Ben Schneider
@bschneidr.bsky.social
Stats, surveys, R, and dogs.
www.practicalsignificance.com
www.practicalsignificance.com
Reposted by Ben Schneider
#rstats
It is with profound sadness I heard that my long-time friend and colleague, John Fox passed away this week.
He was the author of {car}, {effects}, {Rcmdr}, ... and numerous influential books. I will miss him greatly.
www.john-fox.ca
It is with profound sadness I heard that my long-time friend and colleague, John Fox passed away this week.
He was the author of {car}, {effects}, {Rcmdr}, ... and numerous influential books. I will miss him greatly.
www.john-fox.ca
John Fox: Books and Software
www.john-fox.ca
November 28, 2025 at 3:26 PM
#rstats
It is with profound sadness I heard that my long-time friend and colleague, John Fox passed away this week.
He was the author of {car}, {effects}, {Rcmdr}, ... and numerous influential books. I will miss him greatly.
www.john-fox.ca
It is with profound sadness I heard that my long-time friend and colleague, John Fox passed away this week.
He was the author of {car}, {effects}, {Rcmdr}, ... and numerous influential books. I will miss him greatly.
www.john-fox.ca
Reposted by Ben Schneider
One of the things that has been on my to do list for a very long time, is building a gallery of all of the charts I've made across #TidyTuesday, #30DayChartChallenge, #30DayMapChallenge, and other miscellaneous projects 📊
And it's finally here!
Link: nrennie.rbind.io/viz-gallery/
#DataViz #RStats
And it's finally here!
Link: nrennie.rbind.io/viz-gallery/
#DataViz #RStats
Data Visualisation Gallery
Gallery of data visualisations created by Nicola Rennie.
nrennie.rbind.io
November 26, 2025 at 1:33 PM
One of the things that has been on my to do list for a very long time, is building a gallery of all of the charts I've made across #TidyTuesday, #30DayChartChallenge, #30DayMapChallenge, and other miscellaneous projects 📊
And it's finally here!
Link: nrennie.rbind.io/viz-gallery/
#DataViz #RStats
And it's finally here!
Link: nrennie.rbind.io/viz-gallery/
#DataViz #RStats
Reposted by Ben Schneider
Government data shape and improve our lives from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep.
Here’s a quick look at how...
apdu.org?p=5814113
Here’s a quick look at how...
apdu.org?p=5814113
A Day in the Life with Federal Government Data – Association of Public Data Users
apdu.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Government data shape and improve our lives from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep.
Here’s a quick look at how...
apdu.org?p=5814113
Here’s a quick look at how...
apdu.org?p=5814113
Reposted by Ben Schneider
Sorry, I think my f**king eyes just rolled out of the back of my head.
"I do worry of science becoming a political battleground. That’s not going to help anyone. The winners and the losers, they’re both going to be losers." @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social professor John Ioannidis at #StiglerAntitrust25
November 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Sorry, I think my f**king eyes just rolled out of the back of my head.
Reposted by Ben Schneider
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
One of the bragging rights that the US ed system had in the 20th century is that we didn't have education tracks. Essentially, any kid could go to a CC or state school & major in whatever they wanted to (obviously an oversimplification). I fear this aspect of the American dream is dying.
November 23, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
Reposted by Ben Schneider
"the emails depict a group whose highest commitment is to their own permanence in the class that decides things. When principles conflict with staying in the network, the network wins."
An excellent and tragically necessary piece from Anand Giridharadas (@anandwrites.bsky.social) for the NYT (gift-link): www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
Opinion | How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:43 PM
"the emails depict a group whose highest commitment is to their own permanence in the class that decides things. When principles conflict with staying in the network, the network wins."
Reposted by Ben Schneider
SHE IS ROASTING COFFEE WHILE MARCHING IN THE PARADE this is why Silver Spring is the best Spring
November 22, 2025 at 5:32 PM
SHE IS ROASTING COFFEE WHILE MARCHING IN THE PARADE this is why Silver Spring is the best Spring
Reposted by Ben Schneider
🚨 Republican push to make U.S. census surveys voluntary alarms statisticians
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Republican push to make U.S. census surveys voluntary alarms statisticians
Pending bills targeting decennial census and American Community Survey would make results less reliable
www.science.org
November 18, 2025 at 9:21 PM
🚨 Republican push to make U.S. census surveys voluntary alarms statisticians
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Ben Schneider
Trump has found a terrifyingly effective way to eliminate bad news: delete the data.
From hunger and poverty stats to foreign investment numbers, federal agencies are being gutted—making it harder to measure the impact of his policies.
@crampell.bsky.social reports:
From hunger and poverty stats to foreign investment numbers, federal agencies are being gutted—making it harder to measure the impact of his policies.
@crampell.bsky.social reports:
November 21, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Trump has found a terrifyingly effective way to eliminate bad news: delete the data.
From hunger and poverty stats to foreign investment numbers, federal agencies are being gutted—making it harder to measure the impact of his policies.
