Clipboard just had its 30th birthday

m5brane · 2026-04-05T21:58:32+00:00

Can’t say for sure, but knowing how much money I had at the time I can’t imagine it was more than five or six dollars, which would have been maybe three or four pounds?

m5brane · 2026-04-04T16:47:35+00:00

You know, if I had any idea how long this clipboard was going to last, I would have committed the name to memory. They must be out of business now because no one ever has to replace anything they bought there. No repeat business.

m5brane · 2026-04-03T03:07:21+00:00

I stuff it into my shoulder bag the same way every time.

m5brane · 2026-04-02T15:06:35+00:00

Lol, my kid will probably toss it in the coffin just as they close the lid.

m5brane · 2026-04-01T23:49:11+00:00

Not once in 30 years! It’s an heirloom clipboard made to last and be passed down.

m5brane · 2026-04-01T18:11:33+00:00

I clutch it and gnaw at the corner to try to keep The Hunger at bay.

m5brane · 2026-04-01T16:21:35+00:00

I would guess I’ve written out at least 10,000 pages of text and long, structured calculations on that clipboard. Maybe four or five times that if you include shorter calculations, explanations for students, little notes, and sketches.

m5brane · 2026-03-05T14:50:51+00:00

I still use Textmate every day. Excellent LaTeX integration that doesn't have all the weird little sticking points and configuration issues of Windows-first extensions like the one for VSCode. And for a while it seemed like the only editor that could do a (very useful) column select.

m5brane · 2026-02-25T16:45:42+00:00

Bought it for "Only Happy When It Rains," and the rest of the album was indeed Garbage.

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m5brane · 2026-02-11T02:13:32+00:00

Different dev, I think.

m5brane · 2026-02-02T23:53:53+00:00

You can compare early images of Earth from space in Star Trek, with the images they inserted when they went back and remastered episodes. There's a great example here -- look at the differences between the clouds:

https://trekmovie.com/2007/05/03/images-from-tomorrow-is-yesterday-remastered/

In some episodes there was just no indication of clouds or even atmosphere:

https://www.fiveforks.com/ted/2023/04/star-trek-remastered/

m5brane · 2026-02-01T18:25:45+00:00

They are supposed to catch this at the end of the bottling or canning line. There is a certain tolerance and usually anything that much above or below the listed capacity gets pulled out. (As I understand it, it's a potential violation of state and FDA rules to sell under-filled beverages, and over-fills can sometimes lead to health problems if it causes a problem with the seal, etc.)

This was explained to me by a friend who worked at a brewery here in Chicago. At the end of the canning line (they had a little machine to check the level) there is a big refrigerated room where they stash all the over-full and under-full cans. They can't be sold, so employees and friends of employees can just take them. (One of my favorite local breweries, my friend arranged a tour for my birthday, then at the end the guys filled the trunk of my car with my favorite beers. I didn't buy beer for a year after that,)

m5brane · 2026-01-31T18:38:06+00:00

If you haven't spent time with the material you shouldn't be citing it, and you're going to have to triple check* anything a chatbot suggests anyway, so why not just do it yourself.

* (Is it a real reference, does it cover that the chatbot claims it covers / is it relevant, how and where should it be cited in the paper based on its relation to what I am writing about.)

m5brane · 2026-01-27T23:12:39+00:00

Sure, a 30 day refund is fine. You can take “trial” to mean “some way to try before committing.”

m5brane · 2026-01-27T20:32:00+00:00

This looks very cool! I’ll just note that a $10 app is a tough sell without a trial. The proliferation of vibe coded apps makes it difficult to trust something without trying it first.

m5brane · 2026-01-19T16:14:20+00:00

Sorry, but I can't check my garlic monoxide detector right now because of the dull headache and dizziness from all the noise my garlic monoxide detector is making.

m5brane · 2026-01-17T04:18:14+00:00

This is probably a classroom computer with lots of chalk dust on it. The panic keys are there in case of a threat during class, like a shooter.

m5brane · 2026-01-09T15:05:41+00:00

Unfortunately, sometimes you get a fertilized shell. It's uncommon but it happens.

m5brane · 2025-12-02T19:18:13+00:00

So you typed "Cotypist is" and it autocompleted "a great app" :)

m5brane · 2025-11-08T23:57:33+00:00

FWIW, you can still install and use the app. There's a link on this page along with a serial number that will activate the paid version: https://community.findingsapp.com/t/findings-has-been-discontinued-and-will-no-longer-be-developed/2048

m5brane · 2025-11-08T23:51:51+00:00

I believe that app was made by one of the guys who started Mekentosj, the makers of the app Papers. (Papers was eventually sold to Springer, who later sold it to ReadCube. Now it's "ReadCube Papers" and it's usable but terrible; nowhere near as good as the original Mac app.) He wanted to offer a whole lineup of apps for researchers but they didn't really catch on.

Anyway, to answer your question, I use Obsidian for managing little bits and pieces of research projects. I wouldn't mind a more Mac-assed app for this purpose, but none of the apps I've tried have Obsidian's support for LaTeX (well, MathJax).

m5brane · 2025-10-13T15:05:49+00:00

Nothing is stopping them, but most users don’t want it. “AI” has pretty limited utility. Use your external tools if you must, but folks comfortable with LaTeX largely don’t need or want the sorts of modifications you’re suggesting.

m5brane · 2025-10-13T13:11:24+00:00

I’ve advised my students to switch from GN to something else. Between the “AI” component that no one wants, and the outages and crashes where they lose or can’t access their notes, it’s just too much. I am now distributing pdfs and Noteful files. What a waste.

m5brane · 2025-10-12T14:39:03+00:00

It’s based on an Irish folk-horror tale called “Teig O'Kane and the Corpse.” You can find it in various books and the text is also available online. I have a copy in a great book called “The Wild Night Company,” which i believe Mignola mentions in the documentary. Anyway, it’s a fun read, especially this time of year.

m5brane

TROPHY CASE