R Weekly Highlights

Choice is good, but sometimes you may want a little help! Our first two highlights showcase approaches you can take to inform your next LLM for analyses and open-source license. Plus how to make your mark(s) within your version control history. Episode Links This week's curator: Sam Parmar - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @parmsam_ (X/Twitter)How to choose the best LLM using R and vitalsPick a License, Not Any LicenseGit commits: please mark your stitches!Entire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W09Supplement Resourcesrollama - R wrapper to Ollama https://jbgruber.github.io/rollama/Opps, Git! How to recover from common mistakes workshop https://r-posts.com/oops-git-how-to-recover-from-common-mistakes-workshop/Supporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixSeven Pipes to Heaven - Super Mario Land - Nostalvania - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03256You Are Not Confined - Final Fantasy 9 - Sonicade - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01064

A glimpse into the R Consortium Submissions Working Group's recent successes and future work, and a new way to view those nested lists from a familiar face making his return to blogging! Episode Links This week's curator: Batool Almarzouq - @batoolmm.bsky.social (Bluesky) & @batool664 (X/Twitter)Submissions Working Group: 2026 Plans and 2025 SuccessViewing Nested Lists with xfun::tabset()Entire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W08Supplement ResourcesR Consortium Submissions Pilot 4 https://rpodcast.quarto.pub/submissions-wg-pilot-4/R-Podcast Episode 18 (Yihui Xie Returns) https://r-podcast.org/024-rstudioconf-yihui-xie/litedown: R Markdown Reimagined https://yihui.org/litedownSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixA Toadstool Mix - Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Reuben Spiers, Gamer of the Winds - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04064

A prominent leader at the intersection of data science and data engineering across multiple languages shares her insights, how a recent Git workshop tailored for data science de-mystifies common pitfalls, and for the second straight episode a new transpiler bringing dplyr syntax to databases (quite literally). Episode Links This week's curator: Jon Carroll - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @jonocarroll.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy (Bluesky) & @carroll_jono (X/Twitter)The Test Set Pod - Column selectors, data quality, and learning in public (Episode link)Git & GitHub: Practical Version Control for Data Workdplyr comes to duckdbEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W06Supplement Resources Risk Conference 2026 Agenda (Mike is presenting!) https://rconsortium.github.io/Risk_website/program.htmllibdplyr https://github.com/mrchypark/libdplyrSupporting the show Use the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemix Lost Woods Inglewood - Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - BenCousins - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00853Aerobotics - Mega Man 8 - Just Coffee - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03323

The way LLMs can be a little stubborn when interpreting data visualizations, bringing new meaning to digging for your data and learning along the way, and the latest addition to the futureverse that seems too good to be true, but it is real! Plus an amazing Shiny app tailored made for this very podcast. Episode Links This week's curator: Jonathan Kitt - @jonathankitt.bsky.social (Bluesky)LLMs interpret plots well, until expectations interfereStudents, software, and soil fluxfuturize: Parallelize Common Functions via a "Magic" TouchEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W05Supplement Resources {bluffbench} https://simonpcouch.github.io/bluffbench/{neonSoilFlux}: An R package for continuous sensor-based estimation of soil CO2 fluxes https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210x.70216Building an R Weekly Highlights Podcast Assistant! https://jokasan.github.io/r-weekly_chatbot/Supporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixSunken Secrets - Super Mario 64 - Fishy - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02909Serenity & Grace - Chrono Cross -timaeus222 - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04143

The inside story of how Claude Code with the proper scope provided a massive boost to drafting hundreds of pull requests, and debunking the myth on settling for compromises when prioritizing accessibility principles as demonstrated by a prominent leader in the visualization space. Plus we address candid feedback on last week's discussion on the tinyshinyserver package. Episode Links This week's curator: Jon Calder - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @jonmcalder (X/Twitter)Semi-automating 200 Pull Requests with Claude CodeHow to create a more accessible line chartEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W04Supplement Resources Risk Conference hosted by the R Consortium (February 18-19, 2026) https://rconsortium.github.io/Risk_website/Supporting the show Use the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixDivinity - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Nostalvania - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03442

