Chronos is one of the many Smalltalk-related blogs syndicated on Planet Smalltalk
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Discussion of the Essence# programming language, and related issues and technologies.

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2006-08-31

Chronos Version B1.174 Published

Chronos Version B1.174 has been publised ("Beta Release 1--build 174".) Chronos B1.174 is available for VisualWorks, Squeak and Dolphin. The Chronos Seed Archive for B1.174 is also available (the "Chronos Seed" is the platform-independent Chronos codebase, used for porting Chronos from VisualWorks to other Smalltalk pltatforms.)

Chronos Version B1.174 can be obtained from the Chronos Web Site. The VisualWorks version can also be obtained from the Cincom Public StORE Repository. You may also use the direct download link for VisualWorks, the direct download link for Squeak or the direct download link for Dolphin.

The Chronos Time Zone Repository is included in the download archive. Be sure to follow the Chronos Installation Instructions--especially if you have not already done so for a previous version of Chronos.

If you are reinstalling Chronos into an image in which an earlier version is already resident, and do not install the new version from the Cincom Public StORE Repository using StORE, it is necessary to first remove the earlier version. StORE has been able to correctly install the new version on top of every earlier version I have tried--but I haven't tried them all.

About Chronos Version B1.174


Chronos Version B1.174 corrects the list of dates on which the NYSE was closed, based on more authoritative information.

The Squeak version was modified to address changes to the base libraries that have been made in Squeak 3.9. A few Chronos methods are now added programmatically (and conditionally) to base library classes, instead of being a static part of the file-in.



Version 2006j of the Chronos Time Zone Repository Published

Arthur David Olson published version 2006j of the Olson Time Zone Database. Consequently, version 2006j of the Chronos Time Zone Repository has been published--both the Chronos-native and XML versions are available from date-time-zone.com.


2006-08-20

128000000000000000

Microsoft NT counts time as the number of 100-nanosecond ticks since 1601-01-01T00:00:00Z (1 January 1601 00:00:00 Universal Time.) I just happened to notice that the NT clock struck 128000000000000000 a few days ago, specifically at 2006-08-14T03:33:20+00:00 (14 August 2006 03:33:20 Universal Time.)

You can easily compute that using the following Chronos code:


ChronosFunction
daysAndSecondsSinceStartOfDayFromSeconds: 128000000000000000 // 10000000
into: [:days :seconds |
Timepoint
daysSinceEpoch: days + (YearMonthDay year: 1601 day: 1) daysSinceEpoch
seconds: seconds
timeZone: #UT]


If you'd prefer to have the result computed relative to your local time zone, use the following variation:


ChronosFunction
daysAndSecondsSinceStartOfDayFromSeconds: 128000000000000000 // 10000000
into: [:days :seconds |
Timepoint
utDaysSinceEpoch: days + (YearMonthDay year: 1601 day: 1) daysSinceEpoch
seconds: seconds]


2006-08-10

New light microscope sharpens scientists' focus


New light microscope sharpens scientists' focus from PhysOrg.com

A new light microscope so powerful that it allows scientists peering inside cells to discern the precise location of nearly each individual protein they are studying has been developed and successfully demonstrated by scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus in collaboration with researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Florida State University.

[...]




New method of growing carbon nanotubes to revolutionise electronics


New method of growing carbon nanotubes to revolutionise electronics from PhysOrg.com

A new method of growing carbon nanotubes is predicted to revolutionise the implementation of nanotechnology and the future of electronics. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have successfully grown nanotubes at a temperature which permits their full integration into present complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology (350 ÂșC).

[...]




A Beautiful Working Environment

I recently purchased my first digital camera. Today I used it to take some photos of my employer's campus. I've been wanting to do that for years. To understand why, just have a look at the photos:

CIMG0169
CIMG0185
CIMG0186
CIMG0182
CIMG0179


2006-08-01

Visualising invisibility


Visualising invisibility from PhysOrg.com

Invisibility has been an ingredient of myths, novels and films for millennia – from Perseus versus Medusa in Greek legend to James Bond’s latest car and Harry Potter’s cloak. A new study published today by the Institute of Physics reveals that invisibility is closer than we think.

[...]