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@ -147,11 +147,11 @@
\section*{Impressum}
All contents \copyright2024 Kenneth John Odle
Although this is now in your hands, and it's also on the web, so if you really wanted to steal this, I've made it pretty darn easy. I can't imagine why anyone would want to, though. You don't need to however, because this is licenced under a CC BY-NA-SA 4.0 Creative Commons license. More information is at
Although this is now in your hands, and it's also on the web, so if you really wanted to steal this, I've made it pretty darn easy. I can't imagine why anyone would want to, but if you do, you don't need to, because this is licensed under a CC BY-NA-SA 4.0 Creative Commons license. More information is at
\kref{https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/}{https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/} \ccbyncnd
FYI, this is made in \LaTeX \,using the report document class. It then gets exported to a letterhalf (5.5 in x 8.5 in) pdf, which then gets made into a booklet using PDF Booklet, which you can find at
This zine is composed in \LaTeX \,using the report document class. It then gets exported to a letterhalf (5.5 in x 8.5 in) pdf, which then gets made into a booklet using PDF Booklet, which you can find at
\kref{https://pdfbooklet.sourceforge.io/wordpress/}{https://pdfbooklet.sourceforge.io/wordpress/}
@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ If you want to donate financial support for the creation of this zine (and all t
A long time ago my stepdad had created a successful business screen-printing t-shirts. He had been in the music business (there is a long story here, but it doesn't fit in with this zine) and he realized he could make more money if he printed and sold his own band shirts.
At some point, my parents decided to try to replicate this success. As the sure key to success at the time was to have a website I got roped in, because a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I had uploaded some HTML files to a free web server and told them "look, I made a web page!" They immediately assumed I was an expert and knew everything about putting a business online, and that I could build a web page that would have us making millions of dollars in mere weeks.
At some point, my parents decided to try to replicate this success. As the sure key to success at the time was to have a website, I got roped in because a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I had uploaded some HTML files to a free web server and told them "look, I made a web page!" They immediately assumed I was an expert and knew everything about putting a business online, and that I could build a web page that would have us making millions of dollars in mere weeks.
This was not the case, of course. What I learned was this:
@ -199,23 +199,23 @@ The useful things I learned from that experience were how to be really good at H
That business died after three or four orders, which was probably a good thing, but it did set me up with some usable skills when I went back to college. I started substitute teaching once I had enough credits to qualify for that, and so decided to create a website as soon as I could as a marketing tool. And thus, \texttt{mrodle.net} was born.
Unfortunately, that site did not live long. I had seriously underestimated how much money was required just to exist and when it came to putting gas in the tank \textit{or} paying webhosting fees, it was an easy decision. One of those things was helping me make money and the other was not. Something had to go, and so the website went. (Fortunately, it was so short-lived that \texttt{archive.org} never caught wind of it.)
Unfortunately, that site did not live long. I had seriously underestimated how much money was required just to exist and when it came to putting gas in the tank \textit{or} paying webhosting fees, it was an easy decision. One of those things was helping me make money and the other was not, and so the website went. (Fortunately, it was so short-lived that \texttt{archive.org} never caught wind of it.)
I kept trying. The educational-industrial complex was pushing ``Web 2.0''\footnote{which was basically social media, but also included blogs} really hard. I made another website (\kref{https://kjodle.net/}{kjodle.net}, which survives to this day) and my webhost at the time offered a one-click install of WordPress which at that time was pretty much a blogging platform and little else. So I clicked on the ``install'' button, wondered for a moment what I had done, and suddenly, \textit{The Big Bad Book Blog} was born.\footnote{\kref{https://bookblog.kjodle.net/}{bookblog.kjodle.net}}
I kept trying. The educational-industrial complex was pushing ``Web 2.0''\footnote{Which was basically social media, but also included blogs.} really hard. I made another website (\kref{https://kjodle.net/}{kjodle.net}, which survives to this day) and my webhost at the time offered a one-click install of WordPress which at that time was pretty much a blogging platform and little else. I clicked on the ``install'' button, wondered for a moment what I had done, and suddenly, \textit{The Big Bad Book Blog} was born.\footnote{\kref{https://bookblog.kjodle.net/}{bookblog.kjodle.net}}
As a newly minted English teacher, I enjoyed having a place where I could talk about all the books I'd been reading. But as a nerdy computer person, having a WordPress blog made me really itch. It offered…\textit{possibilities}.
It wasn't just HTML and CSS, for a start, which were the only two technologies I knew how to use to create a website. Rather, it was PHP and JavaScript, with a MySQL database attached. And while I was happy with the theme I had chosen, I was not 100\% happy with its appearance. I began tinkering under the hood, which WordPress requires that you do in a rather particular way. I had to level up, so that is what I did. I threw myself into the world of PHP, JavaScript, and WordPress child themes.
