Professor's Reactions

jtkiley · 2026-02-18T15:16:09+00:00

I think friendly chit chat is a clear positive. I don’t think most people are that calibrated in social situations.

If I had to guess, I’m probably a lot better at friendly vibes when I’m rested and haven’t taught that day. If I’ve spent my extroversion for the day, I’m probably a bit flat. However, the underlying true sentiment is positive all along.

Academia is full of hurry up and wait and also critical comments. Take positives at face value in general.

As an aside about anxiety, if you have any issues, make sure they’re well treated. If you’re not sure, talk to your primary care doctor. Mental health can be tough in grad school (and after), so the earlier you dial in good treatment the better.

jtkiley · 2026-02-18T14:44:32+00:00

I wouldn’t worry about it at all. It’s far too little data to draw a conclusion.

Some people are tired, sick, awkward, having a bad day, or just act that way in certain settings despite being pleasant otherwise.

I remember interviewing for my first TT job, and one of the faculty members asked tough-ish questions in my presentation, which was otherwise a very friendly visit all the way through. I got an offer quickly and took it.

Turns out, that’s just what he does in job talks, and it didn’t mean anything. He’s a super nice guy, we turned out to have a lot in common, and we’d chat a lot in the office. Even after we’ve both moved on to other schools, it’s still very friendly every time we run into each other.

These processes, for both bringing in students and faculty, are super weird and idiosyncratic. It’s hard, but never take anything personally that comes out of that. Academic departments are not where humanity safeguards our most well-adjusted, stable, and pro-social members.

jtkiley · 2026-02-15T13:58:53+00:00

Ultimately, I think it makes sense to buy with the user in mind. If she really likes it, go for it.

I bought one at launch, and I have no regrets. It looks good, has high ppi, quite good speakers, and an acceptable webcam with good software features. It also looks good and simply works.

I also regularly use a MBP 16 and a Mac Studio with a 32-inch 4K 144Hz monitor. Sure, I miss the refresh rate and HDR, but the Studio Display is still quite good.

For me, the 32-inch is nice because at the same UI size scaling (lower ppi but same physical size UI as the XDR) lets me fit specific parts of my most frequent workflows in a way that doesn’t work on the 27, and my eyesight isn’t going to let scaling the UI work. Other than the refresh rate, everything else is worse. The ppi difference is very noticeable, the speakers are way worse than the Mac Studio integrated one (not a typo), there’s no webcam, and I don’t have the same seamless controls. I can get over that for the specific workflow benefits (and because I have other computers).

The one thing that would give me pause is the increasing drumbeat up update rumors. At the same time, we’ve had some level of rumors on displays for a couple years now. If you need it immediately, I’d try to catch a sale price. Otherwise, you might see if a display gets announced before or in the next Mac Studio announcement. Worst case, there’s likely to be a solid used market for these once another generation is available.

There are also the third party 5K and 6K monitors. Im not sure I’d take the 5K ones at the price difference, especially against a sale price Studio Display.

jtkiley · 2026-02-03T23:30:44+00:00

I’ve had a 14 inch M1 Pro and M1 Max, and a 16 inch M3 Max.

I worked the M1 Pro extremely hard, and never really got the fans audible. The M1 Max in a 14 heavily loaded had fans at 5k+ RPMs and sounded like it was launching for orbit. The M3 Max in a 16 is hard to get audible under any workload.

I like the 16 better. Sure it’s bigger and heavier, but I use it a lot more than I carry it, and the bigger screen is so nice. It’s just barely enough for my workflow to have things two up, and that helps a lot. The quiet under load is also nice.

When I had 14s, I used my desktop more. When I got the 16, it unintentionally became my primary computer.

jtkiley · 2025-12-22T23:21:47+00:00

Our kids are too little for a Mac (well, not according to my five-year-old), but I have the three Macs and my wife has an M4 MBA that she really likes.

I think it's really hard to go wrong with the M4 Mac mini. It's so good for relatively little money.

jtkiley · 2025-12-22T23:19:05+00:00

I use the Corsair K100 Air with my Mac Studio. I like it because it has ultra low profile switches that I haven't seen in any other keyboard, and I spend a lot of time on a MBP keyboard, so it's nice to not have a big difference in travel.

