Sandbox (3)

Sometimes very active discussions about peripheral issues overwhelm a thread, so this is a permanent home for those conversations.

This is also a continuation of previous Sandbox threads (1) and (2) that have fallen victim to the dreaded page bug.

1,013 thoughts on “Sandbox (3)”

  1. That seemed to work. You just need the pre tag then the code tag and finish closing in reverse order.

    Super and sub scripts still seem to require LaTeX.

  2. Still not working for me.

    Is this one of those moderator/user differences, like the feature that used to strip out <img> tags and the like?

  3. keiths:
    Still not working for me.

    Is this one of those moderator/user differences, like the feature that used to strip out <img> tags and the like?

    If so I’ll fix it. Are you trying to enter pre and code?

  4. I’ve tried it every way I can think of — entering <pre> and <code> directly, using the 4-space indent scheme, using three backticks, using three tildes.

    Entering <pre> and <code> directly:


    Code line 1
    Code line 2
    Code line 3

    The <pre> tags get stripped out but the <code> tags remain.

  5. Would there be a conflict with LaTeX? It is currently enabled site-wide without any need for a {latexpage}* activation. This can be disabled and then just needs anyone wanting to use LaTeX to put {latexpage} at the beginning of a post or comment. Added bonus, people can use dollar signs without parsing into LaTeX.

    *change curly to square brackets.

  6. Patrick,

    I wonder if this would work?

    From http://www.goldenapplewebdesign.com/wordpress-take-control-of-html-tag-filtering :

    WordPress uses an HTML filtering mechanism known as KSES, which parses through variables looking for HTML. It will allow tags that are part of a safe whitelist, and strip out all the rest. The tags considered safe have been decided for us and are kept in a WP global variable called $allowedtags. The stripping function itself which is provided by WordPress is wp_kses()…

    It then gives a code snippet that adds the <pre> tag to the $allowedtags variable.

  7. I’ve had to use quadruple backslashes where I ordinarily would use double backslashes, in a \LaTeX “align” environment.

    (1)   \begin{align*} p &= (1 - q^{28})^n \\ &= (1 - (1 - u)^{28})^n \\ &= (1 - (1 - 0.04)^{28})^n \\ &= (1 - 0.96^{28})^{20} \\ &\approx (1 - 0.318855949686095)^{20} \\ &= 0.6811440503139^{20} \\ &\approx 0.000462146160826 \end{align*}

    I’m pretty sure I’ve previously used the align* environment (no equation number), but I can’t get it to work now:

    \begin{align}
    p &= (1 – q^{28})^n \\
    &= (1 – (1 – u)^{28})^n \\
    &= (1 – (1 – 0.04)^{28})^n \\
    &= (1 – 0.96^{28})^{20} \\
    &\approx (1 – 0.318855949686095)^{20} \\
    &= 0.6811440503139^{20} \\
    &\approx 0.000462146160826
    \end{align    }

  8. P.S.–All I did in the bad case above was to add “” after both instances of “align.” It is strange that the “” disappears.

    ETA: Editing this comment, I see opening and closing “em” HTML tags where I had put ASTERISK in quotes.

  11. OK, in words: I put the \LaTeX “align*” (here I put backslash in front of asterisk) environment between {latex} and {/latex} tags (here I replace square brackets with curly brackets). Then I used backslash as the escape character in front of asterisks and backslashes.

    The horror. The horror.

  13. Tom English:
    I’ve had to use quadruple backslashes where I ordinarily would use double backslashes, in a LaTeX “align” environment.

    begin{align*} p &=(1 - q^{28})^n \ &=(1 - (1 - u)^{28})^n \ &=(1 - (1 - 0.04)^{28})^n \ &= (1 - 0.96^{28})^{20} \ &approx (1 - 0.318855949686095)^{20} \ &= 0.6811440503139^{20} \ &approx 0.000462146160826 end{align*}

    I’m pretty sure I’ve previously used the align* environment (no equation number), but I can’t get it to work now:

    begin{align} p &=(1 – q^{28})^n \ &=(1 – (1 – u)^{28})^n \ &=(1 – (1 – 0.04)^{28})^n \ &= (1 – 0.96^{28})^{20} \ &approx (1 – 0.318855949686095)^{20} \ &= 0.6811440503139^{20} \ &approx 0.000462146160826
    end{align    }

    Tom,

    I’ve deactivated the Markdown plugin. Could you please try this again at your convenience and let me know if that was what was interfering with LaTeX?

