Paginated Readability
Today Arc90 announced an update to Readability that delivers a multi-page article collation feature similar to what’s found in Safari Reader:
Now, when you click on Readability while viewing an article that spans multiple pages, it will show a readable view of the entire article. We’ve found this update to work effectively on nearly all popular sites.
Happily, since McReadability just provides a layout for content cleaned by the standard Readability code, users of my multi-column version of the bookmarklet will automatically see this feature. I’ve only tested it with one or two articles, but it appears to work as advertised. Nice!
Thanks to Chris Dary of Arc90 for suggesting some CSS tweaks to bring McReadability in line with the current state of the standard Readability stylesheet. I haven’t integrated these changes (which deal mainly with the format of the page break markers), but will do so if any McReadability users request it or report related problems.
Posted on Monday, August 2nd, 2010. Tags: code, readability.
Handlebar Grips
Ergonomic grips with integrated bar ends. Are these little bar ends useful? Yep. The end of the handlebar rests snugly in the palm of your hand while you grip the horn with your thumb and forefingers. Cumbersome description for a comfortable grip.
Posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010. Tags: bike.
Bill Atkinson
Here’s what I wrote on Flickr to explain this picture:
The source code for MacPaint and the QuickDraw graphics library is now available, as is their story, at the Computer History Museum. To celebrate this news, and to illustrate that great tools retain their utility even as they age, I used MacPaint to paint a portrait of MacPaint programmer Bill Atkinson.
Gruber posted a link to this image yesterday. It’s been viewed over 20000 times in the day since.
Check out Bill’s website for his photography and iOS PhotoCard app.
Prompted by some of the comments on Flickr, I posted some other nostalgic Mac Plus software pictures.
Posted on Friday, July 23rd, 2010. Tags: art, mac.
Making Paper
I recently got it in my head that it would be fun to make my own paper. Well, last night I put some torn scrap paper and shredded bills in a tub of water to soak overnight. Today I set about turning that sloppy mess into ragged new sheets of paper.
Today’s first step was a trip to the hardware store to buy some mesh screen for the mold. I used a small picture frame as the frame for the mold. Once that was ready, I set about pulping the paper. A lot of contemporary do-it-yourself guides suggest using a blender, but I don’t have a blender, so I started with a fork and a whisk. I soon determined that using my hands was more enjoyable and just as effective. That’s what she said.
Anyway, here are some photos from the rest of my first day of papermaking. Check out the full set of photos on Flickr for a few more pictures and additional comments on each step.
A bin full of pulp, hand-wrung to the consistency of oatmeal:
The mold, just withdrawn to drain from the solution of pulp:
Frame flipped over to deposit the protopaper onto my pile of newspaper and old T-shirts:
My first two sheets of paper, proudly set out to dry on the back porch like cookies cooling on the windowsill:
One of the many possible uses for homemade sheets of paper (note that although it appears bluish-gray when damp, this batch actually becomes pretty white as it dries):
The verdict is in: this paper is profile-portraits-of-pretty-girls-compatible! The bits of printed text that survive the pulping process add a bit of mystery to the drawing. Why is she whispering about Minnesota?
Well, this has been great fun. I look forward to more experiments with papermaking. Lots of variables to play with in the recipe, the equipment, and the process.
Instructions consulted but only loosely obeyed:
- Making Paper at KidsGardening.com
- How to Make Paper at Pioneer Thinking
- Making Paper at Home at Fun Science Gallery
- How to Make Paper, an illustrated tutorial by Brenna Zedan
Posted on Saturday, July 17th, 2010. Tags: art, drawing, paper.
Some of My Favorite Bike Blogs
I like bikes. Here are some of my favorite bike-related blogs:
EcoVelo
Reviews of swank transportation-oriented bikes and accessories, as well as discussion of issues related to practical cycling. Lots of sidebar links to interesting bike blogs and vendors. My favorite part of EvoVelo, though, has got to be the beautiful photography.
As described by Alan and Michael, the authors:
This site is the public expression of our personal commitment to reduce our impact on the environment by employing bicycles as our primary mode of transport. By sharing what we learn from this endeavor, while also providing an aesthetically pleasing experience that celebrates the beauty of the bicycle and the joys of everyday bike riding, we hope to inspire others to make a similar commitment.
