. This Buick Riviera fastback, which was not on the main track, can be yours for a mere $23,000. I spoke to the car's owner (the man with the funky hat opening the door) and he let me in on the work he'd had done to the car since acquiring it. He claims to have invested $27,000 in the vehicle, so he's only losing $3,000 plus the costs of ownership. Shrewd: 1971 Buick Riviera Fastback at Raceway Park   Here's another gem, also off the beaten path. A well-worn but sweetly-purring 1959 Ford Edsel: 1958 Ford Edsel in Englishtown, NJ   How about this 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad Wagon? It's another that wasn't on the main track. Like the Riviera, it's for sale, but I'm not sure whether they'll throw in the matching bike: 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad Wagon   Meanwhile, this 1939 Ford coupe, which happened to be on the main track, sure has a nice patina: 1939 Ford Coupe in Englishtown, NJ   This ocean-mist beauty was the first car whose sleek lines I snapped that day: 1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe at Raceway Park Auto Show   Here's a 1955 Chevrolet Nomad rat rod. I've seen this one there before - warts and all: 1955 Chevy Nomad Rat Rod at Raceway Park   How about an old farm hauler with bullet holes? Old Pickup Truck With Bullet Holes   Or a deftly-restored 1956 Ford Edsel convertible? (you should see the "before" photos): Monochrome 1956 Ford Edsel Convertible  

Frank Lloyd Wright and More @ MoMA

mile-high-illinois-wright Another visit to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Another fun Friday. Friday evenings @ MoMA are FREE! Although I didn't stay as long there as I had during my last visit (in January), MoMA proved to be just as intriguing. Starting with the video game exhibits on the second level (Pong, Tempest, Ms. Pac Man, Asteroids), my friend Craig and I walked amongst projections of light flowers, flashing screens,  land-mine-inspired creations, and eclectic interiors. Pink Panther with a mermaid at MoMA Ultimately, we sauntered to the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, where I couldn't help noticing how one of his proposed buildings, a never-built skyscraper to be named the Mile High Illinois, seemed a precursor to the current World Trade Center . You can see how, like the Freedom Tower,  the Mile High Illinois was to have tapering along its sides to reduce wind impact. I got there kind of late (almost 6pm) but still saw sights aplenty. Afterward, I had a hankering for Mexican food - after having recommended such a venue to  a lass from the London area (via Austin Texas). I hope she took my advice. One cannot hope to have enough burritociousness in a single lifetime.  

Raceway Park Car Show and Swap Meet

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending the last day of the Raceway Park Car Show and Swap Meet, in Englishtown, NJ. It reaffirmed my fondness for the long American obsession with the automobile. During the golden age of American automotive might, cars could be rolling behemoths of beauty - many were big and impressive; all were accessible enough for even the weekend mechanic. There clearly was an effort by automakers to impress buyers, owners, drivers, and pedestrians alike. Anyway, here are some shots from my wanderings there. I took many, many photographs, so I may add more as the mood strikes:
Studebaker

1948-ish Studebaker

 
1960 Plymouth Savoy

1960 Plymouth Savoy

 
1956 Ford Thunderbird

1956 Ford Thunderbird

 
1965 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback

1965 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback

 
1972 Plymouth Satellite

1972 Plymouth Satellite

Bright Orange 1950s Studebaker Pickup Truck

1950s Studebaker Pickup Truck