Sunday, May 29, 2005
Crooked Timber ? ? Regexps Rule: "The whole thing went far more smoothly, and far faster, than I had any right to expect. In retrospect, of course, I’d urge LaTeX dweebs to lay off the bells and whistles when producing long manuscripts. It’s a waste of time. But so is watching TV, and you probably do a lot of that, too. If you have a standard book or article with little in the way of add-ons, it should be relatively easy to convert it to HTML. "
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Ask E.T.: Thinking and Paper: "I like to think that I have - over the years - devised a personal operational work system that combines the benefits of both chaos and organisation. It is completely paper-based, although I have had a computer on my desk since 1982.
It is actually a fully-specified system but I won't go into all the details, just the core bit. Everything coming in is printed or noted on paper. That paper is then slipped into one of say a dozen clear plastic folders which are kept in a tray (sometimes two or three) called Work in Progress. One of those files may otherwise be in a tray called Current Task. Paper from the folder in Current Task (but only that folder) can be scattered all over the desk in whatever order or chaos best serves to carry out the task in hand. If the task is interrupted for more than a phonecall then all the paper goes back in the folder, the folder goes back in Work in Progress - and another folder becomes Current Task. As the folders fill up they are culled: in effect I use a kanban system to restrict their size. Since paper is filed in the plastic covers loose in the order in which is was last looked at, it is an easy matter to take out the bottom half of each file, flip through it for anything archival (not much, usually - that's what we have computers for) and drop it in a Xerox box under the desk. Anything not looked at for a month in the box gets dumped.
The beauty of the system is that everything scattered on the desk is current (so no hunting around for things that might be missing) and the fact that once a week I can skim-read every piece of paper in the files (1000 to 2000 pieces say) in about thirty minutes and pick up dependencies, connections, forgettings, omissions whilst the file is held in my short-term memory for that half-hour.
Impossible to do on computer.
-- Martin Ternouth (email), June 13, 2002 "
It is actually a fully-specified system but I won't go into all the details, just the core bit. Everything coming in is printed or noted on paper. That paper is then slipped into one of say a dozen clear plastic folders which are kept in a tray (sometimes two or three) called Work in Progress. One of those files may otherwise be in a tray called Current Task. Paper from the folder in Current Task (but only that folder) can be scattered all over the desk in whatever order or chaos best serves to carry out the task in hand. If the task is interrupted for more than a phonecall then all the paper goes back in the folder, the folder goes back in Work in Progress - and another folder becomes Current Task. As the folders fill up they are culled: in effect I use a kanban system to restrict their size. Since paper is filed in the plastic covers loose in the order in which is was last looked at, it is an easy matter to take out the bottom half of each file, flip through it for anything archival (not much, usually - that's what we have computers for) and drop it in a Xerox box under the desk. Anything not looked at for a month in the box gets dumped.
The beauty of the system is that everything scattered on the desk is current (so no hunting around for things that might be missing) and the fact that once a week I can skim-read every piece of paper in the files (1000 to 2000 pieces say) in about thirty minutes and pick up dependencies, connections, forgettings, omissions whilst the file is held in my short-term memory for that half-hour.
Impossible to do on computer.
-- Martin Ternouth (email), June 13, 2002 "
Friday, May 27, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Mind Hacks: Avoiding 'stereotype threat' for better performance: "Steele wondered if the [black] Michigan students suffered from a kind of self-image threat, so with colleagues Joshua Aronson and Steven Spencer, he designed a series of studies. They gave sophomores matched by SAT scores a frustrating section of the Graduate Record Examination. When first told that the test evaluated verbal ability, the black students scored a full standard deviation lower on average. But when the researchers described it as a study of problem-solving techniques unimportant to academic achievement, the scores for blacks leaped to the same level as those for whites."
Google Groups : alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent: "If you can't get it, you can make one. All you need is a piece of 1 -
1/8' tubing and an aheadset style MTB handlebar stem. Get a 130
degree model in whatever length works for you. Many brands have a 130
in a 120mm length, which will give a 4' offset. Some brands also have
130s in 135mm.
See http://mnhpva.org/meetings/June_02/Dawg.html and scroll to the
bottom for a really bad picture of what I mean. It's a bit clumsy
looking, but so are the welds on the Cannondale stem.
Another option would be to keep the stock stem and try to find a BikeE
NX handlebar, which comes back about 4' and, if adjusted properly,
gives much better steering ergonomics. "
1/8' tubing and an aheadset style MTB handlebar stem. Get a 130
degree model in whatever length works for you. Many brands have a 130
in a 120mm length, which will give a 4' offset. Some brands also have
130s in 135mm.
