Libby Heeren
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libbyheeren.bsky.social
Libby Heeren
@libbyheeren.bsky.social
Posit DS Hangout host & data educator. Data Weasel. Community Builder. Teaches R+Python.

🔉 Heeren == "hair-en" ✨

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/libbyheeren
DS Hangout: https://pos.it/dsh
You know it's gonna be interesting when it starts with, "Yes, I’m ready to touch the hot stove." 😂

I've seen folks missing the base R in the footnote 👀

What say you, #databs #rstats #pydata? /Aragorn voice/

Is there civilized discussion to be had? 🤔

blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/python-is-...
Python is not a great language for data science. Part 1: The experience
It may be a good language for data science, but it’s not a great one.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:21 AM
I'm not saying to act impulsively, but I am saying that the ability to take decisive action is a valuable skill that I wish I'd honed a lot sooner in life than I did.
November 14, 2025 at 4:43 AM
I have this problem where when I meet someone for the first time, my brain just goes, "I have so many questions," and then it sort of shorts out when the new person stops talking because I'm trying to simultaneously not steamroll the conversation AND satisfy my curiosity. It's a real challenge.
November 13, 2025 at 3:01 AM
One of my favorite conf talks of all time was Ryan Timpe's talk about learning R via hilarious side projects, so I'm pretty freaking pumped to say he's is gonna be the featured guest at the Data Science Hangout tomorrow 🤩 If you haven't seen that 2020 talk yet, here it is: youtu.be/oOG-aXP_ICI
Ryan Timpe | Learning R with humorous side projects | RStudio (2020)
YouTube video by Posit PBC
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Reposted by Libby Heeren
This gives a fantastic framing of how to think about reproducibility (it's a spectrum) and how to use renv with intention. Highly recommend, even if you're not using renv, to get a better understanding of how to live in peace as R and package versions advance 🕊️ #rstats
The recording of my #rstats posit::conf talk ✨ practical {renv}✨ is available! 🎉

I created this talk for frustrated {renv} users 🫠 and potential {renv} users🤩

youtu.be/l01u7Ue9pIQ?...

Even if {renv} isn't on your radar, you may still find this talk interesting if you are curious about🤔...
Practical {renv} (Shannon Pileggi, The PCCTC) | posit::conf(2025)
YouTube video by Posit PBC
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I have two mugs that are almost too huge to use, and they're both magnificent. This one makes my heart glow & is full of coffee. I guess it's vintage now! Or special edition? #rstats #databs #RStudio

(The other one is a Steven Universe mug covered in all the characters! It's almost a soup bowl 😂)
November 11, 2025 at 5:25 PM
What do you love about your data job? Like, what's the part of your job that, if someone took it away, you'd find another job?

It might even be the thing other people dislike!

For me, it's talking to people and helping them troubleshoot, feel safe/seen, and learn to code.

#databs #rstats #pydata
November 11, 2025 at 4:50 AM
I spend like 45% of my waking hours just hearing Fifth Element quotes in my head (& trying not to say them) because so many everyday words remind me of Fifth Element quotes. Does anyone else have a brain like this?

Definitely a Fun Fact Friday Libby-fact 😂 Fifth Element is one of my favorite films
November 8, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Dr. Cat Hicks (@grimalkina.bsky.social) gave one of my very favorite keynotes of all time at #positconf this year 🥹 It really made my heart glow, and now that all the conf talks are on YouTube, you can watch it even if you missed conf!! #databs #rstats #python

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bM...
The Psychology of Technologists (Cat Hicks, Catharsis Consulting) | posit::conf(2025)
YouTube video by Posit PBC
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:35 AM
new #dplyr filtering function who dis 😍 meet filter_out()!