@crampell.bsky.social reports:
From hunger and poverty stats to foreign investment numbers, federal agencies are being gutted—making it harder to measure the impact of his policies.
@crampell.bsky.social reports:
Reposted by Ben Schneider
I'm *loving* structured outputs in {ellmer} for extracting data from text directly into R objects, removing the need to write pedantic prompts about output format! 😻
Here's a quick example - extracting info about Kendrick Lamar from his Wiki page.
gist.github.com/thisisnic/e4...
#rstats #llms
Here's a quick example - extracting info about Kendrick Lamar from his Wiki page.
gist.github.com/thisisnic/e4...
#rstats #llms
November 11, 2025 at 6:44 PM
I'm *loving* structured outputs in {ellmer} for extracting data from text directly into R objects, removing the need to write pedantic prompts about output format! 😻
Here's a quick example - extracting info about Kendrick Lamar from his Wiki page.
gist.github.com/thisisnic/e4...
#rstats #llms
Here's a quick example - extracting info about Kendrick Lamar from his Wiki page.
gist.github.com/thisisnic/e4...
#rstats #llms
Reposted by Ben Schneider
The recording of my #rstats posit::conf talk ✨ practical {renv}✨ is available! 🎉
I created this talk for frustrated {renv} users 🫠 and potential {renv} users🤩
youtu.be/l01u7Ue9pIQ?...
Even if {renv} isn't on your radar, you may still find this talk interesting if you are curious about🤔...
I created this talk for frustrated {renv} users 🫠 and potential {renv} users🤩
youtu.be/l01u7Ue9pIQ?...
Even if {renv} isn't on your radar, you may still find this talk interesting if you are curious about🤔...
Practical {renv} (Shannon Pileggi, The PCCTC) | posit::conf(2025)
YouTube video by Posit PBC
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 1:32 PM
The recording of my #rstats posit::conf talk ✨ practical {renv}✨ is available! 🎉
I created this talk for frustrated {renv} users 🫠 and potential {renv} users🤩
youtu.be/l01u7Ue9pIQ?...
Even if {renv} isn't on your radar, you may still find this talk interesting if you are curious about🤔...
I created this talk for frustrated {renv} users 🫠 and potential {renv} users🤩
youtu.be/l01u7Ue9pIQ?...
Even if {renv} isn't on your radar, you may still find this talk interesting if you are curious about🤔...
Reposted by Ben Schneider
Double machine learning fits an adjustment model from a confounder set using correlation and so breaks down when offered variables that have good correlation just *because* they aren't suitable adjustment variables
#IWouldSimplyNotIncludeEndogenousVariables
#IWouldSimplyNotIncludeEndogenousVariables
Maybe you've missed the crushing, DAG-wielding critique. Of course, not by a star scholar... www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
Double machine learning and automated confounder selection: A cautionary tale
Double machine learning (DML) has become an increasingly popular tool for automated variable selection in high-dimensional settings. Even though the ability to deal with a large number of potential co...
www.degruyterbrill.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Double machine learning fits an adjustment model from a confounder set using correlation and so breaks down when offered variables that have good correlation just *because* they aren't suitable adjustment variables
#IWouldSimplyNotIncludeEndogenousVariables
#IWouldSimplyNotIncludeEndogenousVariables
Reposted by Ben Schneider
come work with us! @bluelabs.bsky.social is hiring a survey scientist. we're looking for someone who loves working with survey data and wants to solve tricky problems facing the polling industry. please share widely!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/bluelabsanal...
job-boards.greenhouse.io/bluelabsanal...
Survey Scientist
Remote or Washington D.C.
job-boards.greenhouse.io
November 13, 2025 at 6:51 PM
come work with us! @bluelabs.bsky.social is hiring a survey scientist. we're looking for someone who loves working with survey data and wants to solve tricky problems facing the polling industry. please share widely!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/bluelabsanal...
job-boards.greenhouse.io/bluelabsanal...
Reposted by Ben Schneider
We're hiring an open-source #python developer focused on modeling APIs!
tidyverse.org/blog/2025/11...
#numpy #scipy #scikitlearn
tidyverse.org/blog/2025/11...
#numpy #scipy #scikitlearn
Python Open-Source Developer
Posit is hiring a Python open-source developer to create more data analysis tools.
tidyverse.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:46 PM
We're hiring an open-source #python developer focused on modeling APIs!
tidyverse.org/blog/2025/11...
#numpy #scipy #scikitlearn
tidyverse.org/blog/2025/11...
#numpy #scipy #scikitlearn
This profile in ‘Significance’ on DuckDB co-founder Hannes Mühleisen is quite interesting, and has helpful insights about data quality and the changing meaning of “big data.” Also some good professional advice in here for statisticians.
academic.oup.com/jrssig/artic...
academic.oup.com/jrssig/artic...
Is big data dead?
Abstract. Data, ducks and statistics – Sandra Alba gathers dispatches from Amsterdam and Auckland
academic.oup.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:47 PM
This profile in ‘Significance’ on DuckDB co-founder Hannes Mühleisen is quite interesting, and has helpful insights about data quality and the changing meaning of “big data.” Also some good professional advice in here for statisticians.
academic.oup.com/jrssig/artic...
academic.oup.com/jrssig/artic...
