Kyle Rankin @kyle@librem.one

@JohnsNotHere Yes I already have a solid, formatted book with a single complete chapter in it as a proof of concept. It's now "just" a matter of adding the remaining chapters (already written) with formatting and indexing along the way, and picking some cover art.

Of course it's going a lot faster for me since I have already formatted numerous books using multiple publishers' own professional templates (ranging from XHTML, to web-based, to multiple Word templates) so I have that background.

This weekend I managed to climb the steepest part of the learning curve with formatting a book using LaTeX.

Watch this space, as I should be able to complete and publish this proof of concept pretty quickly. If this book works out to be worth my time, you can expect quite a bit more publishing from me soon.

#writing #publishing #SelfPublishing

And both that morning equally made
My book formats in white and black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing the learning curves at play,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two apps to format books, and I--
I took the one that used vi,
And that has made all the difference.

The App Not Taken

Two apps diverged to format books
And sorry I could not master both
And be an expert, long I stood
And tried out Scribus as far as I could
Its GUI promising rapid growth;

Then took on LaTeX, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because of its history and lofty air;
Though with no GUI present there
The learning curve was not the same,

@videograndpa You can use any standard clumping litter. I intentionally use scent-free litter as I don't like the artificial deodorant smells in most litters, and it still doesn't smell.

@Quinnypig Those are absolutely great from everything I hear, if that's within your budget.

@apples_and_pears Yes, far too many companies try to get away with vendor lock-in, even in the world of litter boxes! There are a number of brands that offer a proprietary litter and disposable shelf you slide into the box and replace. It keeps you coming back to them, which is of course the point.

I should note that Liter Robot does offer connected versions with WiFi and an app. I opted for the model without all that.

@f1337 @Quinnypig These days you can't go wrong with the Ender product line. They are inexpensive, have wide community support, and work well out of the box, especially when you use the model-specific profiles popular slicers will have for the various Ender printers.

I personally have an Ender 5 Pro and I have been very pleased with it.

@videograndpa Yes, because it can detect when a cat has used it. It then waits 7 minutes for it to clump (and the cat to leave) and then it cleans itself. So the cats end up having a clean box each time.

I end up replacing the trash bag where the litter is dumped about twice a week, but the litter box alerts me with a blue flashing light when it detects that it is full.

A few months ago our family got a new kitten, which put our cat count at three. Beyond two cats, it's a challenge keeping your house from smelling, so my requirement for the kitten was investing in a high quality automatic litter box.

We had tried cheaper units in the past for vacations, and they never worked well. While it was expensive, we got a Litter Robot and I have to say, it is worth every penny. No smell, automatic, reliable, easy to dump litter, no proprietary consumables.

#caturday

@briankrebs Don't let the pressure get to you.

According to Plutarch, in exchange for being forced into marriage with strangers, these Sabine girls were not required to perform any household labor apart from spinning. Apparently this was considered a fair deal, and says a lot both about the sensibilities of the time and how important spinning was!

#spinning #fiberarts #history

I started reading Plutarch's Lives, beginning with Theseus and Romulus. So far I learned that (according to Plutarch) a husband carrying his new wife over a threshold derives from a Roman tradition. It is intended to commemorate a time when Romulus was first settling Rome and needed more wives for his citizens. He lured Sabine citizens to a sporting event, then at a signal Roman men captured all the Sabine girls that were present and carried them away to be their wives.

@sofiebird Welcome! Always great to see other weavers on Mastodon.

@apples_and_pears @hackaday Thank you!

I'm using fingering yarn for this which is about as fine as I think this machine is intended to take and with the waste yarn cast on to get everything started, I haven't noticed any dropped stitches yet, thankfully.

Still some fine-tuning to make sure the hour hand is reasonably accurate, but it's getting there.

I've published a full write-up of the inspiration, design, assembly, and installation of my @hackaday inspired knitting clock: Tempus Nectit!

I had to learn quite a few new skills to complete this project from controlling stepper motors with electronics to 3D modeling. I tried to document everything I could so that someone else could follow step-by-step and make one of their own.

https://kylerank.in/tempus_nectit/

#knitting #3dprinting #electronics