tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:41:08 +0000http://www.clayford.net/noreply@blogger.com (Clay)Blogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-5002455614750961962Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:18:00 +00002009-02-08T14:41:08.747-05:00I'm still learning R and making some progress. I wanted to blog about four things helping make this possible: 1. BOOK - Introductory Statistics with R by Peter Dalgaard. I highly recommend this book for anyone just starting out with R. There are some overly concise sections that will confuse you the first time through. But overall it's a great survey of the R language, giving you a taste of whathttp://www.clayford.net/2009/02/im-still-learning-r-and-making-some.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-12656673853741677Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:55:00 +00002007-12-16T22:32:02.096-05:00I recently decided to install R, a free open source software package for performing statistical analyses. I'm still pretty new with Linux, so I didn't realize what all was involved. I figured it would be like any other program you want to install in Windows: download the install package and double-click it. Not so with this. As this helpful page explains, you first have to modify your "http://www.clayford.net/2007/12/i-recently-decided-to-install-r-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-3282922540836714918Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:53:00 +00002007-09-18T22:11:32.979-04:00Norton Antivirus blows. Last night I got a little pop-up message asking if I wanted to run live update. "Of course," let's stay-up-date and protected from all the badness out there. So I run update and it downloads one item called an "event driver" (or something like that). I install the update and immediately lose my internet connection. Every attempt to repair it gave me the useful message "http://www.clayford.net/2007/09/norton-antivirus-blows.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-117510942110252344Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:17:00 +00002007-03-28T16:17:01.150-04:00I was stumbling around today and discovered this nifty list of XP commands. One of the commands listed is "magnify", which was new to me. Open the Run... prompt in XP, type it, and see what happens. Very handy tool, especially when looking closely at photos or scanned documents.http://www.clayford.net/2007/03/i-was-stumbling-around-today-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-116618742639933426Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:57:00 +00002006-12-15T07:57:06.400-05:00There was a time when people found the square root of a number by hand using only pencil and paper (or chalk and slate). Here's a quick and fun web page on how to do it.http://www.clayford.net/2006/12/there-was-time-when-people-found.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-116174406519171849Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:41:00 +00002006-10-24T23:01:45.050-04:00Midterm Elections are upon us, and this Virginian will NOT be voting for George Allen. Besides doing a whole lot of nothing the past six years, Allen singled out a native Virginian of Indian descent in front of an audience and called him "macaca". I don't care how obscure the term is, you do NOT throw around racial slurs. Especially if you're a senator. And especially if the target of the slur http://www.clayford.net/2006/10/midterm-elections-are-upon-us-and-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-115261620160224735Tue, 11 Jul 2006 11:10:00 +00002006-07-11T07:15:27.283-04:00Pfft...upgrade time. I upgraded my three-year old PostNuke installation at curiousmath.com to the latest stable release (0.762). Which meant I also needed to upgrade my forum. There's an evening of my life I'll never get back. On the whole, I was happy with the old versions and content to let them run indefinitely. But thanks to a security hole which spammers started exploiting, I had to upgrade http://www.clayford.net/2006/07/pfft.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-114924636746810179Fri, 02 Jun 2006 11:06:00 +00002006-06-02T07:06:07.526-04:00This Rolling Stone article asks: Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Does a fat dog fart in the wind? Of course it was stolen. As the last polling stations closed on the West Coast, exit polls showed Kerry ahead in ten of eleven battleground states -- including commanding leads in Ohio and Florida -- and winning by a million and a half votes nationally. The exit polls even showed Kerry breathing down http://www.clayford.net/2006/06/this-rolling-stone-article-asks-was.