Mailman 3 September 2002 - Edu-sig

[Update] re: Does edu-sig extend to Jython
by Arthur 15 Sep '02

15 Sep '02

Thought I'd share an update on my efforts to solve what I had termed a "method loading" issue in trying to achieve the scripting interface I had envisioned for PyGeo. The discussion is in the August edu-sig archive. I had written - >And in doing some real error catching and reporting on arguments, >I would expect isinstance will come into play, and in >doing it, it should not be very much additional burden to >do it in such a way so that at least I can make argument >order irrelevant. >After that I guess I need to see where I am, and then take the more >complex issues of this kind on a case by case basis - there >probably is no one-size answer for all cases. Turns out "issubclass", rather than "issinstance", was the key to accomplishing what I wanted. And I was able to accomplish everything I had hoped - methods called based on passed arguments (order insensitive), error reporting of invalid argument sets,etc. - with a ten line function. The function is currently, BTW, ugly and broken - but basically funtional. I will get it refined in due course. Using this, and the occasional string qualifier, there are in the end going to be maybe 15 "argument smart" classes with which the user interacts, rather the 40 to 50 there had been. Another BTW: I also wanted to be lenient in terms of the passing of string qualifiers. "CircumCenter", "Cirumcenter", "Circum_Center", "Circum_center" all acceptable.Was simple to implement. So whether I have made the right choices for my Scripting Interfacte remains to be seen. But in the end Python posed no limitation on allowing me to implement exactly what I envisioned, in all essential respects. Also satisfying that I have been able to implement a serviceable (though not perfect) Observer pattern in a few lines of Python. Essentially as classes are instantiated, its arguments, and recursively, the arguments to its argments, are inspected. The class instance is registered to any of these arguments which are accessible for manipulation to the user through the GUI. The result, of course, is that when a point (for example) is interactively picked and moved, only the class instances registered with it need to be updated. Significant performance benefit - depending on the complexity of the construction. In short, having much fun. Art

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CP4E: Programming for Fun => Python for Journalists and Couch Poatatoes?
by Jason Cunliffe 12 Sep '02

12 Sep '02

"The only decision that's been taken at this stage is that inaction is not an option" -- Tony Blair Anyone care to translating that in Python? When I was at school, we had lots of parsing exercises, in both English class and then Latin. Sometimes torture, sometimes fun, depending on the teacher, the content and our ability to use it. I hope that as computational literacy works it way into the hearts and minds of schools everywhere [optimistic inevitability], there will be great value in developing descriptive algorithms, such as parsing [literature] texts. - To understand points of literature, grammar, content, structure - To teach and develop programming skills. It would require teachers who are really fluent and adept in a language such as Python. Just as Kirby and others have been developing their math-oriented Python curriculum, what do you think the potential is for programming natural language and literature for fun. I may be crazy, but just imagine... Python for Journalists - In this class we take newspaper and TV news and [try to] translate them into Python. Python's Fables - Aesop's Fables Python for Lawyers - Standard contracts as Python scripts [employment contract, loans, rental leases, and of course licenses] Python for Historians - take an episode/chapter of history and translate Python for Travelers - Directions for making journeys [home->school->back, a holiday] Python for Cooks - from cookies to wedding banquets, you get the idea Python for Poets - How would you express the style, quality, form and message of poems and poets? [Shakespeare sonnet, Rumi, T.S.Eliot, ... ] Python for Singers - as above but breaking down popular songs.. Several layers to this: song structure, style and lyric. Singer style, Musical arrangement. Music Video structure... Python for Couch Potatoes 1. - 24hrs of TV programming -> start with TV Guide http://www.tvguide.com/listings/ 2. - then pick any program or genre of program [soaps, sitcom, TV news {how DO they manage to all broadcast the same story at almost the same moment?}, reality TV, game show, dating shows, Police Drama, Talk show, and ... advertising] I am sure you can imagine myriad problems with this as well, as many more fun and inspiring possibilities. ./Jason