It's a new year of R Weekly Highlights! In this episode we learn of the positive intellectual diversity impacting R and Python communities, a great starting point to create your first RAG-powered knowledge store, and a new package enters the Shiny ecosystem that is certainly not tiny in its ambitions.Episode Links This week's curator: Eric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) & @theRcast (X/Twitter)R + Python: From polyglot to pluralism: A very targeted recap on posit::conf(2025) and a broader reflection on how the best design and devtools ideas from R and python have influenced each others' stacks for the betterRetrieval-Augmented Generation: Setting up a Knowledge Store in R{tinyshinyserver} 0.1.0: Tiny 'shiny' Server - Lightweight Multi-App 'shiny' ProxyEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2026-W03Supplement Resourcestinyshinyserver GitHub repository: https://github.com/lab1702/tinyshinyserverYann Tourman's R Weekly episode length analysis https://bsky.app/profile/yannco.bsky.social/post/3mbarm75kik2jSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixWe're the Fugawe Forest - Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - XPRTNovice feat. Weisty - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03597Zelda's Graceful Nightmare - 25YEARLEGEND: A Legend of Zelda Indie Game Composer Tribute - Matheus Manente - https://zelda25.ocremix.org/index.html

A retrospective that showcases favourite data visualisation projects and insights from 2025, a practical guide offering R package maintainers methods to gauge how their package is being used, and an R package release introducing additional helper functions that extend dplyr::mutate() for generating columns with useful rowwise and list-column operations. Episode Links This week's curator: Batool Almarzouq - @batoolmm.bsky.social (Bluesky) & @batool664 (X/Twitter)My year in data visualisationHow to Assess Usage of your Package{mutagen} 0.5.0: Extensions to dplyr's mutateEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2025-W51Supporting the show Use the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixWatermelon Flava - Breath of Fire 3 - Joshua Morse, posu yan - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01411On Wings of Steel - After Burner - Juan Medrano - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03405

How the recent frontier LLM model releases compare for successfully generating R code, our take on the new Test Set data science podcast, and a surprising entry in the world of languages equipped for data science. Episode Links This week's curator: Sam Parmar - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @parmsam_ (X/Twitter)2025-12-05 AI NewsletterThe Test Set: Now on YouTube + a look at what’s nextHaskell IS a Great Language for Data ScienceEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2025-W50Supplement ResourcesAdd links discussed in the episode (in place of this sentence)How well do LLMs generate R code (Shiny app) https://skaltman-model-eval-app.share.connect.posit.cloud/Python is not a great language for data science (Claus Wilke) Part 1 https://blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/python-is-not-a-great-language-forDataHaskell https://www.datahaskell.org/Supporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixMarble Dash - Sonic the Hedgehog - Joshua Morris - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01365The Belmont Chill - Super Castlevania IV - Blak_Omen - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01195

Prepare to deploy multiple LLM-powered agents for your next (secret) missions with mini007, a new contender to the high-performance linter tools with blazing performance that doesn't seem possible (but it is), and a usethis-like manager for your projects needing unified branding across deliverables. Episode Links This week's curator: Eric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) & @theRcast (X/Twitter)mini007 - A Lightweight Framework for Multi-Agent Orchestration in RJarl: just another R linter{rbranding} 0.1.0: Manage Branding and Accessibility of R ProjectsEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2025-W48Supplement Resources Add links discussed in the episode (in place of this sentence)I wrote this talk with an LLM (Hadley Wickham UseR! 2025 Keynote) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctc2kx3LxG8mini007 GitHub repository https://github.com/feddelegrand7/mini007Jarl: Just Another R Linter documentation https://jarl.etiennebacher.comrbranding documentation site https://epiforesite.github.io/rbrandingSupporting the show Use the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter) Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemix Warriors of Light - Final Fantasy - Darangen - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01339Vamo alla Django - Final Fantasy IX Worlds Apart - AndyP feat. Fishy, Dan Bryant - https://ff9.ocremix.org

