R Weekly Highlights

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).&nbsp;<br />Episode Links&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>This week's curator: Jon Carroll - <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@jonocarroll" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon) &amp; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/jonocarroll.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy" target="_blank">@jonocarroll.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy</a> (Bluesky) &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/carroll_jono" target="_blank">@carroll_jono</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li><a href="https://emilyriederer.com/talk/test-set-pod/" target="_blank">The Test Set Pod - Column selectors, data quality, and learning in public</a> (<a href="https://posit.co/thetestset/episode/emily-riederer-column-selectors-data-quality-and-learning-in-public/" target="_blank">Episode link</a>)</li><li><a href="https://rladiesrome.org/talks/2026/meetup/01292026_federicagazzelloni.html" target="_blank">Git &amp; GitHub: Practical Version Control for Data Work</a></li><li><a href="https://discindo.org/posts/2026-01-29-duckdb-dplyr/" target="_blank">dplyr comes to duckdb</a></li><li>Entire issue available at <a href="https://rweekly.org/2026-W06.html" target="_blank">rweekly.org/2026-W06</a></li></ul><br />Supplement Resources<br />&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>Risk Conference 2026 Agenda (Mike is presenting!) <a href="https://rconsortium.github.io/Risk_website/program.html" target="_blank">https://rconsortium.github.io/Risk_website/program.html</a></li><li>libdplyr <a href="https://github.com/mrchypark/libdplyr" target="_blank">https://github.com/mrchypark/libdplyr</a></li></ul><br />Supporting the show<br />&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>Use the contact page at <a href="https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact" target="_blank">https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact</a> to send us your feedback</li><li><a href="https://podcastindex.org/podcast/1062040" target="_blank">R-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org</a> - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with <a href="https://getalby.com/" target="_blank">Alby</a>, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.</li><li>A new way to think about value: <a href="https://value4value.info" target="_blank">https://value4value.info</a></li><li>Get in touch with us on social media<ul><li>Eric Nantz: <a href="https://podcastindex.social/@rpodcast" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rpodcast.bsky.social" target="_blank">@rpodcast.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky) and <a href="https://twitter.com/theRcast" target="_blank">@theRcast</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li>Mike Thomas: <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@mike_thomas" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mike-thomas.bsky.social" target="_blank">@mike-thomas.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky), and <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_ketchbrook" target="_blank">@mike_ketchbrook</a> (X/Twitter)&nbsp;</li></ul></li></ul><br />Music credits powered by <a href="https://ocremix.org/" target="_blank">OCRemix</a><br />&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>Lost Woods Inglewood - Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - BenCousins - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00853" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00853</a></li><li>Aerobotics - Mega Man 8 - Just Coffee - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03323" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03323</a></li></ul>

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.&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />Episode Links&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>This week's curator: Jonathan Kitt - <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/jonathankitt.bsky.social" target="_blank">@jonathankitt.bsky.social</a> (Bluesky)</li><li><a href="https://posit.co/blog/llm-plot-interpretation/" target="_blank">LLMs interpret plots well, until expectations interfere</a></li><li><a href="https://methodsblog.com/2026/01/22/students-software-and-soil-flux-lessons-learned-from-development-of-a-package-to-estimate-soil-carbon-flux-at-national-ecological-observatory-sites-across-the-united-states/" target="_blank">Students, software, and soil flux</a></li><li><a href="https://www.jottr.org/2026/01/22/futurize-0.1.0/" target="_blank">futurize: Parallelize Common Functions via a "Magic" Touch</a></li><li>Entire issue available at <a href="https://rweekly.org/2026-W05.html" target="_blank">rweekly.org/2026-W05</a></li></ul><br />Supplement Resources<br />&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>{bluffbench} <a href="https://simonpcouch.github.io/bluffbench/" target="_blank">https://simonpcouch.github.io/bluffbench/</a></li><li>{neonSoilFlux}: An R package for continuous sensor-based estimation of soil CO2 fluxes <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210x.70216" target="_blank">https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210x.70216</a></li><li>Building an R Weekly Highlights Podcast Assistant! <a href="https://jokasan.github.io/r-weekly_chatbot/" target="_blank">https://jokasan.github.io/r-weekly_chatbot/</a></li></ul><br />Supporting the show<br /><ul><li>Use the contact page at <a href="https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact" target="_blank">https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact</a> to send us your feedback</li><li><a href="https://podcastindex.org/podcast/1062040" target="_blank">R-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org</a> - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with <a href="https://getalby.com/" target="_blank">Alby</a>, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.</li><li>A new way to think about value: <a href="https://value4value.info" target="_blank">https://value4value.info</a></li><li>Get in touch with us on social media<ul><li>Eric Nantz: <a href="https://podcastindex.social/@rpodcast" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rpodcast.bsky.social" target="_blank">@rpodcast.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky) and <a href="https://twitter.com/theRcast" target="_blank">@theRcast</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li>Mike Thomas: <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@mike_thomas" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mike-thomas.bsky.social" target="_blank">@mike-thomas.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky), and <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_ketchbrook" target="_blank">@mike_ketchbrook</a> (X/Twitter)&nbsp;</li></ul></li></ul><br />Music credits powered by <a href="https://ocremix.org/" target="_blank">OCRemix</a><br /><ul><li>Sunken Secrets - Super Mario 64 - Fishy - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02909" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02909</a></li><li>Serenity &amp; Grace - Chrono Cross -timaeus222 - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04143" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04143</a></li></ul>

