Recursion Is Not A Superpower: An Iterative Ackermann
Sun 05 September 2021 Al Sweigart
This post has the Python code for the infamously recursive Ackermann function, but without using recursion.
ccwd - A Copy Current Working Directory Command
Sat 28 August 2021 Al Sweigart
The source code and compiled binary for a Windows terminal command I created to copy the current working directory to the clipboard. I find myself using this all the time.
Algorithmic Art with the BitFieldDraw Module
Mon 02 August 2021 Al Sweigart
I created the bitfielddraw Python module so that you could turn math formulas into .png image files.
Book Review: The Charisma Machine by Morgan G. Ames
Sat 10 July 2021 Al Sweigart
The Charisma Machine by Morgan G. Ames is the cautionary tale everyone in tech should read. Five stars.
Combinations and Permutations in Python with itertools
Sat 03 July 2021 Al Sweigart
Explores the difference between combinations and permutations, and why you don't need to write your own Python code for them because the built-in
itertools module already exists. Includes working code examples.
New Book: The Big Book of Small Python Projects
Sat 26 June 2021 Al Sweigart
My new book, The Big Book of Small Python Projects, is now available from No Starch Press. It's free to read online under a Creative Commons license. This book contains 81 small but complete programming projects written in Python. These projects are designed to help new programmers who have learned the basics see what real programs "look like". These aren't code snippets, but actual, full programs that you can run. At the same time, they are small enough so that their source code is easy to understand.
Al Sweigart's PyTennessee 2020 Opening Keynote
Sun 07 March 2021 Al Sweigart
In March 2020, just before the lockdowns would begin, I gave the opening keynote at PyTennessee 2020. Unfortunately, it wasn't recorded. But I still have the script I used and so I re-recorded the talk. I've posted it to my YouTube channel.
Calm Programming Video Series
Sat 06 March 2021 Al Sweigart
I've started a new video series of me silently coding a small game project from scratch. The Calm Programming series are meant to be coding videos that you can watch while playing the music of your choice. They aren't quite the same as tutorials: they don't have screen capture and aren't narrated, though you can turn on captions for some explanations.
Text Recognition in Python with pytesseract
Mon 11 January 2021 Al Sweigart
Extracting text as string values from images is called optical character recognition (OCR) or simply text recognition. This blog post tells you how to run the Tesseract OCR engine from Python. Includes working code examples.
A Quick Pip Guide: How to Install Python Modules
Mon 11 January 2021 Al Sweigart
This tutorial teaches you about Pip, a package manager that installs third-party packages for Python.
Installing the ComputerCraft Mod for Minecraft 1.16 (and later)
Thu 24 December 2020 Al Sweigart
Two Weird Tricks to Help Learn the Git Command Line
Fri 18 September 2020 Al Sweigart
Open two terminal windows and run
watch "git status" in one and watch "git log -oneline" in the other so you can get live feedback as you enter Git commands.
Free Coupon Codes for My Online Courses
Thu 26 March 2020 Al Sweigart
Information about how to sign up for my Python course on Udemy for free or at a discounted rate.
Reading Guide to Automate the Boring Stuff, Second Edition, for Readers of the First Edition
Tue 31 December 2019 Al Sweigart
The second edition of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is now freely available. This blog post outlines the new content in the second edition with links to the content online so that readers of the first edition can immediately find the new content.
Type Hints for Busy Python Programmers
Sun 24 November 2019 Al Sweigart
A quick guide to using type hints in Python.
Book Review: Code This Game! by Meg Ray (Odd Dot 2019)
Tue 12 November 2019 Al Sweigart
5 Stars: An excellent project-based book for young readers who want to move beyond Scratch
Code This Game is an excellent book that teaches Python programming by guiding the reader through making a tower-defense game from scratch. This is a book that doesn't shy away from programming detail, but manages to remain fun and engaging. If you have a student or child who wants to move beyond MIT's Scratch programming tool and do "real" programming, this is a great book.
Live Online Python Class on Twitch on October 21, 2019
Sun 20 October 2019 Al Sweigart
I'll be doing a live online Python class for beginner- and intermediate-level programmers on Twitch on Monday evening, October 21, 2019.
What's New in the 2nd Edition of "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python"
Mon 07 October 2019 Al Sweigart
Here are all the new additions and updates in the second edition.
Python Error Messages: Gotta Catch Em All
Thu 15 August 2019 Al Sweigart
To make errors less intimidating, I've created a "Gotta Catch 'em All" worksheet that lists several common Python error messages. Instead of trying to avoid errors, beginners can try to hunt and collect them all.
Pythonic Ways to Use Dictionaries
Wed 05 June 2019 Al Sweigart
Python dictionaries are a useful part of the language. In addition to having the ability to store keys and values, you can also use dictionary methods to manipulate those values, and you can use dictionaries to write more concise code.