Robin's Blog

Author Archive

Essential OS X software #1 – Mail Attachment Reminder Plugin

The first piece of software in my series of essential OS X software is a very handy tool which reminds you when you haven’t attached a file in an email when you intended to. How does it do this? Well, it searches for key words in the email and reminds you if, for example, you […]

Using PyDev with with the Enthought Python Distribution

I have recently discovered PyDev – a Python IDE which runs within Eclipse. Although I’d given up on big all-singing, all-dancing IDEs a few years ago I’m really liking it. The Ctrl-Space completion is very handy, as are the number of refactorings that are available from the menus. Anyway, I use the Enthought Python Distribution […]

Categorised list of Free GIS Datasets

For a long time I have been searching for a simple, easy-to-use, comprehensive list of freely available GIS datasets that I can use in my academic work – or for any other non-commercial purposes (eg. teaching, ‘just for fun’ applications, etc). All of the lists that I have found have been out-of-date, riddled with adverts, […]

Why I hate my Toshiba laptop

I think that screenshot is enough really, but just to give a few more pieces of information: In the screenshot above you can see twenty-one separate pieces of software whose name starts with TOSHIBA. These are 21 different pieces of software which were supplied, by Toshiba, as part of the original build of the machine. […]

Review: Dreamhost web hosting

Summary: Cheap, lots of features, can resell. Servers located in US (may be a problem) and expensive for dedicated servers. Details: Register at Dreamhost. If you use the promotion code RTWILSONBLOG you will get $50 off your hosting package, and a free lifetime domain registration – yes, really! The details of their standard package is […]

Alfred – the new Quicksilver?

For a while I used Quicksilver, but it seemed to be rather unstable on my machine. Then I used Quick Search Box, but it got terribly slow. Then, somehow, I found out about Alfred – and it’s replaced them both. Alfred, like the other applications mentioned above, is a launcher, but it does far more […]

My programming journey

When clearing out some of my old programming books the other day I realised how far I’d come with programming over the years, and the number of different technologies that I have used over time. I thought I’d do a little summary post going from first programming experience to now – and it’s amazing what’s […]

An ode to PDFs (and PDFs as a first class filetype)

Ahhh PDFs…., or more formally, Portable Document Format files. I remember the days when I thought that PDFs were only for instruction manuals downloaded from the internet, or electronic copies of things that you don’t want people to be able to alter. Not so – I have recently discovered the joys of PDFs, particularly through […]

Review: Asonic External USB 2.0 8 Channel Sound Card

Summary: Perfect for the price. Great cross-platform compatibility. Couldn’t ask for more. Details: Asonic External USB 2.0 8 Channel Sound Card. I think it comes in various incarnations with the same chips inside, but I got mine from eBuyer where it was sold as the Ebuyer Extra Value Asonic External USB 2.0 8 Channel Sound Card. […]