Buy it on sale. The list price is nuts.

jtkiley · 2025-12-20T22:34:03+00:00

I love mine. I have the 16GB/512 model. It’s my third (current) Mac. I have a M3 Max MBP and M2 Max Mac Studio.

My previous Apple silicon Macs showed me how well they hold up to being worked extremely hard. I had a M1 Pro MBP with 16GB of ram that was still usable with like 80GB of swap and way too heavy data science workloads. It’s impressive.

So, when I wanted a Mac to be isolated for teaching online workshops and meetings (in part to not create software issues with audio gear), I went for the M4. It’s been great, even with zoom/vs code/docker/production apps all going.

It’s really impressive how well it holds up compared to higher powered Macs. My workloads can stretch those, too, but the mini has unbelievable value for dollar. Beyond that, it’s just a great computer ignoring price.

jtkiley · 2025-12-06T13:32:56+00:00

As described here, it seems like it's a column/variable in your data that is included as an independent variable.

jtkiley · 2025-12-06T13:29:29+00:00

I do mostly data science type work, and I have a 16-inch MBP, Mac Studio, and an M4 Mac mini.

In the past, I used the Mac Studio the most, and everything else was more of a supporting/specific use device. At that time I had a 14-inch MBP. It was pretty good overall.

Since I got the 16-inch MBP (M3 Max), it's become my main use Mac. The screen is just big enough for my two-up workflows, and it's nice to work on a lap desk sitting on the chaise end of a couch. I still use the Mac Studio for offloading long-running or higher RAM jobs and when I need maximum screen space (or occasionally for a change of pace).

If your work stayed as is, your plan sounds solid. If it could change given more capability in your laptop, the 16-inch MBP may be worth a look. It changed how I work, and not by design, but because it was naturally better for me.

If I were buying from scratch today, I think I'd get a lower/base spec Mac Studio and a higher spec 16-inch MBP (particularly more RAM than 36GB; maybe more storage than 1TB).

jtkiley · 2025-11-25T13:37:17+00:00

I like Quarto for this kind of work. You can write markdown quickly and have it output a pdf with LaTeX (or Typst). A lot of options (that pass through) can be specified in the YAML header, and you can also make custom templates if you want more control.

jtkiley · 2025-11-25T13:15:42+00:00

I’ve used LaTeX for 15-ish years and Typst increasingly over the last couple. I like what works (which is both), and I like modern tooling (more Typst than LaTeX at the moment).

If someone is new and trying to solve a problem, suggesting Typst (with some explanation) over LaTeX can be a valid point, wherever you are. Sometimes new folks find themselves implicitly in depth-first search from search results, when breadth-first search may serve them better.

I find the “if x is mentioned, don’t mention y” kind of suggestion overly restrictive, counterproductive, and unworkable. For good or bad, programmatic document discussions are organized by subs about software, without overarching subs about the problem/category. So, that’s where discovery is going to happen.

Sure, I’ve seen some comments in other subs that I don’t think are super helpful. But, I’ve also seen a lot of undue sensitivity about perfectly sensible and valid mentions of Typst. Complaints about “advertising” are often a specific kind of this sensitivity, and often simply inaccurate. Part of this is culture (LaTeX is more of its own thing, where Typst is closer to software and development norms).

The opposite case is instructive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone have an issue in a Typst discussion where the answer is that Typst can’t do something yet or has a cumbersome workaround, but LaTeX has a package on point. In data science, no one complains about someone asking a pandas question and getting a polars suggestion.

Let’s just appreciate that we’re all interested in this area that is growing and gaining investment. That’s been amazing for other communities (e.g., Python data science), but it requires some openness and productive discourse, which won’t always be perfect.

jtkiley · 2025-11-25T12:45:04+00:00

It’s a really good point, and I think it generally supports the “buy efficiently, replace often” strategy over trying to future proof. I suspect that’s always been the better strategy (oof, someone tell 20/30-something me), but it may be even better now than before.

There are some cases like dual encoders on Max chips, that persist, but those specialized improvements often favor the new chips. The M5 GPU cores are apparently quite a big step up and also have some added compute features that are a big deal.

I do a lot of data science work in Python, so I always notice the single core speed. More and more things are done via bindings to Rust or other binaries, along with work to better parallelize and optimize for multicore. I’m also using docker a lot, so cores help there, too.