It was tough work, but I enjoyed it. At this point, I was pretty much substitute teaching full time (and being good at it meant my calendar was full), but while it filled my days, it left my nights free to work on figuring out all these technologies that were new to me.
It was tough work, but I enjoyed it. At this point, I was pretty much substitute teaching full time (and being good at it meant my calendar was full), and while it filled my days, it left my nights free to work on figuring out all these technologies that were new to me.
I eventually got to a point where I could create not just a child theme, but also fully blown themes for WordPress, and plugins to boot. Again, tough work,\footnote{I had not yet learned about Git, which would have made all of this \textit{so} much easier. Hence my enthusiasm for Git and the inclusion of a Git primer in this issue.} but very, very satisfying.
I was having problems finding an actual teaching job (so many other people decided to get into teaching at the same time, so the market was saturated) and I thought that maybe I could become a developer. Why not? After all, I knew that I could learn whatever I needed to, as long as I set my mind to it.
It was a happier, sunnier time, after all, despite the recession—at least if you knew something about ``coding''. I put that in quotation marks because it is at best a fuzzy word with fairly nebulous meaning. After all, I learned ``coding'' at the age of twelve by programming a TRS-80 in BASIC. I doubt that anybody now or in 2010 or in 1980 would hire me on the basis of \textit{that} particular skillset.
It was a happier, sunnier time, after all, despite the recession—at least if you knew something about ``coding''. I put that in quotation marks because it is at best a fuzzy word with fairly nebulous meaning. After all, I learned ``coding'' at the age of twelve by programming a TRS-80 in BASIC. I doubt that anybody now or in 2010 or even in 1980 would hire me on the basis of \textit{that} particular skillset though.
But I tried. I did some freelance development work for WordPress. I had learned how to make child themes fairly easily, and got a fair amount of work from people who wanted to customize their blogs, but had neither the time nor the skill nor the inclination to learn the skills required for this. Was I making enough money to pay the bills? No. Was I making enough money for a cheap, greasy pizza and a six-pack on the odd weekend? Yep!
But I tried. I did some freelance development work for WordPress. I had learned how to make child themes fairly easily, and got a fair amount of work from people who wanted to customize their blogs, but had neither the time nor the skill nor the inclination to learn required for this. Was I making enough money to pay the bills? No. Was I making enough money for a cheap, greasy pizza and a six-pack on the odd weekend? Yep!
I was happy with that level of success and wanted more, but there are only so many hours in a day. I didn't have the time to learn everything I needed to know (I admit that JavaScript still eludes me) and I certainly didn't have any more money for coursework or marketing at that point.
@ -225,11 +225,11 @@ And…it got me nowhere. Summer came, and I was out of substituting work, so I s
That was the plan anyway, but it wasn't exactly how things worked out. The agency sent me to interview for a position at a small local manufacturing company that needed someone to operate equipment and keep an eye on inventory during the second shift. I was elated! I can operate machinery! I'm great at managing inventory! Woot!
What I didn't know (and what the agency also didn't know) was that this company also needed someone to completely rewrite all of their technical documentation\footnote{work instructions and processes, mainly}, and to create a training program out of whole cloth and then implement and manage that program. They also needed someone to handle their domestic and MRO\footnote{Maintenance, Repairs, Operations—that is, paint, duct tape, toilet paper.} purchasing, as the part-time person they had doing this currently spent most of her time buying furniture on eBay for her rental properties.
What I didn't know (and what the agency also didn't know) was that this company also needed someone to completely rewrite all of their technical documentation\footnote{Work instructions and processes, mainly, and also the odd business email.}, and to create a training program out of whole cloth and then implement and manage that program. They also needed someone to handle their domestic and MRO\footnote{Maintenance, Repairs, Operations—that is, paint, duct tape, toilet paper.} purchasing, as the part-time person they had doing this currently spent most of her time buying furniture on eBay for her rental properties.
I've never had a job interview take such a dramatic turn before (which was the first of many red flags—in retrospect this place looked like a May Day parade in Leningrad) but the things they laid out—paid time off, a retirement plan, health insurance (including vision and dental)—were too much to resist. I pushed my tongue against a sore tooth and agreed to take the job. We all shook hands and I left, wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into.
Quite a bit, actually, as it turned out. I thought I might stay a year to get caught up on some things, and then try to get a teaching job again, but the educational-industrial complex is a jealous god who does not trust people who walk away, so the longer I stayed away, the lower my chances of returning became.
