Lojban parser
2010-10-28 14:29 by Ian
This article details a component in a volunteer artificial intelligence project. It is responsible for being the linear (as opposed to gestalt) front-end for communication with a human user. It is a PEG parser for a constructed language called lojban (“logical language”) and is written in Java.
Captcha from scratch (PHP / GD)
2010-08-11 07:51 by Ian
A captcha image written from scratch in PHP.
It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this (to protect your forms).
Nitrogen Triiodide
2010-06-29 07:42 by Ian
There are certain things that I would rather do for the first time on purpose, so I can avoid ever doing them on accident. Making nitrogen triiodide is one of these things.
Inorganic flowers
2010-06-29 07:00 by Ian
I cleaned out my waste beakers last week. There was one in particular that had evaporated to dryness and left some interesting crystals.
Mercury (II) Chloride
2010-05-22 21:35 by Ian
In an endeavor to make higher-purity mercury, I decided to reduce it from one of its salts. But first, I have to make and purify the salt.
Good day to be alive
2010-04-23 03:31 by Ian
I had been awake all night programming. I went to sleep and rose at about 16:30 to handle my “morning” routine. I left the house to get coffee and I saw this fantastic rainbow.
Salesman in livechat
2010-03-15 18:35 by Ian
Every so often, some salesman or wise-guy decides to abuse the chat system. I have developed a subtle defense. An un-edited chat transcript follows….
Preparation of bromoethane
2010-03-06 17:37 by Ian
This is an attempt to brominate a primary alcohol.
Comment [2]
Concentrating sulfuric acid (chiller test)
2010-03-06 14:34 by Ian
In my area, sulfuric acid can be purchased at automotive supply stores as battery electrolyte. This acid is useful as it stands, but higher concentrations are frequently required. This is the operation that was used to test the thermal load capacity of the coolant chiller.
Extraction of ibuprofen from Advil tablets
2010-02-02 03:02 by Ian
After cleaning out a medicine cabinet in my house, I found a bottle of Advil tablets that was expired in 2007. As long as I was going to discard them, I decided to satisfy a curiosity about how they were constructed. This is my first attempt at isolation of ibuprofen from Advil gel-tabs.