Apropos of nothing, I've used this technique to successfully produce several caffeinated keyboards.
Free-range computer scientist living in Evanston, Illinois. I wrote some Python books. If you want to talk code, take a CS course https://www.dabeaz.com/courses.html. I'm mainly here for dogs, bikes, trombones, and other random stuff.
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Apropos of nothing, I've used this technique to successfully produce several caffeinated keyboards.
"Water slide"
The UP-N can get pretty dicey through Kennilworth.
Paula Kamen’s article on the new book by me and Andy Pierce:
One afternoon only! This Saturday at 3:30 @yippiefest.bsky.social in Chicago. A pilot for possible “Women Act Out” comedy fest on #invisible illness.
good. Fuck BetterHelp and all these techbro therapy start-ups who think they can do an Uber to mental health care providers, then pull the rug by replacing their gig worker therapists with LLMs trained on all the calls they record
Wait, I thought the whole point of biking someplace was to bike back! (This looks so awesome by the way).
Whoa. Are you solo biking this?
In honor of my birthday (well, it COULD be, the dates are right 😜), @manning.com is having a 1/2 off sale from 12:10 AM ET on July 31 and ends at Midnight US Pacific Time (3:00 AM ET) on August 4. Also $10 liveProjects/ liveVideos and $199.99 Subscriptions. mng.bz/ZlYR
Missing out man...
I think you need a good 4am bike ride.... I could swing by some morning.
Is it a carbon-fiber belt buckle?
An unusual vantage point of the Kat entourage in the Skokie parade.
I think I'm playing on a truck right behind this Kat car in the Skokie parade.
71/75.
Grim indeed, but not that far removed from what we saw on that tour. Huge open space for barracks. Prisoners stacked high in bunks. Pretty much exactly what that video looks like.
Looks pretty similar to the Dachau tour I took the kid on a few years back.
Had a wiseass student once turn in an assignment coded as a single Python list comprehension. Got revenge by modifying the HW in OS to have a certain "undefined behavior" just for his UID. Felt bad, but he contacted me a few years back about some crypto thing. So, not feeling bad anymore.
With the Ray Tracer project done, I decided to post my "best effort" Rust solution as a kind of "ask me anything" project.. I've coded the project about six times. None of the code was written with AI or a coding assistant and can be explained further (by me). github.com/dabeaz-cours...
He's probably just going to give you a blank stare if you start talking about continuations. Just saying...
Has he written an interpreter? That seems like it could be a leg-up for you...
Doesn't mypy require it to be written that way?
Getting ready to spend the weekend writing a Ray Tracer in Rust. If this sounds like fun, you should skip work for two days next week and join me. dabeaz.com/raytrace.html.
I've been having a lot of fun getting better at Rust this summer. Seriously, you should join me for one of my short courses before they're gone (dabeaz.com/summer.html). Next week's Ray Tracer course is a great way to get your feet wet with some Rust basics. dabeaz.com/raytrace.html.
No kidding. I went riding this morning, but it was like 43F when I started. WTF?!?!
Obligatory link to deflock.me where you can see and learn how to report the locations of these cameras. I've reported more than 100 so far.
My PyCon US 2025 talk was about the use and abuse of OCR, including license plate scanners. It may have come off as conspiracy theory thinking, but it's feasible w/ current technology. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHUv... And now our modern-day secret police Gestapo is using it: san.com/cc/ice-illeg...
Stolen?
The Quick Python Book, 4th edition, is now available in liveAudio format! If you prefer audiobooks, Manning Publications Co. now offers my book in autio format. Even better, you can use the code laceder40 to get a 40% discount on the liveAudio version at mng.bz/ZlYR #Python
Managed to spot 11 more unreported ALPRs in less than about 3 miles of driving in the south suburbs. A new record for a single trip. deflock.me Family thinks I'm a bit crazy... but, they knew that already.
Oh sure, you'd rather "work" than spend two days writing a Ray Tracer in Rust this week? Meh. Call in sick if you must. dabeaz.com/raytrace.html
alexgaynor.net/2020/nov/30/...
Honestly, the biggest problem isn't clothing or the cold, but glasses fogging.
I will concede that my one time biking in -21F was a little more raw than usual though.
Just got through taking the Rusty Elevator course from @dabeaz.com. It was a blast working on this project for two days, exercising some #rustlang muscles. Taking Dave's courses has been one of the best things for my professional development. You should take a course: www.dabeaz.com/courses.html
They can't a breakpoint in a (checks notes) debugger?
Spotted on this morning's bike ride.
Nap?
I'll be signing copies of my book at #PyConUS in 1/2 and hour at the JetBrains booth. Stop by!
The more I dig into generative AI from the prospective of a retired person, the less I want to be involved, or make use of the tools. I want to focus on using my own model of the world to contribute to society for as long as possible.
My impression was that PyPy was nearly 100% compatible with "normal" Python programs, but you could get off in the weeds with certain techniques like stack frame introspection, C extension modules, etc.
Well, they were talking about something like a 50% speedup for *each* of 4 project phases! (github.com/markshannon/...).
This (discuss.python.org/t/community-...) seems to suggest the achieved speedup to date hasn't even matched the first phase of this ambitious plan when it was proposed. So, while it gives me no pleasure to see it killed, maybe it's not unsurprising either.
Just wait until the parents start finding out about all the college recommendation letters and admissions.
I'll be at the JetBrains booth during PyCon 2025 signing copies of my book. Come by and say hi—I'd love to meet you! I'll also be at the Python authors' open space on Saturday afternoon with other Python authors. JetBrains/PyCharm booth, Friday May 16, 4:00-4:30PM @manningbooks.bsky.social
s/better/different/
I think you ought to join me for my two-day elevator project next week. Learn a bit of Rust. Be challenged. Take the stairs afterwards. dabeaz.com/rusty_elevat....
