Churchill walking with destiny

A wonderful book, the audio version is just over 50 hours long.
A great biography of a great man. I really enjoyed the book.

Written by British biographer Andrew Roberts, the book is based on extensive materials, like diaries, letters, unpublished memoirs and detailed notes taken by King George VI, which have never been used in former biographies of Churchill.

According to Roberts, “There have been 1,009 biographies of Winston Churchill written over the past 113 years. It might seem hubristic to say it after quite so many books, but I think the shelves will fit one more cradle-to-grave biography of him.”

He made trips to many places related to Churchill, like “the Cuban jungle where Churchill heard his first shot fired in anger on the eve of his twentieth birthday”,  “the battlefields of Gallipoli in Turkey where his reputation floundered”, and the rooms where he was born and died.

“I hope that readers will take away from the book a sense there is still a place for honor and heroism in what can sometimes seem like a crabbed, ill-tempered and petty world. Also the knowledge that, however many mistakes one might make in life – and Churchill made dozens, this is no hagiography – if like him you genuinely learn from them you can still achieve something great,” Roberts said.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202107/29/WS61026fb8a310efa1bd665543.html

The Old Woman with the Knife

Just finished reading this great book. It is full of references from my stay in Korea and from Korean movies, that bring back good memories.
But no Granny assassians 🙂

From the amazon page for the book

The Old Woman with the Knife

by Gu Byeong-mo,  Chi-Young Kim (Translator)

The kinetic story of a sixty-five-year-old female assassin who faces an unexpected threat in the twilight of her career–this is an international bestseller and the English language debut from an award-winning South Korean author

At sixty-five, Hornclaw is beginning to slow down. She lives modestly in a small apartment, with only her aging dog, a rescue named Deadweight, to keep her company. There are expectations for people her age–that she’ll retire and live out the rest of her days quietly. But Hornclaw is not like other people. She is an assassin.

Double-crossers, corporate enemies, cheating spouses–for the past four decades, Hornclaw has killed them all with ruthless efficiency, and the less she’s known about her targets, the better. But now, nearing the end of her career, she has just slipped up. An injury leads her to an unexpected connection with a doctor and his family. But emotions, for an assassin, are a dangerous proposition. As Hornclaw’s world closes in, this final chapter in her career may also mark her own bloody end.

A sensation in South Korea, and now translated into English for the first time by Chi-Young Kim, The Old Woman with the Knife is an electrifying, singular, mordantly funny novel about the expectations imposed on aging bodies and the dramatic ways in which one woman chooses to reclaim her agency.

#korea

Web Links

R

https://oscarbaruffa.com/rscreencasts/

A very experienced Data Scientist called David Robinson has recorded his Tidy Tuesday analyses and posted them on Youtube – well over 80 of them, each at about an hour long! Watching his screencasts is a fantastic way to see how someone approaches an analyses when it’s the first time they see the data. 
Perhaps showing even more dedication, Alex Cookson and Eric Fletcher have painstakingly gone through the recordings, timestamped and annotated them with a description of David’s activity and which packages and functions he’s used. Make no mistake, this is an incredible amount of work. They captured everything in this publicly available google sheet.
Based off my experience in generating website content from a spreadsheet for Big Book of R, and wanting to try build a website with Quarto (next generation of rmarkdown), I put everything together to create www.RScreencasts.com. Now you can more easily navigate the screencasts, the individual timestamps, packages, functions and all via a searchable web interface. Using Quarto was easier than I expected (I’ve never used blogdown or distill before) and thanks to chat with Gavin Masterson (twitter)who has tried it, I felt confident enough to give it a go.  

  • https://jfjelstul.github.io/regular-expressions-tutorial/
  • RStudio Community Table Gallery
    https://www.rstudio.com/blog/rstudio-community-table-gallery/
  • https://github.com/Roche/ggtips
    R package that provides a set of functions to enhance your ggplots with eye-pleasing tooltips easily, and render them in your Shiny apps.
  • https://oscarbaruffa.com/

Cycling
– https://bikepacking.com/plan/bikepacking-overnighter-gear-list-video/

Misc
– https://www.beamjobs.com/resumes/data-analyst-resume-examples

Free Mac Utils for stuff that should just work

BetterDummy

Apple Silicon Macs notoriously don’t allow sub-4K resolution displays to have HiDPI (“Retina”) resolutions even though most 1440p display would greatly benefit from having a HiDPI “Retina” mode

https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDummy

MonitorControl 

Controls your external display brightness and volume and shows native OSD. Use menulet sliders or the keyboard, including native Apple keys!

