Category: 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 →

More J Pandoc Syntax HighLighting

Syntax highlighting is essential for blogging program code. Many blog hosts recognize this and provide tools for highlighting programming languages. WordPress.com (this host) has a nifty highlighting tool that handles dozens of mainstream programming languages. Unfortunately, one of my favorite programming languages, J, (yes it’s a single letter name), is way out of the mainstream … Continue reading More J Pandoc Syntax HighLighting →

NumPy another Iverson Ghost

During my recent SmugMug API and Python adventures I was haunted by an Iverson ghost: NumPy An Iverson ghost is an embedding of APL like array programming features in nonAPL languages and tools. You would be surprised at how often Iverson ghosts appear. Whenever programmers are challenged with processing large numeric arrays they rediscover bits of … Continue reading NumPy another Iverson Ghost →

SWAG a J/EXCEL/GIT Personal Cash Flow Forecasting Mob

While browsing in a favorite bookstore with my son, I spotted a display of horoscope themed Christmas tree ornaments. The ornaments were glass balls embossed with golden birth signs like Aquarius, Gemini, Cancer, et cetera, and a descriptive phrase that “summed up” the character of people born under a sign. Below my birth sign golden … Continue reading SWAG a J/EXCEL/GIT Personal Cash Flow Forecasting Mob →

Parsing the Bitcoin Genesis Block with J

The genesis block is the first block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious entity that created Bitcoin, mined the genesis block on January 3, 2009. It's been five years since the genesis block's birth and Satoshi is still unknown, Bitcoin is bigger than ever, and the blockchain is longer than 300,000 blocks and growing. One … Continue reading Parsing the Bitcoin Genesis Block with J →

APL Software Archaeology .dbi Edition

Have yourself a merry little APL Christmas. I joke that my job title should be software archaeologist because I often find myself resurrecting, not refactoring, code that dates to primitive and primeval eras. The language I’m typically hired to resurrect is APL. APL, the language with funny symbols, is a software vampire. People keep paying … Continue reading APL Software Archaeology .dbi Edition →