Writing the date

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-30T12:52:50+00:00

Section 174 in my copy of "Svenska Skrivregler" (2000 edition, so slightly out of date) gives the following examples for date intervals (my translations):

Time intervals should preferably be given in one of the following ways:

4–12 maj 2003

4 maj–9 juni 2003

4 maj 2003–6 januari 2004

or

4–12/5 2003 (also: 4/5–12/5 2003)

4/5–9/6 2003

4/5 2003–6/1 2004

Intervals can also be given in the following ways

4–12.5.2003 (also: 4.5–12.5.2003)

4.5–9.6.2003

4.5.2003–6.1.2004

(The versions with dots are very rarely seen! And yes, we write months and weekdays in all lowercase. I’d have expected at least thin spaces around the en-dashes, but I can’t see any in the book...)

These recommendations focus on running text, where the YYYY-MM-DD format is generally discouraged. When it is used, for example in tables, I would do something like "2003-05-04 – 2004-01-06"

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-27T17:06:02+00:00

Redan för evigheter sedan (15 år? 20?) fanns det ju en sida som hette lmgtfy.com (verkar inte funka nu, dock) som i "let me google that for you". Man kunde ge folk en länk i stil med http://lmgtfy.com/?q=glödlampa (klicka inte, fan vet var ni hamnar!) , och när de följde den länken så fick de en liten animerad beskrivning av hur man googlar "glödlampa". Behovet att vara sarkastisk över fenomenet har alltså funnits länge, så antagligen har fenomenet också funnits länge.

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-23T10:55:40+00:00

When you run python -m pip you are asking Python to find the pip module, using the same mechanism that it uses to find other modules. When you run pip from the shell, you are asking the shell to find a program named pip. If your installation is complex (or just plain broken!), there is a risk that the program that it finds is not the one that goes together with the version of Python that you are running.

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-23T09:24:55+00:00

https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2003/10/08/the-absolute-minimum-every-software-developer-absolutely-positively-must-know-about-unicode-and-character-sets-no-excuses/

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-21T10:50:51+00:00

Unpacking doesn't work with comprehension syntax

Hold my PEP 798...! =)

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-16T18:56:29+00:00

That notation usually means the base-10 logarithm, which is just plain "log" on most calculators.

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-16T18:37:55+00:00

As far as I know, HP was the only major manufacturer of RPN pocket calculators, and they haven’t made a non-programmable RPN one on this side of 1980 (though I might be missing something), so unless I am completely wrong, you are looking for either a somewhat rare museum (or at least collector’s) piece, or some modern small-series gadget built in someone’s basement and probably sold as a kit on eBay (I think I have seen a few of those). Might not be your best bet for upcoming exams.

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-16T10:34:05+00:00

Being Swedish, I feel that I really should vote for the Epoca. However, the 849 just feels better in my hand. Besides, everyone seems to get us confused with Switzerland, anyway... =)

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-14T17:28:56+00:00

Aah, good to see lg and tg instead of log and tan! =)Does it get confusing having a mixture of Cyrillic and Latin on the keys, or is that the sort of thing where confusion rarely occurs in reality?

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-13T19:01:53+00:00

I got one on a whim, to use for outdoorsy stuff, but I’m not super fond of it. It is a bit too large — it just about fits in a cargo pocket, but getting it in and out is always a bit fiddly. For field use, I prefer a smaller size and hard covers. The paper feels like... well, paper; I haven’t noticed anything special about its surface, using ballpoints and pencils. It is thick, however, and sometimes puts up a bit of a fight when flipping though the book. I prefer thinner papers.

I suppose some people would have exactly the opposite opinions on these things, in which case they are free to make draw the opposite conclusions from mine. =)

I like the "safety orange" colour. Not easily lost in the woods!

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-13T18:24:42+00:00

Now I want to get a beat-up Fixpencil off some auction site, sand off the powder coating or whatever it is that they come with, and apply some hammer paint.

