@Gina Let us know when you run into problems/questions. I find Python much more intuitive than R, but your mileage may vary.
@miriamrobern Temperatures -- in Kelvins.
@miriamrobern Volumes that would put Spinal Tap to shame.
@strypey Wait, you mean of the props in action? We have a show this Friday; I'll try to get some photos and/or video.
@popey I used to prefer Apple hardware, but after the last two laptops the sold me were lemons, my next one will probably be a Framework running Linux.
@strypey Alas, no.
Study I'd like to see that won't ever get done:
Do adults who participate in "structured make - believe" things like roleplaying games, collaborative stories etc. believe in conspiracy theories more or less.
The thing I want to be true is that there is some innate need for imaginary play, and conspiracy theories are a maladaptive way to fill that need. But that's my bias speaking, it could really go either way.
@PeoriaBummer The table of contents looks good!
This is currently in the 8th edition. Weirdly, the first hit on DuckDuckGo is to the 7th edition on Amazon. The "See all formats and editions" button on Amazon only links to the 7th and 3rd, even though they DO sell the 8th edition ... for $115.
The second hit is for the publisher's page for the 7th edition. They don't seem to believe an 8th edition exists. Is it fake?
Sigh. The internet is broken.
(I'm also considering Kernighan's Understanding the Digital World, which is a sweet $20.)
@futurebird I have a hypothesis that learning about a variety of zany mythologies makes it harder to believe the one your parents are pushing is true.
Interesting that #Roku announces they suffered a data breach impacting 15,000 users right after forcing arbitration as a condition of use on their customers.
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/Template%20Notification%203-8-2024.pdf
I'm looking at textbooks for fall courses. There are plenty out there, including a lot free online. Some are too heavy for the intended audience, some are too light, some don't organize or present things in the way I'd like, and plenty are just mediocre.
What makes a book stand out as something I'd ask students to buy? Lots of useful diagrams and lots of exercises.
Someone asked a question about the problem of publishing "least publishable units" of papers, referred to by Michael Ernst as "salami slicing". I agree that atomizing a research process can be substandard, but there's another end of the spectrum... the Guiness World Record Sandwich of paper. So I made a meme to illustrate the spectrum 😅
https://homes.cs.washington.edu/~mernst/advice/write-technical-paper.html#when-to-submit
@erictopol @flowerpot I think the refrain that “more Republicans are dying from COVID” may be wrong actually.
More people who are poor are dying from COVID. There are more poor people in red states/counties. Poor people, on the whole, don’t vote or at least they don’t vote as regularly.
Wealthy people who live in poorer counties though, tend to vote conservative.
1/2
@pvonhellermannn One is reminded of the premise of Robert Louis Stevenson's short story "The Bottle Imp":
"The protagonist buys a bottle with an imp inside that grants wishes. However, the bottle is cursed; if the holder dies bearing it, his or her soul is forfeit to hell. ... The bottle must be sold, for cash, at a loss."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bottle_Imp
The story is the inspiration for a solid card game by the same name:
“In a drastic attempt to protect their beachfront homes, residents in Salisbury, Massachusetts, invested $500,000 in a sand dune to defend against encroaching tides. After being completed last week, the barrier made from 14,000 tons of sand lasted just 72 hours before it was completely washed away”
I have moved to peterdrake@mstdn.social. If you found peterdrake@qoto.org on a website, please let me know at my new account.