See http://mnhpva.org/meetings/June_02/Dawg.html and scroll to the
bottom for a really bad picture of what I mean. It's a bit clumsy
looking, but so are the welds on the Cannondale stem.
Another option would be to keep the stock stem and try to find a BikeE
NX handlebar, which comes back about 4' and, if adjusted properly,
gives much better steering ergonomics. "
MYTHS AND FACTS ON MOTHERHOOD AND MARRIAGE: "Fact: 'Meta-analysis supports the notion that the impact of father absence appears to be mediated by family conflict; father absence in itself may not affect children's well-being. The family conflict perspective was strongly confirmed by the data. This perspective holds that children in intact families with high levels of conflict should have the same well-being problems as children of divorce, and the data supported this hypothesis.'"
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Scale Modeling of OGRE and GEV units: "Kitbashing, or the creation of something
completly new from the ordinary, has been a source of modeling ever since modeling first
became a hobby. %uFFFD Many times, artists would be upset that a company didn't offer a
model of a rare vehicle, truck, car, war plane, etc. and they would simply set about to
build their own copy of what they wanted using bits and pieces from other pre-existing
models to accomplish their goals.%uFFFD OGRE and GEV are some of the easiest and the
hardest models to kitbash.%uFFFD The genre would seem simple; a future war using somewhat
contemporary vehicles.%uFFFD The concepts are familiar; treads and hovercraft, projectile
firing weapons, electronics and armor.%uFFFD We have tanks, howitzers, and a host of other
familiar vehicles.%uFFFD And then we have OGREs.%uFFFD On a 1/35th scale representation, I
would see a Mark V OGRE as being about 8 feet long, three feet wide, and three feet tall.
%uFFFD An almost impossible item to kitbash, or would it?%uFFFD I don't know, I doubt I
have room for something like that, but we'll see...%uFFFD A 1/35th scale OGRE Mark V...
%uFFFD Hmmm.%uFFFD Interesting.%uFFFD Need a trailer to carry it to a Con.%uFFFD It would
never fit in the back seat, unless I made it modular.%uFFFD Hmmm."
completly new from the ordinary, has been a source of modeling ever since modeling first
became a hobby. %uFFFD Many times, artists would be upset that a company didn't offer a
model of a rare vehicle, truck, car, war plane, etc. and they would simply set about to
build their own copy of what they wanted using bits and pieces from other pre-existing
models to accomplish their goals.%uFFFD OGRE and GEV are some of the easiest and the
hardest models to kitbash.%uFFFD The genre would seem simple; a future war using somewhat
contemporary vehicles.%uFFFD The concepts are familiar; treads and hovercraft, projectile
firing weapons, electronics and armor.%uFFFD We have tanks, howitzers, and a host of other
familiar vehicles.%uFFFD And then we have OGREs.%uFFFD On a 1/35th scale representation, I
would see a Mark V OGRE as being about 8 feet long, three feet wide, and three feet tall.
%uFFFD An almost impossible item to kitbash, or would it?%uFFFD I don't know, I doubt I
have room for something like that, but we'll see...%uFFFD A 1/35th scale OGRE Mark V...
%uFFFD Hmmm.%uFFFD Interesting.%uFFFD Need a trailer to carry it to a Con.%uFFFD It would
never fit in the back seat, unless I made it modular.%uFFFD Hmmm."
Monday, May 16, 2005
: "Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza is the definitive guide to creative bicycle building. With 16 fully detailed and easy to build bicycle projects, you will keep busy in your garage for months. Recumbent lowracers that outrun city traffic, choppers that spit in the face of conformity, winter bikes that take on the most hostile environments, and a few extremely fun rides that simply defy explanation.
"
"
: "I have just finished building an Econ-Bent SWB recumbent from plans by Cyclo-Pedia, (517) 263-5803. It is my first recumbent bicycle, as well as my first metal-working project and my first welding project. It is also the first time I've ever built anything from plans alone, rather than from a kit."
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices: "Fly high without your feet ever leaving the ground. Includes charger, remote, rechargeable battery, AC adapter, mini screwdriver and two spare propellers.