Quite a bit, actually, as it turned out. I thought I might stay a year to get caught up on some things, and then try to get a teaching job again, but the educational-industrial complex is a jealous god who does not trust people who walk away, so the longer I stayed away, the lower my chances of returning would become.
I ended up staying with that company for almost six years, despite the fact that I gave notice on three separate occasions. In retrospect, it was a terrible experience (and the subject of an entirely different zine) but I learned a lot. (The main thing I learned was to never work for a small company with no HR department where the boss is also the owner.)
@ -241,19 +241,19 @@ I am in a very different place now than I ever thought I would be. I'm not on Pl
So where am I?
I work as a data reviewer for a contract research organization in the pharmaceutical industry. That means that drug companies send us samples of their products, and we test them for things like assay, impurities, appearance, disintegration, etc. People who majored in chemistry run the tests and I sit there and look at their procedures and results and make sure that everything was performed correctly, that the math is correct, and that the results are, indeed, valid.
I work as a data reviewer for a contract research organization in the pharmaceutical industry. Drug companies send us samples of their products, and we test them for things like assay, impurities, appearance, disintegration, etc. People who majored in chemistry run the tests and I sit there and look at their procedures and results and make sure that everything was performed correctly, that the math is correct, and that the results are, indeed, valid.
In theory, I'm an analytical chemist. In practice, I'm a botany/English major with a fondness for computers who spends the day with his nose buried in Excel spreadsheets. \textit{Lots} of Excel spreadsheets.
Except that I also used to design websites, so my spreadsheets are easy on the eyes, color-coded, and logically oriented—that is, they take you through the analytical method in a step-wise, chronological manner. In other words, we look at standard concentrations first, and then our system suitability tests, and then the actual tests. Every cell is also labeled, so it's clear what goes where.\footnote{For a visual depiction, see \kref{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IFUYg9IUgI}{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IFUYg9IUgI}.} My boss admires them and I am justifiably proud of them. After all, these aren't just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill spreadsheets we're talking about here.
My spreadsheets are so beautiful that when my boss got a glimpse of them he immediately placed me in charge of mentoring new data reviewers, mostly so that they could see what my spreadsheets look like. And I get it. I worked really hard to make spreadsheets that are understandable not just to me but to everybody because we may have a corrective action come up at some point and we need to be able to see how we arrived at the results that have. I strive to make all my spreadsheets consistent and understandable to someone who has no familiarity with them.
My spreadsheets are so beautiful that when my boss got a glimpse of them he immediately placed me in charge of mentoring new data reviewers, mostly so that they could see what my spreadsheets look like. And I get it. I worked really hard to make spreadsheets that are understandable not just to me but to everybody because we may have a corrective action come up at some point and we need to be able to see how we arrived at the results that we have. I strive to make all my spreadsheets consistent and understandable to someone who has no familiarity with them.
\fbox{\texttt{tl;dr:} I'm \textit{really} good with Microsoft Excel. }
But it's not satisfying work. It pays the bills.\footnote{Well, barely (and by the time you're reading this, probably not actually), after the recent fit of massive corporate price gouging—I mean, er…inflation.} It's not exactly the hind end of science, but it's close. (I once worked in a lab that did non-clinical testing\footnote{That is, rats and mice. Lots and \textit{lots} of rats and mice.} and believe me, \textit{that} is the hind end of science.\footnote{Science actually has many hind-ends. This is but one of them.}) I'm not really doing science; if anything I'm just a nerdy science accountant, making sure the books balance. It's boring—\textit{really }boring—and more than a bit mind-numbing.
Considering that my entire job exists to help keep the drug supply safe\footnote{Well, the \textit{legal} drug supply anyway.} that statement may sound frightening or even disturbing. But it's not really. You \textit{want} this job to be boring. When it's not boring, it's generally because something has gone wrong, and and this is one of those industries (like nuclear energy or air traffic control) where you really \textit{don't} want things to \textit{not} be boring.
Considering that my entire job exists to help keep the drug supply safe\footnote{Well, the \textit{legal} drug supply anyway.} that statement may sound frightening or even disturbing. But it's not really. When it's not boring, it's generally because something has gone wrong, and and this is one of those industries (like nuclear energy or air traffic control) where you really \textit{don't} want things to get interesting. You \textit{want} this job to be boring.
The irony is that I took this job because I \textit{knew} it would be boring. My last job had been so nerve wracking that mentally I was completely spent by the time I got home and creating anything at that point was damn near difficult if not impossible. I figured that if I had a boring job where creativity was not encouraged (that is, we have a procedure, so just stick to the procedure) I could store my creative juices during the day the and use them during the evening to create things.
