biscotty’s Workshop
For the love of learning
Welcome
Here you will find articles about things that interest me. Much of the site is devoted to technological topics such as Linux, programming, and data science. There is a “humanities” section as well where I post on a range of topics such as history, linguistics, Chinese medicine, gardening and cooking, and music.
What’s new
A new post comparing the use of R with Python for working with GPX data.
I have added, and am updating, a section about myself, for those who are interested in my background and experience.
For those returning, this third iteration of my website is built in Quatro. I hope you like the new layout. It now allows you to comment on posts, so I look forward to your feedback and ideas. You can still email me as before, of course. Thanks to Samantha Shanny-Csik (Sam Shanny-Csik 2022; Samantha Shanny-Csik 2022) and Albert Rapp (Rapp 2022).
I just posted a new (old really) article about NixOS. NixOS is not generally understood in the Linux community, but it solves many problems inherent in the traditional Linux system structure. It is my first stab at explaining how NixOS does what it does, and why.
What’s here
If this is your first time, you can see all the posts here, or use the search icon in the upper left. Or just start below.
Obsidian is Personal Knowledge Management PKM software. If you don’t know what Obsidian or PKM are, you could start with this article. I have many articles here about advanced usage, taking full advantage of Obsidian’s design. Freeing your thinking explains how to move beyond directory structures, taking advantage of the no-sql nature of Obsidian. There is also a series about the usage of dataviewjs, written for non-programmers, to create dashboards and interactive tables.
My current passion is data science, with particular interest in geospatial analyses (GIS). I enjoy working both in both R and Python. Some of articles will explicitly compare the two, as I think that data science Python programmers would find R delightful, such as showing how to do gps trail mapping in R instead of Python.
I’ve used Linux almost exclusively for over three decades. The first 20 years or so I used Slackware, the oldest distribution still being developed. Since then I have extensively used Fedora, both mutable and immutable versions, as well as Debian and Ubuntu.
My current OS of choice is NixOS, which is unlike any other operating system I’m aware of, and very different conceptually. To get an idea of what I mean, read The Linux Different.
I am a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, which I practiced for nearly two decades as well as teaching at Southwest Acupuncture College where I specialized in Chinese herbal medicine, medical theory, and diagnosis. I see Chinese herbs all around me when I walk, not to mention those growing in my own yard. Some of these articles will describe the health properties, from a Chinese perspective, of everyday plants.
I also love to cook, and tried to stress food therapy to my patients as a key aspect of healing. Keeping a proper diet is the most important thing that anyone can do for their health. So I will occasionally post recipes, pointing out the health aspects of the meals.
I have a background ranging from international finance and administration, programming, software translation and localization management. I’ve been a medical doctor, business owner and professor. You can find out more about me, my current work, and services here
