“I think frankly what the president needs to do is put his big boy pants on.” – Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kelley
Why Learn R Programming Language?
R is weird, if you are coming from other programming languages, especially those that come out of the C tradition — which is the most common base for languages — be it Perl, Python, Basic or any of C languages. Some of the operators are weird, the function names non-obvious, the arrays start with 1 rather 0.
Some of the functions are cumbersome to type too — the dpylr pipe as %>% can be annoying to type repeatably — which is why RStudio contains shortcuts to speed programming. Likewise, the same can be said about the <- assignment operator, which also is obnoxious to type compared to what most other languages use.
But what makes great R pretty awesome is it is an actually quite compact language for creating graphs, charts and even maps due to the pipe mechanism and many very powerful, well designed libraries. The libraries are also easy to explore and understand — you can call R functions without parameters and if they aren’t compiled C code, will output the code that makes up the function.
Matplotlib is powerful in Python, but it really isn’t as fast and easy to use ggplot2 and the grammar of geometry. Matplotlib does many things good, but it’s a lot more fiddly and the labeling functions don’t work all that well without writing a bunch of your own code. There is plotnine for Python which attempts to bring the best of ggplot2 to Python, but I find a lot of the best functions in R are missing. So it kind of sucks.
More thoughts on a High Voltage DC Power Grid
The other day, I mentioned that with thyristors connected to buck and boost converters, we could have built a much more efficient Direct Current electricity grid without the inherent losses from impedance with Alternating Current. We use 60 Hz AC mainly because it works well with (large) mains transformers and has a relatively low impedance, but it still has a lot of losses from impedance compared to direct current — and causes radio noise and hum. A high-voltage, direct current grid would not only be more efficient, you could bury direct-current lines easier, and not have to worry about storm damage.
The one issue I didn’t really address is the inherent dangers of high-voltage direct current — namely the difficulty of quenching arching, due to the lack of zero voltage crossing point. Direct current, especially high voltage direct current is difficult to break, as if you break mechanically, it will arc over — quite a long distance as the natural quenching of the zero voltage crossing point doesn’t exist like with AC. You can safely break a DC current using a thyristor, but what happens if a power line mechanically fails? It could arc over for some time, before fully breaking, causing enormous amounts of heat to be produced in the mean-time, turning large sections of wire into plasma. A high-voltage alternating current line might arc over and burn for a while, but it would relatively quickly break the connection, once enough of the line vaporized and sufficient air gap existed and the zero-point was crossed.
Glad I’m not dependent on technology
I am kind of glad that I grew up in an era before modern technology. While it’s kind of neat that my two and a half years old niece can figure out how to call me over Duo (even though I lack the app), I’m kind of glad I’m not dependent on such technology.📵 It’s kind of nice not feeling like I have to have internet or television 📺 where I live but are quite happy with the solitude and doing what I need on the internet or bandwidth intensively either down at the public library or other public hotspot.📚
Low income
I do a lot of reading and clicking on ads about low-income services and products. I enjoy figuring out the various products, how they work and how they scam or otherwise defraud the poor. Sometimes for some people in certain situations though they might be a good deal or make sense for them.
I am always looking to save a few bucks or earn a little more money, although most of the things I see marketed are incredibly scammy. But maybe I’m just resistent to change. But I’m always fascinated by how the poor live and get by, especially with everything being as expensive as it is these days.
My budget is always tight and I’m always looking for ways to save a bit of money. I do wish government programs like food stamps or housing assistance were available for me – it would be nice to get some healthy groceries for free or save a bit on rent. Not that I really need it – my rent excluding utilities is under 10% of my income and grocery bill is only a few percent. I’m fortunate compared to some but I wouldn’t mind a little extra to save towards tomorrow.
Most of the tips you find on the internet are marketing scams, silly or things that I do already. I installed energy efficient bulbs in my apartment the day I moved in 18 years ago. I keep the heat low, I don’t have a television, home internet or television. I unplug everything from the microwave to my computer when I’m not using it. I invest in high interest savings accounts and low cost index funds, do a lot of shopping at Wally World. All things the internet loves but aren’t a savings when that’s your norm.
Some day when I own my own land and live out in the country, I’ll probably be making a lot less money. While I’ll have more savings at that point, the frugal habits I have now will help me in the future. Maybe I’ll have lower expenses, although land and a home can be expensive to manage. But good habits I learn today can lead a healthier future.
Where did the warm weather go?
Finally put my summer clothes back in the attic. Got the remaining winter clothes out. I still can’t believe the warm weather has disappeared so quickly, it seems like it was just spring time a few weeks ago.
The Long Commute 🚘️
One of the things I don’t like about owning land is the long commute. Everybody warns me about it, but it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with it having lived in Dormansville for many years growing up and commuting various jobs in the Greater Albany area. I haven’t driven to work in many years, but I do remember those days well. I also drove from Dormansville up to Hudson Valley Community for two years, five days a week. That was about 30 miles each way.
Some people do long commutes to get more affordable property. Other people do it because they like the rural lifestyle, they want acerage, land they can call their own. That’s the camp I fall into. I have determined that a 30 mile commute — 45 minutes each way or an hour and half total is a reasonable trade off for a rural lifestyle. Especially if much of that commute is on fast-moving, 2 lane rural highways, it’s something I can live with even if it’s a pretty big nuisance.
Things have changed in my life — working in the suburban office with acres of parking, and a 9-5 schedule. Except for those dark days in November, December, January and early February, most of the time I will be driving in the daylight. It’s much different then when I was working the late nights, in a downtown office, where the only option for parking was off-site in a large parking garage.
At roughly 350 miles a week (assuming up to 10 miles per day side trips), it’s a lot of driving and it’s tough on cars. As much as 18,200 miles a year. Each week 7 1/2 hours spent motoring if it’s 45 minutes each way. Then again, I guess the flip side is that’s about what I spend on bus between the time getting out to the stop, waiting for the bus to arrive and head home. But a whole lot more expensive. And that’s time I can’t spend exercising or doing other things, though I can certainly stream podcasts and audio books as I drive.
I can figure on using a tankful of gas each week. Probably not an $80 or $100 tankful, as I don’t think my big jacked up truck has all that much useful life in it, but certainly $50-75 a week in fuel, especially if I end up something like a 4×4 compact pickup like a Toyota Tacoma. Probably going to need something with four-wheel drive out in the country for the winter and mud season. When fuel prices inevitably go up to $5 or $6 it will become a big pain the but though my budget and salary can absorb it. Plus replacing the vehicle every 8-10 years due to the mileage more then the age. Again, I’m sure I can afford it but do I want it?
I don’t know, I kind of like living in the city and busing and biking it to work. I don’t have to worry about weather or breakdowns. But the flip side, is I like being out in country, having fires, burning things, listening to frogs and howl of the coyote and the idea of owning my own land, and not being a pawn at a landlord’s game. Where I have a real home, not a moldy shit shack where I get my mail and plan my next escape to the wilderness. It’s where my roots are. I really struggle to know what’s right but I’m deeply unhappy with the my current situation.
