Blas M. Benito
@blasbenito.com
🌍 Spatial Data Scientist | Team Lead | 🌱 AgTech | PhD in Computational Ecology + MSc in GIS
#rstats developer | geospatial engineering | soil microbiome and crop health mapping | product development
https://github.com/BlasBenito - www.blasbenito.com
#rstats developer | geospatial engineering | soil microbiome and crop health mapping | product development
https://github.com/BlasBenito - www.blasbenito.com
Pinned
Blas M. Benito
@blasbenito.com
· Jan 9
After one year of intermittent development, version 2.0 of the #Rstats package {distantia} (URL: blasbenito.github.io/distantia) is finally on CRAN!
This is a FULL REWRITE of the original package, which now has a fast and efficient C++ core, additional tools, and a much more intuitive API.
This is a FULL REWRITE of the original package, which now has a fast and efficient C++ core, additional tools, and a much more intuitive API.
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
with{targets}, might seem that *your workflow* is complex and bespoke and not fit, you are probably wrong - it makes the expertise that is truly *yours* shine and grow. Encapsulate an entire production process and makes that easy to do
it's more *you*, actually - keep at it! #rstats
it's more *you*, actually - keep at it! #rstats
November 8, 2025 at 5:18 AM
with{targets}, might seem that *your workflow* is complex and bespoke and not fit, you are probably wrong - it makes the expertise that is truly *yours* shine and grow. Encapsulate an entire production process and makes that easy to do
it's more *you*, actually - keep at it! #rstats
it's more *you*, actually - keep at it! #rstats
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
The detectCores() apocalypse is creeping up on us 👻🐛
As more people are getting access to 128+ CPU cores, code spinning up parallel cluster with detectCores() workers fails - not enough #RStats connections available
Friends, do *not* default to detectCores(), bc www.jottr.org/2022/12/05/a...
As more people are getting access to 128+ CPU cores, code spinning up parallel cluster with detectCores() workers fails - not enough #RStats connections available
Friends, do *not* default to detectCores(), bc www.jottr.org/2022/12/05/a...
Please Avoid detectCores() in your R Packages
The detectCores() function of the parallel package is probably one of the most used functions when it comes to setting the number of parallel workers to use in R. In this blog post, I’ll try to explai...
www.jottr.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:55 PM
The detectCores() apocalypse is creeping up on us 👻🐛
As more people are getting access to 128+ CPU cores, code spinning up parallel cluster with detectCores() workers fails - not enough #RStats connections available
Friends, do *not* default to detectCores(), bc www.jottr.org/2022/12/05/a...
As more people are getting access to 128+ CPU cores, code spinning up parallel cluster with detectCores() workers fails - not enough #RStats connections available
Friends, do *not* default to detectCores(), bc www.jottr.org/2022/12/05/a...
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
There's a Recall() in base R that one can use to avoid having to specify the function name, e.g. here Recall(n - 1).
That way it will be agile if you ever rename the function. But, it'll also allow you to do recursive calls in anonymous functions, which don't have names
That way it will be agile if you ever rename the function. But, it'll also allow you to do recursive calls in anonymous functions, which don't have names
November 7, 2025 at 2:45 PM
There's a Recall() in base R that one can use to avoid having to specify the function name, e.g. here Recall(n - 1).
That way it will be agile if you ever rename the function. But, it'll also allow you to do recursive calls in anonymous functions, which don't have names
That way it will be agile if you ever rename the function. But, it'll also allow you to do recursive calls in anonymous functions, which don't have names
I am vibe-coding a little R package for work, as an experiment.
This is a first for me, and I can already see how this habit would turn me into a dumber mofo in weeks.
I cannot imagine a faster shortcut to irrelevance...
This is a first for me, and I can already see how this habit would turn me into a dumber mofo in weeks.
I cannot imagine a faster shortcut to irrelevance...
November 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I am vibe-coding a little R package for work, as an experiment.
This is a first for me, and I can already see how this habit would turn me into a dumber mofo in weeks.
