Disqus - Latest Comments for gingi0

Re: An IRS Conspiracy? Not Likely ... Yet

gingi0 — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:47:15 -0000

Don't expect a quick reply from the IRS. Heard they've been having some problems with their mail servers.

Re: Please save the unsolicited R01s

gingi0 — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:09:30 -0000

"Only reason"? How can you prove that? Improvement in sequencing technology and reduction in reagent costs come from innovations within private companies (with academic partnerships, of course). To suggest that falling costs are due to forethought by some government agency is a stretch.

Re: Please save the unsolicited R01s

gingi0 — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:39:48 -0000

Well said, but I wouldn't necessarily conflate bioinformatics resources projects with the monolithic big data projects. There's still a sore need for integration, refinement, and access to public data procured by both top-down projects and smaller investigator-driven R01 projects.

Re: Apple's Growth Scorecard for third quarter 2012

gingi0 — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:24:47 -0000

I share your disappointment about iPad growth. But here's something interesting. There were 5 quarters of unprecedented growth between the launch of the iPad and this quarter with (9% growth). That's almost the identical pattern with the iPhone! Following its launch, there were 5 fantastic quarters of growth (Q208-Q209), followed by a tepid quarter (Q309) at 5% growth, the only single-digit growth quarter in the history of the iPhone.

I'm not sure why this is the case, but I think it's a mix of anticipated product upgrades, anticipated tablet launches from other companies, and the intrinsically long iPad shelf life, where relatively few owners are looking to replace their original iPad.

Re: The Climate Deniers vs The Consensus

gingi0 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:05:49 -0000

The graphic is amazing, and does an even-handed job summarizing the arguments of both sides. To make it even more neutral, I'd replace the term "climate change deniers" with "climate change skeptics." There are those who might wholly agree with the consensus but take issue with specific points. Calling all those that deviate even slightly from the orthodoxy "deniers" might be rather harsh and politically charged.

(While we're at it, in the 4th argument, "medieval" should be uncapitalized and "thew orld" should read "the world")

Re: [Sponsor] Caffeine vs Calories - Buzz vs Bulge

gingi0 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:54:39 -0000

Not entirely sure what all the activities to the right are. Tennis, running, and boxing? What's the 4th one? Labels or a legend would help.

A minor pedantic suggestion: calorie burning rates vary within activities depending on intensity. Maybe choose one activity such as running and vary the references over one variable (speed, duration) while keeping the others constant (for an average person).

With all the other horizontal lines, emphasizing the axes as well as the axis titles (e.g., bold) would make it clearer.

Re: [Sponsor] Friday Freebies: Beautiful Data is Now Available

gingi0 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:11:34 -0000

My favorite food: Perfectly cooked oatmeal, with brown sugar, craisins, and toasted almonds.

Re: [Sponsor] Tracking Swine Flu Worldwide - Where and How, Plus Data

gingi0 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:32:10 -0000

Is it me or are bubble plots overlaid on maps misleading? The size of the circles don't convey anything when the regions they represent (states, countries) are of different area size or, especially, population density. It's especially confusing when the circles cross the area's boundaries (Mexico's bubble reaches into Oklahoma). Wouldn't it be better to just color-code the affected regions by frequency (e.g., darker color), and perhaps, in this case, normalize the counts to population density? I suppose that map-overlaid bubble plots might be more useful when looking at component areas of comparable sizes or populations densities, such as cities or counties, but that's also misleading given how varied population densities are in different regions.

Re: [Sponsor] Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is Next Up... Better Hurry

gingi0 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:34:07 -0000

Book, please.

Re: Settled?

gingi0 — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:39:46 -0000

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (the same source that provided the data for the first pull quote), 63% of the annual population increase is due to natural growth (i.e., procreation), which makes sense when you consider that most of the settlers are Orthodox Jews, who tend to bear many children. That does not detract from the fact that the population also increases due to an influx from Israel proper. But the influx does occur in existing settlements, not new ones.

Israel has already withdrawn from certain parts of the Northern West Bank in 2005 (along with the Gaza withdrawal), and new settlements have not been built since. The 2005 withdrawal proved that Israel has the will to withdraw from the West Bank in the future.

And the notion that Israel won't commit genocide or ethnic cleansing because it's a political or diplomatic inconvenience is offensive. Modern Israeli society is rooted in morality and humanism. You won't find calls for the annihilation of infidels in any government charters or documents.

