Neil's Writing

'Creative writing' is usually reserved for time sheets and progress reports. However, from time to time I've found myself composing some short piece of literature. Judging by the number of copies of my writing that have been stolen from my site and posted elsewhere (usually without credit), I'd like to think that I have some talent. Still, I don't intend to give up my day job.

Computer Science

Differential Synchronization

An architecture for collaborative text editing.

Diff and Patch

Improving the algorithms driving the central tools for version control.

Cursor Preservation

Techniques for preserving cursor locations in collaborative editors.

Exception Handling

The problems and benefits of programming exception handlers.

Virtual Host Insecurity

A technical document illustrating some of the security pitfalls of virtual hosting.

Neural Network Follies

Illustrates two of the pitfalls of neural networks.

Non-Fiction

Inverness and Elgin

A short video of Inverness and Elgin, in the North of Scotland.

The Bridges of Inverness

Photographs and history of the bridges across the River Ness and Caledonian Canal.

Sidetracked

Photographs and technical description of the controls for a railroad switch.

Cycling Britain

An account of my experiences while cycling from one end of Britain to the other.

The one, the only, photograph of Earth

Why is it that every photograph of Earth is identical?

It's alive, it's alive!

A serious discussion about the qualifiers of life.

Fiction

Insurance Policy

A short science fiction story about testing the ultimate bomb.

You're fired

16,777,216 fun ways to fire someone.

The Exam

Would you pass the final exam for the 'Space Force Marines'?

Instructions for the MARK II HAND PHASER

You have just purchased a new Star Trek phaser. Here is the instruction manual.

Procrastination

Hard work may pay off in the end, but procrastination pays off now.

Script for Star Trek Skit

Parody that a group of us performed many years ago in Ottawa.