Meet a Statistician: Charles Spearman
So in my researching for my English essay, I read quite a bit about the Royal Society (or, the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge as its full title stands).
Well, today I found out that one of the main developers of my favorite statistical test EVER (factor analysis) was also a part of the Society for awhile: Charles Spearman!
So let’s check him out, shall we?
Charles Spearman (1863 – 1945) resigned from 15 years of service in the British Army to pursue a PhD in experimental psychology. By the time he obtained his degree he had already published a paper on the factor analysis of human intelligence. This paper impressed many of his fellow psychologists at the time, mainly because of Spearman’s rigorous application of mathematical techniques and models (factor analysis!) to the analysis of the human mind.
In fact, his work was so impressive that it earned him a place in the Royal Society in 1924. Spearman continued his work, focusing mainly on developing new statistical techniques that could be applied to, among other things, psychological constructs and concepts. He was especially influenced by Galton (developer of correlation) and worked to create a nonparametric version of Pearson’s method of calculating correlation.*
But probably his greatest contribution had to be the part he played in the development of factor analysis. Even today, it’s probably one of the most used statistical techniques in the realm of the social sciences, particularly in psychology.
So there you go! A little bit about one of the founders of the super awesome factor analysis. Cool, huh?
*Actually, this ended up as another “two smart dudes can’t get along feud” between himself and Pearson, the latter not appreciating the nonparametric adaptation of his technique. What do they put in that Royal Society water, anyway?
November 14, 1716
The day the world lost its last universal genius*: Leibniz.
I know, I know. “Claudia loves Leibniz.” You all know this.
But why?
Actually, I don’t really know. I know it sounds crazy and weird, but I feel like I have some sort of innate, subconscious, time-transcending connection with the dude, you know? It’s like the stuff I read about him and his philosophy are things I already know on some level and can identify with in some strange manner.
I mean, am I nutso?** Does anyone else have someone (who lived long ago or is living now) with whom they feel like they have this weird connection, even though you’ve never personally met? Or am I just a creepy stalker born a couple centuries too late?
Anyway. Either way.
Today I shall MOURN because SOMEBODY NEEDS TO, DAMMIT!
This essay’s got me all fired up. I’mma go write some more.
TO THE BATMOBILE! UI LIBRARY COMPUTER LAB!
*Several sources peg him as such, it’s not just me being a fangirl
**Don’t answer that
It makes me happy that people are starting to be comfortable being people
Today I went to campus to work on my lecture material for next week. I hung out in the library for like six hours before packing up my crap and heading to Winco. As I was walking down the hill past Ag Sci there was this little trio of people walking the opposite direction on the other side of the street. One of the dudes in the trio was wearing heels, leggings, and a little skirt. And he was just walking along, no big deal.
That made me happy. I know that Idaho’s certainly not the most “accepting” state in the country, but it gives me hope that this guy felt comfortable enough to confidently strut his stuff down the street.
But then I saw this pair of frat boy-type guys walking in the same direction as the trio, but on my side of the street. They spotted the guy and I thought they were going to make some snide remark to him, but one of the frat-boy types shouted “I dig your style, man!” very sincerely and gave him a thumbs up from across the street.
This made me even happier. People can be surprisingly awesome. :)
And to the gentleman in heels: I want those leggings.
Take a look at this ad:
Does this make anyone else laugh like crazy?
RUNNING GROOM LINCOLN!
“Running Groom Lincoln” would be a fantastic alt band.
It would also be a good name for a webcomic.
Or we could just make Lincoln appear randomly in everything.
My Photoshop skills are damn horrible.
Oh, and there’s this ad, too.
HELL YEAH HICKEYS!
That dude on the far right looks waaaaaaay uncomfortable.
Yes, I had some free time tonight. This is why such a thing is dangerous.
Sweet Jesus, I love calculus
We talked about Leibniz in calculus today. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely write.
I am not ashamed.
Why are all the smart and sexy ones dead?
