Mailman 3 December 2007 - Edu-sig

OLPC news
by kirby urner 31 Dec '07

31 Dec '07

Walter Bender is a good source of OLPC news for those of you in Python Nation tracking the spread of Python by this vector (both as an under the hood engine, and as a user friendly API). Not to worry, I won't be flooding edu-sig with cross-posts; I save most of the OLPC stuff for my blogs. That being said, I'm all ears re exciting Python applications set to run on the XO, either in these early iterations or down the road a piece. I'm especially interested in applications that take us beyond Latin-1 at the interface level (not expecting a lot of non-Latin-1 3rd party py modules this early in the game, though I do know people are poking around with this stuff, given 3.x is in testing). Kirby still in Greater LA (working vacation -- got a new paying gig at PPS LEP High for more Python, is this morning's good news). """ Michael Burns of the Oregon State Open Source Lab has been working each night improving and growing the Community Support forum (See http://olpc.osuosl.org/), which is now exceeding 1,000 posts; 200 registered users have answered hundreds of first-time computer questions from G1G1 donors. There is already a growing community of users helping other users on the site. The site includes a live (IRC) chat (See http://olpc.osuosl.org/chat), a feature that works from any computer, including directly from the XO, and a volunteers map (See http://olpc.osuosl.org/forum/phoogle_map.php) that lets developers, enthusiasts and users put a push-pin next to their home town. """ Source: http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/devel/2007-December/009072.html

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Greetings from LA
by kirby urner 27 Dec '07

27 Dec '07

The local coffee shop, one in a franchise, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, has a flatscreen customized to flash news, other stories, amidst a color themed desktop (branded -- not sure at what point in the streaming). OLPC commercials, something I hadn't seen yet in Portland. The National Guard has rock band intro, sponsors the pre show in movie theaters (before the previews). Fighting the red coats remains relevant (in the minds of *these* recruiters anyway). Other segments I'd not seen in my focus group area (PDX). I get some OLPC bounce traffic through Canada, other places, but am more platform agnostic, kinda like Squeak, in my curriculum writing (Oregon... Alaska) If it runs in a browser, that's good enough for me (almost). That could mean a Python interpreter ala Crunchy Frog, or, on a batteries included system, you'll probably had IDLE or whatever, so no need to reinvent the wheel. Just get a conversation going, start charming the snake. Use your community for support, but dive in solo as well (the art of self teaching -- for those many hours on airplanes when you're *not* part of an "away team"). In other words, start by finding out if you can just get away with what's in your distro, and use the web to read the tutorials, lesson plans... watch those peer-authored Youtubes (many worth collecting, organizing, recontextualizing). Lots to see and do, and Python is everywhere, once you know what you're looking for (Safari helps -- shameless plug). Kirby Urner on Ubuntu Dell in the City of Whittier near to the City of Angels i.e. in Greater LA

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Re: [Edu-sig] Turtle Graphics
by Daniel Ajoy 24 Dec '07

24 Dec '07

On 24 Dec 2007 at 12:00, edu-sig-request(a)python.org wrote: > So the distinction I was making was between original > Logo syntax, which doesn't explicitly mention the > turtle (because there's only one), In MicroWorlds Logo there are many turtles and the usual way to handle this is: talkto "turtle1 repeat 4 [fd 10 rt 90] talkto "turtle2 do.something.else or things like: everyone [repeat 4 [fd 10 rt 90]] MicroWorlds Logo also has syntactic sugar for talkto: turtle1, repeat 4 [fd 10 rt 90] but you can't say: make "anyturtle "turtle1 :anyturtle, repeat 4 [fd 10 rt 90] Daniel

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Turtle Graphics
by kirby urner 23 Dec '07