Related: Bike Commuters
Lovely Bicycle
I operate my hooptie utility bike with little regard for aesthetic considerations, so it’s an eye-opener to see just how classy the bicycle scene can be.
Related: Copenhagen Cycle Chic and Vélocouture both feature photos of stylish bikes and riders, but without the personal narrative that makes sites like Lovely Bicycle interesting to revisit.
Urban Simplicity
Joe George rides a Yuba Mundo cargo bike around Buffalo, NY. I enjoy his things that can be carried on a bike series, no doubt because I like to carry things on my bike, too. His cooking posts are simply delicious.
Related: the I carried this on my bicycle Flickr group
The Path Less Pedaled
Russ and Laura sold everything and set out on their bikes to seek their fortune and meet America:
Paring down their lives to just what will fit on two bicycles, Laura and Russ embarked on an extended bike tour throughout the US and beyond – with the goal of connecting with and collecting the stories of people who followed a calling to live their lives in unique ways, while revitalizing the model of the traveling artisan and inspiring others to travel by bicycle.
Pretty inspiring.
Related: Brown Girl in the Lane, the bike-riding life as reported by a San Diego transplant
Bike Snob NYC
The inimitable Bike Snob lovingly lampoons every sector of bike culture, from the professional racer to the fixed-gear hipster to the car-free cargo biker:
While I love cycling and embrace it in all its forms, I’m also extremely critical. So I present to you my venting for your amusement and betterment. No offense meant to the critiqued. Always keep riding!
There are lots of running jokes in Bike Snob’s blog, so it may take a few visits to the archives before you’re fully able to parse the barrage of puns and references. Be sure to tune in for the weekly Friday Fun Quiz!
Related: Rantwick, commuter communiqués from London, Ontario
Posted on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010. Tags: bike.
Screenshots of Selected TKLib Examples
Tcllib (the Tcl Standard Library) includes a number of user interface components, known collectively as TKLib. The documentation is good, but includes no illustrations or screenshots. Here are images of how a few of the visually interesting examples appear on Mac OS X 10.6.4 with Tcl/Tk 8.5.7.
Ctext
Ctext is an enhanced text widget with support for syntax highlighting and other features. Here’s the example (it displays its own main procedure code):
Plotchart
Plotchart is a package for creating charts and graphs. Here’s the xy plot from the description:
Here is the bar chart from the resizing example:
Swaplist
Swaplist provides a canned dialog for exchanging items between two lists. Here’s the example:
Posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010. Tags: code, tcl.
Adjustable Stem
As reported earlier, here’s what my new adjustable stem looks like:
Do not be fooled into thinking the rest of my bike looks so clean and factory-fresh.
The stock stem elevated the handlebars about 10 degrees above perpendicular to the steerer tube. This stem is the same length, but it can be adjusted to provide elevation up to 50 degrees above perpendicular, as shown here. Although this doesn’t move the handlebars a great distance, it does move them up and aft far enough to take a noticeable amount of weight off my arms. I’ve found discomfort from the forward posture to be the limiting factor in my ability to enjoy longer rides (20 miles or more). If I’ve planned my modifications correctly, this stem will facilitate a slightly more upright but much more sustainable posture.
Initial tests around the neighborhood indicate it rides well indeed. One minor change in geometry almost makes the bike feel like a cruiser, without sacrificing any advantages.
Posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010. Tags: bike.
McReadability and Preformatted Text
Made a very minor addition to the McReadability stylesheet. Preformatted text blocks are now scrollable. Previously, they would appear truncated to the column width. <pre> text is usually used to present example code; as the tag name suggests, the contents should not be reformatted.
Posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010. Tags: code, readability.
MacBook Fan
Machine’s fan has occasionally been emitting some unpleasant noises. Fearing a dust buildup that could lead to overheating problems, I took apart the computer and did my best to dislodge and disperse the dust. So far, so good – I don’t think I’d realized how hot and noisy it’d become, because it seems quite cool and quiet now. (Well, relatively speaking; it wouldn’t be a MacBook if you couldn’t flip it over and fry an egg on the bottom.)
Thanks to iFixIt for the excellent step by step disassembly guide. Without it, I’d probably have removed many screws I didn’t have to remove.
Posted on Thursday, June 24th, 2010. Tags: hardware, mac, macbook.