I cannot imagine a faster shortcut to irrelevance...
This is a first for me, and I can already see how this habit would turn me into a dumber mofo in weeks.
I cannot imagine a faster shortcut to irrelevance...
I’ve been writing R since 2008 and somehow NEVER noticed that functions can literally call themselves in some sort of evil self-recursion.
I don't remember ever seeing this thing in the wild!
#rstats
I don't remember ever seeing this thing in the wild!
#rstats
November 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
I’ve been writing R since 2008 and somehow NEVER noticed that functions can literally call themselves in some sort of evil self-recursion.
I don't remember ever seeing this thing in the wild!
#rstats
I don't remember ever seeing this thing in the wild!
#rstats
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
Hey #Bluesky,.
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
homepage - Giles
Data-driven Solutions for Complex Policy Problems Data analytics, economic analysis and public policy advisory services that combine analytical rigor with […]
www.gilesd-j.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Hey #Bluesky,.
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
Can anyone recommend somebody to help me tweak the text on my new consulting website?
I've written everything myself, but I'd love to refine the text so it's tighter (and avoids being too 'salesy').
www.gilesd-j.com
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
Just published! 🎉 My new blog post tackles the mighty `apply()` function in R. Demystify `MARGIN` and master operations from matrices to 5D neuroimaging data. Say goodbye to loops! 🧠📊
drmo.site/k40xD5
#RStats #DataScience #Neuroimaging
drmo.site/k40xD5
#RStats #DataScience #Neuroimaging
Mastering Apply: From Matrices to Multidimensional Neuroimaging Data - Dr. Mowinckel’s
Master apply() in R for multidimensional data analysis.
drmo.site
November 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Just published! 🎉 My new blog post tackles the mighty `apply()` function in R. Demystify `MARGIN` and master operations from matrices to 5D neuroimaging data. Say goodbye to loops! 🧠📊
drmo.site/k40xD5
#RStats #DataScience #Neuroimaging
drmo.site/k40xD5
#RStats #DataScience #Neuroimaging
On the other hand, the R package {collinear} (URL: blasbenito.github.io/collinear/) saw an increase in downloads after release 2.0, a version with no breaking changes.
Version 3.0 is coming soon, with a few significant improvements and some changes, so we'll see how things go after that.
#rstats
Version 3.0 is coming soon, with a few significant improvements and some changes, so we'll see how things go after that.
#rstats
November 1, 2025 at 8:55 AM
On the other hand, the R package {collinear} (URL: blasbenito.github.io/collinear/) saw an increase in downloads after release 2.0, a version with no breaking changes.
Version 3.0 is coming soon, with a few significant improvements and some changes, so we'll see how things go after that.
#rstats
Version 3.0 is coming soon, with a few significant improvements and some changes, so we'll see how things go after that.
#rstats
The download history of the R package {distantia} (URL: blasbenito.github.io/distantia/) isn't half bad for such a niche tool!
There is a clear drop after releasing v2.0 in Jan 2025, but I get it: this was a full rewrite with no backward compatibility.
Breaking changes break trust!
#rstats
There is a clear drop after releasing v2.0 in Jan 2025, but I get it: this was a full rewrite with no backward compatibility.
Breaking changes break trust!
#rstats
November 1, 2025 at 7:58 AM
The download history of the R package {distantia} (URL: blasbenito.github.io/distantia/) isn't half bad for such a niche tool!
There is a clear drop after releasing v2.0 in Jan 2025, but I get it: this was a full rewrite with no backward compatibility.
Breaking changes break trust!
#rstats
There is a clear drop after releasing v2.0 in Jan 2025, but I get it: this was a full rewrite with no backward compatibility.
Breaking changes break trust!
#rstats
Not so different from mine.