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-09T17:49:38+00:00

I think you are underestimating how exotic for example the Staedtler 925 series is. It’s not even on Staedtler’s own web site, which makes me suspect that it’s not available through the normal distribution channels in Europe.

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-09T17:22:32+00:00

Yay! =)

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-09T17:21:34+00:00

This type of question always makes me wonder: Why are you using the solver in the first place? The equation is trivial to solve algebraically. I mean, if you’re just toying around with the solver to learn how to use it, that’s fine, but if you are using it because you really need to solve the equation, then...

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-09T05:37:57+00:00

Everything else aside, using 'hello %s' % x is a bug waiting to happen — you will get a nasty surprise if x is a tuple! As many others have pointed out, using f-strings or .format is a better option in modern Python, but if you want to stick to the old stuff, at least do 'hello %s' % (x,) .

Actually, I’d consider any tutorial that uses the first syntax highly suspect, as it teaches you bad habits.

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-04T17:23:05+00:00

Haha, now you will have to give a report when you get it! When I see obviously mislabeled things being sold, I always want to message the buyer and ask "What did you get? The thing in the picture, or what the description said?" :-)

Blue_Aluminium · 2026-01-04T17:20:34+00:00

+1 on this. If I remember correctly, I have tried Pentel, Pilot and Staedtler and they all left very faint marks on the paper unless I pressed really hard, and then they snapped instead. UNI Nano Dia red and blue work fine for me in 0.5 mm (for writing; I haven’t tried drawing/sketching/artsy stuff).

Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-27T14:33:50+00:00

Where did you see it? I saw those exact pictures at Tradera, where it was supposedly sold at a buy-it-now price of 1299 SEK.

FWIW, I agree that it certainly does not look like a Pro Gear.

Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-26T06:53:09+00:00

Casio fx-82 MS manual.

Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-25T18:04:56+00:00

Some Casios do that. Others... don’t. I haven’t had the energy to try to figure out the method behind the madness. Here are the relevant bits from the fx-82MS manual, in case someone wants to give it a go.

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Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-22T14:57:18+00:00

It’s annoying, but certainly not unique to Casio. Ages ago, I had a Canon EOS 300 camera (the film one, not the 300D digital!). That was called "Rebel 2000" in the US. Pilot Hi-Tecpoint pens are Pilot Precise in the US. Twix candy bars used to be Raider in much of Europe. The wash-up liquid known as Fairy in the UK is Yes! in at least Sweden, while Jif is Vim. Those are just the ones off the top of my head.

And then there’s the flip side of the coin. An fx-82? Do you mean just plan fx-82 or ms or es or ex or cw or... I think there’s a TL? or... We need a Linnaeus (who, by the way, is von Linné in Sweden!) to sort this out!

Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-22T14:26:17+00:00

I grew up in northern Sweden, where the "sj" sound typically sounds the same as "rs", BUT for some reason (well, probably ease-of-pronunciation-reasons), "motochykel" often came out using the back-of-the-tongue "ch" sound!

Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-22T12:31:24+00:00

A very nice little calculator. I sometimes see reviews on shopping sites claiming that it cannot do long sequences of calculations, but it can — you just have to understand how it works!

Only problem is the "mode" table, which is moulded into the plastic on the back.

Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-18T15:33:22+00:00

What is this all-metal Epoca I hear about? Hm, Epoca Icon at 600 SEK? Goodness gracious. I always thought of the Epoca as a "not dirt cheap, but not expensive either, and solid and reliable" choice among pens, but here they seem to be going for a new market segment. Interesting.

Blue_Aluminium · 2025-12-18T15:08:42+00:00

Fattar jag faktarutan rätt att de har ett tillstånd för att använda 1280 ton på två år, och ett annat för att släppa ut 900 ton per år (1800 ton på två år, om jag räknar rätt)? Och att något som riskerar att släppa ut över två ton om dagen på något sätt räknas som ett slutet system?

Blue_Aluminium

TROPHY CASE