2011-07-28
I provide a step-by-step guide to convert your personal DVDs into iPad-compatible MP4 files using open-source Linux tools like MPlayer and MEncoder. This recipe walks you through identifying the correct DVD track, detecting crop settings, and encoding the video with the proper codec and audio settings for optimal iPad playback.
2011-07-27
I introduce jvlisting, a new LaTeX package that provides an improved listing environment for including source code in documents with automatic whitespace handling and easy customization. The package is available for download and offers a practical alternative to LaTeX's standard verbatim environment.
2011-06-21
Learn how to execute a macro repeatedly for every line of text in a LaTeX environment using the obeylines macro and conditional logic to process input line by line.
2011-03-23
I share the amusing coincidence of two research papers finally being accepted and going to print years after their initial submission, highlighting the lengthy timelines of academic publishing.
2011-03-09
We are advertising a new lectureship position in the statistics department at the University of Leeds, with applications closing on 31st March 2011. If you are a PostDoc interested in joining our department, we encourage you to apply.
2010-11-29
I announce the release of Jvqplot version 0.1, a simple data plotting program that automatically updates plots whenever input data changes. This first public release offers an easy-to-use alternative to gnuplot for plotting simple data files.
2010-11-27
I explore the frustration of dealing with UK TV licensing authorities who refuse to accept that I don't need a license, and discover that their online declaration form doesn't actually accommodate my situation of owning no TV equipment.
2010-09-28
I share David Goldberg's essential 1991 paper on floating-point arithmetic, a foundational resource every computer scientist should read to understand how computers handle decimal numbers.
2010-09-16
I announce the release of Wisent version 0.6.1, a parser generator for Python that fixes a regression affecting comments and multi-line strings in grammar files.
2010-09-15
I discover a duplicate in my randomly generated numbers and initially suspect a bug, but the birthday paradox explains why this is actually expected when dealing with limited precision values.