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.&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />Episode Links&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>This week's curator: Jon Calder - <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@jonmcalder" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon) &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmcalder" target="_blank">@jonmcalder</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li><a href="https://blog.davisvaughan.com/posts/2026-01-09-claude-200-pull-requests/" target="_blank">Semi-automating 200 Pull Requests with Claude Code</a></li><li><a href="https://nrennie.rbind.io/blog/accessible-line-chart/" target="_blank">How to create a more accessible line chart</a></li><li>Entire issue available at <a href="https://rweekly.org/2026-W04.html" target="_blank">rweekly.org/2026-W04</a></li></ul><br />Supplement Resources<br />&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>Risk Conference hosted by the R Consortium (February 18-19, 2026) <a href="https://rconsortium.github.io/Risk_website/" target="_blank">https://rconsortium.github.io/Risk_website/</a></li></ul><br />Supporting the show<br />&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>Use the contact page at <a href="https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact" target="_blank">https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact</a> to send us your feedback</li><li><a href="https://podcastindex.org/podcast/1062040" target="_blank">R-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org</a> - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with <a href="https://getalby.com/" target="_blank">Alby</a>, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.</li><li>A new way to think about value: <a href="https://value4value.info" target="_blank">https://value4value.info</a></li><li>Get in touch with us on social media<ul><li>Eric Nantz: <a href="https://podcastindex.social/@rpodcast" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rpodcast.bsky.social" target="_blank">@rpodcast.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky) and <a href="https://twitter.com/theRcast" target="_blank">@theRcast</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li>Mike Thomas: <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@mike_thomas" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mike-thomas.bsky.social" target="_blank">@mike-thomas.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky), and <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_ketchbrook" target="_blank">@mike_ketchbrook</a> (X/Twitter)&nbsp;</li></ul></li></ul><br />Music credits powered by <a href="https://ocremix.org/" target="_blank">OCRemix</a><br /><ul><li>Divinity - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Nostalvania - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03442" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03442</a></li></ul>