* Flies for up to 20 minutes on a full charge"
* Flies for up to 20 minutes on a full charge"
Sunday, May 15, 2005
GREEN CAR JOURNAL ONLINE: "RB: The answer to that is…I don’t know how you push the boundaries. We’re having trouble right now with our educational system, where we’re not pushing any boundaries. We have to redo our total education system to help young people and their imaginations. The President is saying we’ve got to have an educational system that by the third grade people know how to learn to read and write, but that’s too late. It’s got to happen when children are eager to learn – that’s Kindergarten, first grade – so that by the time they arrive at the second grade they are reading and absorbing. The ability to increase the imagination of our children is destroyed because you can’t increase the boundaries of imagination if the children don’t know how to read and write. Your basic problem has to be solved first.”"
Monday, May 09, 2005
Sunday, May 08, 2005
MadMonkey.net - Independent game network - Free games : games: "ph'@ntasy is the first project / goal of phpRPG - open source multiplayer web-based RPG. We currently try to concentrate on building around the fantasy theme similar to the classical console / computer RPGs, with multiplayer capability.
It is open source under the GNU General Public License as it gives you the freedom to modify the code and adapt to your needs. "
It is open source under the GNU General Public License as it gives you the freedom to modify the code and adapt to your needs. "
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
GPS and Director MX: "GPSy is a software interface for a variety of GPS receivers including Garmin. GPSy is AppleScriptable, meaning that the data it captures can be passed through AppleScript to other applications, such as Director MX. Although GPSy currently runs in the Classic MacOS, it has no difficulty communicating with USB ports under OSX. But GPSy must be configured to receive the GPS data correctly from the serial port. The settings in this example are:
serial port: P#1USA19W1 (the identity of the USB adapter)
real time display protocol: NMEA 0183
protocol BPS rate: 4800 8N1
data transfer protocol: Garmin data protocol
AppleScript is used to extract latitude, longitude, and altitude data from GPSy. But by itself it has limited capabilities to visualize the data. Director MX, which has sophisticated capabilities to build dynamic displays, doesn't natively send or receive AppleEvents. So an extension to Director, called an Xtra, is used. The Xtra in this example is ZScript. The Xtra must be placed in the Director MX application folder, in the Xtras directory."
serial port: P#1USA19W1 (the identity of the USB adapter)
real time display protocol: NMEA 0183
protocol BPS rate: 4800 8N1
data transfer protocol: Garmin data protocol
AppleScript is used to extract latitude, longitude, and altitude data from GPSy. But by itself it has limited capabilities to visualize the data. Director MX, which has sophisticated capabilities to build dynamic displays, doesn't natively send or receive AppleEvents. So an extension to Director, called an Xtra, is used. The Xtra in this example is ZScript. The Xtra must be placed in the Director MX application folder, in the Xtras directory."
Monday, May 02, 2005
Dangers of Anabolic Steroids: "physically deteriorate the whole body system. When injected one risks the chances of developing hematoma and contracting AIDS. In women "
b. plagiarism
b. plagiarism
Google Groups : rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata: "First, an answer to the questions you did not ask. Read the 'how to
buy a used Miata' pages on miata.net that tell you about what things
to have checked. If you are financing, set up the financing in
advance with your credit union or bank so you know the cost of money
separate from the cost of the car. See if you can find the book
'Don't get taken every time' and/or read some of the advice pages
on how to negotiate a deal.
"
buy a used Miata' pages on miata.net that tell you about what things
to have checked. If you are financing, set up the financing in
advance with your credit union or bank so you know the cost of money
separate from the cost of the car. See if you can find the book
'Don't get taken every time' and/or read some of the advice pages
on how to negotiate a deal.
"
Sunday, May 01, 2005
How do you get rid of lawn weeds? | Ask MetaFilter: "Now modify your lawn care. You're probably cutting the grass the wrong height and frequency. If you cut the grass too short, it is weakened and unable to resist weeds (which get more light than they should). If you wait too long between trims, the amount you cut off is too much and weakens the plant, the long grass trimmings can cover up growing grass, and you get more plant growth at the expense of root growth. Try to cut to a slightly higher height (2.5-3' is generally good), more often, and your lawn will begin to get its legs back. The best defense against weeds is healthy turf.
Then, this fall, give it a winterizer appropriate for your area. Grass continues to grow over the winter, and a winterizer helps root growth. In the spring, give it a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer, before it begins to come up. You might end up with some bare areas; when it's warm enough, properly till and seed them."
Then, this fall, give it a winterizer appropriate for your area. Grass continues to grow over the winter, and a winterizer helps root growth. In the spring, give it a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer, before it begins to come up. You might end up with some bare areas; when it's warm enough, properly till and seed them."
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