Convert djvu files to a decently small pdfDespite there are few decent djvu readers, they are not as comfortable as the pdf readers. Moreover, it is not really possible to open djvu files in eInk ebook readers.
Additionally, if you have ever tried to convert djvu files to pdf (or ps), you should have noted that the output is either corrupted or unbelievably big.
There is an hack that could come in help. Open your .bashrc (or .
1 min read -
Dec 22, 2013
Again on zshI already wrote about the great pleasure of moving to zsh in a previous post, but I feel that I should update you on the progresses.
From the last time I moved from Oh-My-Zsh to Prezto, a different dotfiles framework. I’ve found it much lighter and faster than oh-my-zsh, despite not having the same amount of plugins and themes.
In fact, as far as I understood, prezto was born as a fork of oh-my-zsh and was later completely rewritten to be more zshish and better optimised.
4 min read -
Dec 18, 2013
Shasumming files in rubyComputing SHA-* hashes of files in ruby is in principle very easy.
You can either use the OpenSSL module or the digest one and the sytax is almost interchangeable. I am using the digest module just because it seems to be slightly faster (I timed it and on my machine it takes few milliseconds less).
My first code was
:::ruby require 'digest' filename = '/path/to/the/file' Digest::SHA1.hexdigest(File.read(filename)) Then I made the hashes for a folder containing files of different sizes.
2 min read -
Dec 13, 2013
Brute force attacks and fail2banEven a nearly unkown server like mine receives every day a number of brute force attacks. Usually I have an instance of fail2ban monitoring the logs of all my services and readily banning the attackers after few attempts.
Not tonight…
Let’s move a step backwards. What is fail2ban and how does it work?
Reaching out the home page of the software you can read
Fail2ban scans log files and bans IPs that show the malicious signs - too many password failures, seeking for exploits, etc.
3 min read -
Dec 12, 2013
On iTerm2 and solarized darkThis weekend I’ve spent some time to understand Z Shell. I admit that I’ve should have done it ages ago. I actually regret not having done it ages ago, I would have saved a lot of time.
Moving your .bashrc to your new .zshrc is almost just copy and paste. And you suddently find yourself with a shell that makes you feel in the future!
If you additionally install oh my zsh, the only thing that your shell will be missing is the capability of making coffee.
2 min read -
Dec 7, 2013
On the differential logistic equationThis fall I am teaching Mathematical Methods for Scientist. This week we started to talk about differential equations and for the lecture I was looking for an example of a broadely used first order ODE: my final choice has been the logistic equation.
It is a fairly simple differential equation that is used to describe the growth (and saturation) of populations in environments with competition for limited resources. Before entering into more details I think it’s time to digress slightly and talk about something simpler.
4 min read -
Dec 6, 2013
Deploying Anchor CMS on OpenShiftSome of you may already know that installing ghost on OpenShift is extremely easy (and free). You can check this post if you don’t believe me.
I was wandering how is it with other small and less known CMS. Given that I was already making some local tests with [Anchor CMS](http://anchorcms.com” _target="blank) for a friend, and given that there is almost nothing around about its deployment on Open Shift I decided to give it a try and write about it.
8 min read -
Nov 8, 2013
The beauty of mathematicsAfter having watched this video I hope you will agree with Bertrand Russell:
"Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty — a beauty cold and austere, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music."
— Bertrand Russell
And this is just a scratch of the surface of the mysterious wonderful world that is hiding behind those fascinating symbols.
A video by Yann Pineill & Nicolas Lefaucheux.
1 min read -
Nov 5, 2013
A great workaround for targeting links in GhostWhen I am reading something, I hate to click on some link (that I will supposedly read later) and be redirected to the new page. I’d rather prefer the links to open in background in a new tab.
You may say that it is enough to click while pressing Command or Control and the page will be opened in a background tab, but it’s not the same. What if I accidentally click for example?
2 min read -
Oct 29, 2013
Git workflow for lazy mathematiciansFirst of all, what is git? Citing its website
Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. [It] is easy to learn and has a tiny footprint with lightning fast performance.
In other words Git provides a source control repository that enables you to roll back code changes as needed, to merge the updates when collaborating with others and eventually to have an online backup of your work.
11 min read -
Oct 21, 2013
