Martin Dubovic

DevTech News - Interactive Tech Journalism An independent newsletter for developers who want more than just headlines. Interactive, engaging, and built for the tech-curious mind.

devtech.news

I’m excited to announce the official launch of DevTech News! 🚀

The desktop version is an immersive scrolly-telling experience, while the tablet/mobile versions are simpler but still retain 95% of the content.

If you’re into #tech, #webdev, #AI, or #science - check it out.

Link in the comments. 👇🏻

Can you touch your toes? 🤔

Now, can you touch your toes in the middle of a #pushup? 🤯

While it is difficult, unlocking the “Aztec pushup” is absolutely do-able if you break it down into progressions.

Check out my full guide to unlocking this move. 👇🏻

matko.cc/how-to-do-az...

#Calisthenics

I Tried Hostinger's New Horizons AI Developer Tool: Is the Hype Justified? Here are my results working with Hostinger Horizons, my overall thoughts on its strengths, limitations, and usefulness. Is it worth it?

I recently had the chance to test out the new #Hostinger Horizons AI app builder tool and I must say that I was impressed. 😎

If you’ve heard about the #VibeCoding trend and wanted a beginner-friendly way to try it, then #Horizons offers a good entry point. 👇🏻

wpshout.com/hostinger-ho...

How to Transform Still Images Into Live Videos for Free With the Latest AI Tools The latest advancements in AI art have taken over the internet. It seems like many people are enjoying the ability to instantly make their vision come to life. One thing that hasn't gotten as much att...

Learn more in my full walk-through tutorial:

wpshout.com/how-to-trans...

#AIVideo #AITools #ImageToVideo

Have you heard about the new #ByteDance image-to-video tool called #DreamActorM1? The research paper and previews look amazing. 😲

Unfortunately, it’s not available to try yet. However! There are other alternatives available. I recently tested a free one that works well and gets the job done. 👇🏻

Two weeks ago I shared my thoughts on the #Ghibli AI art trend that took off after #OpenAI launched their new image generator. You’ve also probably noticed action figures on your timeline lately.

While those are cool, there’s something even cooler that you can do — check it out.

#AIArt #AICartoon

WordPress Shifts to Only One Major Release in 2025: What to Expect During the last week of March, nearly 30 WordPress core committers, project leaders, and team members gathered to discuss WordPress' release schedule. According to the meeting notes, the conversation ...

#WordPress is shifting its schedule to only one major release in 2025. That’s a big change.

I wrote up a summary of what to expect and the different ways you can stay up to date with WordPress development (and even give your input) in this new environment.

👇🏻

wpshout.com/wordpress-sw...

#WebDev

Ghiblified image of post author.

Back in 2018, I lived briefly in Mitaka, Japan - and walked by the #Ghibli Museum on a semi-daily basis. I quickly became a fan. Here are my thoughts on the #GhibliAI trend, the #OpenAI new image generator, and where we are headed. 👨‍🎨

👇🏻

wpshout.com/ghibli-ai-tr...

YouTube video by WP Workshop Auto-Set Image Alt Text in WordPress & Upload at “Full Size” by Default

Manually setting alt text and resizing images in #WordPress? Yeah…I used to do that too. Not anymore!

There's a simple way to auto-set #SEO alt text from file names and make images default to full size on upload. No more clicking around!

Here’s how: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP_s...

How to Add Contact Forms to a Static WordPress Site for Free Static WordPress sites are amazing, but they lack some functionalities. One of them is the ability to add contact forms. Here's the solution.

wpshout.com/add-contact-...

Last week I shared a very thorough step-by-step tutorial on setting up a #WordPress static site that only costs $10.44/year to maintain - all inclusive.🤯

However, static sites don’t let you add contact forms. Fortunately, there’s a solution to this. If you’ve got the will, then I’ve got the way. 👇🏻

How to Launch and Maintain a WordPress Site for Only $10.44 a Year (Domain + Hosting Included) Working on a tight budget but still want a fast WordPress site with free SSL and a custom domain? This solution costs only $10.44 a year.

wpshout.com/launch-and-m...

If you’ve been thinking about launching a #WordPress site but the cost has deterred you from taking the plunge - I’ve got a $10 per year solution for you.

That price includes #webhosting, a domain name, an SSL certificate, and a CDN. It’s also NOT a promo rate.

Don’t believe me? Check it out. 👇🏻

I Tried My First AI Agent - Convergence AI - and Let's Just Say... Have you been dying to try an AI agent? Well now you can (for free). Convergence AI recently released "Proxy." Here's my review of it.

Everyone and their mama is talking about #AI agents lately. 🤖

Unlike LLMs though - which are a dime-a-dozen nowadays - AI agent tools haven’t flooded the web yet. 🌍

So when I learned that #Convergence AI finally released their #Proxy model, I took it for a spin. 👇🏻

wpshout.com/convergence-...

The Rise of "GEO" - or How AI is Transforming Search Engine Optimization We've been relying on SEO for years to rank our sites but in this new AI era, another strategy has emerged: generative engine optimization.

wpshout.com/generative-e...

