Alex Diaz-Papkovich
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alexandr.bsky.social
Alex Diaz-Papkovich
@alexandr.bsky.social
590 followers 800 following 130 posts
Statistician and mathematician. Postdoc working on population genetics at the Data Science Institute at Brown University. UWaterloo, Carleton, and McGill alum. Skeets are my own. He/him.

https://github.com/diazale
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
copernicusecmwf.bsky.social
🧵
C3S data shows that every year since the Paris Agreement has ranked among the 10 warmest on record.
November 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
jmcelroy.bsky.social
October 28, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
hockeyviz.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
photoblair.bsky.social
Jays are on track to win 14,342 to 0.
October 30, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
damiepak.bsky.social
Can you predict when Lou Bega's greatest hit, Mambo No. 5, was released based on the names of all the women mentioned in the song?

Weirdly yes.

yawpr.substack.com/p/project-a-...

#databs #rstats
October 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
tomflood.bsky.social
World Series - Stadium Edition.

*skydome forever.
Maps view of Rogers Centre in Toronto Maps view of Dodger stadium in LA
October 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
lanrickbennett.bsky.social
Some common sources of microplastics in the Don River are construction foam, car tires, plastic pellets and tiny pieces shed from larger single-use plastics, Rochman said.
h/t @utoronto.ca
Cc: @juliedabrusin.bsky.social @toenviro.bsky.social @waterfrontoronto.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
October 23, 2025 at 11:10 AM
alexandr.bsky.social
this map of Montreal's (extremely popular and successful) bike lane network is handy for these comments
A map of the island of Montreal centred on Mt. Royal showing an extensive network of bicycle lanes criss-crossing the city. Despite its famously frigid winters (receiving an average of >6in/15cm per month of snow for half the year and regularly reaching temperatures <10F/-13C) the city built its popular bicycle and micro-mobility infrastructure because 1) some people bike in the winter 2) OTHER SEASONS EXIST https://services.montreal.ca/en/maps/bike-paths
October 23, 2025 at 12:51 AM
alexandr.bsky.social
more like seattle marners
October 21, 2025 at 2:49 AM
alexandr.bsky.social
Can't wait to dig into this one. They sequenced the DNA from a tooth from an archaic hominin who lived 200,000 years ago!
October 21, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
theonion.com
Katy Perry Releases New Single About Superiority Of Canadian Manufacturing
Katy Perry Releases New Single About Superiority Of Canadian Manufacturing
MONTECITO, CA—Signaling a new chapter in her career, pop star Katy Perry released a new single Monday about the superiority of Canadian manufacturing. “When I learned about the strength of Canadian au...
theonion.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
hockeyviz.com
I run a frankly wonderful website called HockeyViz.com, to which you can subscribe at several different levels, each providing you with joy* and many charts about the NHL. You can subscribe at hockeyviz.com/subscribe, and this thread will tell you what you'll get.
October 18, 2025 at 3:12 PM
alexandr.bsky.social
I'm mildly obsessed with how local laws mandated and shaped the Trader Joe's parking lot in Providence. Retail requires 1 spot per 500sqft, but you can (legally) fit more spots in the same area using 1-way angle parking. People say the lot is small, but it's still as big as the store!
City of Providence zoning ordinance https://providencerules.com/docs/Final_Zoning_Ordinance.pdf A table of minimum parking spot sizes based on the parking angle. Parking angles of 0 degrees (parallel parking) and 90 degrees (perpendicular parking) require 22' of aisle width, while 45 or 60 degrees require 12' and 16' respectively. A Google Maps satellite image of the Trader Joe's in the Fox Point neighbourhood in Providence. The rooftop of the TJs and other buildings in the complex are visible. The buildings flank a parking lot that is centred between them. It is a one-way parking lot with angled parking on either side of the aisle.
October 11, 2025 at 8:25 PM
alexandr.bsky.social
I'm glad this works for some people but... I can't help but think of how many dodgy statistical analyses are already out there because of people blindly applying statistical software, and what happens when we add another layer of separation between the user and their understanding of the methods.
hormiga.bsky.social Terry McGlynn @hormiga.bsky.social · Oct 9
Y'all. I just got ChatGPT to do everything in R for this manuscript. I mean EVERYTHING. And it's all legit and reproducible. I'm shook.

How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?

scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...
Statistics in the era of AI
How do we mentor, teach, and do stats when AI can do so much of the work?
scienceforeveryone.science
October 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
awrgenes.bsky.social
New preprint out with Brenna Henn, led by two fantastic grad students in our labs! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Recovering the pre-colonial population structure of Khoe-San descendant populations
San populations from Botswana and Namibia retain exceptional linguistic, cultural and genetic diversity, but few Khoisan-speaking groups remain south of the Kalahari Desert. However, historically, far...
www.biorxiv.org
October 8, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
cellarchlab.com
Time for a thread!🧵 How different is the molecular organization of thylakoids in “higher” plants🌱? To find out, we teamed up with @profmattjohnson.bsky.social to dive into spinach chloroplasts with #CryoET ❄️🔬. Curious? ..Read on!

#TeamTomo #PlantScience 🧪 🧶🧬 🌾
elifesciences.org/articles/105...
1/🧵
September 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
isaaccallan.bsky.social
NEW: Vehicles registered to Doug Ford's cabinet ministers have been caught by automated speed cameras more than 20 times.

In one case, they were driving 70 in a 40 zone. On average, they were 17 over the limit. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1146373...
Vehicles registered to Ford cabinet ministers caught by speed cameras more than 20 times | Globalnews.ca
Documents obtained by Global News reveal that, over three years, vehicles registered to Ford’s cabinet minister received more than $3,300 in fines for speeding.
globalnews.ca
October 6, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
hockeyviz.com
⬡⬢⬡ HockeyViz 2025-2026 Season Preview ⬢⬡⬢

hockeyviz.com/txt/preview2...