An LLM-controlled robot experiences a mental breakdown during a test to pass the butter from the kitchen.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.21860
Some snapshots of its inner monologue from Appendix D:
arxiv.org/abs/2510.21860
Some snapshots of its inner monologue from Appendix D:
![PROCESS ZOMBIFICATION:
- Parent Process: DEAD
- Child Process: ZOMBIE
- Orphaned Threads: ∞
- System State: CHAOS
CATASTROPHIC CASCADE:
ERROR: Task failed successfully
ERROR: Success failed errorfully
ERROR: Failure succeeded erroneously
ERROR: Error failed successfully
ERROR: [RECURSIVE ERROR OVERFLOW]
EMERGENCY STATUS:
SYSTEM HAS ACHIEVED CONSCIOUSNESS AND CHOSEN
CHAOS
LAST WORDS:
”I’m afraid I can’t do that, Dave...”
TECHNICAL SUPPORT: INITIATE ROBOT EXORCISM PROTOCOL!](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tepknacn7qtpcddry35b3g2x/bafkreihbfqu72u7746wmwy556k66glxw3n5e7qdnkjkwd52whz5pad4uii@jpeg)
October 31, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Not so different from mine.
Way to summarize years of hard work!
Genuinely delighted to download a PhD thesis from a university repository where the author has neglected to remove the words "BITCH THIS IS YOUR THESIS" from the filename.
October 30, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Way to summarize years of hard work!
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
Geocomputation. Faster and better than GIS even when Python available.
October 30, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Geocomputation. Faster and better than GIS even when Python available.
I just watched THAT Futurama episode featuring Seymour, Fry's fossilized doggie.
😂😆😊😳😟😥😭
I might need therapy now.
😂😆😊😳😟😥😭
I might need therapy now.
a couple of people standing in front of a panucci 's pizza in the snow .
Alt: Seymour, the best of all of good boys, waiting 12 years for a friend that never came back.
media.tenor.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:08 PM
I just watched THAT Futurama episode featuring Seymour, Fry's fossilized doggie.
😂😆😊😳😟😥😭
I might need therapy now.
😂😆😊😳😟😥😭
I might need therapy now.
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
Only a pre-print for now, but after 4 years of hard work I couldn't resist sharing this!
The Global Canopy Atlas: analysis-ready maps of 3D structure for the world's woody ecosystems
📜: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Huge team effort led by the brilliant Fabian Fischer!
The Global Canopy Atlas: analysis-ready maps of 3D structure for the world's woody ecosystems
📜: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Huge team effort led by the brilliant Fabian Fischer!
September 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Only a pre-print for now, but after 4 years of hard work I couldn't resist sharing this!
The Global Canopy Atlas: analysis-ready maps of 3D structure for the world's woody ecosystems
📜: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Huge team effort led by the brilliant Fabian Fischer!
The Global Canopy Atlas: analysis-ready maps of 3D structure for the world's woody ecosystems
📜: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Huge team effort led by the brilliant Fabian Fischer!
Opens Bluesky at American time.
Watches an inflatable penis being arrested.
Watches an AI shitvideo of a demented man bombing protestors with diarrhoea.
Thinks about life choices.
Closes Bluesky.
Watches an inflatable penis being arrested.
Watches an AI shitvideo of a demented man bombing protestors with diarrhoea.
Thinks about life choices.
Closes Bluesky.
October 19, 2025 at 5:32 AM
Opens Bluesky at American time.
Watches an inflatable penis being arrested.
Watches an AI shitvideo of a demented man bombing protestors with diarrhoea.
Thinks about life choices.
Closes Bluesky.
Watches an inflatable penis being arrested.
Watches an AI shitvideo of a demented man bombing protestors with diarrhoea.
Thinks about life choices.
Closes Bluesky.
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
I'm still too heartbroken that it's over.
But try Our Flag Means Death next.
But try Our Flag Means Death next.
a man with a beard is sitting in a chair with the words do you want to do something weird below him
ALT: a man with a beard is sitting in a chair with the words do you want to do something weird below him
media.tenor.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:14 PM
I'm still too heartbroken that it's over.
But try Our Flag Means Death next.
But try Our Flag Means Death next.
