Boojum's recent activity
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Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies
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Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies
Boojum Link ParentNote that they're no longer making them all in-house like they used to. The Wild Robot was announced to be the last fully-in-house animated film from them. They are now outsourcing much of the...Note that they're no longer making them all in-house like they used to. The Wild Robot was announced to be the last fully-in-house animated film from them. They are now outsourcing much of the production of new animated films going forward.
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Comment on How the heck do you go about moving cross country? in ~life
Boojum Link ParentThe last time I moved interstate, the new company flew me out for a couple of days and hired a real estate agent to take me around to various rentals. She knew the area well, drove me around to...The last time I moved interstate, the new company flew me out for a couple of days and hired a real estate agent to take me around to various rentals. She knew the area well, drove me around to promising rental houses that she had in her system, and -- as a realtor -- she was able to unlock the door gizmos so that we could go inside and view them. Once I'd decided on one, she helped manage the lease paper work.
Realtors can do more than just buying and selling houses. Chatting with her, it sounded like rental finding was an easy way for her to pick up a little bit extra money in between the big home sales. (Admittedly, this was back in the downturn of '09 when the market was tighter.)
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Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies
Boojum Link ParentThey'd better not have messed with Test Drive! (Even though I was working for a competing animation studio at the time, that movie and that scene -- *chef's kiss*.)They'd better not have messed with Test Drive!
(Even though I was working for a competing animation studio at the time, that movie and that scene -- *chef's kiss*.)
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Comment on Wicked, Dune, It, and deceiving the audience about two-parters in ~movies
Boojum Link ParentWhen I saw it in the theater with my kids, it was my 7yo who yelled out in frustration (though somewhat less colorfully, of course -- I think it was more like "THAT'S IT!??"), since he was a huge...When I saw it in the theater with my kids, it was my 7yo who yelled out in frustration (though somewhat less colorfully, of course -- I think it was more like "THAT'S IT!??"), since he was a huge fan of the first movie. He got a fair number of sympathetic chuckles at that.
Now with all the delay, he's kind of given up and moved on to other interests.
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Comment on Where does your username come from? (Following up on last year's thread) in ~tildes
Boojum Link ParentUnfortunately, house spiders don't last long around my cats (at least if they're unwise enough to come down closer to floor level).Unfortunately, house spiders don't last long around my cats (at least if they're unwise enough to come down closer to floor level).
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Comment on Where does your username come from? (Following up on last year's thread) in ~tildes
Boojum Link ParentI will strongly argue that Samwise is the real hero of LotR. I love how the Frodo and Sam parts of the books gradually shift from Frodo's point of view in the beginning to Sam's in the end. (And...I will strongly argue that Samwise is the real hero of LotR. I love how the Frodo and Sam parts of the books gradually shift from Frodo's point of view in the beginning to Sam's in the end. (And Sam deservedly gets the last words!)
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Boojum Link ParentWeirdly, I've found found that my preference in a game for fast-travel or not tends to depend fairly heavily on how it impacts time in the game. In Skyrim, there's the in-game time and calendar,...Weirdly, I've found found that my preference in a game for fast-travel or not tends to depend fairly heavily on how it impacts time in the game. In Skyrim, there's the in-game time and calendar, and I could usually reach a destination by running more quickly that fast traveling in terms of the in-game clock. I dunno why -- usually I'm like the TV Tropes "Take Your Time" -- but once there's an in-game calendar (simple day/night cycles don't count), I always wanted to minimize the time elapsed on it. So I tended to favor playing without fast travel.
With something like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom (or more recently, the Echoes of Wisdom warp points), where fast travel has an in-game explanation as an instant teleportation system, I'd fast travel pretty much everywhere.
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Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes
Boojum Link ParentNow you've gone and got "Click, Clack, Moo" stuck in my head again. (Read that book to my kids way too many times when they were little.)Now you've gone and got "Click, Clack, Moo" stuck in my head again. (Read that book to my kids way too many times when they were little.)
Cows that type? Impossible!
