Installed iWork, moved my main work folder, trying to figure out how to call up a finder window with a single keystroke!, registered mythiclogos.com, installing GeoGebra.

Working hard to keep everything clean on my desktop.

Resynching iPod touch.

Started Apache web server. This was dead simple--just go to system prefs and turn on web sharing. The folder is Sites in the Home folder. Later I will need to experiment with running scripts and so forth if I want a fully functional site on my computer, but at least I can do client modeling.

Downloaded jQuery and jQuery UI. Will need to download my usual plugins (Taconite, form, livequery....) For UI, chose Cupertino theme. Saw an online conference on jQuery. I think I might attend.

Used Screenflow to make a demo video of its capabilities. Not too bad. Uploaded it to YouTube and done. Pretty sweet. Idea is to make videos of educational interest, building the logos, with references to the materials at Mythic Logos.

Finally got TextMate bundle loading working. Installed git. Then you can install a bundle by

cd ~/Library/Application Support/TextMate/Bundles
git clone git://gitorious.org/git-tmbundle/mainline.git Git.tmbundle
osascript -e 'tell app "TextMate" to reload bundles'

Workflows

So today I will attempt to setup/experiment with workflows. In particular, I want to start coding up the design patterns for web pages using jQuery (need to start my webserver on this machine and get going). I also intend to learn TextMate to see if it meets my needs for typing scripts. I also want to learn how to use Screenflow and ensure that that works out well. Once I have all these skills in place, I should be good to go to start making videos and projects.

scarMac

I received my new iMac yesterday right before I had to leave to teach a class. It is an impressive sight. I am now setting it up. The long running task I have is getting iTunes setup from my old library. I am copying the old iTunes onto my machine then I will combine it with another iTunes library. I hope that I will be able to retain all my old playlists and get the new songs. Then I will work on cleaning it up.

I have already installed Firefox. Next I want to install MacTex, Python, Sage, and the video capturing software which I think is Screenflow.

• MacTex 2.3 GB, package install
  
• Python, Going with default Python install. May upgrade later.
  

• Sage, unpack, drag Sage folder wherever (applications), and click on sage. Use notebook() and localhost:8000 to
  
• Xcode, from MacOSX DVD and install Xcode mpkg
• QT Installed
  
  • QT SDK, 1.46GB, installation problem?
  • The QT libraries worked so installed that. A new version should handle 10.6
  • Installing new version. 64-bit! 4.6 working well so far
    
• Python bindings
  
  • SIP (python configure.py; make; make install (sudo))
  • PyQT (same)
    
• QTScintilla, Eric IDE
  
  • Download QScintilla and install with qmake stuff from instruction (
    qmake -spec -macx-g++ qscintilla.pro
  • Eric IDE
  • Later will look into extra modules on the Eric IDE system
  • Failure: mportError: dlopen(/Library/Python/2.6/site-packages/PyQt4/QtCore.so, 2): Symbol not found: _sipQtConnect
    Referenced from: /Library/Python/2.6/site-packages/PyQt4/QtCore.so
    Expected in: flat namespace
    in /Library/Python/2.6/site-packages/PyQt4/QtCore.so
    An error in SIP
    
• Screenflow: video capture with direct publish to YouTube. Download package, install. Try it, pay for it.
  
• TuneUp (tuneupmedia) and Dupin (dougscripts) to first get song info then get rid of all duplicates. Doug's scripts also has some other cool scripts for iTunes. The whole process loading my library involved transferring from an old computer and then importing a whole library from another. Done.

Note: scarMac is so named as it came with a little crack/scratch in the lower left corner. It does not seem to be interfering with function, just form. Hence scar. Perfect for a Speakeasy computer.

iMac delayed!

FedEx failed to deliver. They said they tried, but I think they went to the wrong place since I was home, had pre-signed for it, and there was no door delivery tag. So I hope tomorrow I will get it.

In the meantime, I was working with TexWorks on my PC and had to do epstopdf. This requires shell-escape for the TeX version I have (2007). To enable it, I went to Edit->preferences->Typesetting->Edit PdfLatex and in arguments, placed --shell-escape

Security risk, I suppose. But it works.

Also, had fun estimating (26 nCr 3 )/(100 nCr 3) used 25^3/100^3 which is 1/4^3 which is 1/64. So that is between 1/50 =.02 and 1/100 = .01 It is closer to the 2 so I went with .016. That happens to be very close to what the combinatorial ratio is while 1/64 is more like .015625.

New iMac Pre-arrival

Today I should be getting my new iMac. It is very exciting.

I will install gnuplot, python, matplotlib, mactex, geogebra, R, Sage.

I also need to import iTunes and clean it up. I intend to explore Mail, iCal, and the rest and really utilize all that comes with it. I am reading Mac OS X Snow Leopard by Pogue and it is amazing what one can do. Mastering efficient use of the computer is a must.

Then I will turn my attention to screen recording software.

And I want to master Apple Script. That seems a great way to do minor tweaks to the work flow.

I also need to install the development tools.

I intend to explore the iMac as a server as well so I can develop on the Mac and then upload the stuff to the live site. I can browse and explore from my home network. For a pre-release setting, I should be able to open the network up so others can explore it.

For the server, I will install jQuery with UI and other plugins, MongoDB, SQLite, Python, PHP, jsMath

A New Day

Today I take my first steps into blogging. The goal is to record the mythic journey of creation of a logos masterpiece.

My hope is to create a series of materials and methods that will lead to free minds. This will be the story of assembling the materials and how-to's so that myself and others may learn as well.

Taming the art of the web and publishing is a daunting task. The main tools all exist: jQuery, Flot TeX, Python, GeoGebra, Gnuplot, and all the normal web technologies. Putting all of this together in an easy to use form is quite challenging.

The vision I have is to set up a system with a variety of uses: students for which everything is produced and easy to use; most teachers for which default materials or simple changes are sufficient and done simply; more advanced needs for which some programming parts are exposed; and ultimate developer education for complete freedom to develop.

My plan is to setup a basic system over the next few weeks with a few sample topics. Once I have a decent system in place, my hope is to spend four hours a day, doing one full topic. In this way, I could have a decent start by 1/10.

I will be making video tutorials, notes (basic/advanced), calculator tips, computer exploration directions from simple CAS to programming, guidelines to producing problems of this type, questions/tests, unlimited problem trials via web.

At the end, I will use all of this material to produce a book in addition to the website housing all of this material.

I have in mind a variety of other projects and I may write about those ideas and experiences as well. In particular, I want to explore the mythos/logos notion, applying it to ontological quantum theories to put a little magic back into the world of science.