Ryan Womack

Tag: Ryandata

A manual backup routine using AWS

Posted:   |   Tags: Amazon, AWS, backup, blog, encryption, linux, ryandata, wordpress

This post is also slightly off topic – not a data announcement, workshop, video, etc. But it does contain one specific instance of something that everyone should be thinking about – data backup. Everyone knows the rule of three – keep at least three backups of your precious files and make sure at least one of them is offsite in case of disaster. I needed to develop a new routine for my home computer backup after deciding to seize control of my system back from SpiderOak. Read more...

Installing Debian/XFCE (Linux) on Dell XPS 13 9350

Posted:   |   Tags: blog, Debian, Dell XPS, Linux, ryandata, XFCE

Well, this is off topic for the theme of the blog, but I felt the urge to record an expurgated version of my recent installation of Linux on a new Dell XPS 13 (9350), for the potential edification of the populace. I will try to make it brief, by my standards 🙂 (but I guess I failed..) This is not in any way an objective post, but I am just blowing off steam and letting my opinions fly. Read more...

PLE (Personal Learning Environment)

Posted:   |   Tags: blog, Personal Learning Environment (PLE), ryandata, Statistics

I am responding to a now defunct post by my colleague, Francesca Giannetti. The discussion there is about the PLE, or personal learning environment. I think it’s interesting to reflect on, because most of the time I am just marinating in my PLE rather than conscious of it. I find that I use different communication mechanisms for different purposes, and they have different time scales and impacts on my thinking. Enough generalities, let’s jump in! Read more...

Benford's Law

Posted:   |   Tags: Benford, blog, ryandata, Statistics

I somehow skipped through life up to now without encountering Benford’s Law. Now that I have, I am flabbergasted that it is not more widely known, or maybe I’ve just been hanging with wrong crowd. Here’s a hint. If I have a set of measurements, like the population of countries, or a list of atomic weights, how often would you expect the first digit of the measurement to be 1? Well, it can’t start with a zero, but any of the other 9 digits is possible, right? Read more...