Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 15h

RPushbullet 0.3.5: Mostly Maintenance
Easy multi-device messaging from R
dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10...
#rstats

Screenshot of blog post at https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10/08#rpushbullet_0.3.5 describing release 0.3.5 of CRAN package RPushbullet

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 1d

Yep! And while the `pushover` service costs a modest one-time fee, the similar `pushbullet` service is registration-only. So `RPushbullet` may be worth a consideration too for the same use cases. (And I am due a maintenance release...) #rstats

cran.r-project.org/package=RPus...

RPushbullet: R Interface to the Pushbullet Messaging Service

An R interface to the Pushbullet messaging service which provides fast and efficient notifications (and file transfer) between computers, phones and tablets. An account has to be registered at the sit...

cran.r-project.org

1 1 5

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 2d

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

26 2.3K 6.9K

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 2d

Depends on where you want the data. The `duckdb` csv reader runs circles even around `data.table::fread()` -- also from compressed files, multiple files, ....

But if you want to be in R I'd still go with`data.table::fread()`.

11

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 2d

`llm` is Simon's command-line tool.

pypi.org/project/llm/

llm

CLI utility and Python library for interacting with Large Language Models from organizations like OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini plus local models installed on your own machine.

pypi.org

1 6

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 5d

R^4 Post #053: Adding llvm Snapshots for R Package Testing
Adding clang / clang++ nightlies via apt on Debian
dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10...
#rstats #rcpp

Screenshot one of two of blog post at https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10/03#053_r_pkgs_and_llvm_snapshots describing how to install clang / clang++ nightlies onto a Debian system (or container)

Screenshot two of two of blog post at https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10/03#053_r_pkgs_and_llvm_snapshots describing how to install clang / clang++ nightlies onto a Debian system (or container)

2 3

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Jeremy Glover @jgrantglover.bsky.social · 3d

Many Chicagoans will head up to Milwaukee tomorrow for game 2 of the NLDS. Undoubtedly, some will take one of the 13-15 daily direct flights from O'Hare.

If we were a proper country with a modern rail system, there'd be no need for air travel between two major cities that are only 90 miles apart.

A map showing the flight paths of the commercial passenger flights between Chicago O'Hare and Milwaukee Mitchell on October 3, 2025

12 7 89

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 5d

R^4 Post #053: Adding llvm Snapshots for R Package Testing
Adding clang / clang++ nightlies via apt on Debian
dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10...
#rstats #rcpp

2 3

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 6d

If memory serves I added this at some point on user request, so not sure how many years we had this but `anytime` does this by default (and `anytime()` does the same returning `POSIXct` instead of `Date`).

R code showing month and day imputation for incomplete dates:

> anytime::anydate(c("2015", "2015-09", "2015-09-19"))
[1] "2015-01-01" "2015-09-01" "2015-09-19"
>

3 3

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

R Consortium @rconsortium.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 Big news for the R Community!

The Sovereign Tech Fund has invested $450,000 in the R Foundation to strengthen R’s sustainability, security, and modernization.

Details: r-consortium.org/posts/sovere...

#rstats #opensource #datascience

The Sovereign Tech Fund invests $450,000 in R Foundation to Enhance R’s Sustainability and Security – R Consortium

R Foundation embarking on a crucial project to modernize R’s core infrastructure, improve its maintainability, and fortify its supply chain.

r-consortium.org

2 8 50

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 6d

tinythemes 0.0.4 at CRAN: Micro Maintenance
Lightweight Repackaging of ggplot2 Themes
dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10...
#rstats

Screenshot of blog post at https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10/02#tinythemes_0.0.4 describing release 0.0.4 of CRAN package tinythemes

1 5

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 7d

#r2u had its first 'three million packages delivered' month in September (outside that two-day Sep 2023 outlier) bringing the total to over 54 million #CRAN #Rstats packages shipped as #Ubuntu .deb binaries.

#r2u. Fast. Easy. Reliable. Pick All Three.

Dual chart with #r2u cumulative downloads in millions on the left, and average weekly downloads (on a log scale) on the right.

1 15

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 7d

R^4 Post #052: Running r-ci with Coverage
Ensuring CODECOV_TOKEN is set
dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10...
#rstats

Screenshot of blog at https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/10/01#052_r-ci_and_coverage describing r^4 post #52 about coverage analysis with r-ci

3

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Burrito Justice @burritojustice.bsky.social · 8d

quick while the government is shut down let’s all switch to metric

310 2.8K 14K

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 8d

Impressive how one political party can control the White House, the House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court, but not bear responsibility for whether the federal government functions. Neat trick.

150 2.1K 7.6K

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

George Pearkes @peark.es · 8d

Wow! This is a welcome surprise.

www.cnn.com/2025/09/30/p...

White House withdraws Antoni’s nomination to lead BLS | CNN Politics

The White House has sent paperwork to the Senate to withdraw the nomination of E.J. Antoni as head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, three sources told CNN.

www.cnn.com

35 210 1.3K

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 8d

The moment where Hegseth ends his speech and not a single officer claps is the most hopeful thing I have seen in a long time.

230 1.6K 10K

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 8d

R^4 Post #051: A Neat Little Rcpp Trick
Returning an object S3-classed for fun and profit
dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/09...
#rstats #rcpp

Screenshot one of two of the blog post at https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/09/30#051_a_neat_rcpp_trick with r^4 post #51 describing a 'neat little Rcpp trick' to set the S3 class of an object.

Screenshot two of two of the blog post at https://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/blog/2025/09/30#051_a_neat_rcpp_trick with r^4 post #51 describing a 'neat little Rcpp trick' to set the S3 class of an object.

2 2

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 8d

Pleasure! It is also objectively hilarious than in the year 2025 when CRAN is actively outlawing C+11 as an outdated standard this project still claims "C++11 features" as a strength. Each to their own, but "Modern C++" is now at C++23 (partially implemented) and C++26 (coming with lots of goodies)

1 1

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 8d

Please keep in mind that it (at least in part) rehashes the same points I already debunked four years ago when the other project claimed these, and as I maintain, did so incorrectly. Each to their own.

github.com/eddelbuettel...

1 1

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 10d

The $170 billion in funding going to Miller’s agenda could build more than 7,000 new elementary schools, pay for more than 1.5 million young Americans to attend an in-state public college for four years, or fund the Head Start program for nearly 14 years: open.substack.com/pub/americas...

35 480 1.1K

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 10d

How it started below in link. How it's going in picture.

3

Reposted by Dirk Eddelbuettel

Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 10d

I have lived and worked in and around Chicago for 27 years and I have been assaulted less often than Sen Paul has been in his own back yard.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10d

Rand Paul: "Chicago is a nightmare. It is literally a war zone."

350 2.7K 12K

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 11d

At least that is the theory 😆 In practice with 64 bit doubles, I have found it impossible to construct an example that matters using near collinearity (or alike). His setup in the RcppEigen fastLm example works by reducing rank differently. But hey you asked, and this is one (academic) answer.

1 2

Dirk Eddelbuettel @eddelbuettel.com · 11d

Doug Bates schooled me in the early Rcpp(Eigen) days. Do NOT write OLS code as (X'X)^-1 X'y in Eigen (or Armadillo) because of the difference between statistical meaning and numerical analysis: R uses LINPACK and pivoting, not LAPACK (as Eigen/Arma do). See his extended fastLm example in RcppEigen.

1 6