The document was originally written for internal use at Google's Operations department to advocate for Ruby's acceptance by providing a style and usage guide.
Ruby is highlighted as an excellent tool for system administration and other tasks, promoting a common stylistic vocabulary for easier code maintenance and readability.
Interactive Ruby (irb) is recommended for development, offering features like method name completion and automatic result printing to speed up the edit-run-debug cycle.
Ruby Interactive (ri) is introduced as a documentation tool similar to perldoc, essential for accessing Ruby's class and method documentation.
The Ruby debugger and benchmarking module are mentioned as crucial tools for debugging and performance optimization, respectively.
Unit testing with Ruby's Test::Unit module is emphasized for verifying code correctness, with an example provided from the Ruby/Password library.
Editor support for Ruby in Vim and Emacs is briefly mentioned, highlighting syntax highlighting and Ruby interpreter integration in Vim.
Stylistic guidelines for Ruby coding are outlined, including code organization, exception handling, avoiding global variables, and the importance of consistent indentation and whitespace.
Documentation practices using RDoc are encouraged for self-documenting code, with tips on commenting and the use of RD for headers or footers.
String handling, operator precedence, and iterator block syntax are discussed, along with recommendations for using newer libraries over deprecated ones.
Naming conventions for classes, modules, constants, methods, and variables are specified to maintain consistency across Ruby codebases.
Safe levels in Ruby are introduced as a means to enhance security when handling untrusted data, with four levels of increasing security described.
The document concludes by advocating for pure Ruby solutions over calling external binaries to avoid security, robustness, and portability risks, and emphasizes the importance of coding consistency.
Tim Friede, a former truck mechanic, self-administered over 850 doses of venom from deadly snakes over 18 years to develop immunity.
Scientists used antibodies from Friede's blood to create a broadly protective antivenom, potentially revolutionizing snakebite treatment.
The new antivenom combines two antibodies from Friede's blood and a small molecule venom inhibitor, offering protection against multiple snake species.
Traditional antivenoms are species-specific and can cause severe adverse reactions, whereas the new approach aims for a universal solution.
The research, published in 'Cell,' could address the 140,000 deaths and 300,000 permanent injuries caused by snakebites annually.
Friede's method involved cyclical exposure to different venoms, which amplified broadly protective antibodies in his immune system.
The team tested the antivenom in mice envenomated by 19 deadly snake species, achieving full protection against 13 and partial against others.
Future plans include field testing in dogs in Australia and eventual human trials.
Experts praise the work for its novel approach and potential global impact on snakebite treatment.
United Steelworkers (USW) won a unionization vote at JSW Steel, adding 248 new members despite strong opposition from the company.
JSW Steel promotes a green, sustainable image but allegedly engaged in union-busting tactics, including firing union supporters and allowing anti-union harassment.
USW has been building organizing capacity, with recent wins at the University of Pittsburgh, Bobcat, Blue Bird Corporation, and Iron Range miners.
Large-unit NLRB elections were scarce this month, with USW's JSW Steel win being the largest single-union victory.
Employers may be emboldened to push for decertification elections under the current political climate, but worker interest in unions could grow in response.
Clozure CL, a descendant of Coral Common Lisp, has survived over 30 years, adapting to changing processor architectures and operating systems.
The talk highlights the resilience and enduring ideas of Lisp, comparing it to Fortran, which has changed significantly over time.
Clozure CL's development history includes transitions from Coral Common Lisp to OpenMCL, and eventually to its current form, with contributions from various individuals and organizations.
The implementation supports multiple processor architectures (x86, ARM) and operating systems, though Windows support is weaker due to less developer focus.
Clozure CL features a fast compiler, native threads, and a unique garbage collector that compacts memory by moving objects.
The foreign-function interface (FFI) in Clozure CL allows calling C code and parsing C headers, with ongoing work to modernize the tooling.
Future directions for Clozure CL include potential ports to ARM64, compiler improvements, and a modern macOS IDE.
The talk emphasizes the value of Common Lisp's interactive nature, macro system, and standardized functionality across implementations.
Clozure CL is open for community contributions, with resources like GitHub, a Freenode channel, and mailing lists available for collaboration.
The speaker advocates for optimism about Lisp's future, citing its influence on other languages and the creativity it enables in programming.
Methanol flame is deeper in color, more transparent, and hotter than LPG flame, with greater stability across firing stages.
Methanol-fired kiln achieves a 17.4% reduction in total firing time compared to LPG-fired kiln.
Methanol combustion reduces pollutant emissions significantly: NO by 70.89%, SO2 by 37.43%, CO by 93.67%, CO2 by 45.07%, and CH4 by 85.89%.
Celadon fired with methanol has a more uniform and vivid glaze color, smoother surface, and denser microstructure with minimal bubbles.
Elemental analysis shows higher potassium and silicon content and lower iron and aluminum content in methanol-fired celadon, aligning with high-quality celadon characteristics.
Mechanical properties of celadon produced using methanol and LPG are comparable.
The article explores the concept of 'Being-on-a-Planet' through the lens of Planetary Realism, emphasizing Earth's complexity beyond just a 'whole' to a system of interconnected spheres.
Key spheres discussed include the Lithosphere (Earth's crust and geological history), Biosphere (global ecosystems), Atmosphere (protective gaseous layer), Technosphere (human-made technological systems), and Noosphere (sphere of human thought and knowledge).
Planetary Realism advocates for sensory scaffolds—tools in art, science, and technology—to perceive and interact with Earth's processes that are beyond immediate human perception.
The Technosphere is highlighted as having its own agency, with examples like Starlink satellites showing how human exclusion zones operate independently of direct human intervention.
The Noosphere is presented as the sphere of planetary cognition, where human and machine intelligence contribute to Earth's self-awareness, with emerging discussions on Planetary Sapience and the role of AI.
The article concludes with a vision for the future where interdisciplinary collaboration enhances planetary awareness, leading to policy and infrastructural interventions based on sensory scaffolds.
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, became an iconic American author and humorist, known for works like 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.'
Twain's upbringing in Hannibal, Missouri, exposed him to slavery and Black culture, which influenced his later writings, though he initially held no aversion to slavery.
He began his career as a printer and typesetter before becoming a steamboat pilot, a role that inspired his pen name, 'Mark Twain,' meaning safe water depth.
Twain's writing career took off with 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' and 'The Innocents Abroad,' which established his unique voice and humor.
Despite his literary success, Twain was a restless entrepreneur, investing in failed ventures like the Paige Compositor, which led to financial troubles.
Twain's personal life included marriage to Olivia Langdon, who became his editor and confidante, and the tragic loss of his son and two daughters.
In his later years, Twain became a public figure, known for his white suits and sharp wit, but also faced controversies, including his relationships with young girls he called 'angelfish.'
Twain's legacy is complex, blending humor, social critique, and contradictions, with 'Huckleberry Finn' remaining a contentious yet seminal work in American literature.
Recent reinterpretations of Twain's characters, like Jim from 'Huckleberry Finn,' continue to spark discussions about race, freedom, and storytelling in America.