Software: Programs and Scripts
I made the software on this page for fun. Tell me what you think!
In brief:
- change the appearance of websites,
- encourage productivity,
- an ISU phonebook lookup script,
- a vocabulary training program,
- upload a file on intervals,
- quickly clear recent documents,
- or send network messages.
userstyles - Often, programmers and web designers make regrettable choices that decrease the fun and usability of their websites. You can fight some of these bad choices using the Stylish plugin and CSS stylesheets at userstyles.org. Have a look at some user stylesheets I authored.
Cycle - A musical workcycle timer. During my last semester of college, I had a horrific time making myself write final papers. In an attempt to remedy this I made a simple set of shell scripts for my Linux desktop. Cycle breaks time up into two cycles: one that plays music conducive to working on some task, and a smaller one with different music, in which to take a break, to: briefly work on a different task, stretch, bathroom break, etc. The inspiration-borrower chooses this music himself by creating a "work" playlist, and a "break" playlist. I believe this set of scripts to be a simple and elegant solution to the breaking up of time. Requirements: the sh shell, the at daemon, and XMMS configured to allow multiple instances running simultaneously. To do: support players besides just XMMS, learn how to do this with pyXMMS or other audio wrappers, and find an equally simple way to achieve this same task in Windows or on Mac OS X. Anyways, see for yourself: Download Cycle.
lookup.py - A Python script to look people up in Iowa State University's phonebook. This is useful from the command line, ie,
$ ./lookup.py Rasmussen >> rasmussens_at_isu.txt
I considered, but never got around to, extending it to generate a vCard that could be imported into address books and contact manager software.
Download lookup.txt. Tip: rename it to "lookup.py" to run it.
DVocabTester - For Windows. A program to facilitate the learning of vocabulary words. This program found its beginning when I was in high school, and wanted a smart way to do flash cards. DVocabTester started in QBasic, was transformed into Visual Basic, and finally was rewritten in Delphi. The student creates a list of words, grouped under a common theme, and gives the program their equivalents in the other language. Perfect for the "vocab words" sections of textbooks. From there, the student can test himself, and will be presented with statistics at the end of the test. Tests can also be exported to a JavaScript-enabled web page, allowing them to be used on platforms other than Windows and even run from a different computer. If I were re-writing this today, DVocabTester's user interface would be a bit nicer - I've learned a bit about design since I made it.. Download VocabTester.
AutoUpload uploads a file to an SSH server at regularly scheduled intervals. For Windows. Written around 2003 using Delphi. I created it to use with my webcam and the open-source webcam capture program Dorgem. Tip: put pscp in the PATH. Download AutoUpload.
Clear Recent - For Windows. In 2002, I got annoyed with how many clicks were required to clear the "Recent Documents" list in Windows XP, and decided to take matters into my own hands. The result is this simple VBScript. Great for people who share a computer with others. Run it by double-clicking, put it in your Startup folder, or run it automatically at logoff. Download Clear Recent - this might need a right-click followed by a "Save As".
NT Messenger - This little gem came about for kicks in high school. I had already taught myself a decent amount of Visual Basic. I combined this with my knowledge of WinPopUp and "net send", a way to send messages to other computers through Windows Messaging. Minimized, it appears to be innocuous little Notepad. Maximize it, however, and have a few laughs as you cause the computer lab to erupt in chaos. I noticed quite a few people using this at my school, and I never took any credit for it. Download NT Messenger.exe.
Page last updated: April 28, 2014.