Full screen figures in Matlab

When I make images of my results in Matlab for publication in papers or showing in presentations, I like to control the size and properties of my figure. However, Matlab does not do a very good job of displaying the images in the correct size while outputting the figures. This post gives an elegant solution to display Matlab figures in full screen mode, which is exactly what I want most of the times.

Baggage & Airlines

Airlines and baggage do not sound like an ideal couple. Here's a very nice post which details what to do in case you leave something on an airplane.

Windows XP Recovery CD + ISO Recorder

I wanted to start the Windows XP Recovery Console from a CD, but I did not have the original Windows XP installation CD, neither did I have the i386 folder in my Windows installation folder. I found that in order to create a bootable CD, the rc.iso can be downloaded from here. The *.iso file cannot be copied directly on to the CD, instead it has to be extracted and burnt on to a CD. Any standard CD burning software such as Nero or Roxio can be used to do this. In case any burning software is not available, a free software to burn *.iso files is ISO Recorder.
Once the boot CD is available, the steps to boot the computer using this CD are as follows:
1. As soon as the power button is pressed, press the F12 key to access the boot list. This is the order in which the BIOS uses devices to boot. Ensure that the CD-ROM is selected to be above the hard drive in the boot list. Insert the boot CD into the CD-ROM drive. Save changes and restart the machine.
2. The computer should now boot using the Windows XP Recovery CD. Once the recovery menu is reached, press R to select the "Repair with Recovery Console" option.
3. Select the Windows installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
4. Type the administrator password when you are prompted to do so. NOTE: If no administrator password exists, just press ENTER. This will provide access to the Windows XP Recovery Console.

Creating Numbered Equations in Microsoft Word 2007

I was trying to create numbered equations in Microsoft Word, so that the equation numbers would automatically update as I keep adding more equations. I found a very nice post on the MSDN website (link), which gives a step by step procedure for creating a customized equation type known as "numbered equation". Writing equations in MS Word is much more tedious than writing them in LaTeX, but if the report has to be made in MS Word, this is a worthwhile thing to know about.

Opening *.eps files with GIMP

I installed GIMP on my system and needed to edit *.eps files. On trying to open an *.eps file, I got an error which did not allow me to open these files since I did not have Ghostscript installed on my system. Even after installing Ghostscript, I saw the same error on trying to open the file. The solution to this was to add an environment variable in Windows to tell GIMP where to look for Ghostscript to open these files. The procedure for this is:
1. Right click on "My Computer" and select "Properties".
2. In the tab "Advanced", select "Environment Variables".
3. In the window on the top, click "New".
4. Variable name: GS_PROG
5. Variable value: C:\Program Files\gs\gs8.64\bin\gswin32.exe (This is the path of the Ghostscript variable on your system).
6. Restart GIMP.

Update (07/19/2011):
In Windows 7, there are 2 types of environment  variables - System variables and User Variables. System variables apply for all users, while User variables only applies for the current user.

Engauge

Engauge is a free software which is useful to pick out data points from a published graph / figure. This is particularly useful while trying to superpose older published data with new results, when the original data files are not readily available. The software interface is pretty straighforward and the help files are decently elaborate. It also has an automated utility to try and detect data points or you can go the manual way by clicking each point that you need. All in all, a very useful utility for technical writing.

Update : I also found a few other alternatives, but I have not used / tested them. Here they are in any case - Plot Digitizer and g3data (this works only for Fedora OS).

Quick & tasty grad student food

At my sister's request, I will deviate from the usual theme of this blog, and post a recipe. Disclaimers include : I do not claim this to be my original recipe, its simply something I find easy to make. I do not claim to be an expert chef, instead I hope this can help a few grad students make a quick meal.

Ingredients:

1. Frozen mixed veggies -  1 packet

2. Onion - 1 medium sized

3. Tomatoes - 2 medium sized

4. Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp

5. Salt - to taste

6. Chilli powder - to taste

7. Coriander powder - 2 tsp

8. Yogurt - 2 tsp (optional)

9. Lemon concentrate (optional)

10. Oil - 2 tsp

Procedure:

1. Microwave the veggies, so that they are 75% cooked. 

2. Heat the oil in a tava. Cut the onions into decent sized pieces (about half an inch on each side) and sautee them in the oil until they look golden-brown.

3. Cut the tomatoes in decent sized pieces, add them to the onions and sautee them too.

4. Add the ginger-garlic paste to this mix and let this cook for a 3-4 minutes.

5. Let the mixture cool down for 5 minutes, and then grind them into a gravy.

6. Meanwhile, take the microwaved veggies and put them in the earlier tava.

7. Add coriander powder, salt, chilli powder and the gravy to the veggies and let it cook for sometime, until the veggies are fully cooked. 

8. If the dish is too spicy, add the yogurt and lemon mix. Be careful at this step, as adding too much of either will make the dish taste sour.

9. If you want to get fancy, add a garnish of cilantro / spring onions at the end.

8. The dish should be ready in a total of 25 minutes or so.

Suggestions:

1. Use canned beans / tofu / paneer instead of veggies. In that case, skip the microwaving step. For a higher calorie meal, fry th tofu / paneer in the oil before sauteeing the onions.

2. If using tofu / paneer, it has to be slow cooked, or else the tofu / paneer will taste raw. 

3. For variety, I replace the coriander powder with cumin powder or garam masala interchangeably. Even better, get one of the Everest masala / MTR powders from the Indian store. Or the best I have found is to use the Patak masala pastes, which can also be found in the Indian stores.

Two requests for all readers:

1. If you have any suggestions / comments about this recipe, let me know.

2. If you have any other quick recipes / links to the same, please post these in the comments too.

Let me know if any of you find this useful !