Reposted by Ben Schneider
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 AM
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
Reposted by Ben Schneider
🌈 The website for the inaugural rainbowR conference is now live! 🎉
🗓️ Save the date: Feb 25th-26th, 2026
📣 Call for submissions is open
👯 We're bringing together LGBTQ+ R users to promote our work and foster connections among community members
conference.rainbowr.org
🗓️ Save the date: Feb 25th-26th, 2026
📣 Call for submissions is open
👯 We're bringing together LGBTQ+ R users to promote our work and foster connections among community members
conference.rainbowr.org
– rainbowR conference
conference.rainbowr.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:56 PM
🌈 The website for the inaugural rainbowR conference is now live! 🎉
🗓️ Save the date: Feb 25th-26th, 2026
📣 Call for submissions is open
👯 We're bringing together LGBTQ+ R users to promote our work and foster connections among community members
conference.rainbowr.org
🗓️ Save the date: Feb 25th-26th, 2026
📣 Call for submissions is open
👯 We're bringing together LGBTQ+ R users to promote our work and foster connections among community members
conference.rainbowr.org
Reposted by Ben Schneider
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Reposted by Ben Schneider
New blog post: open-source software packages have surprising problems with the way they calculate weighted medians and other quantiles.
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
Weighted Quantile Weirdness and Bugs – Practical Significance
Computing quantiles is surprisingly complicated. It gets much weirder when you use weights, and popular software behaves in surprising ways that might trouble you.
www.practicalsignificance.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:30 PM
New blog post: open-source software packages have surprising problems with the way they calculate weighted medians and other quantiles.
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
New blog post: open-source software packages have surprising problems with the way they calculate weighted medians and other quantiles.
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
Weighted Quantile Weirdness and Bugs – Practical Significance
Computing quantiles is surprisingly complicated. It gets much weirder when you use weights, and popular software behaves in surprising ways that might trouble you.
www.practicalsignificance.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:30 PM
New blog post: open-source software packages have surprising problems with the way they calculate weighted medians and other quantiles.
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
www.practicalsignificance.com/posts/weight...
#rstats #julialang
Reposted by Ben Schneider
In which use cases does #RStats excel for you compared to other languages?
If you've done it other ways and speak from experience, even better.
If you've done it other ways and speak from experience, even better.
October 30, 2025 at 12:12 AM
In which use cases does #RStats excel for you compared to other languages?
If you've done it other ways and speak from experience, even better.
If you've done it other ways and speak from experience, even better.
Reposted by Ben Schneider
There's going to be a lot of focus on the topline -- that polling was more accurate than in 2016 and 2020 but still biased towards Dems on average by 2.7 pp -- but I want to highlight some of the other findings I found most interesting
🚨It's finally here!🚨
AAPOR's Taskforce on 2024 Pre-Election Polling report is out!
Full report: /https://aapor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AAPOR-Task-Force-on-2024-Pre-Election-Polling_Report.pdf
Executive summary: aapor.org/wp-content/u...
AAPOR's Taskforce on 2024 Pre-Election Polling report is out!
Full report: /https://aapor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AAPOR-Task-Force-on-2024-Pre-Election-Polling_Report.pdf
Executive summary: aapor.org/wp-content/u...
aapor.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:56 PM
There's going to be a lot of focus on the topline -- that polling was more accurate than in 2016 and 2020 but still biased towards Dems on average by 2.7 pp -- but I want to highlight some of the other findings I found most interesting
Reposted by Ben Schneider
take this quiz then tell me you can win over low-info "moderates" on policy
it's just vibes all the way down
it's just vibes all the way down
Take this quiz to die instantly www.americansurveycenter.org/quiz/
Beyond the Ballot Quiz - The Survey Center on American Life
www.americansurveycenter.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:50 PM
take this quiz then tell me you can win over low-info "moderates" on policy
it's just vibes all the way down
it's just vibes all the way down
Reposted by Ben Schneider
Packages are essential to the #rstats ecosystem for sharing code, data, and documentation.
Join @ellakaye.co.uk's #GESISworkshop to learn how to write your own R 📦 from scratch, covering the whole process from setup to publication
More information & registration ➡️ t1p.de/R_Pack_Dev_25
Join @ellakaye.co.uk's #GESISworkshop to learn how to write your own R 📦 from scratch, covering the whole process from setup to publication
More information & registration ➡️ t1p.de/R_Pack_Dev_25
September 10, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Packages are essential to the #rstats ecosystem for sharing code, data, and documentation.
Join @ellakaye.co.uk's #GESISworkshop to learn how to write your own R 📦 from scratch, covering the whole process from setup to publication
More information & registration ➡️ t1p.de/R_Pack_Dev_25
Join @ellakaye.co.uk's #GESISworkshop to learn how to write your own R 📦 from scratch, covering the whole process from setup to publication
More information & registration ➡️ t1p.de/R_Pack_Dev_25