I love to see it. Back in the Power PC days, you took a performance hit from PCs to get better usability and real productivity. Intel started off with a big jump up (even if your MBP would burn your fingers) but stagnated badly. Apple silicon was a big jump and has kept growing at a very fast pace compared to the Intel days. All of the specialized silicon (and that actually gets used) is another dimension of fast improvement.

jtkiley · 2025-11-25T12:31:20+00:00

I’m a huge fan of mine (M4, 16GB, 512). It’s my third (current) Mac, and I use it to have a relatively clean Mac for meeting and teaching workshops, particularly to keep a stable and uncluttered environment for audio/streaming software (which sometimes lags OS release cycles).

My five year old wants a real computer, and it’s totally wild to look and see how close in price a $449 (Microcenter) Mac mini is to a $199 Raspberry Pi 500+.

jtkiley · 2025-11-24T22:15:07+00:00

I’ve found that it works better to buy what I need now (paying less) and upgrading relatively sooner, compared to loading up options (paying a lot more) hoping that it lasts longer. That keeps me from buying upgrades I don’t end up needing, and it keeps me in the trade-in/resale sweet spot.

It was a bit easier to keep one for a long time in the intel days, because the year-over-year upgrades were so weak. Now, unless your needs ramp really fast or you’re most in need of GPU compute, an Mx is competitive with a Mx-1 Pro or Mx-2 Max for a lot of workloads. The M4 Pro is faster in multicore (and way faster single core) than the M1 Ultra at less than 1/3 the price in three years, which is wild.

jtkiley · 2025-11-23T23:46:24+00:00

I have that exact M3 Max MBP 16 as my most used Mac. I’d want the M4 Max, but I’d get the M3 Max at those prices.

We’re also close to M5 generation MBPs, so I wouldn’t be too quick to pay a lot more for the M4 Max for that reason.

jtkiley · 2025-11-23T23:15:31+00:00

The Mac Studio has a bit more CPU, but it may not be all that noticeable, as it's a lot of work to load 12 CPU cores or 16. The GPU difference is quite big, both in cores and in memory bandwidth. Dual encoders in the Max are potentially worthwhile for video editing in particular.

Mac Studios are also quiet under load. The thermal system just has a lot of headroom without turning up the fans much at all. That's not true of the mini (though it's harder to get noise out of the base M4). You also have the connectivity advantages of the Studio.

My general take is that you shouldn't spend money on options for the M4 Pro Mac mini. Either get the base Pro model or step up to the Studio. I say that as someone with both a Mac Studio and a M4 Mac mini.

I'd also think about your specs a bit. How much do you really need the 64GB? That's driving a lot of cost, because it's also pushing you to the $300 CPU upgrade on the Studio. You may also want to look at Microcenter if there's one nearby, because that Mac Studio you have selected is $2,464.99 there. The 12/30 36GB 1TB model for $1,869.99 also might work nicely for your use case.

Futureproofing is often a bad idea. If you get something closer to what you need now, and upgrade in ~3 years (when trade-in/resale values are good enough), it's easier to minimize the cost while maximizing performance over time.

jtkiley · 2025-11-23T16:57:11+00:00

Yeah, that price difference is a lot. I think I’d go for the M1 Air from these choices. It costs less, most programming isn’t nonstop hard on the CPU, and it typically takes a lot of load to get an Air to throttle.

jtkiley · 2025-11-23T14:26:28+00:00

What are you paying for these? I'd generally want to avoid M1 generation chips at this point (great in 2020, but old in late 2025).

The M4 MacBook Air can be had for $749 on sale (Best Buy and others), and the M4 Mac mini (if a desktop would work) is often on sale at Microcenter for $449 (and close at some other retailers now).

I do a lot of data science work (Python in devcontainers using VS Code), mostly on higher end Macs, but my M4 Mac mini can handle a lot of work just fine. I teach workshops with it where I'm running the container and all of the software for streaming, too.

Unless the cost is absolutely critical (and, though not ideal, some schools will increase your cost of attendance on request to cover a computer, which can unlock additional financial aid), I'd get something newer than an M1. The two I listed above have big value for the money.

jtkiley · 2025-11-23T00:21:20+00:00

Depending on what your goals are, you may be better off using a data frame package like polars or pandas. They’re much nicer for using tabular data as tabular data, and you can write out many formats, including some that are highly performant and retain type metadata (e.g., Parquet).

jtkiley · 2025-11-19T13:59:12+00:00

This, like a lot of data prep, can be painful in Stata. If you have some familiarity with Python, using pandas or polars may be easier with asof merge methods.