If you’ve used #Google lately, you’ve probably noticed a change: instead of just getting the usual links + snippets, you’re now seeing AI-generated responses that cite sources in your search results.

So how do you get your #content to show up like I did in the screenshot? 👉 #GEO

See comments. 👀

Split screen image showing a phishing scammer on the left and the target of attack on the right.

Anyone here ever experienced a #phishing attack? 🎣

At what point did you realize that it was a #scam?

What was the red flag that convinced you? 🚩

Scammer attacks are becoming more sophisticated nowadays so I’m curious to see what others have experienced. 👀

#PhishingScam

Before there was the written word, there was oral history passed down through generations.

Keep reading books.

But keep telling the next generation the stories you know. Someday the books may no longer be allowed.

We cannot forget to share the things that are important.

Everyone Is Talking About DeepSeek AI, but Is It Really THAT Good? I Tested It Against GPT-o1 and Claude If you follow the AI scene you may have seen DeepSeek AI on your feeds last week. But what's all the fuss about? Is it really a "GPT killer?"

What I didn’t say in my initial post above is that I did this at the tail-end of a more comprehensive test of #DeepSeekR1. When I say “comprehensive,” I mean that I tested its capability across various types of tasks. The results were…interesting. 👇🏻

wpshout.com/deepseek-ai/

Testing the new #DeepSeekR1 and getting a taste of China’s Big Brother censorship in real time. It’s interesting to see how for some topics (e.g., Tiananmen) it automatically won’t answer, while for other topics (e.g., Cultural Revolution) it gives a full answer but then...😱

Have you tried it?

#AI

Thanks for reading and for the share. 🙏🏻

The Real AI Threat Isn't Coming - It's Already Here: 3 Cases of Algorithms Destroying Lives Forget AI taking jobs or achieving consciousness. Here are 3 real-life cases of artificial intelligence destroying thousands of lives.

I write about #AI topics frequently. One theme that consistently pops up is the “future threat” of AI. Whether it’s AI taking jobs or eventually reaching AGI/ASI, it’s often presented as a looming threat.

But the reality is that AI has already been doing massive damage.

wpshout.com/when-algorit...

Google Now Requires JavaScript Because "Security"…They're Not Telling the Entire Truth Google has made a significant change: you now need to enable JavaScript to use Google Search. This is why, and why not.

#Google now requires you to have #JavaScript enabled if you want to use Google Search.

Is it for user security or consolidating the market and making it hard on #SEO tools?

I'll leave the answer to you. Here's more on the topic: wpshout.com/google-now-r...

The Rise of "GEO" - or How AI is Transforming Search Engine Optimization We've been relying on SEO for years to rank our sites but in this new AI era, another strategy has emerged: generative engine optimization.

If you’re a website owner then you already know what #SEO is, but have you heard of #GEO ? 🤔

With all the changes to Google’s algorithms last year, many are turning to GEO - or generative engine optimization - to gain an edge in the #SERP.

Learn how to do it yourself 👇🏻

wpshout.com/generative-e...

2024 WordPress Recap: A Lot More Happened Than Just #WPDrama While the main WordPress story of 2024 was #wpdrama, let's remember there was 10 months of activity before that. Here's a full recap of 2024.

#WordPress in 2024: More than just #wpdrama 👀

✅ 3 major releases (6.5, 6.6, 6.7)
✅ 4,700+ enhancements & fixes
✅ Big acquisitions: NitroPack, WPAI, and more
✅ WordCamps bounced back (75+ events!)
✅ Security challenges, but key wins too

Full recap: themeisle.com/blog/wordpre...

What stood out?

What would your top 5 be? 🤔

Mine would probably be:

1. Wordfence
2. Otter Blocks
3. Optimole
4. Super Page Cache (or WP Fastest Cache)
5. Shortcodes Ultimate

In the past I would've had Yoast on there (in 5th place) but with all the algo updates, I find SEO plugins to be less valuable overall.

WordPress Ticket #30465 Was Opened 10 Years Ago - Is 2025 Going to Be the Year It Finally Gets Resolved? The infamous WordPress ticket #30465. A ticket that was opened more than 10 years ago and is still open. All that might be changing soon.

10 years ago, a #WordPress dev noticed: you couldn't know if a plugin you used was removed - even for security issues.

Welcome to ticket 30465. Still unresolved, but talks are moving again after 1,500+ plugin vulnerabilities were uncovered.

Martin explains it here: themeisle.com/blog/wordpre...

#BlockThemes 🆚 #ClassicThemes — the debate that won’t die. Here is what @hardeep.social (a developer) had to say.

His opinion is one of many featured in arguably the most in-depth article published on this topic. If you haven’t read it yet, do you even #WordPress bro?

themeisle.com/blog/block-t...

How the Holidays Are Shaping Web Traffic Trends (and Why You Should Care) When the feasting starts, the web often takes a back seat. Here are the details on how the holidays shape traffic trends on the web.

Happy almost-2025! Been checking new Cloudflare data: big web dips on Xmas Eve/Day, then bounces on Boxing Day & NYE - perfect for #marketing. Check out my latest post for all the insights: wpshout.com/christmas-ho...