Re: [Edu-sig] A Quick Puzzle
> This is the real answer the guy wanted. Mission accomplished. No > offer of $5 though. > > Kirby Still here at Pauling House (near 39th & Hawthorne, SE Portland). The dog owner remembered about the $5. I said I'm narrating the story in quasi real time, that his giving me a fiver would enter the annals of... well, not to over do it or anything. He paid me. Machael, I owe you that beer (Jon too, come to think of it). Kirby ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] A Quick Puzzle
Tim Peters wrote: > That vaguely reminds me of a puzzle I enjoyed much as a kid: on what > day will you be half as old as your father? a third as old? a > quarter as old? three-quarters as old? nine-tenths as old? ... It's > a good way of showing that x/(x+d), for fixed positive d, approaches 1 > from the left as x goes to infinity. Unfortunately, my own father > died before I became twice as old as him ;-) I called my father up within an hour of when he was twice as old as I. I was expecting a real "you are such a dweeb" conversation, but he wound up talking a lot about what it felt like when I was born. It was such a wonderful surprise; a great conversation for both of us. -- Scott David Daniels [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] A Quick Puzzle
Michael -- Here's a cut and paste from Pauling House (boyhood home of Portland *other* famous Linus). IDLE 1.1.1 >>> import datetime >>> me = datetime.date(1952,12,17) >>> dog = datetime.date(1999, 1,2) >>> print me + (7 * (dog - me)/6) 2006-09-04 This is the real answer the guy wanted. Mission accomplished. No offer of $5 though. Kirby On 3/7/06, Michael Tobis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > # I love Python! > > import datetime# batteries included! > > me = datetime.date(1954,9,1) > dog = datetime.date(2006,3,7) > print me + (7 * (dog - me)/6) > > # mt > > > On 3/7/06, kirby urner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Here's a quick puzzle, that'd make a good source of Python programs, > > or programs in other languages: > ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] A Quick Puzzle
Yeah, that looks like the Jon Bunce formula. Packing lap top. Hoping to claim $5 (I owe you a beer). Kirby On 3/7/06, Michael Tobis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > # I love Python! > > import datetime# batteries included! > > me = datetime.date(1954,9,1) > dog = datetime.date(2006,3,7) > print me + (7 * (dog - me)/6) > > # mt > > > On 3/7/06, kirby urner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Here's a quick puzzle, that'd make a good source of Python programs, > > or programs in other languages: > ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] A Quick Puzzle
[kirby urner] > Here's a quick puzzle, that'd make a good source of Python programs, > or programs in other languages: > > Assume dogs live at 7 times the rate of a man, such that when a man > ages but one year, the dog ages by 7 That vaguely reminds me of a puzzle I enjoyed much as a kid: on what day will you be half as old as your father? a third as old? a quarter as old? three-quarters as old? nine-tenths as old? ... It's a good way of showing that x/(x+d), for fixed positive d, approaches 1 from the left as x goes to infinity. Unfortunately, my own father died before I became twice as old as him ;-) ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] A Quick Puzzle
# I love Python! import datetime# batteries included! me = datetime.date(1954,9,1) dog = datetime.date(2006,3,7) print me + (7 * (dog - me)/6) # mt On 3/7/06, kirby urner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Here's a quick puzzle, that'd make a good source of Python programs, > or programs in other languages: ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
[Edu-sig] New Python website
I see the long-planned reskinning of the Python website is finally going down. edu-sig is as good a place as any to check out the handsome new template: http://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig/ I'm glad I had the foresite to put a direct link to this archive at the very bottom of the page, as that direct relationship to a SIG mail list and archive appears to have been severed (used to be upper left -- check archive.org). Also, I don't see any direct attribution to me, as the page maintainer, which is good, because my SVN pipeline was broken anyway. I'd become a mere figure-head, another faceless name around campus. So I'm off the hook, swimming free. I still freely admit to enjoying Python though -- so charming. And I'm really in to Pythonic Mathematics, same as always, with a Buckyian spin. Scott, I connected with your friend J. Orr @ Willamette. Salem is obviously well supported from Portland, should that tiny CS faculty want to work with livewire snake charmers, seasoned, experienced. We should fire up PORPIG again. OSCON approacheth. Kirby ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
[Edu-sig] A Quick Puzzle
Here's a quick puzzle, that'd make a good source of Python programs, or programs in other languages: Assume dogs live at 7 times the rate of a man, such that when a man ages but one year, the dog ages by 7. Now assume a dog is born later than you, and you get her as a puppy (feel free to mess with these gender assumptions). At some point, as long as you keep living (assume that you do), the dog will catch up to you, and overtake you in age (the dog too, keeps living, at least long enough for the two life-lines to intersect). So challenge: write a program where you input the two birth dates, yours and your dog's. What the script returns is the very day of the very month of the very year, on which you and your dog might reasonably celebrate a "same age" intersection, a "birthday in common" if you will (we could get more precise, but only if the birth times are known with equal precision). I'm actually working on this project now, in anticipation of earning five dollars. Jon Bunce, another Wanderer, has already worked out a formula and shared it around. But I'm thinking just for fun, to do something totally brute force using Julian dates. Anyway, it'll be fun to compare different solutions, in terms of accuracy, quirkiness, readability, speed -- lots of interesting criteria. Just another puzzle for the literature, not my invention, just something I've thought about. A guy with a real dog and a real interest in the answer, came to Don Wardwell with it, looking for the services of a real think tank. Over on the Math Forum, I couched it as a puzzle for cgi scripters, i.e. make up a web site calculator around this, using JavaScript or whatever (a new way to do story problems). Of course similar games may be played with other animals with different "life rates." Don't get too hung up on what actual ratios to use, unless that's a stated goal of the lesson. In most cases, just take these as puzzles, like Sudoku, not as literally true biology lessons. Kirby ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
