Author Archives: jcs

The Nikodemus Common Lisp FAQ

Posted on 2013-09-05 by jcs

I’m sure I’ve mentioned Nikodemus’ Common Lisp FAQ before but it’s been a while so it’s worth reminding everyone. The FAQ is meant for Lisp n00bs as a way of getting over some of the initial hurdles a beginner faces. … Continue reading →

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Interactive SICP

Posted on 2013-09-04 by jcs

Longtime Irreal readers know that I consider Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP) arguably the best computer science book ever written. Therefore, I was delighted when I discovered an online version of SICP with an embedded Scheme interpreter so … Continue reading →

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Sacha Does Org

Posted on 2013-09-03 by jcs

The ever-energetic Sacha Chua uses Org mode to organize her life. If you follow her at all you know that She has an extremely busy schedule. She documents everything. If Chua can run her life with Org Mode, just about … Continue reading →

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SBCL 1.1.11 Is Out

Posted on 2013-09-02 by jcs

The latest version of my favorite Common Lisp environment, SBCL, is out and available at the usual place. If you’re running Linux there’s a binary available, otherwise just grab the source and compile it yourself. Compiling is very easy—just follow … Continue reading →

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Lisp and Slime on Windows

Posted on 2013-09-01 by jcs

I haven’t used a Windows machine in decades but my general sense is that using Emacs on Windows can be—er—challenging. Even more so, apparently, is using Slime with Emacs on Windows. It’s nice, then, that Jisang Yoo has come to … Continue reading →

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Common Lisp versus Emacs Lisp

Posted on 2013-08-31 by jcs

As a user of both Elisp and Common Lisp I sometimes have a hard time remembering the small differences. Many of these are “hidden” in the sense that identically named functions behave differently. One such example is that functions such … Continue reading →

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A Surveillance Timeline

Posted on 2013-08-30 by jcs

The revelations from the NSA scandal are coming so fast and furious that it’s easy to become confused. Now, the EFF has come to our rescue with Timeline of NSA Domestic Spying. It starts with the ratification of the bill … Continue reading →

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Another Emacs Challenge

Posted on 2013-08-29 by jcs

Over at the Emacs reddit, zoldberghoneydew presents an interesting problem and solution. The problem boils down to creating a hosts file of the form host1 ip-address-of-host-1 … host64 ip-address-of-host-64 where the address of host-n can be looked up in DNS … Continue reading →

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Fourteen Years of SQL Injection

Posted on 2013-08-28 by jcs

Mavituna Security has a nice post up on SQL Injection. They give a brief history of SQL injection and the three common mistakes that enable it. They have some astounding facts. Here’s a small sampling: In 2012, 97% of all … Continue reading →

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Dinner With General Alexander

Posted on 2013-08-27 by jcs

Jennifer Granick has an excellent article, My Dinner With NSA Director Keith Alexander, in Forbes. Unlike most reporters, Granick doesn’t waste her (and our) time with sideshows such as the whereabouts of Edward Snowden. Instead, she zeros in on the … Continue reading →

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