23 Dec '07

The more I think about turtle graphics, the more I think some enterprising faculty is going to spin it as a way to intersect multiple languages around a common topic, plus there's the "sharing with kids" memeplex, anything but simple, so lots of ways to spin within the spin. Translation: why not start with Logo, the granddaddy language in this context, then explore the forks, whether with all the regalia is up to the teacher e.g. talk about Mindstorms and Lego Robotics (note pun on Lego/Logo) and use this as a leaping off point to robotics more generally. Along another fork: we move into Python (a huge territory). As long time readers of this archive likely already know: there's some move afoot to organize a curriculum (your option to use or not use) such that we go avatar -> immersion -> behind the scenes. What this means is: piloting some "self" in various contexts is the motif of many games (shooters included), as in turtle graphics; then you need an environment; then you get curious to see "how people do it" (so you can come up with new designs closer to your dreams). What's so good about Python in particular is the 'self' metaphor, while not a keyword, is very explicit and clear, enabling multiple turtles right out of the box. The original Logo was more seeing the turtle as a "one and only" like a console or other i/o device. The idea of "several" gets implemented in various derivatives. Kirby

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FW: Turtle work (2 of 2)
by John Posner 23 Dec '07

23 Dec '07

> > i am extremely interested in your program. Works very well, only problem i have is > that the Tk-Fonts are hard to read on my screen resolution. > Yes, Horst, I didn't pay much attention to screen resolution for this first-pass coding. I used the Helvetica font because it's supposed to be supported in all Tkinter implementations -- and because my favorite tennis player is Swiss :-). If more controls are to be added, I think I'll need to change to a multiple-page control panel: Colors, Sizes, Actions, etc. I'd be interested in getting advice on what graphical widget(s) to use. Is it wise (dependable, portable, etc.) to use the "Pmw" widgets described in the John Grayson "Python and Tkinter Programming" book? Pmw's "Notebook" widget would be an obvious candidate. > > What did Gregor said to your program ? > I haven't been able to coax any response from Gregor. :-( Thanks, John

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Turtle work (2 of 2)
by John Posner 23 Dec '07

23 Dec '07

A while ago, Horst Jens noted on this forum that Gregor Lingl has created Xturtle, an extension of the standard Python "turtle" module. I played with it, loved it, and decided to start working on a point-and-click interface to it. For those interested, the current state-of-the-script is at this Yahoo-hosted site: http://www.geocities.com/jjphoogrp/ To facilitate a transition to "real coding", the user's point-and-click work generates an executable transcript -- comments included! (Actually, I would defend the viewpoint that a point-and-click sequence *is* real coding. So maybe we should call it "traditional coding".) If there's some interest in pushing this project further, I'll place it on SourceForge. -John -- John Posner 5 Bayberry Ridge Rd Westport, CT 06880 203-222-4952 jjposner(a)snet.net

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Re: [Edu-sig] Pycon 2008
by Laura Creighton 21 Dec '07

21 Dec '07

Just looking in, it sounds as if what the high school students might like is a Sprint. Get to pair program with real python programmers. Build something. Learn stuff. No conference fee needed, no requirement to eat catered lunches. What do you think? Laura

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Turtle work (1 of 2)
by John Posner 21 Dec '07

