WillAdams

The pre-order has June 2026, but apparently it's running behind?!?

A similar tool which directly makes OpenSCAD code is:

https://github.com/derkork/openscad-graph-editor

(though you'd want to import BOSL2 to do fillets and so forth)

When all the blockers are resolved:

https://github.com/openscad/openscad/issues/3640

There is a book series which focuses on that:

- Geometry: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58059196-make

- Trigonometry: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123127774-make

- Calculus: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61739368-make

One of my favourite tools.

As noted, use the Nightly builds from: https://openscad.org/downloads.html#snapshots

When working with kids, it's well worth keeping: https://www.blockscad3d.com/editor/ in mind, or for folks who like to draw connections: https://github.com/derkork/openscad-graph-editor

Eventually, someone will note that its programming model limits variables and so forth --- for folks who want a more traditional language choice there are a number of options, notably for Python:

https://pythonscad.org/

The great thing about OpenSCAD is that it makes modeling using cubes, spheres, cylinders, and placing or stretching them mathematically easy.

The awful thing about OpenSCAD is that one's capabilities in it are bounded by one's fluency in using math to place or stretch cubes, spheres, and cylinders.

It was a bit more than 25 years ago for me, check #790 for $2.88 DT 33, (143).

Really need to find another error or point of improvement so as to get the digital account --- I've been reading through TAoCP Vol. 4 Fascicle 7 on _Constraint Satisfaction_, but it's been slow going (though I did find out that it is intentional that he not list beginning of chapter quotes in the index).

He is quite methodical and meticulous --- I doubt that there is much in the training data which isn't already accounted for in his research for his writings.

I only managed to get one check (for an error and a point of improvement) for _very_ minor points in _Digital Typography_ which was facilitated by my having been fascinated by typography since reading Oscar Ogg's _The 26 Letters_ and his cousin Warren Chappell's _The Living Alphabet_ when I was 8 or so.

I own the leatherbound hardcover which I purchased when nostalgia for the original Vol. 2 _The Metal Lathe (Build Your Own Metal Working Shop From Scrap_ got to me.

The thing is, it was written for a different time, and I believe that it should be possible to do a more capable design which is more readily sourced/fabricated given the changes in what is available at a hardware store these days.

Or, maybe I'll just buy a casting kit and make a Shaper....

This sort of thing makes me wonder what the successor is to the Gingery Books now that they're going away:

https://gingerybookstore.com/

Chris Borges has done some pretty cool little machines using 3D printed forms filled with concrete:

https://www.printables.com/@ChrisBorge

and of course there are more CNC router designs than one can shake a stick at (ob. discl., I work for a company which makes one)

Early iron rails wore out and had to be replaced after a given usage (measured in years on a heavily traveled section) --- this was a big part of the need for the Bessemer process to be developed.

I've been surprised that no mallet manufacturer offers the purchaser the option of specifying the forearm length/desired angle for mallet heads.

>1,300 square feet of underground space, including tunnels and storage rooms - and even a hand-built railway.

This is a plot point in one of my most favourite science fiction novels by Roger Zelazny... bit of a spoiler, so ROT13:

_Qbbejnlf va gur Fnaq_

which still has my favourite life situation for a protagonist (room, board, tuition and generous stipend so long as he attends his uncle's alma mater until such time as he graduates....)

Fish species in general have been badly affected by commercial fishing:

https://what-if.xkcd.com/33/

That was actually covered by Randall Munro of XKCD:

https://what-if.xkcd.com/80/

I really wish that there was a license/version/build marketed to hobbyists:

>Call or Email for Pricing

and the upgrade pricing is four figures (per set per year I'm guessing?).

Ages ago, I actually bought a Smalltalk for Windows compiler, but never got around to doing anything with it (which I regret) --- I suppose I should try Dolphin SmallTalk....

>"Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs." — Niklaus Wirth

Thoughts on tools capable of that?

- Xojo is a commercial tool which I believe does that (but with a price and license to match)

- MoonBasic seems like a promising start

- Gambas for folks using Linux?

- For folks using the very affordable PureBasic there is the matching (also commercial, just about as affordable) SpiderBasic

Naturally if one extends the search to other languages there are lots of options, but Lazarus with a .js Object Pascal compiler seems worth mentioning. For my part, I was swayed when flet.dev announced their v1.0 and so went the Python route....

c.f.,

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47300747

"We should revisit literate programming in the agent era" (silly.business) 292 points, 251 comments

One problem which I've had working in this space is the difficulty of naming specific shapes --- worked up a list in my current project:

https://github.com/WillAdams/gcodepreview/blob/main/gcodepre...

(should be section 3.8.1.1 on pg. 97, not sure, since I need to push up an update)

and I'd be glad of any comment or correction or point of improvement.

Note that Matt Keeter has been at this for quite a while now, very generously sharing his efforts and research:

https://www.mattkeeter.com/research/

In particular, his thesis is well-worth reading: https://www.mattkeeter.com/research/thesis.pdf

It was nice/workable for its time, and one wishes that there was some modern alternative, but "RAD" seems to have dropped off the radar.

Some things I've tried/looked into (beyond TCL/TK):

- Gambas --- Linux only, not sure if there's a nice visual UI builder

- LiveCode --- still salty about the license rug pull, wish the openxtalk folks could get some traction

- MoonBasic --- looks promising, but currently trying....

- flet.dev --- the AI-integration in this makes it quite compelling, though I wish that there was an integrated UI drawing tool, https://github.com/raffieeey/Flet-Visual-Builder is self-described as buggy and hasn't seen an update in 7 months

- Lazarus --- still bummed I never got anywhere with Delphi --- if flet.dev doesn't work out, may try it

Re-reading C.J. Cherryh's Chanur books and various other Alliance-Union novels from her Humble Bundle.

I'd be re-reading Tolkien's _Old English Exodus_, but proofreading the typos got to be too much.

Now if we could just bring back Navi/AOLPress....

Yeah, I am quite sad that I am packing up and shipping off my nifty little Intel MacBook Pro and for the first time ever, I'm wondering if I can do without a Mac, not even really wanting one.... the one form factor which sort of appeals is a Wacom Movink 13 w/ a Mac Mini (but I hate that the screen is so low resolution and none of the Cintiq Pros use the same stylus as my other stylus devices (Kindle Coloursoft, Samsung Galaxy Note and Book)

There are specialty chainsaws used for cutting mortises and so forth when timber framing, and some folks will rough up beams using just a chainsaw, to say nothing of the expedient lumber/board cutting jigs/fixtures.

There are myriad ways to do woodworking joinery, and entire books on it:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4942341-woodwork-joints

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17572619-the-complete-gu...

Note that modern adhesives (esp. if coupled with the judicious use of a bit of hardware) are quite strong/lasting so long as they are appropriate to the purpose.

Just making a couple as a test/prototype will go a long way towards building skill and confidence.

For my part, I've found Literate Programming to be the best lever on this for my own work, and there has been some discussion of other folks being successful applying it to LLM work:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47300747

The really interesting thing to me is when Modula 2/3 and Oberon come up --- I'd _really_ love to see a bare-metal implementation of Oberon for the Raspberry Pi which was:

- actually ported (_not_ emulated) w/ native drivers

- easy to install

- performant

- had an attractive GUI

- had a web browser which could handle the basics of the modern web

I mean, the documentation is sixteen pages --- seems like a perfect fit --- still waiting on a tablet shell for an rPi 5 (and still need to get an rPi 5 Compute Module for it), so will be looking into it then....