https://github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControl

Web Linkings

R
GitHub – TheEconomist/covid-19-excess-deaths-tracker: Source code and data for The Economist’s covid-19 excess deaths tracker
2020 R Conference on Government – Speaker Videos
ggplot Wizardry Hands-On
Reed College | Data at Reed | R Resources
SDS 375: Syllabus
Using RSelenium to scrape a paginated HTML table
ggplot2tortutorials to help you master ggplot2. Each tutorial provides a step-by-step guide that teaches you how to create visualizations that go beyond the basics of ggplot2
ggplot2tor – The complete guide to scales
rstudio::global 2021 talks – RStudio
Exploring missing values in naniar. Really Good !
Using R Markdown to Track and Publish State Data | by Data@Urban | Apr, 2021 | Medium
Learn tidytext with my new learnr course | Julia Silge
Tutorial: Adding Open Street Map Data to Rayshader Maps in R – Rayverse Blog
GitHub – seankross/postcards: 💌 Create simple, beautiful personal websites and landing pages using only R Markdown.
What is RYouWithMe? | R-Ladies Sydney – intro to R
Using tuber • tuber
CRAN – Package readrba – Download and Tidy Data from the Reserve Bank of Australia
How to download YouTube data in R using “tuber” and “purrr” – Storybench
Custom Google Analytics Dashboards with R: Downloading Data | RStudio Blog
GitHub – thebioengineer/tidytuesdayR: Extract weekly TidyTuesday Data/Readme
.Rddj – Resources for doing data journalism with R
Karandeep Singh Lab – LHS 610
GitHub – wleepang/DesktopDeployR: A framework for deploying self-contained R-based applications to the desktop
a. Learning R · Joscelinrocha/Learning-R-Resources Wiki · GitHub
🎡 tidyexplain · Garrick Aden‑BuieTidy Animated Verbs to describes joins …. Very nice for teaching
Introduction to the Field of Statistics (and R)
UO Psych R Bootcamp
the ggplot flipbook
free range statistics – A good Australian blog on economics and other subjects with R being used for analysis and charting.
Leveling Up With The Tidyverse (And Hockey Data) | Meghan Hall

Closing 2020: A summer of ethics in data science education · Teach Data Science
learnR4free – Links to many learning resources
GitHub – iamericfletcher/awesome-r-learning-resources: A curated collection of free resources to help deepen your understanding of the R programming language. Updated regularly. Contributions encouraged via a pull request (see contributing.md).

Introduction to the Field of Statistics (and R)
R-Ladies Global – YouTube
How to Scrape Word Documents with R
How to Automate PowerPoint Slidedecks with R
Thematic Maps • tmap
Building an animation step-by-step with gganimate · Alex Cookson
Extract Images from PDFs
Poppler
GitHub – sckott/pdfimager: Extract images from pdfs using poppler

Storybench from Northeastern University’s School of Journalism – Storybench

The Essence of Calculus, Chapter 1 – YouTube
Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Homepage | Media Manipulation Casebook
GitHub – srkobakian/sugarbag: An R package to create tessellated hexagon maps of Australia.

Python

Personal Data Warehouses: Reclaiming Your Data – Github talk about dog sheep and Datasette
Dogsheep | dogsheep.github.io
Datasette: An open source multi-tool for exploring and publishing data
All of our data journalism in one spreadsheet | News | theguardian.com

Setup :: Modern Python Developer’s Toolkit
Introducing an Interactive Textbook for Cultural Analysis with Python – Melanie Walsh
Introduction to Cultural Analytics & Python — Introduction to Cultural Analytics & Python
GitHub – maxhumber/hickory: 🕰 The command line tool for scheduling Python scripts
facebookTranscripts/facebookTranscripts.py at master · lorenzoromani1983/facebookTranscripts · GitHub
GitHub – jasondixon5/healy_data_viz_port_to_python: A recreation of the plots in Kieran Healy’s book Data Visualization in Python
GitHub – abrignoni/iLEAPP: iOS Logs, Events, And Plist Parser

Excel

European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group – spreadsheet risk management and solutions conference

Raspberry Pi

Running a dockerized Shiny-Server on Raspberry Pi 4b Buster – shiny – RStudio Community
https://community.rstudio.com/t/running-a-dockerized-shiny-server-on-raspberry-pi-4b-buster/68222
Setting up your own shiny-server / rstudio-server on a Raspberry Pi 3B+ – RStudio IDE – RStudio Community
Ghost Pi – 👻 🍰Ghost Pi is hosted on a Raspberry Pi and covers all you need to know to do the same, such as using custom domain names and a CDN to optimise your blog.
Learn Electronics with Raspberry Pi (2nd Edition) Book – Electronic and software projects from Penguintutor.com
GitHub – openbook/shouldi-eink-display: Create a low powered, renewable generation forecast display with a Raspberry Pi Zero & Inky wHAT.

