Scheme status

I’ve written here before about my efforts to write a Scheme interpreter from scratch.  The last update was in May, but I’m still working on it.  I’ve made 60 git commits since then.  The major thing I’m trying to do is implement macros, but I’m having a hard time of it.  No matter.  When they’re done, I’ll understand macros thoroughly.

A fun way to build a Scheme compiler?

I found this.

An Incremental Approach to Compiler Construction
Abdulaziz Ghuloum

It’s a paper describing an agile approach to building a compiler.  It starts with a tiny “language” that only contains integer constants, and builds a compiler that emits x86 assembly to return integer constants.  Then it incrementally builds that, in “steps of a single working session”, into a compiler for a fully usable Scheme language.

The author is at Indiana University, so I suppose there’s a class to go with it.  I didn’t find the class notes, but I did find a longer tutorial paper.

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~aghuloum/compilers-tutorial-2006-09-16.pdf

Here Comes Solitude

Last month, I read Clay Shirky’s excellent book, Here Comes Everybody. Shirky’s a smart guy, and I’ve learned something every time I’ve read him. Strongly recommended.

The book’s theme is how the Internet is driving the cost for groups to self-organize to zero, and how that is reshaping our culture. We’re living through it every day, but Shirky looks at it as a big picture.

Video Test 2

Want to make the Internet a better place?

Help me out by watching these two tiny video clips (7 seconds each). Then come back here and post a comment and say whether the video worked for you.

Link to video page

Thanks.

Video Test 1

I want to see if I can embed a Vimeo video into a post.  Got some travel videos…

Pronunciation of “Bruschetta” from Bob Miller on Vimeo.

That didn’t embed. Let’s try embedding it right in WordPress.

Have to upgrade WordPress for that.

If you know of a better way to publish HD video, leave a comment, thanks.

EOT

End Of Trip.

Pics later.  Sleep now.

Milan

We’ve had a lot of fun on this trip and done some wonderful stuff.  However, visiting Milan was not one of them.  First, it’s hot here.  32° C (90° F) and most buildings are hotter inside.

Secondly, the city is on vacation this month.  The city is especially on vacation this weekend, because today, 15.8, is a national holiday, celebrating the assumption of the Virgin.  Last night we walked for an hour looking for an open restaurant.  (We finally found one.)

Nonetheless, the National Museum for Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci was a good find.  We saw models of many of Leonardo’s inventions and some other exhibits, including a recreation of a circa 1950 steelworks.

A long day ahead

After about three hours’ sleep, we got up at 03:00 (Athens time).  We’re in the Milano Linate airport now.  Hopping to Frankfurt, then direct to Portland.  Couple of hours in Portland, 2.5 hours driving home.  If all goes well, we’ll get home by 16:00 PDT.  About 21 hours.  If all goes well.

Lake Maggiore and Milano

This morning we woke up in Locarno, Switzerland, on the north shore of Lake Maggiore.  We’d planned to hang around Locarno until 1:00, then catch the autostrada to Milan and drop off Mito.  But we’re not so good at following our own plans these days.

Venice and the Lake District

He had to duck. So did I.

We left Venice on Monday morning.  The hotel has a back door that opens directly onto a canal.  We walked out that door and embarked onto a water taxi.  (That makes the fourth boat we’ve ridden on this trip.)  The taxi ride was great fun.  We stood up in the back and gawked like the tourists that we are.  I have a video for eventual upload.  The taxi took us to Piazzale Roma, where we picked up our rental car.