@ -261,9 +261,7 @@ As it turns out creativity doesn't exactly work this way. One of the things that
I have spent too much time thinking that creativity is like a bag of candy: you can have a piece of candy every day this week, or you can wait and have it all on the weekend. Unfortunately, that's not how creativity works. If you don't spend time each day being creative, you probably won't feel very creative during the weekend. You can't just store up creativity and then spend it when you have the time.
Ages ago I saw an interview you with the father of a very large family (which had grown mostly through adoption) and the reporter asked him how he divided his love among so many kids. His answer was brief and to the point: love is not something you divide—it's something you multiply.
Creativity is like love. You can't save up creativity so you can divide it out later. Creativity cannot be divided. It can only be multiplied. The only way to multiply it is to use it.
Ages ago I saw an interview you with the father of a very large family (which had grown mostly through adoption) and the reporter asked him how he divided his love among so many kids. His answer was brief and to the point: love is not something you divide—it's something you multiply. Creativity is the same way—you don't divide it, you multiply it, and the only way to multiply it is to use it.
It's taken me too long to realize that this is what I've been doing with my creativity. I can't store it up during the day and then use it in the evening. That's not how it works. Creativity is not something that gets used up; it is something that grows when you use it. Creativity just leads to more creativity. It's not a zero-sum game.\footnote{I wish people would realize that our economy—which is not a natural thing, but a thing completely invented by humans—does not have to be a zero-sum game. Just because somebody else gets something they need does not automatically means that I get less of what I need.}
@ -279,24 +277,24 @@ I have always scribbled. I found a manual typewriter at the age of eight or nine
As for the teaching thing, I'm not quite sure. I've always enjoyed learning things and knowing how to do things and sharing that knowlege with other people in the hopes that that might change their life for the better.
Long ago, I realized that information is just data—which you can get from encyclopedias and dictionaries (and these these days from the internet if you know how to look). But knowledge is information \textit{in context}, where it's part of a whole that helps you understand how the universe is put together and how it works. Most people think that teaching is just about providing information, which is no doubt a result of our over-reliance on worksheets and scantron sheets and Bush II's policy of ``no child left untested''. That is unfortunately what a lot of teachers do—they force feed kids information, which most kids retain just long enough to regurgitate on a test and then promptly forget.\footnote{Although some of it sticks with us—My high school social studies teacher Mr. Rex insisted that we would need to know the definition the ``mercantilism'' to succeed in college comes to mind. Oddly, the last placed I was asked for that definition was on his final exam. (I've written about this in a different zine. See \textit{just13} \#2 at \kref{https://just13.click/just13/002.php}{https://just13.click/just13/002.php}.)}
Long ago, I realized that information is just data—which you can get from encyclopedias and dictionaries (and these these days from the internet if you know how to look). But knowledge is information \textit{in context}, where it's part of a whole that helps you understand how the universe is put together and how it works. Most people think that teaching is just about providing information, which is no doubt a result of our over-reliance on worksheets and scantron sheets and Bush II's policy of ``no child left untested''. That is unfortunately what a lot of teachers do—they force feed kids information, which most kids retain just long enough to regurgitate on a test and then promptly forget.\footnote{Although some of it sticks with us—My high school social studies teacher Mr. Rex insisted that we would need to know the definition the ``mercantilism'' to succeed in college. Oddly, the last placed I was asked for that definition was on his final exam. (I've written about this in a different zine. See \textit{just13} \#2 at \kref{https://just13.click/just13/002.php}{https://just13.click/just13/002.php}.)}
Good teachers provide that context, along with the information and then guide their students through the process of building knowledge from them. If you can figure out the information and figure out the context and know how to weave those two things into actual knowledge you'll always be able to figure out any task, any role, any job. You'll be able to do anything you set your mind to.\footnote{I haven't even talked about wisdom yet, which is knowledge tempered by experience. And I don't want to discuss it, perhaps mostly because I lack it. In essence, information is about the \textit{what}, knowledge is about the \textit{how}, and wisdom is about the \textit{should}.}
Good teachers provide that context along with the information and then guide their students through the process of building knowledge from them. If you can figure out the information and figure out the context and know how to weave those two things into actual knowledge you'll always be able to figure out any task, any role, any job. You'll be able to do anything you set your mind to.\footnote{I haven't even talked about wisdom yet, which is knowledge tempered by experience. And I don't want to discuss it, perhaps mostly because I lack it. In essence, information is about the \textit{what}, knowledge is about the \textit{how}, and wisdom is about the \textit{when} and the \textit{should}.}
That was what I loved about teaching—that if I were allowed to do it right I could empower people just now but for the rest of their lives. I've always taken the long vie when it comes to teaching: the kid I'm teaching today might be working on my brakes in ten years. The kid I'm teaching today might be doing heart surgery on me in twenty years. This is not selfishness. The kid who is working on my brakes is also working on lots of other people's brakes and the kid doing open heart surgery on me is obviously not doing this as a one-off.