Re: Security vs.Volatility...

gingi0 — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:30:44 -0000

I totally understand that for many situations (such as self-employment) it's necessary at certain times to shift accounts and rebalance cash reserves. But if cash is not urgently needed on hand, disciplined investing can pay off. Even though we're currently in a down-market, we hope that the market will return. Incremental contributions to investment accounts result in dollar-cost averaging, which in turn offsets volatility.

Re: Designing potent posters: Process, Format, Presentation

gingi0 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:41:12 -0000

Great post. I'll take your challenge. For my next meeting (International Professional Poster Printers Conference, held in Kathmandu), I'm going to go back to basics and use a modularized poster.

This is part of what I think is a grassroots effort to reclaim our focus and our creativity. It's very reminiscent of the Paper Web.

Enthusiastic about my work? Now that's a whole other issue.

Re: Intellectual lineages: the backbone of scientific social networks

gingi0 — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:52:12 -0000

In the sentence:

I have no idea if there is supposed to be a space between those words, ala the logo for AmericanAirlines

there should be a space between a and la, a la "a la."

Re: Google Maps Plus Accident Data: Roadmaps of Death

gingi0 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:01:21 -0000

The map mostly shows Sunset Park (where I live) and Borough Park. Only a sliver of Bay Ridge is visible in the lower left corner (SW of I-278).

Mad props for represent'n the hood :)

Re: Dr. Watson

gingi0 — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:46:56 -0000

That hat has a funny story. It spent one night in my apartment before being presented to Watson, after Steve, a friend from Baylor attending the Geology of Benomes conference brought it up from Houston.

When Watson was down in Houston in May, 2007 to announce the public release of his genome sequence, Richard Gibbs (the guy on the left, and my former boss) presented him with a genuine certified cowboy hat. Unfortunately, it was too big. So for this year's conference, Steve brought a hat with the correct size.

I guess Watson's head was not as big as everyone thought.

Re: Obama can’t win the “white vote?”

gingi0 — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:17:34 -0000

Wait, Obama is African American??? Sorry, I don't see color.

Why is everyone so consumed by this whole Clintobama fight? Have you forgotten about the Republicans? Am I the only who still hasn't given up on Romney?

Re: New Climate Models Incorporate Feedback Loops, Get More Complex

gingi0 — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:24:48 -0000

I did not mean to suggest that AGW is disproven. Only that AGW is now taken as a fact that just needs to be quantified. The scientific method urges us to be empirically skeptical, that we assume the null hypothesis -- that a given factor (e.g. human activity) does not cause an effect (e.g., global warming). Some scientists justify taking an activist stance (thereby stepping outside their realm of expertise) by insisting that we're in a calamitous crisis and that the time for crunching numbers is over.

Re: New Climate Models Incorporate Feedback Loops, Get More Complex

gingi0 — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:42:33 -0000

One suggestion: Until scientists are done "figuring out the details of [anthropogenic climate] changes," I'd refrain from statements like "there is widespread agreement among scientists that humans are changing our climate." One of those details just might turn the debate on its head.

But no worries, with all the data, I'm certain that someone is sure find a model that fits the popular assumption of anthropogenic global warming. Isn't science great? Francis Bacon is rolling in his grave.

Re: CSS Coding Style and the Unbearable Tendency for People to Adore Whitespace in their Source Code

gingi0 — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:59:02 -0000

I agree with Johan. There is plenty of cognitive and linguistic research that shows that, in terms of reading and comprehension, vertical scanning is easier on the eyes than rapid serpentine horizontal scanning, which can be fatiguing. When I read a long article or essay, I usually increase the font-size and make the window narrow, so as to increase the article's "verticality." I tend to read a lot faster that way.

I know that we're dealing with code here, but the principle holds: it is easier to understand a program if lines remain short. 80 characters per line stopped being a technological barrier with the advent of graphic desktop environments and resizable terminals. It remains a cognitive barrier nonetheless.

Another benefit of sticking to one expression per line is that it lets coders refactor and move snippets around much more easily (quickly select a line and move at will, without having to worry about re-indenting).

I'm not that particular with CSS code-style, but I am with most other formalized programming languages. Once you break out of the one-expression-per-line convention (other than in standard cases, like for loops), you allow code to be a lot more freeform and less standardized.

Re: My short history with Textmate

gingi0 — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 18:24:00 -0000

I had the same experience with TextMate, learning about it through the RoR video (more successful at marketing the editor than Ruby). I've got 4 more days left for the evaluation, and I'm pretty sure I'll take the plunge and get it.