I recently installed Ubuntu on the computer I use at work, and am so much happier than I was running Windows. Ubuntu is a more user-friendly version of Debian, which is a godsend for laptops, since the installation process does all the hardware detection for you. I had tried Debian and getting X to work was a real pain. I then switched to Fedora Core 3 and decided it made me feel like I was in a straitjacket. Ubuntu is “just right” for me I think. Also, the releases have amusing names, like “Warty Warthog” and “Hoary Hedgehog.”

While browsing for extra LaTeX plugins, I came across the following:

arabtex (3.11-5) [universe] — Arabic/Hebrew macros for TeX/LaTeX

Arabic and Hebrew, eh? Maybe we can all get along.

I hacked together a LaTeX template for conference posters for the Wireless Foundations Center. After searching around on the web I couldn’t find a package that was (a) easy to use, (b) allowed for arbitrary layout, and (c) supported many different poster sizes. So I hacked together 2-3 other style file ideas from other people and made this template and associated style file. I’ll try and add features over the summer, but that’s a really low priority right now.

I’m using the package to make a poster for tomorrow’s day conference at Stanford and it’s going pretty smoothly, so I think it’s reasonably usable.