That was what I loved about teaching—that if I were allowed to do it right I could empower people not just now but for the rest of their lives. I've always taken the long view when it comes to teaching: the kid I'm teaching today might be working on my brakes in ten years. The kid I'm teaching today might be doing heart surgery on me in twenty years. This is not selfishness. The kid who is working on my brakes is also working on lots of other people's brakes and the kid doing open heart surgery on me is obviously not doing this as a one-off.
The point is that human existence is a tapestry. We're all connected, like it or not, to other people. That tapestry has a lot of holes in it (thanks to war, disease, capitalism, etc.) so of course most of the time we can't see a direct connection to certain other people simply because it isn't apparent. But we are all connected nevertheless, directly or indirectly. Our choices and our actions have effects that we cannot predict on people we cannot even see, sometimes because they don't exist yet.
That is what teaching was about for me—showing kids that they are part of a rich tapestry and that it's okay if they can't see the entire thing because \textit{none} of us can.\footnote{I would like to carve out an exception here for someone like the Dalai Lama, but I think he would be the first person to say that he can't see everything. He can merely see further than most.} The important thing is knowing that you are part of something larger than yourself and to know how to reach out to others when you need help and knowing how to respond to others reaching out to you when \textit{they} need help. That was my mission as a teacher. I suppose now it's my mission with this zine.
That is what teaching was about for me—showing kids that they are part of a rich tapestry and that it's okay if they can't see the entire thing because \textit{none} of us can.That was my mission as a teacher. I suppose now it's my mission with this zine.
It's also why I am not a teacher now and never will be again—because there is no fucking way that any part of that philosophy can ever be converted to a multiple choice question that can be graded by running a scantron sheet through some 1970s-style technology.
Fortunately there's a sweet spot in all of this that is small but doable. That sweet spot is technical writing. I actually did a lot of technical writing in my last job.\footnote{One of the best compliments I've ever received is that a former colleague who also left that company and eventually went back to it told me that she could ``see my hand in everything we do'' which is a great compliment, but after all, I \textit{literally} wrote the book on that place. She wanted me to come back, but nope, there were reasons that I left, and they haven't changed.} I took my current job because I was led to believe that it would include a lot of technical writing. The amount of technical writing I've done so far is pretty much zero.
Fortunately there's a sweet spot in all of this that is small but doable. That sweet spot is technical writing. I actually did a lot of technical writing in my last job. I took my current job because I was led to believe that it would include a lot of technical writing. The amount of technical writing I've done so far is pretty much zero.
Technical writing—that is, writing instruction manuals and work instructions and translating what the chemists and engineers wrote into something that regular people can understand—is what I need to do because it lands smack dab in the middle of this Venn diagram:
\begin{center}
\scalebox{0.7}{ % begin scalebox
\scalebox{0.8}{ % begin scalebox
\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw (0,0) ellipse (60mm and 15mm);
\draw (0,0) ellipse (15mm and 60mm);
@ -315,9 +313,9 @@ Technical writing—that is, writing instruction manuals and work instructions a
} % end scalebox
\end{center}
That's what I'm shooting for. I'm a good writer and I'm a good teacher, so it makes sense to try to put these things together.
That's what I'm shooting for. I'm a good writer and I'm a good teacher, so it makes sense to try to put these things together. It reminds me that part of my job is to remind all of us that we are part of the tapestry—that we are part of something larger than ourselves and to know how to reach out to others when we need help and knowing how to respond to others reaching out to us when \textit{they} need help.
The problem is that while I've pretty much spent my life doing technical writing, my resume doesn't reflect that. I have always been a jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none so I need to make sure my cover letter reflects that. We shall see how it goes.\footnote{I have a lot to say about this, but I'll hold my tongue for now.}
The problem is that while I've pretty much spent my life doing technical writing, my resume doesn't reflect that. Like I said, I did a lot of technical writing in my last job\footnote{One of the best compliments I've ever received is that a former colleague who also left that company and eventually went back to it told me that she could ``see my hand in everything we do'' which is a great compliment, but after all, I \textit{literally} wrote the book on that place. She wanted me to come back, but nope, there were reasons that I left, and they haven't changed.} but I also did so many other things my resume is a bit of a mish-mash. I have always been a jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none so I need to make sure my cover letter reflects that. We shall see how it goes. (I have a lot to say about this, but I'll save it for later.)
