Comments for The Stata Things http://enoriver.net computing for fun and profit Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:10:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Human right stats, one last thing by Gabi Huiber http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/05/human-right-stats-one-last-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-75053 Gabi Huiber Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:10:24 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2084#comment-75053 They're not the same because the function mymse() does not produce the same output every time. It's designed to simulate your guess of fish in the pond and the uncertainty around it. The bigger the daily catch limit, the closer you are to the truth. This, graphically, means that your bell curve peaks at about 150,000 and it's quite pointy. The substantive difference between 2 and 3 is that 2 boldly claimed that a 10,000 fish catch limit would do almost as well as a 20,000 catch limit; 3 showed that that's not true. They're not the same because the function mymse() does not produce the same output every time. It's designed to simulate your guess of fish in the pond and the uncertainty around it. The bigger the daily catch limit, the closer you are to the truth. This, graphically, means that your bell curve peaks at about 150,000 and it's quite pointy. The substantive difference between 2 and 3 is that 2 boldly claimed that a 10,000 fish catch limit would do almost as well as a 20,000 catch limit; 3 showed that that's not true.

]]> Comment on Human right stats, one last thing by Jonas http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/05/human-right-stats-one-last-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-75039 Jonas Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:09:59 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2084#comment-75039 Hi! I really liked your posts on the fish-problem. But I don't really understand why the graphs in 2 and 3 are not the same. What did you change? Where's the catch (he-he ;)? Hi! I really liked your posts on the fish-problem.

But I don't really understand why the graphs in 2 and 3 are not the same. What did you change? Where's the catch (he-he ;)?

]]> Comment on Human right stats, one last thing by Human rights stats, part 2 | The Stata Things http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/05/human-right-stats-one-last-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-74927 Human rights stats, part 2 | The Stata Things Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:58:00 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2084#comment-74927 [...] here library("ggplot2") # true population size population « Human rights stats, part 1 Human right stats, one last thing [...] [...] here library("ggplot2") # true population size population « Human rights stats, part 1 Human right stats, one last thing [...]

]]> Comment on Turn a date into Stata format quickly by Nick Cox http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/18/turn-a-date-into-stata-format-quickly/comment-page-1/#comment-72811 Nick Cox Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:54:12 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2124#comment-72811 That's right. Once you write programs to be made public it is best to avoid all names that might be in use, which means any! The justifiable exceptions might -generate- variables with specific names, but that should be documented; the program should check whether they exist and bail out if they do; and there should be ways of supplying alternative names. That may sound a tough order but once you see why it becomes natural to write that way. I suspect lots of users have variables called -x-! That's right. Once you write programs to be made public it is best to avoid all names that might be in use, which means any! The justifiable exceptions might -generate- variables with specific names, but that should be documented; the program should check whether they exist and bail out if they do; and there should be ways of supplying alternative names. That may sound a tough order but once you see why it becomes natural to write that way.

I suspect lots of users have variables called -x-!

]]> Comment on Turn a date into Stata format quickly by Gabi Huiber http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/18/turn-a-date-into-stata-format-quickly/comment-page-1/#comment-72702 Gabi Huiber Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:49:45 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2124#comment-72702 You're right! I haven't thought of it because I don't ever have variables named x in my data (I expect my variable names to be more descriptive than that) but that's no excuse. Tempvar would have been better. Thank you. You're right! I haven't thought of it because I don't ever have variables named x in my data (I expect my variable names to be more descriptive than that) but that's no excuse. Tempvar would have been better. Thank you.

]]> Comment on Turn a date into Stata format quickly by Nick Cox http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/18/turn-a-date-into-stata-format-quickly/comment-page-1/#comment-72699 Nick Cox Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:12:21 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2124#comment-72699 What you say clashes with your code. The name -x- is used only within the program. Using -tempvar x- ensures no clash with an existing variable named -x-. What you say clashes with your code. The name -x- is used only within the program. Using -tempvar x- ensures no clash with an existing variable named -x-.

]]> Comment on Turn a date into Stata format quickly by Gabi Huiber http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/18/turn-a-date-into-stata-format-quickly/comment-page-1/#comment-71615 Gabi Huiber Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:27:37 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2124#comment-71615 Hi Nick. You're right about order `v'; I could have posted a personal taste disclaimer there. But I'm not sure what the gain from tempvar is in this case. I do want to keep x for good, once it's renamed and labeled. Hi Nick. You're right about order `v'; I could have posted a personal taste disclaimer there. But I'm not sure what the gain from tempvar is in this case. I do want to keep x for good, once it's renamed and labeled.

]]> Comment on Stata for stocks by The CSAE Conference (and my most popular post) | Aid Writing http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/20/stata-for-stocks/comment-page-1/#comment-70134 The CSAE Conference (and my most popular post) | Aid Writing Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:04:36 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2137#comment-70134 [...] any of my posts about development aid, a fact of which I am slightly ashamed. But it got picked up here and by stata themselves, and I’m glad that it has been of [...] [...] any of my posts about development aid, a fact of which I am slightly ashamed. But it got picked up here and by stata themselves, and I’m glad that it has been of [...]

]]> Comment on Stata for stocks by Gabi Huiber http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/20/stata-for-stocks/comment-page-1/#comment-69962 Gabi Huiber Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:31:28 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2137#comment-69962 Actually, I only use it for setting "set-aside" amounts -- this much for property taxes, this much for this, that and the other -- and track progress over time. These amounts reset to something around zero at the beginning of the year. But now that you mentioned transactions, I wonder how hard it would be to simply download the data from Mint (http://bit.ly/GBz7X2) and feed it to Stata from there. Actually, I only use it for setting "set-aside" amounts -- this much for property taxes, this much for this, that and the other -- and track progress over time. These amounts reset to something around zero at the beginning of the year. But now that you mentioned transactions, I wonder how hard it would be to simply download the data from Mint (http://bit.ly/GBz7X2) and feed it to Stata from there.

]]> Comment on Stata for stocks by Keith http://enoriver.net/index.php/2012/03/20/stata-for-stocks/comment-page-1/#comment-69961 Keith Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:22:33 +0000 http://enoriver.net/?p=2137#comment-69961 I want to hear about using stat for the family budget. Do you really get raw transaction data into Stata and categorize it? I want to hear about using stat for the family budget. Do you really get raw transaction data into Stata and categorize it?

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