  14. One problem I have with LaTeX in comments is that when I use the Edit function to correct the comments, when it saves the corrected comment it strips off single backslashes. It is tiresome to keep having to typen them in again, making double-backslashes every time I revise a comment.

  15. Joe Felsenstein:
    One problem I have with LaTeX in comments is that when I use the Edit function to correct the comments, when it saves the corrected comment it strips off single backslashes.It is tiresome to keep having to typen them in again, making double-backslashes every time I revise a comment.

    I’ve run into that, too. I’ll look around for either a fix or a better \Latex plugin.

  16. Joe Felsenstein:
    One problem I have with LaTeX in comments is that when I use the Edit function to correct the comments, when it saves the corrected comment it strips off single backslashes.It is tiresome to keep having to typen them in again, making double-backslashes every time I revise a comment.

    I always look for the comment on the comments page. Then I click “Quick Edit”. That gives me a bare bones editor that doesn’t try to add in GUI stuff. It the easiest way to edit latex in comments.

  18. petrushka,

    Would be wonderful for it to be there, but some of the commenters make an excellent case for this being a fox with mange, which makes the tail hairless. The head shape looks different from the historical film of the Tasmanian Tiger.

    My guess is: no.

    Some other videos by these people show alleged thylacine tracks. What is needed is for someone to put cotton into one of these, and treat it carefully, and have a careful DNA study done of any trace DNA there.

  20. I have some questions about niche construction theory. Please let me know here or in private message if this is an area of expertise.

  22. Cute. But I’m serious. I have an idea about how to use it in a paper I’m presenting at a conference in two weeks. No pressure, ha!

  24. Just a note from Northeast Florida. Things are shutting down Thursday and Friday. We are not expecting hurricane force winds, but no one knows. The beach communities are evacuating.

    The last big storm was 1999, and we were without power for several days. The grocery stores are pretty crazy now. Just got a new roof. We’ll see how that works out.

  25. petrushka:
    Just a note from Northeast Florida. Things are shutting down Thursday and Friday. We are not expecting hurricane force winds, but no one knows. The beach communities are evacuating.

    The last big storm was 1999, and we were without power for several days. The grocery stores are pretty crazy now. Just got a new roof. We’ll see how that works out.

    God’s way of saying eff you.

    Glen Davidson

  26. petrushka:

    The last big storm was 1999, and we were without power for several days. The grocery stores are pretty crazy now. Just got a new roof. We’ll see how that works out.

    Good luck. Do you have a generator?

  27. keiths: Good luck. Do you have a generator?

    I have a BS generator. Surely it is capable of outputting as much BS as petrushka.

  30. I occasionally lurk here. Just popped in to say that I made a browser extension that implements an ignore feature that I like better than the site’s default, because it doesn’t completely disappear the post.

    https://s13.postimg.org/y18d0bv4n/tszignore1.png
    https://s13.postimg.org/dzn2hift3/tszignore2.png

    Limitations:

    Your ignore list is stored locally with your browser data, such as bookmarks. This means that if you log in from another computer or device, you’ll need to install the extension there and maintain a separate list.

    You can’t view, edit or export the list.

    Firefox 45 or later
    Download the XPI file, double-click and allow the browser to install the extension.

    Chrome
    Download the CRX file, open chrome://extensions/ in your browser (or navigate to Extensions from the Tools menu), drag and drop the extension into the browser window.

  35. Alan Fox:
    petrushka,
    Oh I wish! Let’s wait and see how it pans out in the cold light of day!

    I wonder if you could do this with an orbiting array of quantum dots. Dyson sized structures.

  39. If you think it is delusional to think someone, possibly FBI, recruited Trump years ago to block Hillary, then explain his time machine. How did he know 14 months ago about the Wiener emails? How did he seem to know in advance what wikileaks would do, and when?

  40. petrushka:
    If you think it is delusional to think someone, possibly FBI, recruited Trump years ago to block Hillary, then explain his time machine. How did he know 14 months ago about the Wiener emails? How did he seem to know in advance what wikileaks would do, and when?