One small step for man…
The first human being to set foot on our moon died yesterday as a result of complications following a heart surgery that was performed earlier this month.
Rest in peace, Neil Armstrong. You may have been a modest and humble man, but your actions and courage certainly impacted and inspired the entire planet.
As tribute, I present the ever awesome, ever hilarious Brian Regan and his “I walked on the moon” skit.
This gentleman is my hero
30 degrees. How freaking cool is that?
“I enjoy learning as a means of independence,” Nicholson told the Gazette. “I have academic freedom; I can study or do whatever I want to do.”
Sslsljfdlskghasdlkfsards yesyesyesyesyes.
New life goal: get 30+ degrees.
Does Mother Nature drive a Fjord?
Holy crap, guys. If the phrase “happy little trees” means anything to you, freaking watch this.
Beautiful tribute to a truly awesome dude.
That is all.
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Of course, I’m talking about Gottfried Leibniz’ birthday!
The world has been without your physical presence for too long, my friend. Reincarnate so that I can date you stalk you pet your wig admire your genius in a completely appropriate and non-creepy manner.
Was going to buy some Choco Leibniz today, but I forgot. Instead, I made this:
I was listening to my music in the car the other day and realized how well Bittersweet Symphony would go with something from Coldplay. So I gave it a shot.
Happy birthday, my main man. <3
TroloNOOOOOO!
RIP, Eduard Khil. The internet loves you.
In tribute:
Trololo Rock Band!
Trololo Chiptune!
Trololo Meets Metal (I just discovered this. It’s phenomenal.)
That is all.
People suck
So tonight my mom and I watched the Grammys. Adele, as predicted by many, pretty much took the whole show, winning every award she had been nominated for (I think). CNN.com posted an article about her sweeping success tonight and, unfortunately, opened the article up for comments.
Why “unfortunately”? Here are a few of said comments:
- “Adele is such a fat pig. I hope she has a heart attack.”
- “a fattie that hollers & screams and it’s accepted as music”
- “Oh, dont get us wrong, her singing sucks too. We hate that as well.”
- “its just the sounds of a hefty woman cackling & yelling”
- “british singers used to be great… before you started exporting chubbies”
- “she is hefty & homely hence the 2lbs of makeup caked on her mug”
We all know how I feel about size and sizeism, but putting all that aside—seriously, people? The woman has an amazing voice and you can’t get past her physical appearance? Chill the hell out and appreciate her talent, you jealous plebeians.
Holy freaking crap.
iBlog
Today was freaking horrible. Therefore, I shall focus this blog on three things that have nothing at all to do with my life at the moment.
1. Seriousness: Steve Jobs
I credit Steve Jobs with the initiation of my love of music.* The second generation iPod mini (with colors silver, blue, pink, and green) came out in 2005 and I remember my dad asking me if I wanted one. I pretty much had no interest in it. I had a grand total of five music CDs and a rockin’ portable CD player decorated in stickers. Why would I want to change that?
He got me one anyway, though, for Christmas 2005. Enter iTunes plus a $50 iTunes gift card for my birthday two months later and I was suddenly introduced to the fact that I now had the power to find ALL THE OBSCURE SONGS I’D EVER LOVED. It took like two months for my meager 40-something-song library to grow to 400+. The portability factor—along with the fact that I could now purchase songs individually and therefore didn’t have to weigh the pros and cons of buying a whole $15 CD for just one or two songs—made me want to listen to music.
Haha, and now look where I am.
So I thank you, Mr. Jobs, for your business sense, your inventive mind, and your desire to continually make/improve portable media products for gadget lovers like myself. If I had any extra money at this time, I would upgrade my current iPod (I need a bigger one, haha) in your memory. But that will have to wait until I’m not dirt poor.
RIP.
Found on Imgur.
2. Creepiness: Googol
So remember when I blogged about Google’s Profiles and how it was freakishly similar to the product Google Face as I described in my NaNo Googol written last year (last part of this blog)?