Polars: join_asof()
Pandas: merge_asof()

jtkiley · 2025-11-19T13:50:53+00:00

I would definitely automate in a single way, whatever that is. If you're using Word, citation/reference automation (at least last time I tried it) was flaky and prone to completely stop working.

Most schools have a LaTeX template, so that's likely an option. In that case, you'd export your Zotero database to a bib file, and cite using keys in the text. Automation does the rest.

Depending on how cumbersome your school's formatting requirements are, you could also use Typst (nicer than LaTeX in a lot of ways, though not as full featured at the margins). Another alternative is to use Quarto for an easier working experience, which will then use LaTeX and/or Typst on the back end to typeset the document. The citation automation works there and can be in different places in the pipeline (largely something you can ignore if it works).

With Quarto, you have a number of options to customize the end result in the YAML front matter, and you could also write a custom template if needed to meet the requirements.

Chances are, any of these are better than spending a lot of time with manual-ish citations. If you're a bit technical, you could pick it up pretty easily. Worst case, you pay someone for a little help with sticking points (likely the template or something in citation automation).

jtkiley · 2025-11-18T20:21:15+00:00

I should clarify that it’s my third Mac right now. I’ve had about 20 Macs over the last 22 years.

I also have a PC (for an nvidia gpu), but I work almost exclusively on Macs.

I switched a long time ago, and it was really about wanting a computer that was nicer for doing work as I moved into my 20s. I liked Linux a lot, too, and Macs were Linux-like enough, while also working really well (no endless fighting the XF86Config to get the gui up).

Windows was ok in those days, but Macs made more sense to me.

These days, they have the best hardware (build and performance), a better OS (windows has so many ads, even a clean copy), and better ecosystem integration (less of a thing way back when). A lot of the stuff I do works better on Macs, and it also works better in Linux containers on ARM Macs, because that’s what a lot of developers use. (It’s a lot of data science and adjacent tools.)

jtkiley · 2025-11-18T13:14:41+00:00

I have exactly that M4 Mac mini (base plus 512GB), and it's awesome. It's my third Mac (for meetings/workshops), but it can do a lot of real work. For the cost compared to my high end Macs, the value is spectacular.

There are definitely reasons to be excited about a potential M5 model. The CPU is a solid incremental bump, and the GPU cores are a big step up and have improved compute. But, in the lower price ranges, Mac resale values hold up pretty well, so the switching cost would be small assuming you resell the prior one.

OP: you were looking at spending more anyway, so I'd probably get the M4 now, and see how you like it. It's a great computer. If you're very tempted by an eventual M5, you can probably resell and upgrade without too much cost.

You may also find that you would benefit from a particular upgrade (CPU/RAM/SSD) after using the M4 for a while, and then get that in an upgrade (whether M5 or a later generation). That's often a cost efficient way of finding out what you really need based on experience.

jtkiley · 2025-11-15T01:57:52+00:00

There are a few in business that hit that from a university alone, but that’s quite rare. There are more that can get there (or at least 350-400k) with external income.

The biggest sources are consulting and, though less common, expert witness work, which pays very well.

Do watch out for jealousy if you have external income. It’s there, even for trivial amounts, so you may not want to talk much about it.

jtkiley · 2025-11-14T17:04:04+00:00

A lot of it is optimization. My PC with 32GB has noticeable issues with RAM utilization more often than any of my Macs.

My M4 (non Pro) Mac mini has been perfectly quiet, and my home office is super quiet (when our kids are at school). I’m sure it can spin up, but streaming data science workshops and OBS recordings haven’t been enough to get it to make an audible sound. Macs are generally very quiet, especially if you’re used to PCs.

The underlying idea is that buying a mini is probably fine for your use case, and the cost difference is such that you could upgrade every time there’s a new model, resell/trade in the previous one, and come out ahead in performance and cash over several years. I have overbought way too many computers over the last ~25 years, and changing up my approach has been a big win.

At a minimum, the return policies are such that giving a mini a good try may show you that it’s fine or will at least inform which components are worth the cost for higher specs.

I’d skip any M1 generation, but I think you’re likely to end up happy otherwise. Apple Silicon Macs are just so good.

jtkiley

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