Maximizing information while minimizing clutter is key to a great figure. In this post, I cover my approach for various figures throughout the years. Read more: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/my-favorit... #rstats #dataviz #science #publishing

ggplot2 is powerful, but not always pretty. 😬 That’s why I use Omnigraffle for final figure touches—cleaner legends, custom labels, and full control over design. Full workflow here: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/using-omni... #rstats #dataviz #omnigraffle #ggplot2

Just dropped a new #rstats Substack post! It’s about a better way to scale variables in R that won’t break predict() (and keeps your model inputs traceable). mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/scaling-va... #Tidyverse #DataAnalysis

Z-scoring in R? There’s a neat way to retain the original mean and SD after using scale(). This makes back-transforming for plots super easy. Full example: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/scaling-va... #rstats #Reproducibility #CodingTips

Scientific writing has trapped me in Word & Google Docs. For personal writing, I needed something better. Ulysses is that something. Clean, simple, and dare I say... fun? Here’s why I love it: ✍️ mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/i-started-... #WritingCommunity #TechTools #MacApps #ProductivityHacks

🚨 Big milestone for Rdatasets 🚨 The web archive now hosts 3400+ free and documented CSV datasets. Fantastic for teaching and testing! And {Rdatasets} is a new #RStats 📦 for easy download and search Web archive: vincentarelbundock.github.io/Rdatasets R 📦: vincentarelbundock.github.io/Rdatasetspkg

I used to wrap scale() in as.numeric() and call it a day. Now I know better: drop() preserves attributes and behaves cleanly. Full walkthrough (with mtcars, lm, ggplot2): mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/scaling-va... #rstats #DataViz #OpenScience

Personally I prefer using datawizard::standardize(), and specifically using it *in the formula*. So mtcars$hp_z <- scale(mtcars$hp) mpg ~ hp_z Becomes mpg ~ standardize(hp) This solves both issues you raise in your post. #rstats @easystats.bsky.social

Scaling variables in R? scale() is powerful — but its default behavior can mess with predict(). Here’s a clean fix using drop() + how to retain scaling attributes for later. mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/scaling-va... #rstats #DataScience #Statistics

This has to be the best #rstats hex sticker I've ever seen

One of my favorite tricks I’ve learned from ChatGPT: better facet labels in ggplot2. Check out the latest post: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/labeling-f... #rstats #ggplot2 #dataviz

Adding labeller = label_both to your facet calls in ggplot2 can massively improve figure readability! I wrote a quick blogpost with a use case and some examples. mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/labeling-f... #rstats #ggplot2 #VisualizationTips #dataviz

Most applications in R run pretty quickly. But these days, many R users are faced with huge datasets and/or long-running applications, making parallel computation attractive. 🧵 1/

Struggling with confusing facet labels in ggplot2? I just shared a quick fix that makes your plots clearer using labeller = label_both. mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/labeling-f... #rstats #dataviz #ggplot2 #DataScience

R is full of surprises—even after a decade, I’m still learning simple but powerful tricks. Named vectors are my latest discovery, thanks to ChatGPT! mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/named-vectors-in-r #RStats #Learning #ChatGPT #Dataviz

I'm looking for literature recommendations on guidance for specifying distributional assumptions in generalized linear/additive models. I've mainly stuck with gaussian and binomial distributions, but am looking to explore other distributions to enhance specification. Thank you! #rstats

There’s still time to support my fundraiser for Parkinson’s research! Learn more in my new post on the environmental factors behind PD. mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #DonateScience #Parkinsons #Research

One Month Away - REGISTER TODAY: PSP-MSA-CBD Caregiving Symposium, Saturday, June 14, 2025 Plan to join us – either in-person on the Stanford campus or virtually – for a symposium for the PSP, MSA, or CBD communities. Everyone is welcome. www.brainsupportnetwork.org/2025-0614-ps...

How does the environment impact Parkinson’s disease penetrance—even in people with genetic mutations? We studied over 80k people to find out. mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #Parkinsons #ScienceCommunication #Epidemiology #LRRK2

I shared why I stopped bullet journaling and switched to a digital system. Now, I want to hear from you! What’s your favorite productivity hack? Let’s discuss! mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/why-i-aban... #ProductivityTips #StayOrganized #Productivity #Lifehack #BuJo

New post! Toxins, like pesticides, and traumatic brain injuries play a bigger role in Parkinson’s disease than many realize. Read more about our findings here: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #Neurodegeneration #PublicHealth #ParkinsonsAwareness #Parkinsons

Genetics is just one piece of the puzzle. My latest post breaks down how lifestyle and environmental exposures influence Parkinson’s risk. mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #Parkinsons #Neuroscience #BrainHealth

My #tidyverse brain thought this was an #rstats post at first 😆

A little purr for you from the galaxy far, far away. (Sound on) 🐈‍⬛🤍 #cat #purr #maythe4thbewithyou

I got yelled at by an elderly gentleman, schooled by a kid, and caught in a chess club argument I barely understood. Chess is wild! ♟️ You can read Part II of my chess journey here: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/my-first-f... #Chess #ChessAdventures

"This is not Caladan. This is Arrakis. There are rules." -Muad'Dib

And, that wiggliness can be measured as effective degrees of freedom makes it more comprehensible

and don’t even try to pull that “roughness” funny business. it’s wiggliness!

