Install Ubuntu as a file in windows with one-click

If you want to try out linux (Ubuntu), this is BY FAR the easiest method. Just download this installer. The next time you reboot you can choose Windows or Linux:

http://wubi-installer.org/index.php

Basically, a file (6GB by default) is allocated inside of windows and a boot loader is installed. On reboot, you can choose windows or linux. When you are done, you can uninstall it and it goes away. Or, there are ways to migrate that file into a fresh partition if you want.

Very smooth.

R help in a browser

Really annoying to try to look up docs in a window you are using. Instead, try this:

help.start()  # this will start up documentation in a browser
help(plot)    # shows documentation in browswer window now!

data.frame in R (the key object)

I've been wading through R trying to figure out how it all works. It looks like the most important data structure is the data frame, and here I demo how to make a dataframe that a person can then play with. Yes, you can import data from a spreadsheet, but a person should understand the underlying data structure.

A data.frame is just a list of vectors or matrices where each has the same number of rows (think of the vectors as columns). It really is just the same as data in a spreadsheet:

var1	var2	var3	fac1	fac2
1	3	4	hot	TX
0	2	3	cold	WI
3	8	2	cold	UT

In fact, when one reads in this type of info, one gets a data.frame back:

df = read.csv(".csv", quote="")  # <-reads an unquoted csv file with headers

So, assuming we have some data like the above, now lets make it in R:

> var1 <- c(1,0,3)    #  '<-' is the assignment operator (like a directional '=')
                      #  'c()' is the concatenate operator (makes lists of things)
> var2 <- c(3,2,8)
> var3 <- array( c(4,3,2), c(3) )  # here's how you make a more mathematical vector

> fac1 <- c("hot", "cold", "cold")
> fac2 <- c("TX","WI","UT")

# alright, lets add all this stuff together into a dataframe:

> df <- data.frame(var1,var2,var3,fac1,fac2, row.names=NULL, check.rows=TRUE)

# creates this:
  var1 var2 var3 fac1 fac2
1    1    3    4  hot   TX
2    0    2    3 cold   WI
3    3    8    2 cold   UT

# want to see the names of the columns in the dataset:
> names(df)
[1] "var1" "var2" "var3" "fac1" "fac2"

# change the names:
> names(df) <- c("height", "weight", "nose.length", "temp", "state")
> df
  height weight nose.length temp state
1      1      3           4  hot    TX
2      0      2           3 cold    WI
3      3      8           2 cold    UT

# so, now we have a data.frame, the preferred data structure in R.  Let the magic begin:

> plot(df)  

Installing and basic plotting in R

Windows users:
http://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/
Download R-2.6.1-win32.exe and install it like any program.
Start it like any other program from the start menu

Linux users:
sudo apt-get install r-base
Just type R in the terminal

Read in a file
Go into excel or even a text editor and create a simple data set like this:
1,3
2,5
2,6
3,8
4,4
6,3
7,9
Where the second column is after the comma.
Save your file as a .csv
Look up where you saved it and insert that as the location in the following code:
data<-read.table("/home/eldon/Desktop/data.csv",sep=",") #this reads in your data and assigns it to the data frame "data"
plot(data) #this gives you a simple plot of your data
If you want to learn more about simple plotting just enter:
help(plot)

Scientists for Better PCR

http://bio-rad.cnpg.com/lsca/videos/ScientistsForBetterPCR/

Good for a laugh

What about R?

Isn't R important enough to put into the subtitle?

R from ruby

rsruby lets you run supposedly any function in R from ruby.

Elaborating on the sci-ruby page

sudo apt-get install r-base ruby1.9.1-full ruby1.9.1-dev
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/R/lib/libR.so /usr/lib/libR.so
sudo ln -s /usr/share/R/include/R.h /usr/include/R.h
gem install rsruby -- --with-R-dir=/usr/share/R

I thought this was necessary, but don't so much any more:

# add a line to your .bashrc file to point to R:
echo "export R_HOME=/usr/lib/R" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc   # read the bashrc file to get the variable

the lightsaber: our weapon of choice

http://www.tecnosquad.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/lightsaber.jpg

sudo make me a sandwich

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sandwich.png

If you don't know what this is about, stick around and you might. eventually. after an explanation.