[Edu-sig] Rambles from PDX/4D

[kirby urner]

Programming in Python, aka Pythonic Math 8629, is a go for
this spring, so I'm gearing up again, dunno how much I'll blog
of this one, having done semi-exhaustive retrospectives a few
times already.[1][2]

Intersection with UK version of Math Wars at Pycon was fun,
still writing little modules around Cuisenaires, some early
source code, once you've got your feet wet with the rods,
fractions, other age-appropriate materials, e.g. Peter Pan,
Over the Hedge, Flushed Away... Narnia, or in our household,
Spirited Away (a big hit).[3]

Currently working on contrasting bare CGI versus the newer
XMLhttpResponse approach, first intro'd by BigSoftie in ActiveX,
since standardized to non-ActiveX browsers.  Using I Ching
again, in keeping with newsy themes (olympics etc. -- mostly
about Unicode).  None of this is new material, just wanting to
contribute my share to the literature.

Trucked the XO to my native Quaker habitat recently, where
we have our measure of geeks in training, both XX and XY.[4]
Some overlap twixt my SA: and these gnubees sometimes.

Had a good meeting of PPUG.[5]  A funny moment was when
this slender newcomer wanted the Pycon swag Jason was
being so generous with, but our default T-shirt sizes start at
size L (with no upper limit?).  An occupational hazard, and a
bias we should work on.  Standing workstations make sense,
even if not on a tredmill.  Or the idea for a leaden mouse might
be good (heavy like, not saying made of element Pb, which
could be a health hazard).

I've been watching Pycon Youtubes, not just this year's.
What I suggested on the Europython list is maybe focusing
on getting speakers their audio tracks, as so often the
cameras are unmanned and don't track, plus even if they
do, slides come across better if added later, spliced with
live video track.[6]

Kirby
4D

[1]  http://saturdayacademy.org/
[2]  http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2006/11/more-pythonic-mathematics.html
[3]  http://controlroom.blogspot.com/2008/03/disambiguation.html
[4]  http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2008/04/quaker-spectrum.html
[5]  http://controlroom.blogspot.com/2008/04/ppug-200848.html
[6]  http://mail.python.org/pipermail/europython/2008-April/006772.html