James Balamuta
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coatless.bsky.social
James Balamuta
@coatless.bsky.social
omnipresent explorer of the unknown, fashionably caffeinated informatics phd, amorous cavalier. design, build, analyze. #rstats on #macos + #webr and #python with #pyodide
Worst part is details like this can only be surfaced in 'Other things to note' or hidden in the midst of other text... For someone like myself who rarely uses this platform this is counterintuitive and frankly annoying beyond belief. Happy that I'm not the only one who isn't thrilled about this.
January 17, 2026 at 7:20 AM
I've used Airbnb maybe a handful of times over the years. After this experience, I don't see that number going up. #AirbnbTips
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
And honestly, digital collection of PII through third-party sites shouldn't be allowed at all. Hotels verify ID in person with paper copies that get discarded. That's reasonable. Uploading sensitive documents to random websites with unknown data retention policies is not.
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
My feedback for @Airbnb: Add a filter so users can exclude listings that require third-party ID verification. What's the point of your own identity verification system if hosts can just bypass it and demand government IDs through external portals anyway?
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
But here's my feedback for @Airbnb: If a listing requires uploading ID to a THIRD-PARTY service, that needs to be crystal clear BEFORE booking. Not buried in a description that could easily be confused with Airbnb's own verification that was required before the booking was confirmed!
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
To Airbnb's credit, they eventually provided a resolution with a coupon for the amount plus a partial refund. The senior case manager did work to find a solution.
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
I wasn't comfortable uploading my driver's license to an external portal I'd never heard of. Contacted Airbnb support and spent 4+ hours in chat being passed between agents before reaching someone who could actually help.
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
After booking, the host directed me to a completely separate website to upload my government ID again. The listing mentioned 'verification required' but I assumed Airbnb's own verification process covered that.
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Booked a place in Dallas. Before confirming, Airbnb required me to verify my identity. I did and got an email saying 'Your identity is now verified.' Great, done. Or so I thought.
January 17, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Links:

GitHub: github.com/coatless-rpkg/surreal
Docs: r-pkg.thecoatlessprofessor.com/surreal
CRAN: cran.r-project.org/package=surr...

Shinylive app version coming Soon(TM) so you can hide images in residuals without installing anything. As one does.
GitHub - coatless-rpkg/surreal: Create Datasets with Hidden Images or Messages in Residual Plots
Create Datasets with Hidden Images or Messages in Residual Plots - coatless-rpkg/surreal
github.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Well, the pressure is on! I will mention that you might also enjoy {RcppBandicoot}. Dirk & I need to do a soft launch for it soon (tm).

github.com/coatless-rpk...
GitHub - coatless-rpkg/rcppbandicoot: Rcpp integration for the Bandicoot templated C++ GPU computational library based on Armadillo
Rcpp integration for the Bandicoot templated C++ GPU computational library based on Armadillo - coatless-rpkg/rcppbandicoot
github.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Thanks Norm! Hope retirement is treating you well. Glad to see you over on Bluesky!
December 29, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Exactly. It works, but 'legal via careful separation' is a harder sell than 'MIT: just use it.'

Shiny going MIT won't change R's GPL, but it's one fewer asterisk in the compliance conversation. Death by a thousand asterisks is real.
December 17, 2025 at 6:56 PM
R Core's take: GPL covers distributing R, not using it. Your dashboard output isn't a derivative work of the interpreter.

Still grayer than MIT, but the enterprise lawyers' pitchforks stay in the shed. 🧑‍🌾

📖 cran.r-project.org/doc/FAQ/R-FA...

📜 github.com/wch/r-source...
R FAQ
R FAQ
cran.r-project.org
December 17, 2025 at 3:07 AM
I should note that there is `code-fold` to hide code itself built into Quarto.

quarto.org/docs/output-...

This extension generalizes
tag across formats & Divs.

Though, there isn't an output fold yet. So, you may like `toggle` (announcing soon [tm])

github.com/coatless-qua...
GitHub - coatless-quarto/toggle: Toggle Code Output in Quarto Code Cells
Toggle Code Output in Quarto Code Cells. Contribute to coatless-quarto/toggle development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:48 PM