I’m not a big fan of the months when the post right before the month’s Recently is the previous month’s Recently.

Code

I released simplestatistics 0.2.0 with added functions for:

• linear_regression_line() returns a function that, provided with a (m, b) tuple, where m is the slope and b is the y intercept, calculates y values based on given x values.
• root_mean_square()
• interquartile_range()
• sum_nth_power_deviations() to calculate sum of the deviations raised to Nth power.

Since that release, I added a harmonic_mean() function, and the ability to train a naive Bayesian classifier using the bayesian_classifier() class. The classifier feels like a significant milestone.

I think I’m on track to release version 1.0 in a month.

Reading

Articles

• I Peeked Into My Node_Modules Directory And You Won’t Believe What Happened Next

• Discovering ketosis: how to effectively lose weight

• Vesper, Adieu

Books

• Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge by Saïd Aburish (2001).

  My Goodreads review:

  This is a well-written book on the historical context around the rise of Saddam Hussein and the progression of his rule.

  As I do with any book about the Middle East, I take what’s written in it with a grain of salt (and especially the last 10%). But it gave me quite a bit to think about, and the author, Saïd Aburish, is sufficiently persuasive about his criticism of Western actions not being criticism of Liberal values or morals, or coming from a place of anti-Western ideology, or the beliefs in Western conspiracies that fill Arab minds.

  I knew little about Saddam before reading this book, and I can recommend it as a good place to start

The Recently posts are inspired by Tom MacWright.