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Split Infinitives: a non-error

2013 Jun 12 07:21 PM MDT | English⁵ Grammar⁴ [2013]¹⁰ | Estimated 1-min read

Some people are hypercritical and think *to boldly go* should be *to go boldly* or even the awkward *boldly to go*. However, the argument is that English should follow Latin’s rules, but it is impossible to split infinitives in Latin, as there is no infinitive marker in Latin, effectively making the argument invalid.

Also, wouldn't the effect of some sentences be destroyed? There is no way to reword these without forming an awkward sentence:

I need you all **to really pull** your weight.

We are determined **to completely and utterly eradicate** the disease.

I expect him **to completely and utterly fail**.

We are seeking a plan **to gradually, systematically, and economically relieve** the burden.

We expect our output **to more than double** in a year.

I want **to not see** you anymore. (Well, maybe “I do not want to see you anymore”)

Source: “Split infinitive” from Wikipedia

Remember **to, whenever you want, split** infinitives. To, regardless of what some prescriptivists say, split an infinitive is perfectly valid.

Digital Roots

2013 May 23 06:56 PM MDT | Math⁷ Programming¹⁸ PHP⁴ Python⁴ [2013]¹⁰ | Estimated 2-min read

What happens to the digital root as the numbers increase?

 n | dr(n)
---+------
 0 | 0
 1 | 1
 2 | 2
 3 | 3
 9 | 9
10 | 1
11 | 2
12 | 3
18 | 9
19 | 1

It looks like it is really just a cycle that goes from 1-9 over and over again (except 0). This can be represented using modulus.

What happens if n < 0? Well, I've decided to just use the absolute value of it. That means that dr(-1) = 1.

Here is some PHP code:

<?php
for($i = -11; $i <= 20; ++$i)
	echo "dr($i) = ".(1 + (abs($i) - 1) % 9);

See that? There is no need for looping and recursion (nor iteration) to calculate the digital root. Why take O(≫ 1) time when you can take O(1) time?

Many languages handle negative modulus with truncation, but a special case must be created for some languages that use floored division:

# Python
def dr(i):
  if i:
    return 1 + (abs(i) - 1) % 9
  return 0

for i in range(-11, 20 + 1):
  print "dr(%d) = %d" % (i, dr(i))

No more BitTorrent Tracker Services!

2013 May 8 07:09 PM MDT | Web¹³ [2013]¹⁰ | Estimated 1-min read

I am removing my BitTorrent tracker today. It is pointless: it has low bandwidth limits (~30 GB/month), and many other providers are available. Why use this service when there are other public trackers without bandwidth limits?

Prepositions: Reasonable to End Sentences with

2013 Apr 9 04:52 PM MDT | English⁵ Grammar⁴ [2013]¹⁰ | Estimated 2-min read

Why can’t prepositions be used as something to end sentences with?

Prepositions are fine to end sentences _with_. Prohibitions against preposition stranding are nothing anyone should listen to. (actually an infinitive marker) It is a made-up rule that does not reflect the true state of the language, so it is nothing anyone should worry about. Worrying about it is also something they (because English lacks a singular genderless personal pronoun) should not suffer from.

Look it up! (actually an adverb)

However, the misattribution to Churchill is something with which we should not put up. Even though he did not say it, it is still something no person should put up with.

Some sentences cannot be reworded to avoid stranding the preposition no matter how hard you try to.

The chair was sat on. (passive)

What is this tool for? (copula)

This is what he came back to me with. (fused relative pronoun)

This is something to look at. (infinitive phrase)

The first one simply has nothing it can be replaced with. The object of the preposition is the subject, omitted for the second time.

The second one cannot be reworded as *For what is this tool? because it must be For what purpose does this tool serve? As another example, This is what the tool is for becomes expanded to This is that which the tool is for. It cannot be *This is that for which the tool is, so it is due to the copula rather than the fused relative pronoun.

The third one is ungrammatical as *This is with what he came back to me unless it is a question such as With what did he come back to me?

The last one is awkward when corrected with ^?This is something at which to look. because at which to look might mean that to look at.

The practice of preposition stranding is something that even the University of Oxford’s English Department approves of.

However, when doing **formal writing**, it is usually better to _front_ the prepositions instead of using them as something with which sentences are ended. Other than that, feel free to end sentences with prepositions without worrying about grammar complaints whenever you want to.

Domain Renewal by Transfer

2013 Jan 28 05:18 PM MST | Domains² Web¹³ [2013]¹⁰ | Estimated 1-min read

I have extended my domain for a year by transferring it. It won’t expire until April, but it's unwise to attempt a transfer during the last few days, in case something goes wrong. However, I had to pay extra fees…

$12.88 (base price) - $3.00 (promotion) = **$9.88 CAD** initially

$9.88 * (100% + 12% HST) + $0.22 Paypal fee = $11.29 (rounded up from $11.2856)

Since it was in CAD, and I received payments in USD, PayPal also charged extra for currency conversion, since 1 USD = 1.01 CAD at that time…

$11.29 CAD / 0.981321 = **$11.51 USD** finally (rounded up again!!!)

After all that, I ended up paying 16% more (rounded down). All of this rounding was not in my favor.

cIOSCORP Removal Progress

2012 Dec 27 06:34 PM MST | Nintendo⁸ Nintendo-Wii⁸ [2012]⁸ | Estimated 1-min read

This is a big list…

Goodbye to cIOSCORP!

2012 Dec 27 11:55 AM MST | Nintendo⁸ Nintendo-Wii⁸ [2012]⁸ | Estimated 3-min read

I have decided to remove cIOSCORP, as it is not necessary anymore: I can still launch backups through backup launchers (NeoGamma, Gecko OS, USB loaders, etc.)

TL;DR Since I have System Menu 3.4U, these operations are planned to reverse the effects of cIOSCORP:

These IOSes are present in all of those cIOSCORP packages: (Click Read More…)

More Blitz Hacks (Time)

2012 May 22 04:27 PM MDT | Gaming⁷ Hacks⁹ JavaScript² Programming¹⁸ Web¹³ [2012]⁸ | Estimated 1-min read

The *Song of Time* just keeps on playing…

I can’t just give you the entire thing–you have to EARN it by being pro and decoding it (similar to the last’s thrice, but only twice) yourself.

Z2FtZS5lbGFwc2VkVGltZSUzZGZ1bmN0aW9uKCklN2JpZihnYW1lLndob3NlVHVybiUzZCUzZGdhbWUuY29sb3IpcmV0dXJuKzAlM2JyZXR1cm4rbmV3K0RhdGUoKS5nZXRUaW1lKCktZ2FtZS5tb3ZlU3RhcnQlN2Qr