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Comment on Where does your username come from? (Following up on last year's thread) in ~tildes
Boojum (edited )LinkLewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark: (Edit: It's also an odd type of tree and something in superfluid physics, though both are named for the Carroll poem. But I didn't find out about them...Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark:
“He remarked to me then,” said that mildest of men,
“‘If your Snark be a Snark, that is right:
Fetch it home by all means—you may serve it with greens,
And it’s handy for striking a light.“‘You may seek it with thimbles—and seek it with care;
You may hunt it with forks and hope;
You may threaten its life with a railway-share;
You may charm it with smiles and soap—’”(“That’s exactly the method,” the Bellman bold
In a hasty parenthesis cried,
“That’s exactly the way I have always been told
That the capture of Snarks should be tried!”)“‘But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,
If your Snark be a Boojum! For then
You will softly and suddenly vanish away,
And never be met with again!’(Edit: It's also an odd type of tree and something in superfluid physics, though both are named for the Carroll poem. But I didn't find out about them until I'd started using it.)
(Edit 2: Changed Project Gutenberg link to a version that includes the original illustrations.)
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Comment on Tried switching to Fedora KDE Plasma, have issues with nvidia driver in ~tech
Boojum Link ParentI don't do updates through Discover; I use dnf on the command line instead. But as I understand it, Discover updates dnf packages and more, so it's likely that Discover will do the right thing and...I don't do updates through Discover; I use
dnfon the command line instead. But as I understand it, Discover updates dnf packages and more, so it's likely that Discover will do the right thing and update drivers installed from RPM Fusion. -
Comment on Tried switching to Fedora KDE Plasma, have issues with nvidia driver in ~tech
Boojum LinkI'm also on Fedora KDE Plasma (Wayland) with a newer machine (with a 4090), and had had a lot of similar problems with my display. After upgrading to a 560 series driver when it became available...I'm also on Fedora KDE Plasma (Wayland) with a newer machine (with a 4090), and had had a lot of similar problems with my display. After upgrading to a 560 series driver when it became available in RPMFusion over the summer, most of my hiccups have been fixed.
One thing that I've found is I still sometimes get the flashing white underscore in the top left that you describe (i.e., the text mode cursor) but it only and reliably happens under a very specific condition: if my monitor wasn't displaying from that machine when Linux started up (I have both a docking station for my work laptop and a work desktop also plugged into this monitor). Then I can do the
ctrl-alt-f2thing that you mentioned.If I forget that, then usually putting the other machines to sleep so that the monitor doesn't try to switch to them and then rebooting resolves it when that happens.
Another thing I've found is that from the text terminal I can run
startplasma-waylandto try to manually kick-start the desktop instead of rebooting. That's also proven reliable since I found out about that command. -
Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
Boojum Link ParentFunny! I was born at the start of the Unix epoch: January 1, 1970. 🙃If a website asked your birthday, it was best to pretend you were 100+ years old.
Funny! I was born at the start of the Unix epoch: January 1, 1970. 🙃
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
Boojum Link ParentTo me it's about ephemerality. The words I say aloud in real life vanish into the air unless remembered by me or my interlocutor. Words I've written online are still around decades later. I don't...To me it's about ephemerality. The words I say aloud in real life vanish into the air unless remembered by me or my interlocutor. Words I've written online are still around decades later. I don't really have to worry about someone digging through my history with the former.
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
Boojum Link ParentI've never had a dog, so I can't speak to how a cat and dog would interact. But despite popular misconception, cats are solitary hunters but social creatures. If you have the resources, you might...I've never had a dog, so I can't speak to how a cat and dog would interact.
But despite popular misconception, cats are solitary hunters but social creatures. If you have the resources, you might consider adopting a second kitten of similar age (does your friend have any more that litter?) to be her companion. Having another cat around may help her to learn to socialize, give her a playmate for when she wants to romp around at three in the morning, give her someone to wrestle with to learn the proper limits to nipping and clawing, and provide company when you're not around. They can also assist each other with mutual grooming.
