Monthly Archives: May 2015

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Posted on 2015-05-24 by jcs

One of the major beefs that many of us have with the NSA is that they keep doing things that make us less secure. Their latest project is trying to convince Congress to mandate back doors in crypto applications. It’s … Continue reading →

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Mastering Emacs is Out

Posted on 2015-05-23 by jcs

Mickey Peterson’s new book, Mastering Emacs, is out. I'm pleased to announce that my #emacs ebook, Mastering Emacs, is now out! https://t.co/Fg618KEiOA pic.twitter.com/m0KynKpyP5 — Mickey Petersen (@mickeynp) May 23, 2015 I’ve already got mine. I haven’t read it yet, obviously, … Continue reading →

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Follow the Money

Posted on 2015-05-23 by jcs

After the Appeals Court ruled the NSA’s mass telephone metadata collection illegal, pundits and congressmen have come out in droves to press their point of view on the issue. I find it hard to understand how anyone could support something … Continue reading →

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The Greatest Threat

Posted on 2015-05-22 by jcs

A disturbing thought from Glenn Greenwald. Be sure to follow the link. The biggest threats to free speech come from western governments claiming to protect it. http://t.co/QN1ojnvt4T pic.twitter.com/B9VbmchxMk — The Intercept (@the_intercept) May 16, 2015

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Calc Quick Reference

Posted on 2015-05-22 by jcs

In a comment to one of my posts on calc, Sue D. Nymme (love that handle) mentioned that he was working on a quick reference for calc and kindly provided a sneak preview. Now he reports that he’s ready to … Continue reading →

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Jumping to use-package Blocks in Your Emacs Configuration

Posted on 2015-05-21 by jcs

Jordon Biondo published a useful gist that allows you to easily navigate to use-package blocks in your .emacs or init.el file. If you have lots of packages—and therefore lots of use-package blocks—you’ll find it useful. Biondo recommends that you install … Continue reading →

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Collecting and Using Data in Schools

Posted on 2015-05-20 by jcs

Regular Irreal readers have probably figured out that I’m a data freak. I’m always collecting, tabulating, and analyzing data about myself and the things around me. That’s one of the reasons I found the use of digital methods in hospitals … Continue reading →

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Emacs on OS X

Posted on 2015-05-19 by jcs

If your platform is OS X and you’re an Emacser, Bozhidar Batsov has a nice post on setting up Emacs. He shows you how to get Emacs (if you don’t compile it yourself), how to set the path or alias … Continue reading →

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Counting Words

Posted on 2015-05-18 by jcs

For years, I’ve used this bit of Elisp that I stole from DJCB at Emacs-Fu. The latest versions of Emacs now have this functionality built in so I thought I should move on. The new functionality is bound to the … Continue reading →

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Matt Blaze Testimony

Posted on 2015-05-17 by jcs

Back in April, Matt Blaze, a cryptographer and security expert from the University of Pennsylvania, testified before Congress concerning proposals to require “back doors” in encryption systems—especially in communication applications. The idea is that law enforcement would have a special … Continue reading →

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