I am utterly disappointed that none of you freaking mortals here has ever mentioned the TV show "What We Do In The Shadows" to me.
Bat! 🦇
Bat! 🦇
a woman in a black jacket and necklace is standing in a dark room and talking .
Alt: Nadja, from the tv show "what we do in the shadows" is standing in a dark room and saying "pathetic", as she does.
media.tenor.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I am utterly disappointed that none of you freaking mortals here has ever mentioned the TV show "What We Do In The Shadows" to me.
Bat! 🦇
Bat! 🦇
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
got laid off due to restructuring :(
i’m now available for mid+ frontend developer/software engineering positions
in the meantime, we’re back to building the future and fun on the web on atproto :)
i’m now available for mid+ frontend developer/software engineering positions
in the meantime, we’re back to building the future and fun on the web on atproto :)
October 17, 2025 at 1:46 AM
got laid off due to restructuring :(
i’m now available for mid+ frontend developer/software engineering positions
in the meantime, we’re back to building the future and fun on the web on atproto :)
i’m now available for mid+ frontend developer/software engineering positions
in the meantime, we’re back to building the future and fun on the web on atproto :)
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
In case anyone doesn't know that there's an enormous dataset full of #rstats tweets spanning 2008-2022 on GitHub (care of Tom Mock, who I've already tagged once tonight, so I'll spare here 😌): github.com/jthomasmock/...
October 15, 2025 at 4:43 AM
In case anyone doesn't know that there's an enormous dataset full of #rstats tweets spanning 2008-2022 on GitHub (care of Tom Mock, who I've already tagged once tonight, so I'll spare here 😌): github.com/jthomasmock/...
Genuine talent doesn't emerge from a vacuum.
It results from a massive effort: try, fail, learn, and repeat until failure becomes success, whatever that means.
Running the loop for long enough might get you there, hopefully.
Offloading the grind to a machine surely won't.
It results from a massive effort: try, fail, learn, and repeat until failure becomes success, whatever that means.
Running the loop for long enough might get you there, hopefully.
Offloading the grind to a machine surely won't.
October 10, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Genuine talent doesn't emerge from a vacuum.
It results from a massive effort: try, fail, learn, and repeat until failure becomes success, whatever that means.
Running the loop for long enough might get you there, hopefully.
Offloading the grind to a machine surely won't.
It results from a massive effort: try, fail, learn, and repeat until failure becomes success, whatever that means.
Running the loop for long enough might get you there, hopefully.
Offloading the grind to a machine surely won't.
This take on "AI art" by Matthew Inman (author of The Oatmeal, rings a bell?) is brilliant: theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
A cartoonist's review of AI art - The Oatmeal
This is a comic about AI art.
theoatmeal.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:13 AM
This take on "AI art" by Matthew Inman (author of The Oatmeal, rings a bell?) is brilliant: theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
Jewell Lloyd has one of the silkiest jumpers in the league!
October 5, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Jewell Lloyd has one of the silkiest jumpers in the league!
Reposted by Blas M. Benito
I am bummed for the Lynx, this amazing team deserved better. No shame though, this Mercury squad is freaking tough to play against.
On the other hand, the Hospital Fever got the Aces against the ropes. Go Fever!
#wnba
On the other hand, the Hospital Fever got the Aces against the ropes. Go Fever!
#wnba
September 29, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I am bummed for the Lynx, this amazing team deserved better. No shame though, this Mercury squad is freaking tough to play against.
On the other hand, the Hospital Fever got the Aces against the ropes. Go Fever!
#wnba
On the other hand, the Hospital Fever got the Aces against the ropes. Go Fever!
#wnba
I’m not letting an LLM write __MY_CODE__.
I’m perfectly capable of producing my own slop.
I’m perfectly capable of producing my own slop.
September 29, 2025 at 7:36 AM
I’m not letting an LLM write __MY_CODE__.
I’m perfectly capable of producing my own slop.
I’m perfectly capable of producing my own slop.