The dog may help some with that, but as a settled adult may not have the energy to keep up with a young kitten.
(My current cats were adopted as kittens as a "bonded pair" and I couldn't imagine them any other way.)
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
Boojum Link ParentHah! That's a new one to me. I'll have to remember that.Hah! That's a new one to me. I'll have to remember that.
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
Boojum Link ParentI can't help you with that, but if you'd like to hear plenty of þs and ðs, let me highly recommend Benjamin Bagby's performance of the first part of Beowulf.I can't help you with that, but if you'd like to hear plenty of þs and ðs, let me highly recommend Benjamin Bagby's performance of the first part of Beowulf.
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Comment on US Election Distractions Thread in ~talk
Boojum Link ParentYep, and etc. = et cetera = and so forth. Fun fact: in the old abbreviation for it, &c, the & is actually a ligature for et. Some fonts make this more clear and you can really see how it's just a...Yep, and etc. = et cetera = and so forth.
Fun fact: in the old abbreviation for it, &c, the & is actually a ligature for et. Some fonts make this more clear and you can really see how it's just a fancy joined e and t.
I also like NB = nota bene = note well.
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Comment on AI is killing remote work in ~tech
Boojum Link ParentIntrovert doesn't mean antisocial. I'd say I'm strongly introverted, but I also aim to be polite, well-spoken, courteous, and diplomatic when interacting with others. And at my seniority I also...Introvert doesn't mean antisocial. I'd say I'm strongly introverted, but I also aim to be polite, well-spoken, courteous, and diplomatic when interacting with others. And at my seniority I also try to be conscientious of cross-team, cross-org, and partner-company political ramifications.
Introversion doesn't mean I can't be social, it just means I find it very draining. It means that after rounds of meetings or seeing people, I need alone-time to be in my own head for a while to recharge.
That alone-time in my own head is a big part of what original drew me to programming. Many of my colleagues over the years have been the same way; good with the required interactions during the day, but also happy to go heads-down on code given the chance and then to part ways for home at the end of the day.
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Comment on Best solution to extract PDF data? in ~comp
Boojum LinkYou mentioned you can use Linux, so I'd suggest pdftotext which can be found in the poppler-utils package on many distros. As I understand it, PDF kind of flattens things and doesn't really...You mentioned you can use Linux, so I'd suggest
pdftotextwhich can be found in thepoppler-utilspackage on many distros.As I understand it, PDF kind of flattens things and doesn't really preserve much structure. When you select lines in a PDF for copy and paste, it's using heuristics on the positions of the characters, words and lines to guess at what goes together.
By default,
pdftotextwill just dump out a text file with all the extracted text. That alone may or may not be suitable depending on your needs. You can also try it with the-layoutoption where it will try to format the text file that it writes to look visually like the original PDF.But since the text and table are nearly identical, you should be able to take advantage of the positioning of things being in common places.
You can run
pdftotext -bbox-layout <pdfFileIn> <xmlFileOut>
to get an XML file with the positions of the boxes for all of the blocks, lines, and words throughout the document. You can inspect that to figure out the position of a box that will cover just your table (or, say, a row of a table).Then you can ask the utility to extract the text from just that box instead of the entire document:
pdftotext -f <page> -l <page> -x <boxXMin> -y <boxYMin> -W <boxWidth> -H <boxHeight> <pdfFileIn> <textFileOut>
and repeat as needed to extract your tables.For automating
pdftotextwith scripting and regular expressions, I've found that that the GPT-like LLMs with coding capabilities have been surprisingly good at writing that sort of glue code when I'm feeling too lazy to do it myself. I still don't trust them with code in big complicated system, but this sort of thing is really their jam. (Assuming you have access to such a model, even if it's just a local or on-site model run by your org.)
When I used to work at an animation studio (not DW), I once suggested that it would be great to "remaster" some of the earlier films with all the great new tech that we had now. I was told that it would never happen; the effort that it would take to upgrade the assets to look decent with the new tech would be on par with doing a whole new film anyway, so they might as well just go for a true sequel/prequel.