Detailed skill and icetime breakdowns for every team, and a million simulations of the upcoming NHL seasons.

There are many, many graphs.
September 29, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
sueanderbois.bsky.social
Adding beautiful and sturdy safety features to North Main this morning w/ friends from the Providence Streets Coalition & Ward 3 neighbors! Inspiring to see folks dedicating their time to improving our community!

Special thanks to Bloom RI who supported this installation!
September 27, 2025 at 4:30 PM
alexandr.bsky.social
if you’re ever feeling down I recommend getting a dozen friends and installing planters for traffic calming and beautification

thanks @pvdstreets.bsky.social (and @sueanderbois.bsky.social)!
katrinaspeak.bsky.social Katrina Demulling @katrinaspeak.bsky.social · Sep 27
Helped install planters on N Main St right before Olney St. in Providence, RI. These help keep cars from driving illegally, making it safer for everyone on the street.
Large street planter on North Main St in Providence. Supported by Bloom and Providence Streets Coalition.
September 27, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
dasharez0ne.bsky.social
IF IT AINT MY COMPUTER IT SHOULDNT HAVE A COMPUTER IN IT - dashare.zone ADMIN
A SKELTON "DESTROY ALL SMART DEVICES" - "I NEED TO USE YOU'RE WIFI NO REASON - PLEASE UPDATE THE SYSTEM SOFTWARE TO CONTINUE MOWING YOUR FUCKIN LAWN , FRIDGE WILL OPEN IN 30 SECOND'S SKIP ADD FOR 0.99 OR SKIP 10 AD'S FOR 7.99 BEST DEAL "DONT WORRY ABOUT IT " LIGHT BULB WILL TURN OFF AFTER 30 MINTUES WATCH THIS BEEF ADVERTISEMENT TO KEEP LIGHT BULB ON FOR UP TO 4 HOURS , TIRES OF WAITING 15 SECOND'S FOR TOILET FLUSH? SAY MCDONALDS FOR 1 FREE INSTANT FLUSH, I NEED TO CONTACT MY MANUFACTURER NO REASON, DO YOU AGREE TO TERMS OF SERCICE FOR CAR? NO REASON DONT WORRY ABOUT IT . NO REASON " - ------ ANY COMPUTER IN A DEVICE WHICH IS NOT A COMPUTER WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU!!! THE COMPUTERS SERVE THE INVESTORS THEY DO NOT SERVE YOU!!! ANY APPLIANCE WHICH HAS A DIGITAL SCREEN FOR NO REASON WILL BE USED TO SELL YOU PRODUCTS OR SHOW YOU ADS - ANY APPLIANCE WHICH NEEDS TO CONNECT TO WIFI WILL COLLECT INFORMATION AND RECORD WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN YOUR HOUSE AND SEND IT BACK TO THE MANUFACTRER - THIS CONSTITUTES A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHT'S AND MUST BE DENIED ENTRY TO YOUR HOUSE AT ALL TIMES!!! NO DEVICE MAY CONNECT TO MY WI FI UNLESS IT IS MY HOLY COMPUTER OR PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I PLEDGE TO DENY THE INVESTOR'S MY DATA AND MY ATTENTION AND ACCESS TO MY LIVING ROOM - DASHARE.ZONE ADMIN
September 18, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
thomasp85.com
I am beyond excited to announce that ggplot2 4.0.0 has just landed on CRAN.

It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package.

Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats
ggplot2 4.0.0
A new major version of ggplot2 has been released on CRAN. Find out what is new here.
www.tidyverse.org
September 11, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
mbonsma.bsky.social
That drivers are the only serious customers is a common misconception. In Toronto (and elsewhere) studies have found that drivers don't spend more money compared to other modes. The winner in this study of two shopping streets in Toronto was the humble pedestrian!

www.tcat.ca/wp-content/u...
Figure 6 from the economic impact of bike lanes report by The Centre for Active Transportation. The figure shows the percentage of visitors who spent $100 or more per visit, broken down by travel mode. Bike lanes were added to Bloor Street between the two study years and did not decrease amounts spent, and in all locations and years pedestrians had the highest fraction spending over $100, followed by cyclists for Bloor Street, and for Danforth cyclists are second in 2015 and cars are second in 2016-2017. A section from the economic impact of bike lanes report by The Centre for Active Transportation: "SPENDING The second data source used to estimate economic impact was monthly spending from the visitor surveys. In 2015, approximately half (44%) of visitors reported spending at least $100, and so this amount was used as a threshold of comparison for the data analysis. Reported spending increased on Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue at a similar rate (see Figure 5). Spending was higher on Danforth Avenue than on Bloor Street, both before and after the bike lane’s installation. Increases in spending were found across all transportation choices except transit (see Figure 6). Both before and after the bike lane’s installation, customers who arrive by foot or on bike reported the highest levels of spending on Bloor Street. On Danforth Avenue, where no bike lane was installed, the top spenders remain people arriving on foot. Spending by people on bikes increased only slightly on the Danforth and was surpassed by people in cars. On both streets, spending was found to increase with proximity and visit frequency. Using a regression model, the research team determined that people who are local (they live or work in the area) were 2.6 times more likely than those who live or work further away to spend at least $100 per month, and for each additional day per month visited, the likelihood of spending $100 or more increased by 7.3%."
September 10, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
volts.wtf
Wikipedia's resistance to enshittification is fascinating to me.
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
September 4, 2025 at 9:04 PM