I’ve been doing a lot of data analysis for a couple clients lately; I’m using R pretty heavily, and thought that I would create this post to keep track of the R resources I use most. This post will be updated frequently over the coming days as I fine-tune my R installation. Things I use or recommend: Stats Mini-Courses from the UCLA Statistics Center, including a lot of valuable information on the basics of loading and manipulating data in R Getting Started (on Mac):

If one listens to the faintest but constant suggestions of his genius, which are certainly true, he sees not to what extremes, or even insanity, it may lead him; and yet that way, as he grows more resolute and faithful, his road lies. The faintest assured objection which one healthy man feels will at length prevail over the arguments and customs of mankind. No man ever followed his genius till it misled him.

ccindecision:

continuations: The most important initial consideration is the nature of innovation for your particular startup. Is your innovation primarily a social/behavioral/market structure one (think Instagram, Tumblr, Etsy) or a technical one (think v1 of Google, Twilio)? If it is the former you should tend to go conservative in your technology choices whereas in the latter you must pick something risky. Choosing Your Technologies When You Start

If you’re like me - technical, but by no means a Dev Ops guru - setting up a new linux VPS so that it’s reasonably secure is a bit intimidating. This post is a useful how-to, and has good, well-explained tips on how to configure and run a reasonably secure linux VPS. My First 5 Minutes On A Server; Or, Essential Security for Linux Servers

I feel like the only reason you could be asking me that question is because you think I’m stupid or because you’re trying to see if I’m going to lie to you. Andrew Mason, as quoted by Elizabeth Spiers in Andrew Mason’s Last Interview as Groupon CEO

swapped: The last time I sent out an update for one my projects, I did it a bit differently. Instead of mailing all 2000 subscribers on the mailing list at once, I sent the newsletter in 5 batches, one batch a day, from Saturday to Wednesday. This was three weeks ago and today I got around to looking at the stats. Read More #obviousinhindsight :)

I haven’t been following the Tesla/New York Times controversy all that closely, but as I read Tesla’s detailed rebuttal this morning I couldn’t help but think of how mobile devices and detailed tracking could change (are changing) critical journalism. To recap, last Friday John Broder of the Times published a scathing review of the Tesla S. Broder claimed that the Tesla left him freezing at the side of the road with a flat battery, despite his following the car’s instructions on when to charge and how to drive.

bobulate: The times displayed on Grand Central’s departure boards are wrong — by a full minute: This is permanent. It is also purposeful. The idea is that passengers rushing to catch trains they’re about to miss can actually be dangerous — to themselves, and to each other. So conductors will pull out of the station exactly one minute after their trains’ posted departure times. You might call this time-hacking; you might call it behavioral engineering; you might call it comical.

As someone who’s now Older Than Dirt, in internet years, I’ve really had no reason to use Snapchat. So I really didn’t know what all the fuss was about until I read this post from Sean Haufler. I’d encourage you to read the full post, but here’s what jumped out: “Snapchat’s time limits make snaps more engaging. Since snaps disappear seconds after they are opened, users feel comfortable sending spontaneous and personal messages that they would not want ingrained into digital histories.