Lisp Propulsion Laboratory log

Mothballing Lisp Propulsion Laboratory log

David Lichteblau noted that I stopped posting McCLIM updates some months ago. Actually, I haven't been posting here for several weeks.

I am indeed running out of steam, and will update this blog very infrequently. Lisp Propulsion Laboratory log should be considered in a "frozen" state. Zach Beane, whom I warmly thank for adding my feed to Planet Lisp and for running such a great service, may consider removing my subscription.

I started this blog on August 16, 2004. Although I am still interested in Lisp, I haven't been using it much since late 2006.

Other non Lisp-related activities from my day jobs are absorbing more and more of my time. The good news is that all this stuff is a lot of fun. It's about science popularization and education, particularly astronomy and space exploration.

I now have a new non Lisp blog that I update regularly. Interestingly, I have learned a lesson from that Blogger-based blog. Although it's less customizable than the Emacs-based BlogMax tool I used here, it's simpler to use. It turned out that I didn't need all the versatility offered by Emacs. There are contexts in which usability does matter. even to hackers (see a well known essay by JWZ).

Thanks to all those who followed and appreciated Lisp Propulsion Laboratory log.

Lisp is a cult

Brothers, let's face it: Lisp is indeed a cult (courtesy Says-It.com).

ANSI CL Reference Book: I canceled the Amazon preorder

I finally decided to plonk the vaporware book ANSI Common Lisp Reference Book, and canceled the Amazon preorder I placed two and a half years ago.

New blog on science communication and popularization

I briefly drift off topic to announce Avventure Planetarie (planetary adventures), my new blog on science communication and popularization, particularly astronomy and space sciences (I work in this field). Unless you have a reading knowledge of Italian, it is unlikely to be of interest to you. But if you know someone who might be interested, please do let her/him know.

There's actually something funny you might want to have a look at, i.e. my space-suited picture in the personal profile. It's part of a larger photoshopped montage (click to enlarge) of actual Shuttle/Soyuz crews, with faces replaced by those of the attendees to a recent local space enthusiasts convention -- and some Italian humor thrown in. This gem was created by Kruaxi the Ferengi, whom I thank again.

You might consider a similarly creative idea with the attendees of your next Lispnik meeting, possibly based on some old photo showing Lisp or AI gurus.

ANSI CL Reference Book publication date delayed to late February 2008

I already talked about the planned book ANSI Common Lisp Reference Book by David Margolies (Apress), which I preordered at Amazon in August 2004:

Why I preordered the upcoming Apress Lisp books
Upcoming and future Lisp books
ANSI CL Reference Book to be published in February 2006

A few weeks ago I received yet another email from Amazon, notifying that the shipping date has been delayed to February 25, 2008 (sic).

I have confirmed the order one more time. But I am having second thoughts and I will probably cancel it. This book is vaporware. I don't care who to blame for the delay, waiting 4 years for an announced book is just too much, even considering the patience of Lispers.

I no longer want to support publishers and authors who treat customers this way. It's just bad business.

First birthday of the Common Lisp Directory

Marc Battyani announced the first birthday of the Common Lisp Directory. His announcement also provides some interesting information on the server hardware and software, and its uptime.

I had forgotten about this anniversary. Actually, I did know it was coming, but I didn't know when exactly the original Link-It ReddIt clone morphed into the Common Lisp Directory.

As I already wrote, it has been an amazing ride.

Why I like feature-rich Lisp dialects

A recent Joel Spolsky blog entry on software simplicity resonates with my preference for feature-rich Lisp dialects, such as Common Lisp, over minimalistic ones like Scheme.