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java vs. python....
by Ronald Mangaliag 09 Sep '02

09 Sep '02

i dont really know if this is the proper forum... but forgive me for this question... security wise, which one is better... java or python??? ------------------------------------------------------------ ronald ali l. mangaliag computer applications department saint louis university 2600 baguio city, philippines ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------ E-mail service provided by SLUNET Saint Louis University ( http://www.slu.edu.ph ) ------------------------------------------------

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python lessons
by Eric S. 08 Sep '02

08 Sep '02

i was wonderin if you know of any python lessons for my age. I'm 15 years old and I live in Westchester NY thanks, Eric

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Re: Natural Speech (was Re: [Edu-sig] CP4E: Programming for Fun...)
by Jason Cunliffe 08 Sep '02

08 Sep '02

Teryy, For Python a great place to start is 'Snack'. http://www.speech.kth.se/snack/ "The Snack Sound Toolkit is designed to be used with a scripting language such as Tcl/Tk or Python. Using Snack you can create powerful multi-platform audio applications with just a few lines of code. Snack has commands for basic sound handling, e.g. sound card and disk I/O. Snack also has primitives for sound visualization, e.g. waveforms and spectrograms. It was developed mainly to handle digital recordings of speech, but is just as useful for general audio. Snack has also successfully been applied to other one-dimensional signals. The combination of Snack and a scripting language makes it possible to create sound tools and applications with a minimum of effort. This is due to the rapid development nature of scripting languages. As a bonus you get an application that is cross-platform from start. It is also easy to integrate Snack based applications with existing sound analysis software." Python Snack manual, version 2.2 http://www.speech.kth.se/snack/man/snack2.2/python-man.html Spectograms are crucial to understanding speech and the role of formants. Be sure to followup on the Snack links page: http://www.speech.kth.se/snack/links.html For example, a paper on the use of Snack was presented at the ICSLP '98 conference. [ICSLP = International Conference on Spoken Language Processing] http://www.speech.kth.se/~jocke/publications/icslp98_web.html Two other important toolkits I recommend to help you do what you want are: PD = Pure Data and its GEM extensions http://www.pure-data.org/ http://www.crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/Pd_documentation/index.htm PD has terrific community [andmailing list] doing all manner of experimental sound work, much of for live performance orientation. The GEM extensions may well cover your graphic needs too. http://www.danks.org/mark/ JSyn - Audio Software Synthesis API and Plugins for Java [works with Jython] http://www.softsynth.com/jsyn/ Other interactive synthesis tools I suggest for deepening ones grasp of speech and speech-like sound are: RGS - Realtime Granular Synthesis by Henry Lowengard http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/software.html RGS was developed for Amiga. To the best of my knowldege it will still run on a number of computer platforms using UAE [Universal Amiga Emulator]. A modern Windows version I have used is 'Coagula' by Rasmus Ekman: http://hem.passagen.se/rasmuse/Coagula.htm Finally, an unusual book with a novel, eye-openig approach to speech analysis is "Who is Fourier?" http://www.lexlrf.org/pub/fourier.html http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0964350408/104-1198719-6481569 Developed by the 'Transnational College of Lex', the book is an extraordinary and lively introduction to calculus, working with the idea recorded vocal sounds and leading up to fourier transformations to compare and graph patterns of Japanese vowwls. The result on page 160 is stunning. Clearly their technique can be applied to other languages and sounds. hth & please keep me posted about your project best wishes ./Jason

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FWD: Internet Learning Centers in Laos => TEN - Master Site - Editorial
by Jason Cunliffe 07 Sep '02