21 Dec '07

Here's some work I did a few months ago, prompted by visiting Andy Judkis's class in a NJ magnet high school, where he teaches some Python programming. This is well-trod ground, but I think "more is better" when it comes to having practical answers to the beginner's very reasonable question, "why start counting at 0 instead of 1?". Many classes doing graphics with the standard Python "turtle" module reach the point where the instructor says, "We've seen how easy it is to draw a white square, and to draw a black square. Now, write a program that creates a full chess board, with white and black squares." One strategy is to repeatedly (1) using "setx" and "sety" to place the turtle at the corner of the next square, then (2) drawing the square. It's easy to see how 0-based counting makes it easier to determine where to start drawing a particular square: # determine the row and column (0-based count vs. 1-based count) # 0-BASED row = square_num // SQ_IN_ROW # integer division col = square_num % SQ_IN_ROW # 1-BASED # row = ((square_num - 1) // SQ_IN_ROW) + 1 # integer division # col = ((square_num - 1) % SQ_IN_ROW) + 1 (Admittedly, jumping around like this is not the most "turtle-like" of strategies!) The ease with which you can answer the question, "what row/column position is square #43 at?" is pretty nifty. As a bonus, we have a good practical application of integer arithmetic and modular arithmetic. The remainder of this message contains the entire chess-board program. There are 0-based vs. 1-based alternatives at several points in the code. """ draw a chess board, using 0-based or 1-based counting """ import sys from turtle import * #################### global variables # number of squares in each row, and number of rows SQ_IN_ROW = 8 # length of a square's side SIDELEN = 40 #################### classes / functions def DrawBox(square_num): """ draw one square of the chess board uses global: tur """ # determine the row and column (0-based count vs. 1-based count) # 0-BASED row = square_num // SQ_IN_ROW # integer division col = square_num % SQ_IN_ROW # 1-BASED # row = ((square_num - 1) // SQ_IN_ROW) + 1 # integer division # col = ((square_num - 1) % SQ_IN_ROW) + 1 # set color of this square (0-based count vs. 1-based count) # 0-BASED: different rules for even/odd rows if (row%2 == 0 and col%2 == 0) or (row%2 == 1 and col%2 == 1): # 1-BASED: turns out to be "same as above" # if (row%2 == 1 and col%2 == 1) or (row%2 == 0 and col%2 == 0): fill_box = True else: fill_box = False tur.up() # go to lower-left corner of this square tur.setx(col*SIDELEN) tur.sety(row*SIDELEN) tur.setheading(0) # start filling (maybe) if fill_box: tur.begin_fill() # start drawing tur.down() for i in range(4): tur.forward(SIDELEN) tur.left(90) # end filling (maybe) if fill_box: tur.end_fill() #################### main routine if __name__ == '__main__': # this global is used in functions tur = Pen() # use a loop to draw all the squares (0-based count vs. 1-based count) # 0-BASED for n in range(SQ_IN_ROW * SQ_IN_ROW): # 1-BASED # for n in range(1, SQ_IN_ROW * SQ_IN_ROW + 1): DrawBox(n) junk = raw_input("Press a key ...") sys.exit(0) -- John Posner 5 Bayberry Ridge Rd Westport, CT 06880 203-222-4952 jjposner(a)snet.net

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Pycon 2008
by Earl Strassberger 21 Dec '07

21 Dec '07

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Movies anyone?
by kirby urner 20 Dec '07

20 Dec '07

I'm wondering if anyone is using, or thinking of using, this imdbpy to give students an early appreciation for the power of an open source Python package, to deliver relevant movie-related information. Cut and pasting (excerpting) from http://imdbpy.sourceforge.net/docs/README.users.txt, the scripts look like this (if you've not used imdb: every movie, actor etc. is tagged with a number): $ get_movie.py 0133093 Movie ===== Title: Matrix, The Genres: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi. Director: Andy Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers), Larry Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers). Writer: Andy Wachowski (written by) (as The Wachowski Brothers), Larry Wachowski (written by) (as The Wachowski Brothers). Cast: Keanu Reeves (Neo (Thomas A. Anderson)), Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus), Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity), Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith), Joe Pantoliano (Cypher (Mr. Reagan)). Runtime: 136. Country: USA. Language: English. Rating: 8.5 Votes: 114,264 Plot: In the near future, a computer hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves) discovers that all life on Earth may be nothing more than an elaborate facade created by a malevolent cyber-intelligence, for the purpose of placating us while our life essence is "farmed" to fuel the Matrix's campaign of domination in the "real" world. He joins like-minded Rebel warriors Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss) in their struggle to overthrow the Matrix. I've written my own screen scraper for imdb (probably wrote about it here, don't remember), but it never performed satisfactorily. Used it with one Saturday Academy class as a part of my intro. At least useful for explaining what "screen scraper" means. Imdbpy would be more impressive I think, also better than the xml-rpc script we played with at Winterhaven (8th grade, write-up at my site). Kirby 4dsolutions.net

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