I allow my "of a certain age on the Internet in the early 2000s" self to post this once a year when GAMs are discussed. I only made it to May!

"Wiggly" and "wiggliness" are the technical terms

One of my favorite parts of the generalized additive model literature is the fact that "wiggly" and "wiggliness" are legitimate terms to use when describing the nature of the smooths #rstats

🧠 Genetics isn’t just about one mutation—it’s about the whole genome. In my latest post, I unpack polygenic risk for Parkinson’s and how background DNA influences disease odds—even among those with known mutations like LRRK2. 📚 Part of my fundraiser series: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons...

I’m walking to raise money for the Parkinson’s Foundation—and sharing science along the way. This post breaks down polygenic risk, and how your DNA might tilt the odds for developing PD. 💙 Read & support here: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #ParkinsonsAwareness #Fundraiser #Genetics

Magnus, Hikaru, and the en passant rabbit hole. My journey into chess started with social media and led to blitz panic at a local club. mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/my-first-f... #ChessLife #BlitzChess #BeginnerJourney

A single mutation can increase Parkinson’s risk. But background genetics—aka polygenic risk—can raise (or lower) it even more. In my latest post, I break down how this works and why it matters for trials. 🧬 mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #Parkinsons #GWAS #PRS

Part 3 of my “Parkinson’s Disease 101” series is live! 🧬 This one dives into polygenic risk—how thousands of small DNA changes influence PD risk. Also: I’m walking for the Parkinson’s Foundation—help support the cause 💙 🔗 mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #Parkinsons #Genetics #MovingDay

I used to pack everything into a mega R script. Now I build modular scripts and custom functions. Here’s my journey: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/creating-o... #rstats #CodingLife #ReproducibleResearch

Every share, every donation makes a difference. I’m walking for those living with Parkinson’s—and sharing what I’ve learned in a new series. This week’s post is on genetics and PD risk. Read it + support the cause: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #Parkinsons #MovingDay #Genetics

🧠 A single DNA change in the LRRK2 gene can increase Parkinson’s risk. In my latest post, I break down how that happens—and why it matters for early symptoms, diagnosis, and trials: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... Read to help me raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation 💙 #Parkinsons

Built a custom keyboard from scratch. Loved the creamy pop sound. Hated the wrist pain. Went back to my Mac keyboard. Full story here: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/building-k... #MechanicalKeyboards #MacLife #TypingNerd

Part 2 of my Parkinson’s series is up! 🧬 We're talking genetics, LRRK2, and why some people develop PD differently. Also: I'm walking in Moving Day to raise funds for research & care. Read + donate 👉 mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons... #Parkinsons #Neurogenetics #Fundraiser #MovingDay

Starting a bullet journal felt impossible as a perfectionist. The blank pages were too perfect to ruin. But I found 4 things that helped me finally begin. If you’re struggling to start, this might help: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/bullet-jou... #BulletJournal #BuJo #Productivity #Journal

Every donation brings us closer to better treatments for Parkinson’s. I’m raising funds through Moving Day—join me in supporting those living with PD! Read more & donate here: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons-disease-101 #MakeADifference #ParkinsonsFoundation

Every donation brings us closer to better treatments for Parkinson’s disease. I’m raising funds through Moving Day—join me in supporting those living with PD! Read more & donate here: mattkmiecik.substack.com/p/parkinsons-disease-101 #MakeADifference #ParkinsonsFoundation #Parkinsons

#TodayinHistory #dataviz #Onthisday #OTD 📊 🎂 Mar 30, 1840 Charles Booth born in Liverpool, England 🇬🇧 1889: Booth constructed street maps of London, showing poverty and wealth by color coding, transforming existing methods of social survey and poverty mapping Interactive map: booth.lse.ac.uk/map

This reminds me of my own journey to Python way back when (about 20 years ago). I was in a B&B without internet access and couldn't access the Matlab license server, and just decided to ditch it altogether.

Similar! I am still a Perl programmer at heart, but love R+tidyverse too, and mostly just use R and bash now.

This is something you should read today.

A nice reminder that named vectors are so simple! And I often forget to use them.