Well, if Google merges with or takes over Apple within the next year or so, then I FREAKING CALLED IT AGAIN.
What I wrote:
“After the death of Steve Jobs in the early 2000s, Google’s founders felt there to be no other option but to approach Apple with a merger deal, offering them almost any stipulations they desired in exchange for being able to essentially mix the two companies into one giant hyper corporation that would push the limits of the known size of any company that had ever been in existence. […] Of course, prior to his death, Jobs had anticipated Google’s future moves. He knew that the corporation in charge of providing internet goers everything from facial recognition to “street views” of Pluto to basic search would not be so quick to pass up a merger opportunity with any company they thought was and would continue to be a successful internet partner. […] He knew a merger with the giant that was Google would most likely require sacrifices on the part of his own company. These sacrifices, however, he was not too willing to make. The impression Clarke gathered from the literature was that Jobs, in a somewhat secret move several years before his death, had created and documented several heavy handed stipulations and bargains that would have to be met in order for any sort of posthumous merger to take place.”
Including, as I go on to describe, a redesign of the Googleplex to match more the style of Apple.
Fun times.
3. Silliness: I Gotta Feeling
I’m not into hating specific types of music and I actually like this song, but this review is pretty great.
30-Day Meme – Day 6: Your favorite music video.
Oh crap, that’s tough.
I love The Music Scene by Blockhead because OMFG COLORZ:
But I think my favorite music video has to be for White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes. Watch this and tell me it’s not the most beautiful, sad thing ever:
I could watch that over and over and over and over.
That is all.
*Actually, such a statement is a bit of a misnomer. I’ve always loved music in the sense that I’ve loved playing it…I guess I should say that Mr. Jobs initiated my love of listening to music in general.
I’m gaga for Gaga
Which is substantially cooler than being cuckoo for Coco Puffs.
Or so I assume.
Anyone who knows me knows I’ve got a major crush on Lady Gaga. As much as I think becoming a super celebrity can destroy a person’s soul, I think that there’s still something genuine about her. And I dig her outfits. I also really, really like her music videos (edit: forgive the crappy quality of the pics; I took them using a screenshot program, haha).
Bad Romance
Aside from Just Dance, this was the second Gaga video I’d ever seen. I think I like it because of the different little segments as defined by her outfits.
She’s freaking gorgeous.
Favorite shot:
Judas
I initially didn’t like this song or the video, but I watched it about three or four more times and now it’s one of my favorite Gaga songs AND vids. I really like the costuming in this one, too.
And her nails, holy crap!
Favorite shot
And, like pretty much everything else Gaga writes, this makes you want to freaking dance.
Alejandro
Oh. My. Goodness. The dancers.
Anyone notice how freakishly beautiful her eyes are?
Favorite shot:
There. Just a little shot of Gaga love. I hope she comes to Toronto soon.
The Missing Shade of AWESOME
God, I love Hume.
Now that I’m an actual factual philosophy grad student, I think it’s time we revisited this website. And in the spirit of Hume:
Mr. Vandewalker’s comment, “Look! Hume’s pants are the missing shade of blue!” made me laugh SO HARD when I first read it.
ALSO: I am in a severe music rut, which is bad for this “download a new song every day” business. So friends, neighbors, subscribers, random blog passers-by, could you please suggest some songs for me? I’ll listen to anything at least once.
I’m also thinking of adding a page that actually lists all the songs I’ve downloaded for 2010/2011, so look for that in the next few days if you’re interested at all.
Okay, that’s it.
LEIBNIZ DAY
It’s Leibniz Day, it’s Leibniz Day!
I suggest we all mass-email Google until they make a Google logo for display on Leibniz’ birthday (at least for every country except Canada). The guy did SO MUCH! He created the freaking binary system.
Seriously.
They could spell “Google” in binary!
Okay, it’s a little long, but they’re Google, they rule the world. They could maybe make the binary into little blocks.
