LaTEX Information

This is the place where I'll keep an assortment of random LaTEX package and command information that has proven useful over the years. My intent here is to keep track of all the easy-to-forget commands and at the same time hopefully help out some random Googler who happens to put the right sequence of words in quotation marks and finds this page....good luck. If you have questions leave a comment (in the form of a question).

1. How to remove items from the list of figures (lof) or list of tables (lot) using LaTEX. I came across this problem while writing my thesis. Figures and tables were not to be included in the appendix so I had to figure out a way to surpress them at some point in the document. The relevent command is: \captionsetup{list=no} . If the command is placed before the appendix it does not print the tables or figures in the LOF or LOT that appear in the appendix. Done.
2. How to include whole PDFs in a LaTEX document. This may seem too simple, but use the pdfpages package and the \includepdfs[options]{file} command. Your best bet would be to Google the package and read over the documentation. It is straight forward from there.
3. How to change the word Bibliography in the Bibliography heading. Sounds straight forward. Here's the command:  \renewcommand{\bibname}{References}. This changes the autogenerated Bibliography title to References. Of course you can change References to whatever you want. For example, "Things I Pretended to Read." As a bonus, \addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{\numberline{}References} will add References to your table of contents, just make sure to add it in the right place in your document (for example, after \bibliographystyle{unsrt}).
4. To be Updated...

Microsoft Live Labs—Photosynth

Microsoft Live Labs has produced a pretty amazing tool that allows one to create 3-D, panoramic, or stitched 2-D images from a series of typical photos. The software works by taking a lot of photos, throwing them into a clever algorithm, and outputting a unique 3-D media experience. Their website provides several examples of different synths as well as a guide on how to take a series photos that will be "synthy." Right now the service is web-based, meaning your photos have to be uploaded, which takes a considerable amount of time, especially when many high resolution photos are used.  As of late, the program is more of a novelty rather than a working product, but that's to be expected—it's still under development. 

It is definitely worth a look, but there is room for significant improvement, especially in the realm of synth navigation.  The number of photos needed to produces a good synth is also cumbersome, but may be remedied by using video instead.  The website doesn't mention this, but it can be accomplished by parsing the video into several still images and then uploading a fraction of them, significantly decreasing the time needed to take the pictures.  Video is generally of lower quality (resolution), but is captured at approximately 30 frames per second, meaning 30 photos are taken every second. This method is worth a try, but the trade-off is more video processing work versus simply taking a bunch of still photos.  If you're not much of a photographer the former may be more appealing.

Take a look, if only to see other peoples' work.

Firefox + Adblock + Flashblock = No More Ads

Tired of all those ads that you have to contend with while surfing the web (including those on this blog)? Three tools will eliminate a large number of such ads: Firefox, Adblock Plus, and Flashblock.

The latest iteration of Firefox should be the browser of choice for anyone and if you're still skeptical after that strong statement, then try it for yourself, you won't be disappointed. Flashblock and Adblock Plus install as add-ons to the Firefox browser and are easily installed by going to Tools->Add-ons, or you can just navigate with the links above.

Adblock works by using a set of filter rules that block images associated with ads. One can create their own filters or subscribe to a set of filters that ABP supplies. Subscribing to a filter is painless and recommended for a general ad blocking system. Further customization can be made by the user using urls and wildcards (*'s) to block anything that may be missed by the subscribed filters (although they are updated regularly).

Today, many ads are flash-based and Adblock cannot remove them. Instead, Flashblock is needed, which blocks all flash-based content. This may seem like a bad idea at first as many websites and content are entirely flash-based, but it is not as bad as it may seem. To overcome this, the add-on allows one to simply click a play button on the flash-content to enable it. It is a seamless way of blocking ads, while still allowing easy access to non-ad flash-based content.

Give the three a try and you will notice a significant reduction in ad content, wasted bandwidth, and Google Adsense revenue.

Simplify Media—Share Music

A new 'music-sharing' program has emerged; however, the context is a little different this time around. Instead of actually transporting music files from one computer to another (which is illegal), media is streamed between computers or to a mobile device—Apple's iPhone or iTouch.

Here is a quote from the company website describing what they do:

"Simplify Media is an early stage startup dedicated to making it easier for people to access and enjoy their digital music, photos and videos with close friends and family. Our software connects people directly from within their favorite desktop applications, without having to upload and download files via a website or learn a new user interface. The first version of Simplify Media lets you listen to your home music from any computer or browse and play your friends' music over the Internet. Simplify Media integrates with iTunes, Winamp, Banshee and Rhythmbox and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux computers, as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch."

You can add your music library and access it via the Internet from any location and even stream to your iPhone or iTouch. But it gets better...You can also invite up to 30 friends to share your music with and thus increase your selection by obtaining access to their libraries. Right now I have roughly 4000 songs, and if I can find people with equally expansive libraries, I may have instant access to over 100,000 songs on the go, at home, or at work via my iPhone, desktop, or laptop. Even if you don't have a mobile device the application is powerful for simply home or office use. Download it, install it, marvel.

One thing to keep in mind, is that the music is streamed from the computer that is being accessed. This means that the amount of upload bandwidth that is consumed can be substantial if you have 30 people pulling from your collection all at once. Though this is unlikely, unless all of your invites have no music and decide to listen to all of yours at the same time. Overall, it seems more-or-less a minor concern, and if it does happen...find new friends.