If issue \#6 comes out within three months of this issue and has an orange cover you'll know I've been successful. The future awaits us, at least for now.
@ -394,11 +392,11 @@ Once you start to get into Linux, you inevitably hear about ``Dependency Hell''.
Note that I said ``largely'' and not ``completely''. Hence, dependency \textit{heck}.
Dependency hell is what happens when you try to install new software on your computer, but some of the dependencies are missing, conflict with one another, or have been deprecated.\footnote{Because this is no longer much of a problem, I don't want to get into it too much. If you are interested, Wikipedia has an excellent article on dependency hell at \kref{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency\_hell}{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency\_hell}.} This problem has largely gone away due to the use of package managers, which handle the actual compiling and installation of software, because they handle issues with dependencies on their own.
Dependency hell is what happens when you try to install new software on your computer, but some of the dependencies are missing, conflict with one another, or have been deprecated.\footnote{Because this is no longer much of a problem, I don't want to get into it too much. If you are interested, Wikipedia has an excellent article on dependency hell at \kref{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency\_hell}{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependency\_hell}.} This problem has largely gone away due to the use of package managers, which handle the actual compiling and installation of software, because they handle issues with dependencies for you.
For example, on Debian/Ubuntu systems, the default package manager is \texttt{apt}. Red Hat/Fedora uses \texttt{dnf}, openSUSE uses \texttt{zypper}, Gentoo uses \texttt{emerge}, and ArchLinux uses \texttt{pacman}. In fact, the ArchLinux wiki has a page which extensively documents the difference between these different package managers.\footnote{See \kref{https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman/Rosetta}{https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman/Rosetta}.} If you've never gotten further than \texttt{sudo apt install foo}, you will find a lot of useful information there.
I know I did. For example, I usually install software using \texttt{sudo apt install foo}, but there is a parameter\footnote{Which I would know about if I had read the \texttt{man} file for \texttt{apt}, which I obviously have not—in general when working in \texttt{sudo} I just want to do my business and get out.} which will just do a dry run of the install: \texttt{sudo apt install -{}-dry-run}.
I know I did. For example, I usually install software using \texttt{sudo apt install foo}, but there is a parameter which will just do a dry run of the install: \texttt{sudo apt install -{}-dry-run}.\footnote{Which I would know about if I had read the \texttt{man} file for \texttt{apt}, which I obviously have not—in general when working in \texttt{sudo} I just want to do my business and get out.}
For example, if I'm thinking about install \texttt{meld} (which is a great tool for visually comparing files and directories, and which will help you merge them), but I'm not sure what all is going to be installed, I can just run
@ -634,7 +632,7 @@ At the end of the day, I'll home and go into my local repo, open a terminal in t
What does \texttt{git pull} do? It's a combination of two Git commands: \texttt{fetch} and \texttt{merge}.
\texttt{git fetch} gets the change history of the tracked remote and branch, whereas \texttt{git merge} combines the current branch with the specified branch. My local repository will now look like My remote repository. I can write to your heart's content, push those changes, and call it a day. If I'm back at the hospital waiting room again some time later, I can just repeat the process.\footnote{Again, for a visual depiction of this, please visit \kref{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU}{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\\FG1NrQYXjLU}.}
\texttt{git fetch} gets the change history of the tracked remote and branch, whereas \texttt{git merge} combines the current branch with the specified branch. My local repository will now look like My remote repository. I can write to my heart's content, push those changes, and call it a day. If I'm back at the hospital waiting room again some time later, I can just repeat the process.\footnote{Again, for a visual depiction of this, please visit \kref{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU}{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\\FG1NrQYXjLU}.}
\section{Extra Files}
@ -648,7 +646,7 @@ To \textit{fork} a remote repository is to make a copy of it so that you can con
\section{Summary of Git Commands}
One of my favorite aspects of Git is that it's fairly intuitive to understand and start using right out of the box, but it's also robust enough to meet the needs of large teams and organizations. What I've done in the following table is to summarize the commands I've used in this primer, along with examples where appropriate. I've also included a few commands in this table that you probably won't use unless you are collaborating with others which I haven't discussed thoroughly because it's outside the range of my experience. I included them to make the table a little more complete.
