Matt Macauley
@visualalgebra.bsky.social
Associate Professor (Clemson) | AIMS Lecturer (South Africa) | Author: "Visual Algebra" (forthcoming) | YouTuber | First Gen | Homesteader | Dad to Ida & Felix | 🔱
Fall in my orchard. Flying dragon hardy citrus in front of Fuyu persimmon fall foliage.
November 11, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Fall in my orchard. Flying dragon hardy citrus in front of Fuyu persimmon fall foliage.
I got *a lot* of positive feedback about this sign tonight from (parents of) trick-or-treaters.
November 1, 2025 at 2:05 AM
I got *a lot* of positive feedback about this sign tonight from (parents of) trick-or-treaters.
October 29, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Looking for suggestions! I rarely watch mainstream movies, but I enjoy international films, especially from non-Western cultures. But I don’t know how to find the best ones.
Do you have any favorites? Here are some I’ve watched in the past few years.
Do you have any favorites? Here are some I’ve watched in the past few years.
October 26, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Looking for suggestions! I rarely watch mainstream movies, but I enjoy international films, especially from non-Western cultures. But I don’t know how to find the best ones.
Do you have any favorites? Here are some I’ve watched in the past few years.
Do you have any favorites? Here are some I’ve watched in the past few years.
The only other one I can remember.
October 25, 2025 at 11:15 PM
The only other one I can remember.
This is the perfect example of the combination of grocery price increases + tariffs.
Friends in the Commonwealth, how much would you expect to pay for this 250g jar?
Friends in the Commonwealth, how much would you expect to pay for this 250g jar?
October 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
This is the perfect example of the combination of grocery price increases + tariffs.
Friends in the Commonwealth, how much would you expect to pay for this 250g jar?
Friends in the Commonwealth, how much would you expect to pay for this 250g jar?
I'm sure this will be controversial, because it's a pro-AI post on a notoriously anti-AI site (BlueSky).
I'm almost 45 and have never written a UNIX shell script. So I asked ChatGPT for help, and it gave me the following in a matter of seconds. It's really good at this sort of thing.
1/2
I'm almost 45 and have never written a UNIX shell script. So I asked ChatGPT for help, and it gave me the following in a matter of seconds. It's really good at this sort of thing.
1/2
![ChatGPT's result of the following prompt: Part 1/2:
"Can you give me a UNIX bash shell script for compiling all files like math8530_slides-n.tex (n=1,2,3,4,5,6,7), and twice each so the page number counts works, and then copying each pdf to a file named math8530_slides-n_h.pdf, and them removing all .aux and .log files?"
Nice and straightforward — below is a small, safe bash script that does exactly what you asked:
loops n=1..7,
for each math8530_slides-n.tex runs pdflatex twice (so page numbers / references resolve),
copies math8530_slides-n.pdf → math8530_slides-n_h.pdf,
removes the corresponding .aux and .log files for that base name,
prints helpful messages and continues on errors (doesn't abort the whole run).
Save this as e.g. build_slides.sh, chmod +x build_slides.sh, and run ./build_slides.sh in the directory containing the .tex files.
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -u
# Build math8530 slides 1..7: run pdflatex twice for each, copy pdf to _h version,
# and remove .aux and .log files for each.
#
# Edit PDF_ENGINE if you prefer xelatex/lualatex or latexmk.
PDF_ENGINE=pdflatex # change to xelatex or lualatex if desired
TRIES=2 # number of times to run the engine for each file
for n in {1..7}; do
base="math8530_slides-${n}"
texfile="${base}.tex"
pdffile="${base}.pdf"
outcopy="${base}_h.pdf"
if [[ ! -f "$texfile" ]]; then
echo "Skipping: $texfile not found."
continue
fi
echo "=== Building $texfile ==="
success=true
for i in $(seq 1 $TRIES); do
echo " [$i/$TRIES] Running $PDF_ENGINE on $texfile ..."
