My affair with....... R

My introduction to the R software was as an under graduate student of statistics. One of the teachers was very enthusiastic about it. However, at least initially, I did not share his enthusiasm for R. We were still learning the very basics of statistics and as a consequence, used R for pretty basic computations and graphs. That failed to sustain my attention.

However, things changed when I started exploring R on my own, especially in the university when I was enrolled in a post graduate course in statistics. As my knowledge and understanding of statistics increased and improved, my admiration for R followed quickly. I was taken in by the amazing data acrobatics offered, the latest theories incorporated, the open community model and last but not the least, the zero license fees!

The affair continued in my second job which is at a CRO. Though SAS is the software of choice for statistical analysis in the Pharma industry, R can work well as a validating program. I started using R to validate SAS outputs and found it very reliable and flexible. It used to take us almost a two page SAS code to compute pseudo SD, but with R, I could do that (and more!) in about five lines of code. I also developed a macro (or a set of functions to be more precise with R) which automates a regular task of validating routine SAS outputs for safety memos. Currently, as a part of the QA team, I am using R to create validators for the innovative software products developed in the company. R is not only a good choice but also the only choice when it comes to validating first to market products.

I can go on and on with R. It was R 1.4.1 when we first met, now its 2.13.0. I have seven versions of R installed on my machine at work. I wish all the best to the R team and say a heartfelt thank you. Looking forward to learning more of R and more of statistics.

You don't know

You don't know what you had
   unless you lose it

You don't know what you missed

   unless you get it

Statistically inspired movies and serials

If a statistician starts making films and serials, the names will be...

Statistician No. 1

Data Ho Na Ho

Lage Raho Montgomery!

Rehna Hai Control Limit Me

Kabhi Discrete Kabhi Continuous

(Ab)normal Banaya Aapane

Humara SAS Aapke Paas Hai

MSc Koi Khel Nahi

Maine MSc Kyun Kiya?

MSc Kiya To Darana Kya?

Kahani Chi-Square Ki
  

प्रकृति, संस्कृति आणि विकृति

भूक लागल्यावर जे सुचते त्याला प्रकृति म्हणतात.

पोट भरल्यावर जे सुचते त्याला संस्कृति म्हणतात

अणि

डोके रिकामे असताना जे सुचते त्याला विकृति म्हणतात.

My name is Khan!

My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.

Why is it so difficult to get this simple message across?

Why is it that ‘mature’ and ‘intelligent’ people have trouble understanding what seems to be obvious to someone supposedly ‘abnormal’?

Why is being different equaled to being wrong?

How come the people who worship a stone idol as GOD fail to see the humanity in another human being?

Why is it that my love story has to end, even before it started just because she was born in a different religion than mine?

Why does it take a crazy man to take on the society and do what his heart tells him to?

Why do we clap and applaud the movie in the movie hall and forget the essence the moment we walk out?


WHY DO I THINK SO MUCH?

Who am I?

Kindly let me know if anyone has found a better answer than the following to this Q.

Parampareche pike ka 'Pipe'?

Once upon a time, in the mysterious land of the sadhus and elephants and rope tricks also known as India, there lived a sadhu in his ashram. He, together with his disciples used to perform a 'puja' everyday, which involved the offering of milk and fruits and sweets to the deity. A poor cat, pulled by the sweet and tempting aroma of the food and forced by the rumblings of an empty stomach, used to sneak in the ashram and gorge on the offering.Until, that is, it was shooed away by an angry sadhu and his disciples. Finally, one day, fed up with the disturbance caused by a mere mortal creature in his dealings with the almighty, the sadhu ordered the disciples to find the cat and ensure that it's tied up to a tree in the ashram while the 'puja' was in progress. The disciples obeyed. Every day, just before the puja, someone would search for the cat, bust its hiding place and tie the frightened animal to a tree. Then there would be no disturbances in the great sadhu's dealings with the deity.

Thus was born one of the great Indian traditions!

Even to this day, just before the puja is to be performed, a cat is searched for and tied to a tree near the house.