One of my favorite aspects of Git is that it's fairly intuitive to understand and start using right out of the box, but it's also robust enough to meet the needs of large teams and organizations. What I've done in the following table is to summarize the commands I've used in this primer, along with examples where appropriate.
\begin{longtblr}
[
@ -672,23 +670,26 @@ Command & Purpose {\& Example, if applicable} \\
\texttt{git add} & {Stages (i.e., adds) files to a commit \\ \texttt{git add file1 file2} } \\
\texttt{git add *} & Stages (i.e., adds) all visible files to a commit \\
{\texttt{git add -A} \\ \texttt{git add --all}} & Stages (i.e., adds) all files (including invisible ones) to a commit \\
\texttt{git branch} & Show all branches (the current branch is labeled with an asterisk) \\
\texttt{git branch -{}-show-current} & Show only the current branch \\
\texttt{git commit} & {Commits stages files \\ \texttt{git commit -m} ``<commit message>'' } \\
\texttt{git fetch} & Get the change history of a specific tracked remote and branch \\
\texttt{git merge} & Incorporate changes from the named commits into the current branch \\
\texttt{git pull} & A combination of \texttt{fetch} and \texttt{merge} \\
\texttt{git push} & {Pushes a commit from a local repo to a remote repo \\ \texttt{git push} <name of remote repo> <name of remote branch> } \\
\texttt{git remote} & {Show only the names of remote repos \\ \texttt{git remote} } \\
\texttt{git remote -v} & {Show both the names and URLs of remote repos \\ \texttt{git remote -v} } \\
\texttt{git status} & Show which files have been staged and which files are waiting to be staged \\
\texttt{git status -s} & As above, but in short form \\
\texttt{git status -u} & As above, but only show untracked files \\
\texttt{git branch} & Show all branches (the current branch is labeled with an asterisk) \\
\texttt{git branch -{}-show-current} & Show only the current branch \\
\end{longtblr}
\chapter{Easy Outlines in \LaTeX{}}
Ever since I first learned about outlining in high school (or was it earlier?) I've always loved being able to organize information hierarchically. The irony is that I also love biology and the natural world does not necessarily organize itself in a hierarchical way. Cross-pollination and inter-species breeding is a thing.
Ever since I first learned about outlining in high school (or was it earlier?) I've always loved being able to organize information hierarchically. The irony is that I also love biology and the natural world does not necessarily organize itself in a hierarchical way. Cross-pollination and inter-species breeding is a thing, after all.
You can use the built-in \texttt{enumerate} environment to create outlines, but it requires lots and lots of nested \texttt{enumerate} environments. (\texttt{html} is the same way—an occupational hazard, I suppose, of liking both outlines and computers.) I grew up using a typewriter where outline are pretty much just tab stops, so I've always been looking for something simpler on a computer.
You can use the built-in \texttt{enumerate} environment to create outlines, but it requires lots and lots of nested \texttt{enumerate} environments. (\texttt{html} is the same way—an occupational hazard, I suppose, of liking both outlines and computers.) I grew up using a typewriter where outlines are pretty much just tab stops, so I've always been looking for something simpler on a computer.
Fortunately, \LaTeX{} does have something simpler—the \texttt{outlines} package.
@ -826,9 +827,9 @@ Given all that, it's pretty easy to see how to customize list environments. You
hlines = {0.5pt,solid},
vline{1,4} = {0.5pt,solid},
rows = {5mm, m, rowsep=1.5pt},
row{1} = {font=\bfseries},
rowhead = 1,
cells = {font=\sffamily\fontsize{9pt}{12pt}\selectfont},
row{1} = {font=\bfseries\sffamily},
}
Level & enumerate commands & itemize commands \\
Level 1 & \texttt{labelenumi} & \texttt{labelitemi} \\
@ -852,9 +853,9 @@ Because \texttt{enumerate} environments also use numbers, we need some counter v
hlines = {0.5pt,solid},
vline{1,3} = {0.5pt,solid},
rows = {5mm, m, rowsep=1.5pt},
row{1} = {font=\bfseries},
rowhead = 1,
cells = {font=\sffamily\fontsize{9pt}{12pt}\selectfont},
row{1} = {font=\bfseries\sffamily},
}
Level & enumerate counter variable \\
Level 1 & \texttt{enumi} \\
@ -876,9 +877,9 @@ And what can you make those labels look like? Like this:
hlines = {0.5pt,solid},
vline{1,3} = {0.5pt,solid},
rows = {5mm, m, rowsep=1.5pt},
row{1} = {font=\bfseries},
rowhead = 1,
cells = {font=\fontsize{9pt}{12pt}\selectfont},
row{1} = {font=\bfseries\sffamily},
}
\textsf{Command} & \textsf{Example} \\
\texttt{\textbackslash{}arabic\{cv\}} & 1 \\
@ -890,11 +891,21 @@ And what can you make those labels look like? Like this:
Just substitute one of the counter variables from table \ref{tb:enumcountervar} in place of the \texttt{cv}.
