Data Insights #101
April's newsletter revival 🙌 filled with resources on SQL, stats, data viz & more!
Hi 👋,
Welcome back to my newsletter! I've taken quite the extended break but seem to have re-energised this past few weeks and have a stack of resources to share with you! Maybe some time off work over Easter was long overdue, or regularly sharing links and ideas with my data pals and brushing up on some key concepts has guided me back to my passion!
No updates on posts or projects from me this time but this issue will contain links to resources I've been working through and highlight a project that has wowed me this week!
There's lots to cover so, let's jump right in!
🔍Top resources
Recommended resources from across the web and beyond!
Introduction to SQL: Whether you're new to SQL or an advanced user, this tutorial is well structured and full of explanations, examples, questions and answers. I've been using SQL for a few years but following this tutorial have learnt several new functions that I've already put to use! You can run queries in the editor which has several databases you can explore and Mode also provides Analytics Training questions with case studies and solutions you can work through! Highly recommend giving this one a try!
Practical Statistics for Data Scientists: Looking to work on your stats then this is the book for you! I've recently bought a copy and have found great value each of the few times I've picked it up so far. After going down several rabbit holes with online searches once or twice, a more suitable answer was sitting on the desk beside me! There are code examples in Python and R and my only criticism is there not being enough diagrams or plots when explaining distributions! But those are usually easy enough to find with a quick search.
Storytelling with Data: Data visualisation can be a challenge, but Elizabeth Ricks has recently shared '5 questions to ask yourself when designing a graph' which is worth checking out! If you have tips on recreating these charts within Python or R then please do share. It always takes me way longer than expected to create plots I'm happy with!
Matrices and probability graphs: Have you ever thought of matrices as graphs? Tai-Danae Bradley shares explanations of concepts in math complemented by beautiful illustrations. There are many more articles on the website, go take a browse!
What’s in a name? The post below was shared with me from a sponsored post by AICore on Facebook and I think it’s fairly effective at demystifying the many and ever-increasing data job titles. Do you think this is an accurate representation? Share your thoughts in the comments!
🌟Bonus
For all you Pythonistas out there, I especially enjoyed this! (Chaotic evil really made me laugh!)
🚀Projects
Projects that have inspired me …
Yayagram: helping elderly relatives keep in touch with loved ones. This project is both heart-warming and innovative!
📚This month’s reading list
I set an ambitious reading goal this year and am several books behind schedule. I keep starting books and getting distracted by new ones. I've also started a Bookclub with friends, and we've had mixed reviews of the 3 books we've read...! I've also been using Blinkist to get 15-20min audio summaries of other non-fiction books, which I'm loving!
#007: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley ✭✩✩✩✩
📘 Currently reading: Lord of the flies by William Golding
I mentioned above that I've been feeling more motivated recently and, this is largely down to the inspiring communities and networks I am involved in. I invited two of my data friends to a group chat a little while back and being able to share interesting articles, our successes and struggles, knowledge and ideas, has given me a much-needed boost! I love celebrating with them and helping each other out when we can! With many events still running online, I recommend reaching out to data communities if you too need a dose of inspiration.
Take care!
Kerry