Cycling

JaYoe World Tour Homepage | Follow Matt Cycling Around The World!

Wheelbuilding book for cycle wheels 7th Edition
Review: Rigida/Ryde Andra 30 Rim – CyclingAbout.com
How to Build a Strong Rohloff Wheel – CyclingAbout.com
Tour Aotearoa: Kopiko Aotearoa

BOOKS

Rapport: The Four Ways to Read People eBook: Alison, Emily, Alison, Laurence: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store

今月から、スタジオジブリ作品の場面写真の提供を開始します – スタジオジブリ|STUDIO GHIBLI
Lots of pictures from studio Ghibli films

Watch Apple Refurb deals and save up to 40% – Refurb Tracker
Amazon.com: Upgraded Anker Nano iPhone Charger, 20W PIQ 3.0 Durable Compact Fast Charger, PowerPort III USB-C Charger for iPhone 12/12 Mini/12 Pro/12 Pro Max, Galaxy, Pixel 4/3, iPad Pro, AirPods Pro, and More

Humour

tik-tok – [why do adualts over 40 use ellipses so much](https://www.google.com.au/search?q=why+do+adualts+over+40+use+ellipses+so+much)

Grow your own with the Raspberry Pi for less than 30 dollars

2020 Music Listing Habits

Attachment.jpeg
My most played songs from 2020 according to Apple Music

The top 100 songs I played were:

  1. Toss a Coin to Your Witcher – Sonya Belousova, Giona Ostinelli & Joey Batey
  2. 임이 오는 소리 – GAIN & MINSEO
  3. Break – Beenzino
  4. If I Were a Boy – Beyoncé
  5. Champion – PSY
  6. Alive – Sia
  7. Piel Canela – Joséphine Baker
  8. Sinnerman (From “Lovecraft Country”) – Geek Music
  9. Me Gusta – Shakira & Anuel AA
  10. Love You Like a Love Song – Selena Gomez & The Scene
  11. We Don’t Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez) – Charlie Puth
  12. Perfect Duet (with Beyoncé) – Ed Sheeran
  13. Way Back – Safira.K
  14. Superstar (feat. Michael Thomas Grant) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  15. Don’t Look Back – Boston
  16. Lover’s Concerto – Kelly Chen
  17. Paint It, Black – Ramin Djawadi
  18. Puttin’ on the Ritz – Taco
  19. Walk Like an Egyptian – The Bangles
  20. Fever – Peggy Lee
  21. Mando Is Back – Ludwig Göransson
  22. Enjoy the Fights – Ludwig Göransson
  23. Ojos Así – Shakira
  24. Addicted to You – Shakira
  25. Ring of Fire (Mono) – Johnny Cash
  26. Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) [Remix] – Lil Nas X
  27. In Your Room – The Bangles
  28. Happier (feat. John Clarence Stewart & India de Beaufort) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  1. September Gurls – The Bangles
  2. Bangkok / One Night In Bangkok – Murray Head
  3. Let’s Stay Together (feat. Michael Thomas Grant) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  4. Crazy in Love (feat. Jay-Z) – Beyoncé
  5. Classical Gas – Mason Williams
  6. If She Knew What She Wants – The Bangles
  7. The Ponds of Sorgan – Ludwig Göransson
  8. Summer Time – Kelly Chen
  9. Perfect (feat. Peter Gallagher & Mary Steenburgen) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  10. Yeh, Yeh – Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames
  11. Bailamos (feat. Alex Newell & Patrick Ortiz) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  12. The Boy Is Mine (feat. Lauren Graham & Renée Elise Goldsberry) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  13. Say My Name (feat. India de Beaufort) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  14. Tusken Raiders – Ludwig Göransson
  15. I’m Yours (feat. Jane Levy) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  16. If I Can’t Have You (feat. Skylar Astin) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  17. Snacks – Ludwig Göransson
  18. All Those Years Ago – George Harrison
  19. Lover Boy – Clazziquai Project
  20. Off the Grid – Ludwig Göransson
  21. Lose Yourself (Soundtrack Version) – Eminem
  22. Popcorn – Hot Butter
  23. The Marshal’s Tale – Ludwig Göransson
  24. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) [feat. Skylar Astin] – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  25. The Sound Of Silence (feat. Peter Gallagher & Zak Orth) Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  26. Can I Feed Him? – Ludwig Göransson
  27. Get the Child – Ludwig Göransson
  28. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (feat. Stephanie Styles) Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  29. Here I Go Again (feat. Skylar Astin & John Clarence Stewart) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  30. I Will Follow Him (feat. Alex Newell) [Music From the Original TV Series] – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  31. I Want You to Want Me (feat. Jane Levy) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist 60. Beneath the Ice – Ludwig Göransson
  32. Back Together – Ludwig Göransson
  33. Ship o hoj, Mandalorians! – Ludwig Göransson
  34. Training the Plebs – Ludwig Göransson
  35. Reunited – Ludwig Göransson
  36. American Pie (Music From the Original TV Series) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  37. Eternal Flame – The Bangles
  38. Stay – Ludwig Göransson
  39. Experiment – Ludwig Göransson
  40. Puttin’ on the Ritz 2017 (feat. tomX) [Jazzy Radio Mix] Taco
  41. A Little Less Conversation (feat. Mary Steenburgen) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  42. Rabiosa (feat. Pitbull) – Shakira
  43. Riddle of Steel / Riders of Doom – Basil Poledouris
  44. Quite a Soldier – Ludwig Göransson
  45. How Do I Live (feat. Jane Levy) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  46. Long Live the Empire – Ludwig Göransson
  47. La Luna – Belinda Carlisle
  48. Jealous (feat. John Clarence Stewart) [Music From the Original TV Series] – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  49. 失憶周末 – Kelly Chen
  50. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) [feat. Peter Gallagher & Andrew Leeds] [Music From the Original TV Series] – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  51. Journey of the Sorcerer (From “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”) – Mark Ayres
  52. No Woman No Cry – Boney M.
  53. Camp Attack – Ludwig Göransson
  54. I’ve Got the Music in Me (feat. Jane Levy) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  55. Spirit of the Woods – Ludwig Göransson
  56. Mando Says Goodbye – Ludwig Göransson
  57. All of Me (feat. Skylar Astin) [Music From the Original TV Series] – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist 87. Crazy (feat. Jane Levy) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  58. The Standoff – Ludwig Göransson
  59. Don’t Speak (feat. Kapil Talwalkar) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  60. Each Night in Bed I Think of Her Assets – Cho Young Wook & The Soundtrackings
  61. To the Jawas – Ludwig Göransson
  62. Livin’ Thing (2012 Version) – Electric Light Orchestra
  63. Invaders on Their Land – Ludwig Göransson
  64. Wrecking Ball (feat. Lauren Graham) – Cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
  65. Jawas Attack – Ludwig Göransson
  66. It was Wrong to Come Here – Cho Young Wook & The Soundtrackings
  67. A Warrior’s Death – Ludwig Göransson
  68. The Story – Ludwig Göransson
  69. Love.Love.Love.Love – Susie Suh
  70. Let Me Tell You About Our Miss Hideko – Cho Young Wook & The Soundtrackings

Your 100 most listened songs have an average track duration of 3.2 minutes. All together, they have a total duration of 5.4 hours.

In total, you’ve listened to your Top 100 songs 41.4 hours this year (that’s 2484 minutes).

(That’s the number of times you’ve listened to each song in full, without skipping.)

Site is back up after 185 days

Why? I didn’t have anything to say and renewing the site would cost either too much money or require me to think (too much)

I just didn’t feel like it.

But VenturaIP now have their Oktoberfest 2021 Sale – Get 70% off all new hosting services!

So $36 AUD for one years hosting is a great bargain.

This year it was very easy to get the website up and running because I had a complete backup of the website via an export as well as a backup of the wp-contents/uploads folder where all the images are stored.

The only thing problem I had was WordPress didn’t see all the old media in its media browser because I had FTP to the new site.
Solution: Media Sync plugin which is a “simple plugin to scan uploads directory and bring files to Media Library.”

I also restarted the blog last year, see below:

More bobiverse

It seems I am a big Dennis Taylor fan, In less then a week after devouring the first two books in the series I polished off the third: All These Worlds

All These Worlds (Bobiverse Book 3) eBook: Taylor, Dennis ...

With no more bobiverse books until October I listened to the first of his new series: Outland

OUTLAND – Dennis E. Taylor

Outland is set in the present when there is an eruption of a super volcano under Yellowstone national park.
Our heroes have invented a portal to a multiverse, where there are alternative versions of Earth. The Earth they flee too is one where man is not present.
So mega fauna is still present such as sabre tooth tigers, mammoths, and giant sloths.