# -interaction=nonstopmode prevents interactive prompts; -halt-on-error makes the run exit nonzero on errors
"$PDF_ENGINE" -interaction=nonstopmode -halt-on-error "$texfile" > /dev/null 2>&1
rc=$?](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:yxyo3tr72b3e2caxy5qcidep/bafkreibvgcwhriwp76dwuidshkd34zzymfdbm56dequfowccorpxvr435i@jpeg)
![ChatGPT's result of the following prompt: Part 2/2:
"Can you give me a UNIX bash shell script for compiling all files like math8530_slides-n.tex (n=1,2,3,4,5,6,7), and twice each so the page number counts works, and then copying each pdf to a file named math8530_slides-n_h.pdf, and them removing all .aux and .log files?"
if [[ $rc -ne 0 ]]; then
echo " ERROR: $PDF_ENGINE failed on pass $i for $texfile (exit code $rc)."
success=false
break
fi
done
if [[ "$success" = true ]]; then
if [[ -f "$pdffile" ]]; then
echo " Copying $pdffile -> $outcopy"
cp -f "$pdffile" "$outcopy"
else
echo " WARNING: Expected $pdffile but it was not produced."
fi
else
echo " Skipping copy/cleanup for $base due to compilation error."
continue
fi
# remove only the aux and log files for this base name
for ext in aux log; do
f="${base}.${ext}"
if [[ -f "$f" ]]; then
rm -f "$f"
echo " Removed $f"
fi
done
done
echo "=== Done ==="
Notes / options
If you prefer latexmk -pdf -silent (it handles reruns automatically), replace the compile loop with latexmk -pdf -silent "$texfile".
The script currently silences pdflatex output (> /dev/null 2>&1) to keep the terminal tidy; remove that redirection if you want to see full compile logs while it runs.
It removes only *.aux and *.log corresponding to each math8530_slides-n file (safe). If you want to remove more auxiliary extensions, add them to the for ext in ... list.
Want a variant that aborts on the first error (instead of continuing) or one that uses latexmk? I can paste that too.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:yxyo3tr72b3e2caxy5qcidep/bafkreicx7fnb5py3h775gdj4dads5mnfwltjybsz5yjc2kfpeh4hj4kubu@jpeg)
October 24, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I'm sure this will be controversial, because it's a pro-AI post on a notoriously anti-AI site (BlueSky).
I'm almost 45 and have never written a UNIX shell script. So I asked ChatGPT for help, and it gave me the following in a matter of seconds. It's really good at this sort of thing.
1/2
I'm almost 45 and have never written a UNIX shell script. So I asked ChatGPT for help, and it gave me the following in a matter of seconds. It's really good at this sort of thing.
1/2
This pretty much sums it up. 😭
October 23, 2025 at 3:08 PM
This pretty much sums it up. 😭
I was hoping to watch the game with my almost 7-year-old daughter, but she has other plan. Keeping me company while she does math. 🤷♂️
October 21, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I was hoping to watch the game with my almost 7-year-old daughter, but she has other plan. Keeping me company while she does math. 🤷♂️
One of the silver linings of being a lifelong fan of one of the least successful baseball teams is that I had COMPLETELY forgotten how stressful this is! 😩
October 20, 2025 at 10:59 PM
One of the silver linings of being a lifelong fan of one of the least successful baseball teams is that I had COMPLETELY forgotten how stressful this is! 😩
Oh sorry, just looked it up. He played in 1 game and had 0 plate appearances. Point still stands.
October 20, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Oh sorry, just looked it up. He played in 1 game and had 0 plate appearances. Point still stands.
At home celebrating my son Felix’s 3rd birthday, and hoping that the Mariners will clinch their first ever World Series berth later this evening. #TridentsUp! 🔱⚾️
October 20, 2025 at 12:10 AM
At home celebrating my son Felix’s 3rd birthday, and hoping that the Mariners will clinch their first ever World Series berth later this evening. #TridentsUp! 🔱⚾️
I just don’t see Seattle fans booing after an injury. I assumed that they simply couldn’t see the replay and how bad it looked, but I’ve since seen a lot of comments like this from people who were at the game. Makes more sense, especially since there were tons of Jays fans there. Occam’s razor.
