Installing LaTeXML into a local directory...

I have been working for a while on a document management system that will use MathJax and .tex inputs to create pretty PDF output and good websites.

Researching the available converters the one that is most attractive and most maintained is LaTeXML.

Firstly I have to setup perl to install packages locally for me to use:

PATH="$PATH:~/perl5/bin"
export PERL5LIB=~/perl5/lib/perl5
export PERL_MB_OPT="--install_base '$HOME/perl5'"
export PERL_MM_OPT="INSTALL_BASE=$HOME/perl5"
curl -L http://cpanmin.us | perl - -l ~/perl5 App::cpanminus local::lib 

I now have to fetch and install LaTeXML:

cpanm http://search.cpan.org/CPAN/authors/id/B/BR/BRMILLER/LaTeXML-0.8.0.tar.gz --force

Note that you will need the prerequisite system libraries installed onto the system - this approach doesn't provide copies of LibXML etc. as needed.

Command lines:

latexml --dest=example.xml example.tex
latexmlpost --format=html5 --javascript='../MathJax_down/MathJax.js?config=TeX-AMS-MML_HTMLorMML' --destination=example.html example.xml

The results are really quite impressive - no links yet as they are behind our 'paywall' but hopefully soon.

A Blast From the Past: Valve/Tube/Electro-optic LA2A

Drip Electronics OPTO 6 version of the 1968 LA2A

When a friend of mine came and asked if I would help him build out an audio compressor that is based on tube amplification and some custom electro-optical cells I, of course, agreed!

The full details of the device are online at Drip Electronics: OPTO 6 (LA2A). They build a PCB to approximate the old point to point wiring typically found under tube systems as well as build the custom electro-optical cells.

Now I am not a tube guy nor an audio guy but any electronics that glows when it is working is good electronics.

Yours truly, (Matthew Swabey) testing the system with safety
 glasses in case one of the tubes or big caps "pops"

I really enjoyed the different construction style but testing was a real problem - the system is so non-linear, clips all the time and distorts it is almost impossible to know if I built it right. The current owner had to take it home and test with a microphone and speakers before it could be signed off.