checkpoint

content/sundries/shit-code/index.md

@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ But by far its greatest feature is an undocumented option, `-A`, that will play
 salvo](https://gitlab.com/nebkor/katabastird/-/blob/4ccc2e4738df3f9d3af520e2d3875200534f4f6f/resources/airhorn_alarm.mp3)
 when it's done. This option is visible in the program's help text, but it's not described.
 
-This is, honestly, not a great program. Once it's launched, it only understands two keyboard inputs,
-`ESC` and `q`, both of which simply cause it to exit. Using the mouse, you can pause, restart, and
-reset. And that's it, that's all the interaction you get.
+Truly honestly, this is not a great program. Once it's launched, it only understands two keyboard
+inputs, `ESC` and `q`, both of which simply cause it to exit. Using the mouse, you can pause,
+restart, and reset. And that's it, that's all the interaction you get.
 
 In spite of this, I find myself using it all the time. It's easy to launch with different times (the
 commandline parsing understands things like `-h` for hours, `-m` for minutes, etc.), and its last
@@ -54,13 +54,76 @@ invocation is just an up-arrow in my terminal away. The airhorn cracks me up eve
 
 At some point, I plan on changing it to something that uses the GPU to run a fire simulation on the
 numbers, and have the flame intensity get higher as the time remaining gets lower. I'll save that
-for when I want to get slightly more serious about graphics and shaders, though.
+for when I want to get slightly more serious about graphics and shaders, though; it would basically
+be a total re-write.
+
+
+As for the name, it's just a perversion of "katabasis", which means, "descent to the Underworld". I
+guess a bastardized "bastard" is in there, too. Listen, I'm gonna level with you: I'm not wild about the name, but
+what's done is done.
 
 ## *randical, a commandline program for generating random values*
 
+Some time ago, I was [trying to work out some ways to pick random points in a
+sphere](https://blog.joeardent.net/2018/07/right-and-wrong-ways-to-pick-random-points-inside-a-sphere/),
+and during that exploration, I found myself wanting to just be able to generate random values
+outside of any program program in particular. So, I wrapped a primitive interface around [the random value
+generation library](https://docs.rs/rand/0.8.0/rand/index.html) I was using. I wound up using it
+selfishly and in a limited fashion for that project, but afterward, decided to expand it a bit and
+release it, as my first [real Rust crate](https://crates.io/crates/randical).
 
+I'll reproduce the help text here, since it's fairly comprehensive:
 
- - randical
+``` text
+$ randical -h
+Radical Random Value Generator 1.618033
+
+Generates arbitrary numbers of uniformly distributed random values.
+
+USAGE:
+    randical [FLAGS] [OPTIONS]
+
+FLAGS:
+        --buel       Prints either 'Here.' or 'Um, he's sick. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend
+                     heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31
+                     Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.', with equal probability. Not compatible with `-t`
+                     or `--bule`.
+        --bule       Prints either 'true' or 'false', with equal probability. Not compatible with `-t` or `--buel`.
+    -e, --exit       With equal probability, exit with either status 0, like /bin/true, or status 1, like /bin/false.
+                     Technically compatible with all other options, but exit status will have no relation to any
+                     generated output. Sets default number of values to print to 0.
+    -h, --help       Prints help information
+    -V, --version    Prints version information
+
+OPTIONS:
+    -n, --num-vals <NUM_VALS>    Number of random values to print out. Defaults to 1.
+    -t, --type <TYPE>            Type of random value to print. Defaults to 'bool'.
+                                 Possible values are 'b'ool, 'f'loat64, 'U'UIDv4, 'u'nsigned64, 's'igned64, and 'k'suid
+                                 with millisecond precision.
+```
+
+The [README](https://github.com/nebkor/randical/blob/main/README.md) contains some examples of using
+it to do various things, like simulate a fair coin toss, or an *unfair* coin toss, or "a *Sliding
+Doors*-style garden of forking paths alternate timeline for Ferris Bueller's presence or absence on
+that fateful day."
+
+I have one actual non-shithead usecase for this program: in my [.emacs file, I use it to
+generate](https://gitlab.com/nebkor/dotfiles/-/blob/3aaf06fc66cdb541b76dfd44d25c369c4762301f/.emacs#L113-116)
+[ksuids](https://segment.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-uuid/). But I don't *really* use it.
+
+I include it mostly because, by most measurable metrics, this is my most popular program with end
+users that I can specifically identify:
+
+![randical's popularity is baffling][randical_downloads]
+
+Who is downloading my software, and why? I don't know, and I don't care about knowing.
+
+## *freedom-dates, a library noone needed or wanted*
+
+When I started writing this post, "freedom-dates" did not exist as a concrete thing, merely as a
+shit-head suggestion by me about the dumbest possible way to represent dates as a string.
+
+---
  - freedom-dates
  - bad_print
 
@@ -76,3 +139,5 @@ for when I want to get slightly more serious about graphics and shaders, though.
 [katabastird_ending]: ./katabastird_almost_done.png "counting down with one second remaining"
 
 [katabastird_predator]: ./katabastird_predator.png "get to the choppah"
+
+[randical_downloads]: ./randical_installs.png "who the hell are these people?"