October 19, 2025 at 1:24 AM
I just don’t see Seattle fans booing after an injury. I assumed that they simply couldn’t see the replay and how bad it looked, but I’ve since seen a lot of comments like this from people who were at the game. Makes more sense, especially since there were tons of Jays fans there. Occam’s razor.
This is just embarrassing. Has to be one of the worst strike calls of the year. #TridentsUp 🔱
October 17, 2025 at 11:11 PM
This is just embarrassing. Has to be one of the worst strike calls of the year. #TridentsUp 🔱
I’m sure this would bother some people, but I use these all the time, so why not? I’ll only define macros for other things (e.g., mathfrak) if I use them more than a few times, which is rare.
October 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I’m sure this would bother some people, but I use these all the time, so why not? I’ll only define macros for other things (e.g., mathfrak) if I use them more than a few times, which is rare.
Yep, I’m seeing all sorts of posts like this. The PNW is special. Haters are still gonna hate.
October 17, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Yep, I’m seeing all sorts of posts like this. The PNW is special. Haters are still gonna hate.
Ahem. EIGHT teams.
October 15, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Ahem. EIGHT teams.
Can have, or should have?
October 13, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Can have, or should have?
Clemson has been designated a National Monarch Butterfly City, and there is a public art installation of 20 fiberglass butterflies all around town.
Look closely, one of them appears to have some hidden mathematics on its underside! #IllustratingMath #Mathober
Look closely, one of them appears to have some hidden mathematics on its underside! #IllustratingMath #Mathober
October 5, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Clemson has been designated a National Monarch Butterfly City, and there is a public art installation of 20 fiberglass butterflies all around town.
Look closely, one of them appears to have some hidden mathematics on its underside! #IllustratingMath #Mathober
Look closely, one of them appears to have some hidden mathematics on its underside! #IllustratingMath #Mathober
Someone tell ESPN. This is their "top headlines" 15 minutes after he hit #60. 🙄
September 25, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Someone tell ESPN. This is their "top headlines" 15 minutes after he hit #60. 🙄
Love this! Proud to have gotten this one (yesterday’s) in 1 guess. Happy that it lets you play older games.
September 15, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Love this! Proud to have gotten this one (yesterday’s) in 1 guess. Happy that it lets you play older games.
Looks like I’m not the only one in this thread with a new shirt. Thank you @howiehua.bsky.social!
September 15, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Looks like I’m not the only one in this thread with a new shirt. Thank you @howiehua.bsky.social!
I'm 6'1" and 222 lbs. So if I gain 5 lbs before my next physical, I'll have a BMI index of 30 and will thus be eligible for a COVID vaccine. Or I could just not exercise for a few months and claim high risk due to "inactivity." Which should I shoot for?
Make America Healthy Again! 🙄
Make America Healthy Again! 🙄
September 2, 2025 at 3:58 AM
I'm 6'1" and 222 lbs. So if I gain 5 lbs before my next physical, I'll have a BMI index of 30 and will thus be eligible for a COVID vaccine. Or I could just not exercise for a few months and claim high risk due to "inactivity." Which should I shoot for?
Make America Healthy Again! 🙄
Make America Healthy Again! 🙄
The pawpaws are ripe! The only temperate soursop in the world.
August 24, 2025 at 3:15 AM
The pawpaws are ripe! The only temperate soursop in the world.
In my experience, Gemini (Google’s AI) is really bad, but ChatGPT is quite good. Ironically, it’s better at advanced ugrad / grad problems than basic HS geometry stuff (e.g., for modifying TikZ code like this). But it still throws in the occasional blatant mistake.
August 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
In my experience, Gemini (Google’s AI) is really bad, but ChatGPT is quite good. Ironically, it’s better at advanced ugrad / grad problems than basic HS geometry stuff (e.g., for modifying TikZ code like this). But it still throws in the occasional blatant mistake.