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.<br /><br />Episode Links&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>This week's curator: Eric Nantz: <a href="https://podcastindex.social/@rpodcast" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon) &amp; <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rpodcast.bsky.social" target="_blank">@rpodcast.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky) &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/theRcast" target="_blank">@theRcast</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li><a href="https://www.emilyriederer.com/post/py-rgo-crosspol/" target="_blank">R + Python: From polyglot to pluralism</a>: 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 better</li><li><a href="https://www.jumpingrivers.com/blog/retrieval-augmented-generation-database-workflow-r/" target="_blank">Retrieval-Augmented Generation: Setting up a Knowledge Store in R</a></li><li><a href="https://cran.r-project.org/package=tinyshinyserver" target="_blank">{tinyshinyserver} 0.1.0</a>: Tiny 'shiny' Server - Lightweight Multi-App 'shiny' Proxy</li><li>Entire issue available at <a href="https://rweekly.org/2026-W03.html" target="_blank">rweekly.org/2026-W03</a></li></ul><br />Supplement Resources<br /><ul><li>tinyshinyserver GitHub repository: <a href="https://github.com/lab1702/tinyshinyserver" target="_blank">https://github.com/lab1702/tinyshinyserver</a></li><li>Yann Tourman's R Weekly episode length analysis <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/yannco.bsky.social/post/3mbarm75kik2j" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/yannco.bsky.social/post/3mbarm75kik2j</a></li></ul><br />Supporting the show<br /><ul><li>Use the contact page at <a href="https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact" target="_blank">https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact</a> to send us your feedback</li><li><a href="https://podcastindex.org/podcast/1062040" target="_blank">R-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org</a> - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with <a href="https://getalby.com/" target="_blank">Alby</a>, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.</li><li>A new way to think about value: <a href="https://value4value.info" target="_blank">https://value4value.info</a></li><li>Get in touch with us on social media<ul><li>Eric Nantz: <a href="https://podcastindex.social/@rpodcast" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rpodcast.bsky.social" target="_blank">@rpodcast.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky) and <a href="https://twitter.com/theRcast" target="_blank">@theRcast</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li>Mike Thomas: <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@mike_thomas" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mike-thomas.bsky.social" target="_blank">@mike-thomas.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky), and <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_ketchbrook" target="_blank">@mike_ketchbrook</a> (X/Twitter)&nbsp;</li></ul></li></ul><br />Music credits powered by <a href="https://ocremix.org/" target="_blank">OCRemix</a><br /><ul><li>We're the Fugawe Forest - Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - XPRTNovice feat. Weisty - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03597" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03597</a></li><li>Zelda's Graceful Nightmare - 25YEARLEGEND: A Legend of Zelda Indie Game Composer Tribute - Matheus Manente - <a href="https://zelda25.ocremix.org/index.html" target="_blank">https://zelda25.ocremix.org/index.html</a></li></ul>

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.&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />Episode Links&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>This week's curator: Batool Almarzouq - <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/batoolmm.bsky.social" target="_blank">@batoolmm.bsky.social</a> (Bluesky) &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/batool664" target="_blank">@batool664</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li><a href="https://nrennie.rbind.io/blog/year-in-data-viz-2025/" target="_blank">My year in data visualisation</a></li><li><a href="https://ropensci.org/blog/2025/12/11/package-usage/" target="_blank">How to Assess Usage of your Package</a></li><li><a href="https://github.com/gvelasq/mutagen" target="_blank">{mutagen} 0.5.0</a>: Extensions to dplyr's mutate</li><li>Entire issue available at <a href="https://rweekly.org/2025-W51.html" target="_blank">rweekly.org/2025-W51</a></li></ul><br />Supporting the show<br />&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>Use the contact page at <a href="https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact" target="_blank">https://serve.podhome.fm/custompage/r-weekly-highlights/contact</a> to send us your feedback</li><li><a href="https://podcastindex.org/podcast/1062040" target="_blank">R-Weekly Highlights on the Podcastindex.org</a> - You can send a boost into the show directly in the Podcast Index. First, top-up with <a href="https://getalby.com/" target="_blank">Alby</a>, and then head over to the R-Weekly Highlights podcast entry on the index.</li><li>A new way to think about value: <a href="https://value4value.info" target="_blank">https://value4value.info</a></li><li>Get in touch with us on social media<ul><li>Eric Nantz: <a href="https://podcastindex.social/@rpodcast" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rpodcast.bsky.social" target="_blank">@rpodcast.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky) and <a href="https://twitter.com/theRcast" target="_blank">@theRcast</a> (X/Twitter)</li><li>Mike Thomas: <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@mike_thomas" target="_blank">@[email protected]</a> (Mastodon), <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mike-thomas.bsky.social" target="_blank">@mike-thomas.bsky.social</a> (BlueSky), and <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_ketchbrook" target="_blank">@mike_ketchbrook</a> (X/Twitter)&nbsp;</li></ul></li></ul><br />Music credits powered by <a href="https://ocremix.org/" target="_blank">OCRemix</a><br /><ul><li>Watermelon Flava - Breath of Fire 3 - Joshua Morse, posu yan - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01411" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01411</a></li><li>On Wings of Steel - After Burner - Juan Medrano - <a href="https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03405" target="_blank">https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03405</a></li></ul>