Tag: Clean

  • Clean Manuscripts Using Markdown

    Modern word processors work with the What You See is What You Get paradigm. While that’s mostly true for simple documents, inconsistencies are often introduced into complex documents. This includes but is not limited to:

    • Formatting differences introduced by Copy and Paste operations.
    • Different styles applied throughout. E.g. Some paragraphs are 1.2 line spaces, while others are set to 1.15 line spaces.
    • Selection errors. E.g. The user selected more than expected while formatting text, such as Italics.

    Some of these examples may go undetected until the work is published. These inconsistencies further complicate fault finding an EPUB, as they lead to additional styles and tags being introduced into the code.

    Markdown is a human markup language that permits users to use formatting like Bold, Italics, Monospace, and Strike Through without any knowledge of the underlying code. This simple syntax can be leveraged to generate clean manuscripts.

    Sample Markdown Text

    # Clean Manuscripts Using Markdown
    
    Modern word processors often subscribe to the [What You See is
    What You Get](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYG) paradigm.
    While true for simple documents, inconsistencies are easy to
    find in complex documents. These include but are not limited to:
    
    * Formatting differences introduced by _Copy_ and _Paste_
      operations.
    * Different styles applied throughout. E.g. Some paragraphs are
      1.2 line spaces, while others are set to 1.15 line spaces.
    * Selection errors. E.g. The user selected more than expected
      prior to formatting text, such as _Italics_.
    
    [Markdown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown) is a human
    markup language that permits users to use formatting like
    **Bold**, _Italics_, `Monospace`, and ~~Strike Through~~ without
    any knowledge of the underlying code. The simple Markdown’s
    syntax can be leveraged to generate _clean_ manuscripts.
    

    Fortunately, Google Docs offers extensions that converts documents to and from Markdown on demand. The overall process is straightforward:

    • Convert the manuscript to Markdown.
    • Confirm the formatting.
    • Create a new document with the desired styles.
    • Import the Markdown manuscript into the new document.
    • Export to other formats as needed.
    (more…)

  • Elbow Grease and a Vintage Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Camera

    A couple of days ago, I got my hands on a nice vintage Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, a model popular during the mid-Twentieth century.

    Elbow Grease and a Vintage Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Camera is also available on Medium.

    I found the camera on Etsy and the order arrived within the week!  The item was described as ideal for photo shoots and I agree. It would certainly have made a lovely addition a shoot I did for the Portrait.

    Pictured above, the camera arrived with a bit of dust and grime covering certain aspects of the body. Since I suspected that the camera was made of Bakelite, a popular thermosetting plastic used for making phones, cameras, and even grenades, I scoured the internet looking for a way to clean it.

    Most sites pointed out that metal polish would do the trick.  Additionally, comments in their threads mentioned how their cameras cleaned up nicely.  So I pulled out some Brasso and started applying the polish.

    Sites recommend that you apply a liberal dose of Brasso then wipe it off with a clean cloth.  Instead I used some disposable paper towels and started with the rear casing.

    Sure enough, after the first iteration the material was noticeably cleaner.  All I had to do was apply more Brasso where required and rub away the polish and accumulated grime.  This process is similar to shoe shining.

    Overall the process worked great!  The camera looks a lot cleaner and the grime has disappeared.  However the name plate in the front did not agree with the Brasso and the red Kodak logo faded slightly.  Knowing this, I would have used a clear lacquer to protect the name plate, since it is difficult to avoid putting any polish near that area.

    There is also dust within the lens assemblies.  Since this is internal to the camera, the only way to clean those lenses would be to disassemble the camera.  I will have to give it some serious thought before making the attempt!


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