[R] Improving data processing efficiency

[Greg Snow]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gabor Grothendieck [mailto:ggrothendieck at gmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 12:33 PM
> To: Greg Snow
> Cc: Patrick Burns; Daniel Folkinshteyn; r-help at r-project.org
> Subject: Re: [R] Improving data processing efficiency
>
> On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 2:28 PM, Greg Snow <Greg.Snow at imail.org> wrote:
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org
> >> [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-project.org] On Behalf Of Patrick Burns
> >> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 12:04 PM
> >> To: Daniel Folkinshteyn
> >> Cc: r-help at r-project.org
> >> Subject: Re: [R] Improving data processing efficiency
> >>
> >> That is going to be situation dependent, but if you have a
> reasonable
> >> upper bound, then that will be much easier and not far
> from optimal.
> >>
> >> If you pick the possibly too small route, then increasing
> the size in
> >> largish junks is much better than adding a row at a time.
> >
> > Pat,
> >
> > I am unfamiliar with the use of the word "junk" as a unit
> of measure for data objects.  I figure there are a few
> different possibilities:
> >
> > 1. You are using the term intentionally meaning that you
> suggest he increases the size in terms of old cars and broken
> pianos rather than used up pens and broken pencils.
> >
> > 2. This was a Freudian slip based on your opinion of some
> datasets you have seen.
> >
> > 3. Somewhere between your mind and the final product
> "jumps/chunks" became "junks" (possibly a microsoft
> "correction", or just typing too fast combined with number 2).
> >
> > 4. "junks" is an official measure of data/object size that
> I need to learn more about (the history of the term possibly
> being related to 2 and 3 above).
> >
>
> 5. Chinese sailing vessel.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_(ship)
>

Thanks for expanding my vocabulary (hmm, how am I going to use that word in context today?).

So, if 5 is the case, then Pat's original statement can be reworded as:

"If you pick the possibly too small route, then increasing the size in
largish Chinese sailing vessels is much better than adding a row boat at a time."

While that is probably true, I am not sure what that would mean in terms of the original data processing question.

--
Gregory (Greg) L. Snow Ph.D.
Statistical Data Center
Intermountain Healthcare
greg.snow at imail.org
(801) 408-8111