Category: Programming

Ethanol is Excrement in the Gas Tank

Like many U.S. government programs, the blended corn ethanol mandate has done little to address its avowed goals, i.e., strengthen energy security, reduce carbon emissions, and lower prices for consumers. By some accounts it, consumes more energy than it produces, increases consumer prices, distorts food production, wastes vast tracts of arable land, and contributes to … Continue reading Ethanol is Excrement in the Gas Tank →

“Managing” a SQLite Database with J (Part 2)

When faced with unfamiliar program code Roger Hui, the co-creator of the J Programming Language would sometimes wipe out all the code comments. He told me this forced him to concentrate on the actual code and not the opinions of previous developers. Roger was an exceptional programmer; he knew that program comments are often dated, … Continue reading “Managing” a SQLite Database with J (Part 2) →

“Managing” a SQLite Database with J (Part 1)

Previously, I promised to write three posts about dispatching irritants with J. This, my third post, is proving more irritating than the others, so I will split it over two posts. SQLite, by many estimates, is the most widely deployed SQL database system on Earth. It's everywhere. It's in your phone, your laptop, your cameras, … Continue reading “Managing” a SQLite Database with J (Part 1) →

Branding XMP Sidecar Files with J

During my long and not-so-storied IT career I covertly dispatched “irritants” with the J programming language. An irritant is an annoying software problem that does not merit a full-blown project-style approach. The last thing you want when dealing with irritants is to drag in IT bureaucrats. You know of whom I speak: the niggling little … Continue reading Branding XMP Sidecar Files with J →

JETL – J Extract Transform and Load

I have been surreptitiously using the J programming language on the job for many years. With rare exceptions, I haven't advertised my clandestine use of J simply because it's strange and scary and nonstandard, and IT departments are filled with cowardly little bedwetters that run away like Brave Sir Robin when confronted with something really … Continue reading JETL – J Extract Transform and Load →

Running SSIS Packages with Python

Click here for a PDF version of this post. Microsoft's SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) is a ubiquitous ETL (Extract Transform and Load) tool. Despite its widespread use, SSIS is not loved! At best, it's tolerated for its undeniable utility, but SSIS's “utility” comes with a host of hideous warts with the ugliest being its … Continue reading Running SSIS Packages with Python →

Tweaking Jupyter export HTML with Templates

In a previous post, I outlined some handy hacks for converting Jupyter notebooks to WordPress.com oriented HTML. This addendum describes the use of Jupyter templates and CSS edits to fine-tune exported HTML. Jupyter exports notebooks in a variety of formats. I regularly export notebooks as Markdown, HTML, and $latex \LaTeX$. When blogging I mainly use … Continue reading Tweaking Jupyter export HTML with Templates →