The JODSOURCE addon, (a part of the JOD system), contains a handy literate programming tool that enables the generation of beautiful J source code documents. The Bible, Koran, and Bhagavad Gita of Literate Programming is Donald Knuth's masterful tome of the same name. Knuth applied Literate Programming to his $latex \TeX$ systems and produced what … Continue reading Using jodliterate
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
Extracting SQL code from SSIS dtsx packages with Python lxml
Lately, I've been refactoring a sprawling SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) package that ineffectually wrestles with large XML files. In this programmer's opinion using SSIS for heavy-duty XML parsing is geeky self-abuse so I've opted to replace an eye-ball straining1 SSIS package with half a dozen, "as simple as possible but no simpler", Python scripts. … Continue reading Extracting SQL code from SSIS dtsx packages with Python lxml
Sudden Genocide
If genocide is sudden, painless, unexpected, complete and absolute, if a people simply vanish without screams, without fear, without anticipation, if one nanosecond they are and the next nanosecond they are not, and if somehow you are responsible, are you a war criminal or a savior? Ultimately we all vanish, usually with screams, usually with … Continue reading Sudden Genocide
Who Thought Blinking Windfarms was a Good Idea?
One night, a few weeks ago, I was driving west on I86 near American Falls when I spotted a long string of blinking red lights. The lights stretched over a large arc of the horizon. My first thought was “Jesus H. Christ now what?” As an amateur astronomer, I have climbed mountains to get away … Continue reading Who Thought Blinking Windfarms was a Good Idea?
Trey and Kate: Review
This will be a completely biased review. I have a close relationship with the author so everything I say must be verified. Please buy Trey and Kate, read it, and make up your mind. With that caveat out of the way let's get started. Trey and Kate is a tale about an on and off … Continue reading Trey and Kate: Review
The Return of the Prodigal Blogger
It's been ages since my last blog post. Yes, I've been a very, very bad blogger. Lesser men would throw themselves on the metaphorical feet of their readers and beg for forgiveness but if you're expecting apologies you don't know me! I write for myself; if you choose to read my ramblings, well that's on you. … Continue reading The Return of the Prodigal Blogger
iNap #1: Enough People are Scum
Intelligible systems are built on a few basic principles.1 While reducing my dour skepticism to the memorable maxims that codify Informed Naked Ape Protocol I repeatedly asked myself what animates unflagging skepticism? What turns naturally cheerful and optimistic people like myself into raging cynics? What motivates noble trolls to put down the pizza and grab … Continue reading iNap #1: Enough People are Scum
Informed Naked Ape Protocol
Many think we are living in a golden age of bullshit. That public discourse has never been gaudier or more demeaning. That respect for truth and decency has reached all-time lows. The mental pygmies that hold these opinions don't read or think for themselves. Deceiving ourselves and others is the one thing our species excels … Continue reading Informed Naked Ape Protocol
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