Anyway.
Choco Leibniz and calculus for all! Find an ostentatious wig, put it on, and be awesome. Channel the amazingness that is Gottfried.
DO IT!
Leibniz is so underrated
DAMN STRAIGHT. This man needs more credit. I know, I know, I’ve said it before, but it’s true, dammit!
Also, is it sad that this made my day?
Accidental bimodal distributions FTW.
Today’s song: Starlight by Muse
A Blog for Jim LaFortune
Mr. LaFortune was my earth science teacher in 9th grade. That was around the time when I was really into cycling and he and I always used to discuss the best places to ride around Moscow after class was over. He was a super excellent teacher, let us play a Jeopardy like game to review for the tests, and made my last class of the day something to really look forward to.
Unfortunately, he died early this morning, succumbing to brain cancer after a long fight.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimlafortune
The world will miss you, Mr. La.
Today’s song: Miracles by Norwegian Recycling
AAAAHHJESUSJESUSHOLYFREAKINGCRAP
I…I have no words. These topics are…me. Almost every single one of the articles/chapters on this page is something I’d kill to study.
This wonderful, glorious human being is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include general philosophy of science, philosophy of physics, and philosophy of statistics. Therefore, I must apply to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
MY DESTINY LIES IN THE MIDWEST!
I’m off to go dance around now. This made me more excited than anything probably should.
Today’s song: U + Ur Hand by P!nk
Canada Day? More like LEIBNIZ DAY
GUESS WHOSE BIRTHDAY IT IS? (hint: it requires caps lock)
YAY!
Go buy yourselves some Choco Leibniz and do some calculus to celebrate.
Or put on an ostentatious wig, find some guy who looks like Isaac Newton, and have an epic battle in the street.
I’m going to sit here and think Leibniz thoughts for the rest of the afternoon, myself.
Today’s song: Yours to Keep by Teddybears (featuring Paola)
I’ll be your particle if you’ll be my accelerator
So apparently some chick I went to high school with is engaged to Ludacris now. I don’t remember her AT ALL, and I don’t think she was in my year. Still though, small world.
Anyway. Interesting article.
Sorry, slow day.
Today’s song: Explosive by Bond
“I’m sorry, I thought you was corn.”
After a conversation with Maggie yesterday night, I remembered that Claude had a MySpace that’s about a year old now. However, god knows what the login info is, so a new one was created.
He needs friends! He also wants to make it to Pride in August, so hopefully that will happen.
Also, I feel ridiculously hot (temperature-wise, not attractive-wise) today, but apparently my temperature is about 95-ish. Weird.
Today’s song: Right Here, Right Now (radio edit) by BWO feat. Velvet
Blah blah ah-ah-ahhh, blog-ah, blog-ah-ah! MySpace, ooh la-la! Want your bad blog post!
It’s the Lady GaGa blog! Apologies to her for the title, though, seriously.
POINT ONE
Lady GaGa is coming to Vancouver on August 23 (that’s a Monday). Cheapest balcony tickets appear to be approximately $160-$170, but they’re going fast. So if anyone’s interested, I suggest we make decisions soon.
POINT TWO
The other night I found out that there are many Lady GaGa songs available for download for ROCK BAND!
So here’s a sample to get a look at how it goes for guitar, bass, and vocals. I picked this one because the guy singing is freaking hilarious (and not too bad). The French part…oh god, the French part…
Today’s song: The Loco-Motion by Grand Funk Railroad (yeah, Matt, it had to happen)
In this blog: Tom Hanks is a badass
Seriously.
He supports same-sex marriage, he seems pretty damn modest for being as big of a star as he is, he supports NASA, and has a freaking asteroid named after him.
How cool is that?
Also, my poster got accepted for the APS (Association of Psychological Science) convention! I shall be going to Boston to talk about fit indices in May.
Anything to get out of this bog called Vancouver.
Today’s song: The Heartache Can Wait by Brandi Carlile
Eigenblogger 