Getting started with data-related explorations of everyday things

Using Ruby and R to improve your data skills.

Sau Sheong Chang is a programmer by trade who got interested in applying his skills to questions around him. In his upcoming book, “Exploring Everyday Things with R and Ruby,” he introduces these simple languages and develops a number of amusing and intriguing applications to show how other people can develop their own experiments. In this video, Chang describes his reasoning when starting a project.

Highlights from the full video interview include:

  • How Sau Sheong developed the habit of exploring things through data an programming. [Discussed at the 0:36 mark]
  • The process he uses while conducting an investigation. [Discussed at the 2:50 mark]
  • Using Ruby and R [Discussed at the 5:40 mark]
  • Some surprises Sau Sheong found while researching the book’s topics. [Discussed at the 8:40 mark]
  • Iterative development process [Discussed at the 10:35 mark]
  • The biggest mistake one encounters in exploring everyday things. [Discussed at the 13:03 mark]

You can view the entire conversation in the following video:

OSCON 2012 — Join the world’s open source pioneers, builders, and innovators July 16-20 in Portland, Oregon. Learn about open development, challenge your assumptions, and fire up your brain.

Save 20% on registration with the code RADAR

Related:

tags: , , , , ,