Check the endianness of your Linux machine

There is a very simple way to check the endianness of your Linux machine. Just type:

printf '\1' | od -dAn

If the answer is 1, then your machine is little endian. If 256, it is big endian.

Loosless ps-to-pdf conversion in Linux

The easiest way to do convert your eps/ps figures to pdf in Linux (without a quality loss) is to use epstopdf script. It calls ghostview with several compression options as default and it's not possible to change that just from the command line. The quick solution is to change epstopdf itself. It is usually located in /usr/bin/ directory. Line

$GSOPTS = "-dUseFlateCompression=false " unless $::opt_compress;

should be changed to

$GSOPTS = "-dUseFlateCompression=false -dAutoFilterColorImages=false -dColorImageFilter=/FlateEncode " unless $::opt_compress;

After the change is made, you can convert your eps to pdf with

epstopdf --nocompress file.eps

PhD defense

I finally add this post almost two years after my PhD defense. I have no memory any more of any fear that I felt before the ceremony, but I do remember that day very well. A day of a great relief  that one big job is finally done.

At the defense. The committee (from left to right): Prof. Dr. A. Achterberg, Prof. Dr. A. de Koter, Prof. Dr. R. J. Rutten, Prof. Dr. H.Eijkelhof and Prof. Dr. C. U. Keller (Prof. Dr. R. Keppens and Prof. Dr. F. Verbunt are out of the image). One note: it is strictly forbidden to take pictures during the defense. This picture was taken by a guest who was late at the ceremony and has not heard the rules at its beginning. Anyway, I am very happy that it exists.

I was overjoyed (and I still am) that I shared the moment with my paranymphs - my wife Nadezda and my friend Bartolomeo... and with the infamous Utrecht crew.