Just updated my BasicTeX-2008 install to the 2011 edition. Pretty simple really. I deleted the old installation using: tlmgr uninstall then downloaded the latest incarnation from http://www.tug.org/mactex/2011/morepackages.html, then installed it. I had to update the path in my .tcshrc to point to the new bin directory, and voila! Latest and greatest TeX install. I then …
Category Archives: Tech
What’s Wrong with Windows
This last semester, for the first time in years, I built a new Windows computer. For most things I prefer to use my Macintosh, but there are a couple of devices that Kim and I want to use that only have Windows drivers. Also having a Windows system also made my grading tasks easier for …
Best product of CES 2011
The annual Consumer Electronics Show is over. Sadly it was not the latest and greatest technological innovation that caught my eye amongst all of the product announcements. It was an April Fool’s Joke. Specifically, it was yet another joke product from the minds of the screaming monkeys at thinkgeek.com. Every year for April Fool’s day …
Portable Programming Rig
I’ve been using a Macbook Air as my main computer for a couple of years now, and I’ve generally been happy with the setup. The only real shortcoming of the Air was attempting to program while on away from my home office (and the external monitor). There just isn’t enough screen real estate on a …
Byte Review of the Original Macintosh
Since byte.com is being revived soon, and in spite of the fact that the new incarnation sounds lame, I’ve had a good time going back and revisiting some of the publications of the day. You can find archives of Creative Computing here and here, as well as Compute! located here. But the initial review of …
Audioengine A2 Speakers
It’s easy to overlook something you see and use everyday. I’ve had a pair of Audioengine A2 speakers on my desk for over a year now, and I can say without hesitation that they are the best desktop speakers I’ve ever used. I’ve had the great pleasure of doing everything from listening to the complete …
Hey, I won something!
You know those Internet sweepstakes that just about every website seems to host. The ones that end up getting you spam every couple of days, and that no one seems to win. I won one of them. OK, it was the Esquire Augmented Reality give-away, and I only won one of the fifty webcams (Blue …
Of iPads and eBooks
The best thing about the iPad is that it removes the clutter from reading. Traditionally, there’s a stack of books next to my bed that I’m currently “reading”, which is to say that I’ve started them, and not finished any. With the iPad (and the iPhone before it), I have that stack of books in …
Computers, Cars, and a Tale of Two Apples
Here’s great article about the ideological path from open computing to computing appliance and the two Steve’s of Apple that were at the vanguard of pushing both ends of that spectrum: Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and the long road to the iPad. – By Tim Wu – Slate Magazine. I have long contended that computers …
Continue reading “Computers, Cars, and a Tale of Two Apples”
Initial iPad Impressions
I’m typing this on my new iPad using the virtual keyboard which is taking a little getting used to the new key spacing. I’m also using the new WordPress app that’s been updated to take advantage of the iPad’s increased screen real-estate. The big revelation is that this thing is much faster than an iPhone; …