Creating your own race to a programming finish line with a hidden gem in mirai, the lowdown on using Generative AI for data visualization with more than a few surprises, and going from start to finish with a Shiny app created under the BDD mindset.Episode LinksThis week's curator: Sam Parmar - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @parmsam_ (X/Twitter)Aaaaand… they’re off!Generative AI for Data VisualisationBehavior-Driven Development in R Shiny: A Step-By-Step ExampleEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2025-W42Supplement ResourcesDataBot https://positron.posit.co/databot.htmlSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter) Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixWarriors of Light - Final Fantasy - Darangen - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01339Honky Town - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Wiesty, XPRTNovice - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03535

The ducks have made their presence felt in the world of databases, but now you can take a dip in a new Ducklake all within R! If you ever felt someone should write a book on the many ways you can slidecraft Quarto presentations, we have good news for you. Lastly, a spectacular series on harnessing the power of LLMs in your Shiny apps concludes with a powerful and very relevant use case to help review your next presentation slides.Plus … a popular segment returns Episode LinksThis week's curator: Eric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) & @theRcast (X/Twitter)Jumping in the Ducklake with nothing but R onSlidecrafting - Making beautiful slides with reveal.js and QuartoThe Shiny side of LLMs Part 3Entire issue available at rweekly.org/2025-W40Supporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixRelm's Weepy Loop - Final Fantasy 6 - MkVaff - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00178Serenity & Grace - Chrono Cross - timaeus222 - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04143

Fresh off an amazing experience at posit::conf(2025), the R Weekly Highlights podcast is back with episode 211! Eric and Mike share their experiences at the conference and then dive into an amazing collection of highlights. We learn about a myriad of packages to programmatically write and parse markdown documents, initial impressions with vibe-coding an R package to learn Japanese, and the immense lengths the R-Exams project is taking to clean up messy scans of exam papers.Episode LinksThis week's curator: Jon Carroll - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @jonocarroll.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy (Bluesky) & @carroll_jono (X/Twitter)All the Ways to Programmatically Edit or Parse R Markdown / Quarto DocumentsI Vibe Coded an R PackageQuality Control for Scanned Multiple-Choice ExamsEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2025-W39Supplement ResourcesMike's presentation slides: Building Multilingual Data Science Teams https://ketchbrookanalytics.github.io/multilingual-data-science-presentationEric's presentation slides: Introducing Shinystate - Launching Shiny collaboration to new heights https://rpodcast.github.io/shinystate-positconf2025/#/titleslideSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter) Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixTwoson Hits the Road - EarthBound - djpretzel - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01427Gemini Salsa - Mega Man 3 - MkVaff - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00146

In episode 210 of the R Weekly Highlights podcast: The Positron IDE has officially been released after two years of intense development, and we share what excites us the most. Plus a new tool in your Shiny testing toolbox to bridge the gap between server-side and dynamic updating the user interface, and an entry point to making that URL of your Shiny app set inputs on the fly, a topic one of your hosts has been investigating for quite some time!Episode LinksThis week's curator: Colin Fay - @[email protected] (Mastodon) & @colinfay.bsky.social (Bluesky) & @_ColinFay (X/Twitter)Announcing Positron, a new Data Science IDE{shinytesters}: Updating Inputs in testServerAdding Shiny app’s parameters to the URLEntire issue available at rweekly.org/2025-W34Supplement ResourcesThe Test Set Podcast https://posit.co/thetestset/Continue extension https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Continue.continueshinytesters getting started vignette https://ashbaldry.github.io/shinytesters/articles/shinytesters.htmlEric's shinystate R package https://github.com/rpodcast/shinystateSupporting the showUse the contact page at https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact to send us your feedbackR-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with Alby, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.A new way to think about value: https://value4value.infoGet in touch with us on social mediaEric Nantz: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @rpodcast.bsky.social (BlueSky) and @theRcast (X/Twitter)Mike Thomas: @[email protected] (Mastodon), @mike-thomas.bsky.social (BlueSky), and @mike_ketchbrook (X/Twitter) Music credits powered by OCRemixCliff the Great Crusader - Suikoden - Trenthian - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01268Brinstar Bonsai Garden - Super Metroid - Red Tailed Fox - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01473