Tag Archives: Tech

Bit By Bit?

Posted on 2020-12-15 by jcs

Speaking of screaming from all sides, here’s a warning for those of you who are open source advocates and VS Code users. Microsoft has released a new LSP server for Python. The server is for VS Code and Microsoft says … Continue reading →

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This Is Tech Journalism

Posted on 2020-12-09 by jcs

Even casual readers know that Irreal holds a generally dim view of journalists. But this isn’t another post about their bias and ignorance of their subject matter. This is a post about silliness masquerading as serious journalism. It’s about writing … Continue reading →

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Phone Notifications When a Command Completes

Posted on 2020-12-06 by jcs

Before we get to today’s topic, I want to point you to Mike Zamansky’s latest video on using Clojure for Advent of Code problems. Emacs appears, of course, although it’s not really the point of the video. Even so, I … Continue reading →

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Coding Fonts

Posted on 2020-11-21 by jcs

I like looking at programmers’ fonts. Every time I see one announced or mentioned that I didn’t know about, I have to take a look. It’s rather odd, then, that I’ve been using the Inconsolata font since before I became … Continue reading →

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Sudo by Touch ID on Macs

Posted on 2020-11-19 by jcs

This post is just a quickie for those of you using a Mac with Touch ID. My latest MacBook Pro has Touch ID and I was surprised at how much I like and use it. It’s especially handy for 1Passowrd … Continue reading →

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Asimov on Science and Superstition

Posted on 2020-11-15 by jcs

I recently came across an old video of Isaac Asimov being interviewed about his thoughts on science, rationality, and superstition. It’s from 1988 but, sadly, still relevant today. Much of Asimov’s discussion concerns his thoughts about religion but that’s not … Continue reading →

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Lean and the Mathematical Library of the Future

Posted on 2020-11-12 by jcs

Over at Quanta magazine, Kevin Hartnett has an interesting article about using computers in the service of Mathematics. That’s nothing new, of course, but this isn’t about numerical methods or LaTeX, it’s about using computers to help develop mathematical proofs. … Continue reading →

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Dijkstra

Posted on 2020-11-08 by jcs

Most Irreal readers probably know the name Dijkstra, if only from his famous letter to the ACM entitled “Go To Statement Considered Harmful” and his celebrated shortest path algorithm. In fact, Edsger Wybe Dijkstra was a giant in the field … Continue reading →

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Unix As Literature

Posted on 2020-11-07 by jcs

Someone has reposted Thomas Scoville’s article from 1998 on Unix as Literature. The article’s premise is that Unix (and these days, Linux) users are different from the users of other systems. That seems like a low calorie assertion but it’s … Continue reading →

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Ball Point Pens

Posted on 2020-11-06 by jcs

What could you buy for the price of a ball point pen? No much. Not a newspaper, not a cup of coffee, and certainly not a hamburger. You can get one of the ubiquitous Bic pens for a little over … Continue reading →

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