“A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste.” And yet waste them we do, most often in two ways: First in Learning, where we accumulate knowledge without applying it and fall down the rabbit hole of endless programming tutorials, ebooks, and courses that you only get part-way through and have nothing to show for afterwards. […]
Learn Programming
Welcome to the Learn Programming page, where, you guessed it, all the posts focus on helping you learn the basics of programming. As I always say, it's important to find projects to work on that you actually care about and start working on them as soon as possible. I hope this collection of blog posts will help you on that journey.
To Learn Programming, Make Mistakes
There are two types of mistakes: intentional and unintentional. The unintentional mistakes are the ones classical musicians make, hitting an E-flat when they meant to hit an E. We often don’t welcome these. But you can learn from them, analyze why they happened, and take precautions against future occurences. Like sailing a boat that springs […]
Getting to Know the Spyder IDE for Python
Whether you’re a beginner programmer, casual coder, data analyst/scientist, or anyone else that uses Python, I’d recommend you at least check out Spyder, among other IDEs. Granted, it may not the best choice if you’re a full-time Python developer. But otherwise it has a lot to offer with its blend of intuitive, beginner-friendly design and […]
Some Good Python IDEs for Casual Coders
There are lots of lists out there on good code editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) for programming in Python. But those articles are often aimed at full-time developers. In this article I want to show you the three IDEs I recommend to Python programmers that are a bit more casual in their programming, each […]
Easily Build and Deploy Your First Python Web App
These days you can make your very own web app for free, in pure Python, with a minimal amount of code. The app we’re going to build is under 100 lines total. Not only that, the entire process, from coding and styling to hosting and embedding, can be surprisingly straightforward once you’ve seen an example. […]
Learn Python, Java, and C in 3 minutes (even if you’re illiterate, arthritic, and deceased)
“Learn C in 7 Days!” “Learn Java in 24 Hours!” “Learn Python in 90 Minutes!” You’ve probably seen this before, the programmer’s version of 8 Minute Abs. It’s pretty much always been around in all kinds of books, courses, presentations, videos, and blogs. The time span generally ranges from weeks to minutes, with the shortest […]
Coming Up with Programming Projects You Actually Care About
The best way to learn is often to do, to work on real-world projects. If you want to learn HTML and CSS, build a simple website. If you want to learn to play piano, commit to playing a song at an upcoming recital. If you want to learn about regime change, make some molotov cocktails. […]
Intro to Python, Epilogue – Only the Beginning
Congratulations, dear reader, on completing your quest. But be warned, opening the Door was but the first step of your journey. You now have an understanding of all the fundamental programming concepts required to begin making useful things. But what exactly will you do from here on out? Allow me to make a few suggestions: […]
Intro to Python, Chapter 8 – Opening the Door
Baldric was suddenly standing in a crowd of soldiers. Not Imperial soldiers thankfully. These were more ragtag, wearing random bits of armor here and there. Some had swords and shields, though most had spears or clubs or long knives. One formidable-looking woman appeared to be wielding a frying pan. They were all hurrying away in […]
Intro to Python, Chapter 7 – Imports and Nesting
Baldric had been a town guard for years, breaking up fights and catching thieves and helping the elderly cross the street. When the Empire arose and moved him to HR, he dragged prisoners to staff meetings and hauled corpses away without thinking much of it. Law and order was better than letting those rebels Management […]