07 Sep '02

Internet Learning Centers in Laos http://www.techempower.net/0/Editorial.asp?this_cat=Projects&obj_id=686&aff… "The project wants to wire the country, one school at a time. It is building internet learning centers to help the people maintain their traditional way of life, using the Internet to improve their economic return from diversified, organic agriculture and hand made silk textiles ... Jhai would like to tighten up the educational component of the internet learning centers, cut costs without cutting quality and document what they are doing better so it can be shared. They would like to network better with successful projects in other parts of the world and, like most projects, they need help *finding* money and time from people who have been successful in the computer business, but still have the original concern for democratizing information and knowledge. People we work with in the coffee area NEVER went to school, yet are incredibly bright. How do we hop,skip and jump with them into computer useage without ruining their culture which largely works and which they love?" Contact: Jhai Foundation PO Box 6269 Vientiane Laos Email: leethorn(a)jhai.org & Vorasone(a)hotmail.com Telephone: 1-415-334-2100 856-20-521037 Facsimile: 1-415-334-210

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(no subject)
by John Harvey 07 Sep '02

07 Sep '02

Group, There are only 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who don't. I couldn't resist sharing this. :-( John

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Fwd: New Scientist => Radio emerges from the electronic soup
by Jason Cunliffe 06 Sep '02

06 Sep '02

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992732 "A self-organising electronic circuit has stunned engineers by turning itself into a radio receiver. This accidental reinvention of the radio followed an experiment to see if an automated design process, that uses an evolutionary computer program, could be used to "breed" an electronic circuit called an oscillator..."

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Good Book Harvest=>" Andew Glassner's Other Notebook"
by Jason Cunliffe 06 Sep '02

06 Sep '02

Well here's another Summer 2002 edu-sig book gem: Andrew Glassner's Other Notebook Further Recreations in Computer Graphics - A practical guide to creative activities using computer graphics http://glassner.com/andrew/writing/books/other-notebook.htm Beautifully conceived, illustrated and written. Andrew Glassner is well know for his "Graphic Gems" series. It's rare to find a book which is so encouraging, helpful and facinating on computer graphics, yet without ever being sacrificed to local amming language dogma. This is above all about exploring the real world. Part of our 'real' world now includes computer graphics. The never loses sight of the wonderful scope between observation, analysis, synthesis and simulation. You could build and an entire course around this lucid book - and Python with its CLI and various graphics toolkits would be ideal [LightFlow, VPython etc.. the usual culprits] Here's two quick excerpts from the intro: "One of the things I find most appealing about computer graphics is that it's a gateway for discovering all sorts of other subjects. From the structure of soap bubbles, to quantum computations, there are fascinating things going on in the world everywhere we look. Computer Graphics is a new medium in several ways. One of the most exciting of its new abilities is that computer-based artistic tools allow us to turn back time and split the universe. ... I find this ability to save every version of my images and programs, and turn back time on a whim, has completely changed how I think about making images and inventing algorithms. Choices are no longer so drastic, so I don't have to fret about whether or not to take a risk. If something seems like a good idea, there's no reason not to pursue it except for the time it takes to try it out. I get to be more playful and intuitive..." Lots more here: http://glassner.com/ http://glassner.com/andrew/cg/graphics.htm ./Jason ______________________________________________ Jason Cunliffe [NOMADICS: Director art+design] Tel/fax: +1 718 422-1078 jasonic(a)nomadics.org N 43:00.000' W 074:31.875' ALT:1144 ft 84 Henry Street #3C Brooklyn NY 11201 USA

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Re: Please help in calling python fucntion from 'c'
by Burley, Brent 04 Sep '02

04 Sep '02

Praveen Patil wrote: > I want to call python function from 'c' function. The easiest way is this: PyRun_SimpleString("TestFunction()"); If you need to get return values back or if you want to run the code in other than the "__main__" module, you can use PyRun_String. If you need to pass in PyObjects to a function instead of just running a string, then you need to use PyObject_CallFunction. PyRun_String and PyRun_SimpleString are described here: http://www.python.org/doc/current/api/veryhigh.html PyObject_CallFunction is described here: http://www.python.org/doc/current/api/object.html#l2h-179 Brent

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