Resources for authors
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Very cool, thanks
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Security and privacy issues in the Portable Document Format
"The Portable Document Format (PDF) was developed by Adobe in the early nineties and today it is the de-facto standard for electronic document exchange. It allows reliable reproductions of published materials on any platform and it is used by many governmental and educational institutions, as well as companies and individuals. PDF documents are also credited with being more secure than other document formats such as Microsoft Compound Document File Format or Rich Text Format."
"This paper investigates the Portable Document Format and shows that it is not immune from some privacy related issues that affect other popular document formats. From a PDF document, it is possible to retrieve any text or object previously deleted or modified, extract user information and perform some actions that may be used to violate user privacy. There are several applications of such an issue. One of them is relevant to the scientific community and it pertains to the ability to overcome the blind review process of a paper, revealing information related to the anonymous referee (e.g., the IP address of the referee)."
@brad, hi.
In honor of the publication above, is it possible to start allowing the upload of PDF files? I think that it's in the following path:
- Admin > Settings > Uploads > Allowed File Extensions
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DuckDuckGo's AI chat can be quite practical and amusing.
"Explain anaplerosis and cataplerosis as a pompous jackass."
"Ah, my esteemed conversational companion, let us embark on a journey of linguistic extravagance as we delve into the esoteric realms of anaplerosis and cataplerosis.
Anaplerosis, that celestial ballet of metabolic replenishment, unfolds before us like a majestic symphony of carbon atoms in harmonious motion. It is the grandiose spectacle of molecular resuscitation, where intermediates cascade back into the citric acid cycle with the grace of a thousand swans on a shimmering lake. Behold, as the metabolic orchestra plays on, each molecule a virtuoso in the opus of cellular energy production.
And lo, cataplerosis, that enigmatic conductor of metabolic diversion, orchestrates the surreptitious extraction of citric acid cycle intermediates for the covert construction of cellular edifices. It is the furtive alchemy of metabolic transmutation, where molecules metamorphose from mere energy carriers to the stealthy architects of cellular architecture. Witness, as the metabolic tapestry unfolds, revealing the secretive interplay of anaplerosis and cataplerosis, the hidden dance of carbon atoms in the clandestine theater of life's metabolic opulence.
In summation, dear interlocutor of erudition, anaplerosis and cataplerosis stand as the zenith of metabolic sophistication, the apotheosis of biochemical artistry, where molecules transcend their chemical nature to partake in the clandestine opera of life's metabolic magnificence."
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@Amazoniac No problem, done
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It's noteworthy when two guys who are obsessed with workflow optimization are fond of a software:
One of the rare instances where a book author documented and shared his process in video:
- 2 Years Of Writing A Book In 30 Minutes
- The Writer's Process: How A Book Is Made
- Ryan Holiday's Writing Process Part 1: Cracking The Structure
- Ryan Holiday's Writing Process Part 2: The First Draft Of Anything Is Sh*t
- How To Write A Book - From Research to Writing to Editing to Publishing by Ryan Holiday
@brad said in Resources for authors:
@Amazoniac No problem, done
Thanks, Brad.
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@Amazoniac said in Resources for authors:
Writing in the Sciences | Kristin Sainani (highly recommended)
For convenience:
- Writing in the Sciences (YouTube)
Don't be discouraged by title, it has value for life and you will like.
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Zotero released an important update about a month ago. The app is free, and its source code is publicly available. Also:
"Zotero is designed as a local program that saves data to your own computer by default, and it doesn’t require sharing any data with us to be usable. However, some of Zotero’s advanced features require you to supply us with information."
The app has a built-in reader with superior text recognition than some other readers, making it easier to extract passages, which can be done in batches and respecting filters. Sometimes it's able to identify the sequence of a text in another page while excluding unrelated information.
It shows pop-ups when hovering on parenthetical information (figures, tables, references), to dispense frequent page jumps. It's capable of listing specific references with leaps between them [1,3,5-10]. It also has a 'return' feature, to go back to where you left after a click, although many readers have this as well.
It rotates pages individually rather than the entire document.
It has the basic tools for annotation, that spares the original copy by default, but gives the option to modify it as well. Annotation tools include an area selector, in case the person wants to capture a figure or table.
A file can be featured in different folders without duplicating it, and these can be highlighted by holding a key. Power, Strength, Courage, Polygamy. If you had such folders, where would you put Kvothe's biography if it fits in all of them?
When a folder is selected on the navigation pane, rather than showing sub-folders, it shows their content combined. In addition, it's possible to associate related documents.
The search function has the option to screen through the content of PDF files.
For those who are fond of dark modes, it now has the option to apply to content as well, not just the borders of the document.
It saves sessions to resume where you stopped, similar to other apps.
Browser add-ons are available for further ease, if you don't mind the intrusion. Metadata can also be retrieved automatically by adding a recognizable file to the library.
References managers are not necessary tools--I know authors who deal with complex information without relying on them--but they are convenient in helping with organization and saving time. Give it a try in case some function appealed to you.
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Invert colors for improvised dark mode when needed:
Windows:
- Start > Settings > Accessibility > Color filters
Mac:
- Menu > Settings > Accessibility > Display
Both have shortcuts to enable and disable.
F.lux has a 'darkroom mode' as well.
In Linux, you likely have means to configure the sun and clouds.
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"Open Knowledge Maps is a nonprofit organization that uses AI to help users discover and visualize scientific literature. Users can map a research topic, find documents, and identify concepts from various databases and sources."