[Edu-sig] ANN: 2006 Python training courses, San Francisco
Dear Edu-Sig, Below is the announcement we made earlier today regarding our intro and advanced Python courses for the remainder of 2006. There are significant discounts for students/teachers. Please snip this msg and forward the attachment below to anyone whom you think would be interested or would benefit from Python training courses. This includes Plone, Zope, and Mailman groups as well. Thanks for your interest, -Wesley -- Forwarded message -- From: w chun <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mar 7, 2006 10:20 AM Subject: ANN: 2006 Python training courses, San Francisco WE are giving 4 more Python training sessions (held near the San Francisco airport) for the remainder of this year. For the first time, there will be an "advanced" Python course available to the public. In fact, we've added the March intro course date for those prepping to take the advanced class in May. You may register for any of the 4 courses/dates below. (Intensive) Introduction to Python March 29-31, 2006 August 16-18, 2006 Advanced Python Programming May 17-19, 2006 November 8-10, 2006 LOCALS: it'll be at a hotel with BART and CalTrain access (San Bruno stations) VISITORS: free shuttle directly from the San Francisco airport, lots of free food and wireless DISCOUNTS available. for more info and details, go to http://cyberwebconsulting.com and click "Python training." cheers, -wesley ps. a great big public THANKS to Rob Stephenson for putting together the short PodCast clip of one of our training sessions for your viewing pleasure on a video iPod or iTunes on your Mac! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Core Python Programming", Prentice Hall, (c)2006,2001 http://corepython.com wesley.j.chun :: wescpy-at-gmail.com cyberweb.consulting : silicon valley, ca http://cyberwebconsulting.com ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] From Kirby's corner...
> For my taste, you are getting your rap down way too well. > Wait'll you hear the music that goes with it! (I haven't yet either). ;-D > For the record - I found it necessary to walk out of - yes - a Monty Python > movie. > I had a lot of trouble with 'The Meaning of Life' when I saw it. I was already feeling dark, ended up feeling darker. > Limbs were being severed, and people were laughing. Wasn't in that kind of > mood. > Hey, I understand. I've found MP's stuff hilarious, other times I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. That's how it is with humor. I'm not a fascist when it comes to making others laugh (not even at my own jokes). I like Ali G. quite a bit, when it comes to mentioning the talented comedians of our day. Paraphrasing from memory: Ali to retired astronaut: when youz came to the moon, what was the reaction of the peoples there? Astronaut: What?? We never had any thought that the moon would be populated! Ali: do you think man will ever walk on the sun? Astronaut (stifling incredulity): No. Ali G: how about in winter, when the sun is cold? His interview with Pat Buchanan -- I've watched it several times -- is a riot. Here's a blog entry with a link to QuickTime (still works, just checked it): http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2005/12/charter-school-approved.html (clip). > My sisters might think that the fact I couldn't sit through that at the time > was a manifestation of mental imbalance. > > Trite stuff, your paragraph above, IMO. > > Art S'OK. The question seemed kinda trite too. Fact is, we're gonna explore some options. Call it a tsunami, call it what you will. Don't care. I don't see any high risk that these experiments in using Gnu Math to make GUI TV will leave a lot of dead bodies in my wake (on the contrary, more likely we'll attract geek girlz), so I'm gonna go for it. Here's the *real* reason then: because I *want* to. And I'm not asking you to laugh. Kirby ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] From Kirby's corner...
- Original Message - From: kirby urner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > We're trying to recruit more girls by taking the edge off of > technology some (more dolls, fewer bayonets). A kinder gentler CS? > Doesn't mean we stop with the war games. Quakers play Quake. But > it's metaphoric violence. Kirby, For my taste, you are getting your rap down way too well. For the record - I found it necessary to walk out of - yes - a Monty Python movie. Limbs were being severed, and people were laughing. Wasn't in that kind of mood. My sisters might think that the fact I couldn't sit through that at the time was a manifestation of mental imbalance. Trite stuff, your paragraph above, IMO. Art ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
Re: [Edu-sig] From Kirby's corner...
> Digital, actually is cold. And children are too sensitive not to perceive it > as cold. > Yes, but they love cartoons. > Anything we can actually pet around? > I'm all for that too. Not either/or. > I'd feel better about it if I knew what problem, exactly, we were solving. > We're trying to recruit more girls by taking the edge off of technology some (more dolls, fewer bayonets). A kinder gentler CS? Doesn't mean we stop with the war games. Quakers play Quake. But it's metaphoric violence. > Or are we just riding tsunamis. > > Art Kids grow up watching a lot of TV, has a big impact. But pedagogy is still very pre-TV in a lot of ways, passed down through traditions that've been going since Rome and before. So how to break out of the pre-TV mode and embrace the fatter pipe bandwidths that computers and such now provide? I think by making TV, not just watching it, and that also means "scripting" with languages such as Python. I'm into multi-track audio also. Kirby ___ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
