[Edu-sig] Now I went and did it!

[Jason Cunliffe]

Hi Steve

hmm.. thinking about menus and recipes for your pony show...

Here is one possible Pythonic 12-step program:

1. BASIC TOOLS
Start with IDLE or PythonWin
[I am not sure what you show them or do with it..]

2. MATH SANITY AND RESPECT
Open a web browser and show some of Kirby's great WEB pages connecting
Python to POVray
[hint capture a few pages with his permission and store locally as html
fixing critical links if needed]
This will get instant respect..
[be prepared to compare price/access to Mathematica = yes you can get edu
license but still expensive and wont run at home]

3. WEB
But wait we are not connected to the internet..Show that these are not just
html files, that you are actually accessing a free web server running
locally  == ZOPE

4. PORTABILITY Don't get stuck into Zope but [mention FREE opensource
object-oriented..] maybe mention ZODB import export web site across machines
and platforms..[maybe not relevant but for a school I think it makes a lot
of sense] So who's using it ? CBS ==>
http://www.cbsnewyork.com/main/home/index

After the Zope ZODB import export idea, compare and stress portability of
Python modules..

5. PYTHON is used all over and for  good things
Mention and show that most of Zope is written in ..tadah!.. Python.
Python external methods..

6. WHAT you can make with it and tools you can learn with Show them Alice
quickly

7. way cool APPLICATIONS which your kids could like in school and after
school
Show them Blender 2.x [The game version] Grab some slick 3D game style
graphics done in Blender of the web so they understand this is serious FREE
software [but not open sourced yet -go ask Ton]. Blender super interface is
written in Python I think.. can anyone confirm this.. Anyway show some
Python scripting for Blender. If no time for getting into actual demos some
good illustrated tutorials in HMTL you can pull down. The scripting examples
are nice - very clean and read much like Kirby's POV stuff except they use
the interactivity which Blender 2 offers.
[I think Caligari Truespace also uses Python for scripting]

8. SUPPORT
 Flash some of the Python docs at them - clean sane respectable manuals and
tutorials
Flash some comp.lang.python subject listings tree to give a flavor of
healthy community solving problems together support   PythonDailyURLs could
be another great sample

9. CONTRIBUTIONS
http://www.vex.net/parnassus/

10. USERS
Go over some of the luminaries who have used Python for serious scientific
work.
LLNL, Nasa, Swedish Meteological Institute, etc.
http://www.python.org/psa/Users.html [this may need updating not sure]

11. OPEN SOURCE : good enough for 1+billion in Asia
Move over to more general openSource arguments.
Korean and Chinese governments have now opted for L:inux, French to follow I
believe.
See the juicy excerpt from an article I am writing at the moment about
Korea, Multimedia and the Internet: quote below

12. ATTITUDE STRATEGY
Extract some lessons from Eric Raymond's speech and apply _nicely_to your
audience.
http://www.technetcast.com/tnc_play_stream.html?stream_id=318
There is a very entertaining mp3 you can download and listen to.. funny,
over-the-top, right-on, irreverent and shrewd with a dose of teen-like
petulance and revenge lust into the mix..
He scores with some very solid points though. recommended

Add salt, spice and decorum according to your taste
(also peek at this article http://www.advogato.org/article/167.html)

<use for items #11 and #12 above>
.......................................................
NEW GOVERNMENT & LINUX

The South Korean government's goal is that Korea should become the #2 world
best computer internet society after the USA. They have several way they
hope to achieve this. Key is the direct investment in technical
infrastructure combined with a balanced investment in human resources. The
technical infrastructure includes DSL everywhere, and broad policy adoption
Linux operating system. The human resources plan involves access to
hardware, software, communications with training and support.

[As reported in newspaper.]
Ambyiong YOK, Korean government communications minister, announced new Linux
policy on the 14-Sept at 'Global Linux Year 2000' expo in Seoul. The show is
being held at  the Seoul KOEX exhibition center, and is supported by the
government.

"Today, in software departments, freedom and openness and sharing. This is
our philosophy and spirit. We are going to practice this mentality.
Linux is one of the really important parts.
Linux is the epicenter of change in the communications world.
Korean government is going to be managed by internet system.
We are going to support and develop in cyberspace computing
infra(structure).
This event, 'Global Linux Year 2000' is going to be a great terminal and
investment bridge for Korean Linux companies and foreign companies. Of
course, I hope communications, and broadcast, and information technologies -
this all will be harmonized based on openSource software. This is going to
be the starting point for openness and sharing."

Recognizing the importance of next generation systems, the Korean
government's communications department has also started an Internet PC
upgrade project. Old PC's will be recycled and sold to China, or donated to
North Korea whose computer communications infra-structure is way behind
South Korean at present
.......................................................

 hope this helps.

- Jason
________________________________________________________________
Jason CUNLIFFE = NOMADICS.(Interactive Art and Technology).Design Director


----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Litt <slitt@troubleshooters.com>
To: <edu-sig@python.org>
Cc: <leaplist@lists.leap-cf.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 12:18 PM
Subject: [Edu-sig] Now I went and did it!


> Hi all,
>
> Not that it matters on this particular mailing list, but I'm a Linux/Open
> Source advocate and a harsh critic of Microsoft. This is just in the way
of
> explanation.
>
> So I went to "Technology Night" at our childrens' school, and it turned
out
> to be nothing but a Microsoft indoctrination for elementary students. So I
> offered to put on an age-appropriate demo of Open Source technology at the
> next technology night.
>
> So now I need to put on a dog and pony show. It must be so interesting to
> kids that they don't get bored or fidgit. I think that calls for some sort
> of action game. And it must clearly demonstrate that it fills an
> educational need to the parents.
>
> It seems to me that Python + Idle + some of the ideas I've seen expressed
> on this list would do the trick. Whaddya all think? Kirby -- any ideas?