I wrote before about using heatmap tables to combine the strengths of tables and graphics for nominal data. Here is a neat approach using Sweave and latex to produce an effect like in the picture. This latex code is self-contain... [Read more...]

So the other day’s experiment with the Failed States Index and the Polity Data didn’t yield the linear trend I had originally expected.  After all, the two measure fundamentally distinct things.  But perhaps there’s another dataset which will match linearly.  The same people who made polity also ... [Read more...]

Last year Wikipedia rolled out a pilot program to use Wikipedia article creation as an assignment in the classroom. Students wrote articles on a topic area and rather than turning them into a professor and forgetting about it they upload it to Wikipedia and expose it to readers around the ... [Read more...]

Yesterday's New York Times includes a great article on the failure of some genetic tests for cancer detection, and the flaws in the research that led to them. The article features quotes from Keith Baggerly of MD Anderson Cancer Center, and includes a photo of him and colleague Kevin Coombes ... [Read more...]

As announced by the R core team, R 2.13.1 has been released on schedule today. For those who build R themselves, updated source code is available now; pre-built binaries will propagate through the CRAN network over the next couple of days. This update includes some minor bug fixes to graphics, fixes ... [Read more...]

So, I decided to sit down and have a little fun with that Failed States Index data I put together. To start, I expect that the dataset will be pretty linearly correlated with the polity IV data. This makes sense–true democracies aren’t failed states, and failed states tend ... [Read more...]

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If you want the graphics you create with R to look their best, in general it's best to go for a vector-based graphics format instead of a raster-based format. Common formats like GIF and JPG are raster-based: the image is composed of pixels, and if you don't choose a high ... [Read more...]

Ask anyone how much time has elapsed since September last year and they’ll probably start counting on their fingers: “October, November…” and tell you “just over 9 months.” So, when faced as I was today with a data frame (named dates) like this: How to add a 7th column, with ... [Read more...]

A maintenance release version 0.9.5 of Rcpp is now on CRAN and in Debian. This release comprises a number of minor fixes, extensions as well as small additions to the documentation and examples which have accumulated since the last release in Apr... [Read more...]

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The raster package defines classes and methods for spatial raster data access and manipulation. The new rasterVis package complements raster providing a set of methods for enhanced visualization and interaction. It is now at CRAN. Several examples can ... [Read more...]

Marketo, a leading marketing automation company, relies on data analysis to implement the features in its hosted application that help companies get the most out of their marketing dollar. We've just published a case study about how Marketo uses Revolution R Enterprise and the R language to analyze the massive ... [Read more...]

There is many flavors of artificial intelligence (AI), however I want to show practical example of the cluster analysis. It is very applicable in finance. For example, one of stylized facts of volatility is, that it moves in clusters, meaning that today’s volatility will be more likely as yesterday’... [Read more...]

Linear regression models are a major component of every applied researcher's toolbox. Obtaining results more quickly is therefore of central importance, particularly when many such models have to be fit. Common examples in this context are Monte Carl... [Read more...]

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A new local R user group has formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, under the succinct name ".aR". They're currently putting together the agenda for their first meeting, and are looking for speakers with expertise in the BioConductor project and Finance. If you'd like to join the group, check out the ... [Read more...]

Last weekend here in the states was the 4th of July long weekend, one of the busier air travel days of the year. As anyone who flies in the States knows, with air travel often comes frustration, and in this social media age many express their frustration on Twitter: The ... [Read more...]

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Today, cloud computing is used in many application areas from academic research to industry. Commercial cloud providers as Amazon Web Services (AWS) advertise the simple and fast access to cloud computing resources. Posts in different blogs proof that you can get your application running in the cloud, but it will ... [Read more...]