And \textit{that}, my friends, is the easy way to create outlines in \LaTeX{}.
\chapter{Coda}
\section{What I Learned About \LaTeX{} While Creating This Issue}
\subsection{the \texttt{ccicons} package}I release this zine under a Creative Commons license (which you can read about on page 2). I used to include a small image that summarizes that license, which I had downloaded from the Creative Commons website. As it turns out, the \texttt{ccicons} package will do this for you—no need to add that image.\footnote{I actually learned about this while working on issue \#4, but I was very close to the end and I came across it accidentally—it wasn't something I was looking for. Serendipity is somethings a thing, so here we are.}
\subsection{Using \texttt{input} to Keep Your \LaTeX{} GUI Happy}
You'll notice that chapter \ref{dephell} has a lot of code samples that include code that you enter into the terminal. As such, they include a dollar sign (\$) to indicate the prompt.
While it's easy enough to include those in a \texttt{verbatim} environment, I'm using a GUI to create this (Texmaker,\footnote{See \kref{https://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/}{https://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/} for more information.} in fact) and anything in math mode—that is, anything that follows a dollar sign—is highlighted in green until it gets to another dollar sign, even in a \texttt{Verbatim} environment. If it doesn't, then everything after that dollar sign is green, which kind of defeats the purpose of code highlighting.
The easy way around this is to write up those code samples in an independent \texttt{.tex} file, and then use the \texttt{input} command to add them at the appropriate point in my story. That keeps the source code in my GUI nice and clean looking, and means that the text highlighting actually represents what it's supposed to represent.\footnote{There is also the \texttt{include} command which is similar. For more about the distinction between the two, see \kref{https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/246/when-should-i-use-input-vs-include}{https://tex.stackexchange.co\\m/questions/246/when-should-i-use-input-vs-include}. I'll have more to say about this in the next issue.}
\subsection{the \texttt{ccicons} package}I release this zine under a Creative Commons license (see page 2). I used to include a small image that summarizes that license, which I had downloaded from the Creative Commons website. As it turns out, the \texttt{ccicons} package will do this for you—no need to add that image.\footnote{I actually learned about this while working on issue \#4, but I was very close to the end and I came across it accidentally—it wasn't something I was looking for. Serendipity is somethings a thing, so here we are.}
You can add icons individually, but it also has commands to typeset each license and its icons. Because it's basically just a font, you can do with it whatever you would normally do with other text. For example, these lines
@ -906,7 +917,6 @@ You can add icons individually, but it also has commands to typeset each license
\fbox{\ccbyncnd}
\end{Verbatim}
\newpage % This is temporary
will produce these examples:
\medskip
@ -924,16 +934,6 @@ will produce these examples:
Notice that the built-in command (the example on the second line) includes a little bit of space between the icons, which is nice.
\subsection{Using \texttt{input} to Keep Your \LaTeX{} GUI Happy}
You'll notice that chapter \ref{dephell} has a lot of code samples that include code that you enter into the terminal. As such, they include a dollar sign (\$) to indicate the prompt.
While it's easy enough to include those in a \texttt{verbatim} environment, I'm using a GUI to create this (Texmaker,\footnote{See \kref{https://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/}{https://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/} for more information.} in fact) and anything in math mode—that is, anything that follows a dollar sign—is highlighted in green until it gets to another dollar sign, even in a \texttt{Verbatim} environment. If it doesn't, then everything after that dollar sign is green, which kind of defeats the purpose of code highlighting.
The easy way around this is to write up those code samples in an independent \texttt{.tex} file, and then use the \texttt{input} command to add them at the appropriate point in my story. That keeps the source code in my GUI nice and clean looking, and means that the text highlighting actually represents what it's supposed to represent.
The \texttt{include} command works in a similar way, but adds a pagebreak before and after the included text. This is pretty handy if you are working on a longer document, because you can keep chapters in separate files which makes writing and editing easier.\footnote{For more about the distinction between the two, see \kref{https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/246/when-should-i-use-input-vs-include}{https://tex.stackexchange.co\\m/questions/246/when-should-i-use-input-vs-include}.} I'll have more to say about this in the next issue.
\subsection{Ligatures and \LaTeX{} }
I have a table of basic Git commands on page \pageref{tb:gitcommsum}. One of the commands is \texttt{git -{}-version}. Notice that ``version'' has two hyphens in front of it, as is typical with full-word bash options. But just typing two hyphens didn't display two hyphens, it displayed a single hyphen. I was momentarily confused.