therandomtexan
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Holy Gadget Overload, MathMan!
The Geek Press put me wise to these cool mathematics-themed drinking glasses: Of course, I had to see what else was featured on The Gadgeteer; it’s a cornucopia of high-tech geekery! I’m totally stealing the idea for this pistachio tower, one of the few no-tech items I spotted. Not into gadgetry? Check out their non-stop Read more
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Trash, White Trash, and REAL Trash
Writing in Oxford American, Chris Offutt’s Trash Food almost gets it right: My thoughts and feelings were completely irrational. I knew they made no sense. Most of what I owned had belonged to someone else—cars, clothes, shoes, furniture, dishware, cookbooks. I liked old and battered things. They reminded me of myself, still capable and functioning Read more
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Non-tenure track salaries
I was preparing a data analysis assignment for one of my classes, and decided I needed an example for my students. Similar to what I’m asking of my students, I wanted to use public employee salary data from the the Texas Tribune Government Salaries Explorer. After a few moments’ thought* , I hit upon the Read more
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Confucius say “Uh oh”
The Confucius Institutes in the US are in the government’s crosshairs: President Trump is about to sign the new National Defense Authorization Act, which will prohibit funding to Chinese-run Confucius Institutes on American campuses. Texas Senator Ted Cruz added the key amendment to “The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019,” which also restricts Read more
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The Urban Chicken Movement Turns Dark
This is what happens when city folk “play country:” Live poultry in backyard flocks are linked to several multistate outbreaks of salmonella infections that have now sickened 212 people in 44 states, federal health officials warned Monday. Health officials advise washing with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything nearby. They also Read more
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My Ultimate Margartia
Texas is awash in margaritas, both frozen and on the rocks. Most are made with some sort of evil bar mix, shaken by hand or machine, and dished up in glass with a salted rim. As Dan Jenkins wrote about chicken-fried steak, “Pretty good. But not real good.” Inspired by reading a recipe on the Read more
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This is cute
Web surfing occasionally leads me to the Lid Blog. I’m always amused with this admonition for commenters One of these things is not like the others. CAN YOU TELL WHICH ONE? Read more
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Data to Viz
For data analysts using R, this is huge. Find out how to generate the graph you need for the data you have with just a few clicks. Yes, you’ll find some fine print explaining that the site is not comprehensive. BUT, it still has a trove of graph types and accompanying R and python code Read more
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Diversity has committed the First Sin of Fashion
It’s become outmoded, pointless and boring. Read more
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Portland’s Inconsolable Rage
Kevin Williamson remarks upon the poor sportsmanship of LGTBQQ* Portland Thorns soccer fans, and takes no prisoners: One can understand Portland’s inconsolable rage. It’s a second-rate Seattle, which makes it, by extension, a fourth-rate (22) San Francisco. Which is to say: Austin without the sunshine and higher education and tacos. I’d be angry if I Read more
The Random Texan 