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-114881323506081435Sun, 28 May 2006 10:47:00 +00002006-05-28T06:47:15.110-04:00The other day I noticed I had over 100 people currently visiting my math site. "Wow," I thought, "a couple of school classes must be looking at my site." The next day I noticed the same thing: over 100 people visiting the site. The day after that, again, triple digit visitors. Time to see what's going. So I ran a referral report and discovered Stumble Upon at the top of the list. After some http://www.clayford.net/2006/05/other-day-i-noticed-i-had-over-100.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-114474950718621666Tue, 11 Apr 2006 09:58:00 +00002006-04-11T05:58:27.243-04:00I am officially a Linux user. Over the weekend I successfully installed Ubuntu Linux along side Windows XP on my Dell XPS. And let me tell you, it could not have been easier. Thanks to these instructions on how to repartition your hard drive, I was able to complete the installation in about 90 minutes. The hardest part of was tracking down those instructions. The longest part was backing http://www.clayford.net/2006/04/i-am-officially-linux-user.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-113997288663309256Wed, 15 Feb 2006 03:08:00 +00002006-02-14T22:08:06.680-05:00If it isn't enough I have my own website and blog (well, sort of), I had to go and sign up for a free Wiki at PBwiki. I couldn't resist. It was so easy to sign up for, I just had to give it a try. I'm glad I did. It's super simple to use and has wonderful potential for sharing information. If you've ever wondered that the heck a Wiki is and how to use it, here's your chance. I kind of envision myhttp://www.clayford.net/2006/02/if-it-isnt-enough-i-have-my-own.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-113977798397564500Sun, 12 Feb 2006 20:59:00 +00002006-02-12T16:02:12.556-05:00Every now and then I get motivated to update my math web site in a major way. In 2003, I moved it over to PostNuke. In 2004, I added a phpBB bulletin board. This year I undertook the challenge of providing users the ability to use LaTeX to post math equations in the forum. I thought this would be extradorinarily difficult, but fortunately I was wrong. With the help of mimeTeX and LatexRender, I http://www.clayford.net/2006/02/every-now-and-then-i-get-motivated-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-113909955605396499Sun, 05 Feb 2006 00:03:00 +00002006-02-04T19:32:36.063-05:00My very generous sister-in-law gave my kids a used G3 iMac for Christmas. The kids immediately took to it because of the games. However, I was more interested in getting it on the Internet. I recently started subscribing to DSL, and received a 4 port wireless router/modem when I signed up. So my first thought was to find a wireless USB adapter. After a couple of trips to the store and some http://www.clayford.net/2006/02/my-very-generous-sister-in-law-gave-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-113041169132201920Thu, 27 Oct 2005 11:14:00 +00002005-10-27T07:14:51.356-04:00I had the immense pleasure of seeing King's X live in Charlottesville, VA at the Satellite Ballroom on October 23. I never thought I'd see the day when these hard rockers played in DMB land. One of the interesting things about the show is that they played their entire new album, and only a handful of their classic songs. Pretty ballsy on their part. Since I haven't yet bought the new album, most http://www.clayford.net/2005/10/i-had-immense-pleasure-of-seeing-kings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-112888729528908091Sun, 09 Oct 2005 19:48:00 +00002005-10-09T15:48:15.346-04:00Did you know you can create PDF files for free? Until recently, I didn't. I thought you had to blow $300 on Adobe Acrobat. Not so. Turns out there's free software called CutePDF that allows any Windows application to create a PDF file. All you need is a converter such as Ghostscript, which is also free, and you're good to go. Whenever you want to create a PDF file, simply open the print dialog inhttp://www.clayford.net/2005/10/did-you-know-you-can-create-pdf-files.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-112284231985527507Sun, 31 Jul 2005 20:38:00 +00002005-07-31T16:40:52.996-04:00I'm now officially a member of the man-purse revolution. I just bought a tough-looking green Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack. This is the perfect medium size daily sling pack. Built to last and water resistant, this bag has all kinds of pockets and pouches for organizing gear. I use it to carry my cell phone, iPod, camera, umbrella, pocket knife, recharging cords, and a bunch of other miscellaneous http://www.clayford.net/2005/07/im-now-officially-member-of-man-purse.