    I don’t know about the Weiner emails, but Assange despises Hillary Clinton so it would not surprise me if it turned out he was feeding info to the Trump campaign.

  41. Or maybe Hillary was nominated so that Trump could win. The opposite notion used to be bandied about, but then one could always ask how two such poor (seeming, anyway) candidates would end up being chosen.

    Putin’s presumably pleased with himself, at least. Assange would probably dish dirt on anyone, whoever he likes or dislikes, as he seems most of all to be an attention whore.

    Glen Davidson

  42. Patrick: I don’t know about the Weiner emails, but Assange despises Hillary Clinton so it would not surprise me if it turned out he was feeding info to the Trump campaign.

    Yes, but why did the FBI release a bunch of well timed FOIA documents that seemed to be coordinated with Wikileaks? And why does Wikileaks insist that the leaker is an American whistleblower?

    I don’t know the answers, but I think curiosity is indicated.

    My thought — hardly original — is that the Clinton Foundation is thoroughly corrupt and beyond prosecution. Wikileaks was a whistleblower operation originating somewhere within the FBI.

    Donald Trump is a competent salesman, but he didn’t plan this.

  43. GlenDavidson: he seems most of all to be an attention whore.

    He was the darling of the left when he was exposing Abu Ghraib, and any of a number of other instances of government malfeasance.

    Take a look at their full catalog. They didn’t spring into existence just to annoy Hillary.

  45. Now, having thoroughly exposed myself as a kook, I will make one more comment and quit this topic forever.

    I do not believe Stanley Kubrick would have wasted his last movie on a boring and pointless story of adults getting naked and doing things that are perfectly legal, and protecting this perfectly legal activity with elaborate security. Blackmail doesn’t work any more when it involves adults having consensual sex, even if it’s gay sex.

    There’s really only one sexual activity that is still forbidden and secret. Ask the Catholic church. Does anyone here really believe there are no highly placed government officials having Catholic tastes, and able to stay in power using blackmail?

  46. Since there’s a discussion of the election going on here, I’ll throw in my two cents.

    It’s very cynical of the Democratic party to go into poor Black and Latino neighborhoods and say, “Hey you’ve got to get out and vote against Trump! He’ll be bad for you!” People who aren’t doing well want someone to vote FOR. Hillary Clinton never gave anybody that. Sanders and Warren did: they ran (or talked about running) against Wall Street and the 1%. They had something to offer the disaffected (even if much of it, IMHO, is fools’ gold). But Clinton offered nothing whatever. She would be a (much) worse edition of Obama–nothing more. So those who wanted big changes voted for Trump, and many of those satisfied with the status quo stayed home because, as I’ve said before, Clinton is no Obama.

    The market is way down today, but I’m pretty sure it will bounce back. Why? Because Trump isn’t actually anti-Wall Street like Warren or Sanders. He’ll try to get tax breaks both for the corporations and their management. So the rich will get richer and the poor (except for a few protected factory workers) will get poorer. Everything will get more expensive too, but that will be OK with the rich.

    And the Democrats will learn from this. They’ll run somebody like Angelina Jolie next time. And they’ll tell her to say anything. Every American citizen will be given his or her own private airplane! And Finland will pay for it by selling Muslim scalps and giving us the proceeds!

  47. Alan Fox: Who’s laughing now? God help us all!

    Me. I’m laughing. hahah

    I’m surprised this site is still up and running. I thought a Trump victory meant the end of the world.

  48. walto: Because Trump isn’t actually anti-Wall Street like Warren or Sanders.

    Did you read any of Hillary’s speeches to Wall Street bankers? She actually promised Goldman Sachs that they could write the regulations. (Maybe not quite that cold, but nearly.) Bernie Sanders knew this and tried to get her to release the transcripts.

    But from Hillary’s point of view — documented in the emails — Sanders was just a showpiece, a way or pretending there was actually a primary contest. The Clinton team was pissed when he got off script and said things that actually hurt her.

    If I have a point in all this rambling it is that this is the first campaign ever where the public has been able to look inside the thinking of a campaign. History books will be written about this. If you think political contests are about ideas and policies, perhaps you should take a look.

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