👍 GO PUT A THUMBS UP ON DAVIS'S TIDYUP THINGY ON GITHUB TO SHARE MY ENTHUSIASMMMM!! #rstats #databs

And, you know, provide your thoughts on this newly-proposed function if you have them 😌
November 7, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Custom #Positron title thingy of "file - project - branch" is now miiiiine!!
November 7, 2025 at 6:10 AM
I love this so much!!
A little late on the upload, but last month's lab group #TidyTuesday used the Dungeons and Dragons spells dataset. My contribution takes a look at how different schools of magic are distributed across different character classes and different "range types".
November 7, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Ahhh, 11pm. It's just me, the sweet sound of silence, and all my #rstats friends in Australia and NZ who are awake and online 😂
November 7, 2025 at 5:02 AM
You know how in #RStudio, it puts your branch name at the top? Like "project_name - branch - RStudio" (shown here)

I want that in #Positron 🤔 and I haven't found a popular extension for it. (I think there is one that works in VSCode, but not in Positron!)

Any ideas, #rstats #databs crew?
November 7, 2025 at 4:26 AM
When you spend two days joking with your data friends about being old and not understanding Gen Z slang, and then @hadley.nz drops this 😂

I was like, was he sensing our conversations?! It's like when you worry your phone is listening to you #rstats #databs
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....

genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
GitHub - hadley/genzplyr: dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap
dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap. Contribute to hadley/genzplyr development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:52 PM
I got some questions about how I use my chess timer, and a video is just easier, so here you go!

Also, it's been nice to see the overlap between my #ADHD crowd and my #databs crowd. I keep using the #ADHData hashtag to include both, and I hope others will use it, too!
November 6, 2025 at 4:08 PM
My #ADHD brain doesn't feel time, so I capture it with a chess clock.

Player 1 on the left is "off the clock" & Player 2 on the right is "on the clock" - clearly my cat stickers are resting/playing vs business mode 🥹

Caveat: this only helps if I actually remember to press the buttons 😭 #ADHData
November 6, 2025 at 3:27 AM
I have many thoughts and opinions about my two data-centric university degree programs. What questions do you have? Do you have "data" degrees? Did you get your degree before "data" was a thing? Did you skip the degree? What was your experience?

#rstats #databs #pydata
November 6, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Most people on Discord got this right! It's Python 🐍! There's a new trivia question up in the Discord server now 👀 TRY TO ANSWER WITHOUT GOOGLING!!
I had SO MUCH FUN making the data science trivia game for positconf Virtual Day this yr, & all I've wanted since then is to do it again! But it was a big lift to make it happen. What if I did daily trivia instead? I could do it as a poll on the data science community discord! #databs #python #rstats
November 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Oh. My. Gosh. Data Science Lab was SO FUN today! Just casually sharing screens to walk through settings live was incredible.

I'm gonna start a thread here of some of the stuff we shared/learned together as a community. Great stuff was shared by all! #databs #rstats #python

🧵 1/n
November 5, 2025 at 7:59 PM
All the times I've asked for help have one thing in common: every time, I wished I'd asked earlier
November 5, 2025 at 5:51 AM
I know I'm a nerd because most of what I want for Christmas is custom keyboard parts ⌨️🎄🎁 & working shiny apps

I know I'm an OLD nerd because the rest of what I want for Christmas is comfy stuff from the Jockey holiday catalog. Also there's the fact that I still use paper catalogs, I guess 😂 #databs
November 4, 2025 at 8:06 PM
TOMORROW, I'm hosting what I'm calling Data Science Lab. This debut session will be our fave Positron settings for #rstats & #python 😍

I called it DS Lounge at first, but that doesn't feel right. You'll see "Lounge" when you register at pos.it/dslab, but future sessions will be "Lab" 🧪😎 #databs
November 4, 2025 at 7:06 PM
I had SO MUCH FUN making the data science trivia game for positconf Virtual Day this yr, & all I've wanted since then is to do it again! But it was a big lift to make it happen. What if I did daily trivia instead? I could do it as a poll on the data science community discord! #databs #python #rstats
November 4, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Up next in 15 minutes, free R/Pharma workshop: Creating Polished, Branded Documents with Quarto, led by the sparkling and brilliant @ivelasq3.bsky.social!! 🔥🔥🔥
November 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM