Monthly Archives: November 2012

PHSgeek – Other Programming Exercises

Posted on November 21, 2012 by ehmatthes

There are some really interesting sets of programming exercises available online.  Many of these get very difficult very quickly if you are new to programming, but they are really good to know about.  It is good to know what kinds … Continue reading →

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Python Exercises – FizzBuzz

Posted on November 21, 2012 by ehmatthes

FizzBuzz is a classic programming exercise, which is used in many job interviews.  Basically, there are many people who like to call themselves programmers, who can’t actually program their way out of a paper bag.  So to start an interview … Continue reading →

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Python Exercises – Groups of People

Posted on November 21, 2012 by ehmatthes

This exercise starts very simple, but gets interesting in the extensions.  If you take this far enough, you could build a social network.  This exercise is meant to be done several times, as you learn more about programming.  You will … Continue reading →

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Python Exercises: Digits of Pi

Posted on November 21, 2012 by ehmatthes

Digits of Pi Download a text file of the first million digits of pi. Read the file, and store the digits in a list. Parse the list, and report the number of times each digit appears in the first million digits. … Continue reading →

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The most interesting graph I’ve ever seen

Posted on November 15, 2012 by ehmatthes

About a month ago I read a news story that described how the Voyager 1 space probe had just reached the edge of the solar system.  Here is the graph that caught my eye: When I saw this graph and … Continue reading →

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PHSgeek – Getting started with matplotlib

Posted on November 14, 2012 by ehmatthes

Resources Basic plotting:  http://johnstachurski.net/lectures/basicplot.html

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PHSgeek – Python Exercises

Posted on November 13, 2012 by ehmatthes

There are many sets of python challenges available online, but many of them get out of beginner-friendly territory very quickly.  Here are some challenges that help you get familiar with using lists.  These exercises are phrased for people learning python, … Continue reading →

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PHSgeek – Learning Postgres

Posted on November 13, 2012 by ehmatthes

If you  want to do anything meaningful with modern web frameworks such as Django, you have to develop some familiarity with databases.  A few goals to start off with are: Work through a tutorial, so you gain a little experience … Continue reading →

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Tap Away – A simple experiment in game design

Posted on November 11, 2012 by ehmatthes

Try it first:  tapawaygame.com Early last summer I was at the eye doctor’s, and I was taking one of those tests where you have to look into a machine and click a button every time you see a flash on … Continue reading →

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PHSgeek – Updating an Ubuntu System

Posted on November 6, 2012 by ehmatthes

There will always be a way for people to update their ubuntu systems through a graphical interface, but if you are aiming to be a programmer it is better to learn how to run updates through a terminal.  There are … Continue reading →

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