sense of doubt

Though the current project started as a series of posts charting my grief journey after the death of my mother, I am no longer actively grieving. Now, the blog charts a conversation in living, mainly whatever I want it to be. This is an activity that goes well with the theme of this blog (updated 2018). The Sense of Doubt blog is dedicated to my motto: EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY. I promote questioning everything because just when I think I know something is concrete, I find out that it’s not.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #841 - Meet Up - Data Analytics - Vantechy

Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #841 - Meet Up - Data Analytics - Vantechy

Hi Mom, This is not a super exciting post, and it's a week late, but it's on point. Here's what I am up to lately: CODING.

Last week, Wednesday October 18th. I went to my first Code and Learn Meet Up for the VanTechy group on Vancouver.

We met at the Columbia Collective in downtown, old town Vancouver, which is a cooperative office space that offers rental space and membership. I was very impressed with the big open work areas and huge windows overlooking the street.

The presentation featured a guy name Paul Sochaki talking about his data base work.

I considered posting notes from his presentation but decided that it may be somewhat proprietary, and so I did not. However, I am sharing his note in the following, which he made public on the Internet.

I may offer to do a presentation soon.

I have been studying a lot of things to do with coding. This meet up gave me a chance to learn something new and talk to like minded people, which is putting me one step closer toward my goal to work in this industry.

More to report, but I am short on time, so...

I know, this is not very exciting. But it is what I am doing, so...

Here's the link to the meet up.
https://www.meetup.com/VanTechy/events/243990882/

Here's my comment about the meet up and I gave it five stars.

Christopher Tower

This was an excellent meet up! I learned a lot about database work and got to talk to some cool people interested in coding and tech. I am definitely going to the next one.

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Here's the text of the meet up event.

Code and Learn - A VanTechy Track

October 18 · 6:00 PM
Columbia Collective

Upload photos

Vantechy Code and Learn is a twice-monthly meetup designed for people interested in coding to hone their skills and meet other like-minded people on this side of the river.

Come and join us for a low-key coding event where beginners can learn to program, experienced devs can work on their projects, and everyone can socialize with other coders!

This week group member Paul Sochaki will be doing our brief intro session to teach us all a little bit more about what he's working on, data analysis, and R.

No experience? No problem! People of all skill levels and backgrounds are welcome. All you need is a computer.

A few learning resources:

• https://www.codecademy.com/

• https://www.freecodecamp.org/map

• https://medium.freecodecamp.org/a-roadmap-to-becoming-a-web-developer-in-2017-b6ac3dddd0cf

Here's Paul's comments:

Paul Sochacki

Hi everyone,

I've uploaded the slides from my presentation discussing clinical research and the role of data analytics. Check out the following resources if you're interested in learning more about the topics that were discussed:

Statistics/Biostatistics
https://www.coursera.org/learn/statistical-reasoning-1

Statistical Programming in R (for stats-savvy types)
https://www.udemy.com/statistics-with-r-beginner-level/
https://www.udemy.com/statistics-with-r-intermediate-level/
https://www.udemy.com/statistics-with-r-advanced-level/

SQL Bootcamp
https://www.udemy.com/the-complete-sql-bootcamp/

Thank you to everyone that made it out tonight, and I look forward to hearing about other programmers projects at future Code & Learn workshops!

Cheers,
Paul

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Reflect and connect.

Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you, Mom.

I miss you so very much, Mom.

Talk to you tomorrow, Mom.

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- Days ago = 843 days ago

- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1710.25 - 10:10

NEW (written 1708.27) NOTE on time: I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of your death, Mom, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of your death, Mom. I know this only matters to me, and to you, Mom.

No comments:

I am Christopher Tower the gmr

I am Christopher Tower (or Chris), and I am a writer of stuff. I grew up in Michigan; I now live in the Portland, OR metro area. I play Ultimate, ride a bike, and supposedly educate college persons while myself being educated in college. I am married with two kids, a beagle, a curly lab, and a fiesty pug/frenche mix. I like sushi. I love all SF, fantasy, comic books, D&D, board games, and Gnosticism. I am a Jungian. I am currently studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Walden University.

SENSE OF DOUBT STATUS AS OF 0705.04 - 16:45

Sense of Doubt is not currently dedicated to any themes or special interest. The subject matter is mine and may range from comic books to ultimate or from Baseball to feminist-centered media criticism. Until I feel I have enough content for multiple blogs, or until I am seized with a desire to create multiple blogs, this is it, and appropriately so. "Sense of Doubt" came about in Bowie’s Berlin period and the dark, ambient collaborations with Brian Eno. Like the Bowie of 1978, I have my own darkness that steals over me and through me, infecting everything. At the risk of sounding far too melodramatically obsessed with my own self-flagellations, this blog dedicates itself to that darkness, that infection. But it’s fun, too. Hey, I can be amusing? Or not. It’s the way of the [w]rench. Neurosis compelling action in insecure double-checking and misunderstanding evasions. It is my way.

More from the original description text that needed editing in 2015: Furthermore, Sense of Doubt is dedicated to the random. The theme is no theme. Just questions, doubt, and uncertainty. Feel the power of not knowing the answer. So dedicated on the last day of July 2006 by the Galactic Monkey Wrench.

The Galactic Monkey Wrench

This is the logo of the Galactic Monkey Wrench. I was given the nickname Galactic Monkey Wrench in college by a friend of mine who felt that I threw the monkey wrench into the cosmos at every available opportunity. Later, in discussions with my best friend, who is the Lord of Chaos (the Loc), he asked for my title and when I told him, without thinking, he blurted out "the gmr!" Since this was random and we appreciate randomness, I became the gmr, even though technically I should be the gmw. But gmw sounds like a car or some industrial manufacturing firm that makes a strange widget of which one has never heard. This acronym fetish may make no sense to anyone else, but my friend and I are quite driven to provide acronyms for many things. At the very least, it allows us to keep our conversations obscure and often private as no one knows about what we're talking.

Monkey Wrench Books

Chris's books

A Feast for Crows

by George R.R. Martin

This book is a little slower than the others. But if you become invested in this series, it provides key information about the history of Westeros and the lands across the Narrow Sea. It may not contain chapters with my favorite characters ...

A Game of Thrones

by George R.R. Martin

Do I really need to review this book? It's one of the best books I have ever read. Martin is a great writer. All the books are great, and I am loving my time rereading them. If you have not checked out these books, start here and get ready ...

The Golden City

by John Twelve Hawks

These books are immensely entertaining. Treat yourself to some strong writing, great action, compelling characters, and a mix of metaphysics and theology. The ending of this third book, which is presumably the last, is anti-climactic and so...

Pathfinder

by Orson Scott Card

This was a fun book. Not OSC's best but very good OSC nonetheless. The best thing about is the time travel, slowing, and speeding powers of the characters and how OSC engages the reader in discussion of causality and time paradox. For fans ...

Swamplandia!

by Karen Russell

This book came to me via my wife Liesel who discovered it and urged me to read it. Beautifully written with compelling characters and a sense of the magical (yet realistic, somewhat). Funny yet full of the pathos that marks a good if not gr...

Hey, Mom! The Explanation.