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-112283896617855513Sun, 31 Jul 2005 19:36:00 +00002005-07-31T15:42:46.183-04:00My buddy Hutch -- of Hutch and the Hookers -- is moving to Texas for nine months. He just turned 30 and is taking some time off with his lady friend. While there he’ll try his hand at the music business and maybe write some more songs. That means I won’t be his guitar player anymore. But I’m not upset. It’s been an honor and a privilege to strum chords for Hutch and it’s only fair someone else http://www.clayford.net/2005/07/my-buddy-hutch-of-hutch-and-hookers-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-111662312547590562Fri, 20 May 2005 21:05:00 +00002005-06-02T17:25:15.173-04:00For my birthday, my wife surprised me with a 20GB iPod. I had asked for one, but only as a joke. I didn't think she had the nerve to blow $300 on yet another toy for her husband. So imagine my joy when it arrived at my house on my birthday. Not only that but she also bought me the Monster iCarPlay Wireless Plus. This allows me to play my iPod in my car on a vacant FM station. Wow, talk about http://www.clayford.net/2005/05/for-my-birthday-my-wife-surprised-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-111350136150072805Thu, 14 Apr 2005 17:56:00 +00002005-04-14T13:56:01.500-04:00I just read the most fascinating and disturbing article called The Long Emergency, published in Rolling Stone. It discusses the inevitable end of the cheap-fossil-fuel era and it's not pleasant. It appears this year, 2005, may be the world's global oil-production peak. From here on out it's all downhill. Says the author, James Howard Kunstler: "The peak is the top of the curve, the halfway point http://www.clayford.net/2005/04/i-just-read-most-fascinating-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-111039350165868222Wed, 09 Mar 2005 18:21:00 +00002005-03-09T13:38:21.660-05:00I'm happy to announce I've been able to get my hands on partial tone specifications for the Korg Ampworks Bass. I love this little unit. I have a blast playing through it and love the way it sounds. Unfortunately the user manual (1MB PDF) doesn't list the frequencies that the tone knobs control. I e-mailed Korg support for this information and eventually received specs for 8 of the 11 modeled http://www.clayford.net/2005/03/im-happy-to-announce-ive-been-able-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-111024119059869841Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:19:00 +00002005-03-07T19:23:01.503-05:00This spring I'm taking a linear algebra class through Virginia Tech. The class is conducted almost entirely online, except for exams which are proctored. The instruction is freely available to anyone who wants to work through it. Here's the URL to the lesson pages if you're in the mood to learn matrices and vectors. "Why in the world are you taking this class," you ask? Well, I've been thinking http://www.clayford.net/2005/03/this-spring-im-taking-linear-algebra.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-110674920092984516Wed, 26 Jan 2005 14:20:00 +00002005-01-26T09:20:00.930-05:00If you're a Family Guy fan like me, you'll want to read this Onion A.V. Club interview with Seth McFarlane, the show's creator. One interesting topic covered is how The Simpsons staff hates Family Guy. Says McFarlane: "Apparently they hate our guts. I'm not sure why. I've said this before, but that show, at its best, is up there with the best episodes of All In The Family, Mary Tyler Moore, and http://www.clayford.net/2005/01/if-youre-family-guy-fan-like-me-youll.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-110533064418204373Mon, 10 Jan 2005 04:17:00 +00002005-01-10T08:46:59.016-05:00I was all set to surprise my friend with a X-zyLo Ultra flying gyroscope for Christmas this year. But alas, I found out he already had one. Or at least he used to, until a car crashed into his house and ruined it and a few other things (seriously). So he was happy to get another X-zyLo, but he wasn't all that surprised. I did manage to surprise my sister-in-law with this cool human jello hand http://www.clayford.net/2005/01/i-was-all-set-to-surprise-my-friend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-110200266451743145Thu, 02 Dec 2004 15:51:00 +00002004-12-02T10:52:55.636-05:00My favorite band Raven has posted demos of their new material on their official web site. It's been a long time coming. Their last album was released in 1999, back when Clinton was president and gas was cheap. Why the wait? A big ol' wall. Seriously. A rock wall literally fell on the guitarist's (Mark Gallagher) legs. How did it happen? I don't know. I never got that story exactly. But apparentlyhttp://www.clayford.net/2004/12/my-favorite-band-raven-has-posted.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3579764.post-110155845217069268Sat, 27 Nov 2004 12:27:00 +00002004-11-27T07:29:24.406-05:00The Associated Press reported on November 24 that Gert Mittring, 38, needed only 11.8 seconds to calculate the 13th root of a 100-digit number in his head at a math museum in Giessen, a small town, located in western Germany. I'm not sure what amazes me more: calculating the 13th root of a 100-digit number in your head, or the fact that math museums exist. Apparently, they really do. Looks like http://www.clayford.net/2004/11/associated-press-reported-on-november.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Clay)