No tri-bars? WTF?!?
I am unapologetically telling you right now that Chicago is going to be insufferable about this, there is still a fading cardboard John Paul II in a Michigan Ave storefront looking out at Grant Park because he spoke there *once.*
To its credit, async has been highly successful at replacing imaginary problems with actual problems.
Oral exams at the whiteboard all the way.
Is that a preview of next year's PLDI?
I could definitely see AI making it easier to write an essay while drunk--so, at least there's that.
Or maybe the same problem as it ever was.
A chosen one.
If you're going to use S-expressions, maybe you could even call it a sexecutioner. www.youtube.com/watch?v=skBB...
Apropos of nothing, I'm teaching compilers this week.
I added a Turing machine comment to the README. You're mentioned.
Maybe it could be.
Introducing Lifty the elevator. github.com/dabeaz/lifty Now, could you actually write code to properly control it? Who am I to say?
The last time I replaced a set of shifters, I think it cost almost as much as when I bought the whole bike--well, at least the same order of magnitude.
Happy Birthday BASIC! 🎂 1 May 1964
I'm not able to travel. So, that isn't happening unless it's going to be a virtual tour wherein I shift my time zone.
Speaking of components, has @shriram.bsky.social been eyeing the whole container ship thing? I'm kind of thinking I might stock up on some crucial components before we get hit with biking pandemic 2.0. Maybe I'm just paranoid though.
I'm wondering if this might be the final run of SICP. I still think the book has a lot to offer, but not sure if there's enough of an audience for it anymore.
So, I realize it's getting a bit late in the season for FulGaz talk, but I must say, the 64mi Dead Horse Point State Park ride is really something. Been working on that---although not all in one day because I don't have that kind of free time.
Big news! The 3rd edition of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is now out! nostarch.com/automate-bor...
I've reopened registration in my upcoming SICP course (dabeaz.com/sicp.html). I don't know if SICP will help you get and/or keep a job at this point, but at the very least it will be a week-long escape to a strange world of programming that involves thinking.
Apropos of nothing, you should see the billionaire house that's under construction along north Sheridan road in Winnetka. Who doesn't need 70000 square feet to provide a normal suburban experience for their kids?
No.
There isn't much time left to submit a talk to #PyOhio! pretalx.com/pyohio-2025/... The PyOhio #CFP is open through April 27th Anywhere on Earth! And if you're working on submitting a talk to PyOhio this week, why not submit it to a number of other conferences:
Idle thought: I wonder if any future "robotaxi" is also going to affix a "kick me" post-it to the back of every rider?
And... found three more driving to/from my Easter trombone gig. So, that makes 60 cameras reported so far.
Last week, I worked through "Ray Tracing in One Weekend" (raytracing.github.io/books/RayTra...) in Rust. Made a neat picture. If you want to join me in a short course, I'll help you with the Rust stuff! I think it's a good starter project. dabeaz.com/raytrace.html
Sweet. Bagged two more on this morning's bike ride. These cameras are some kind of invasive species or something.
Like a cycling jacket?
Yep. Found two more. I realize it's not much of a hobby, but it's still something in the moment.
Seeing a big "camera gap" on the map near where I need to take the dog this morning. Might have to do a strategic "drive around" to see what I can find. dabeaz.com/flock.html.
Jens Ludwig, cofounder and director of the University of Chicago's Crime Lab, questions everything you thought you knew about shootings.
Abrego Garcia's wife: "I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive. Kilmar, if you can hear me, stay strong. God hasn't forgotten about you. Our children are asking when you will come home ... they miss their dad so much."
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
Got out on the bike for the first time in a while. Managed to bag two more ALPRs (dabeaz.com/flock.html) and waved at some guys setting up a giant inflatable rat. So, a pretty good morning overall.
Wait, what's going on there?
Have fun with all of that.
Good luck! I'm still itching to get outside again, but we've been stuck in a chilly streak. Soon though.
Getting ready for last day of my "Crusty Interpreter" course. It's been a hard-fought week of Rust, but a lot of fun. Although, maybe it's type 2 fun. Hmmm. Anyways, there's more where this came from. www.dabeaz.com/summer.html.
No, because this is how I eat. However, I'm trying to make the short courses reasonable.
Because things aren't hard enough already, I've decided to make life even harder on myself with my Summer of Rust (www.dabeaz.com/summer.html) project. Because, if I'm going to suffer, I might as well spend my time trying to get good at something hard. You should join me.
Wait, this is episode 69?
This week we talk to the one and only @dabeaz.com about why programming is fun. We talk about music, theater, async Python, Raft, open source, and conference talks as performance art. www.picturemecoding.com/2222783/epis...
!!! This is the first physical copy I've seen, I don't have mine yet. Hope people enjoy it!
Can confirm.
Bloody hell. I already know regex so what else could it possibly involve?
I've already completely solved the actual problem at hand and moved on in the time it's taken to discuss this type issue.
WTAF?!?
I was just describing to someone my preparation for a live-coding talk I gave in 2015 as jazz. I knew what topics I wanted to cover and I practiced a *LOT* for timing. However, none of the talk was scripted and I had no idea exactly what was going to unfold while giving it.
Oh wow. Why have I not heard of this? Probably closest thing I've seen was an "unconference" thing where you had to give a 4-minute talk using a never-before seen slide deck that changed every 15 seconds (also quite amusing).
I think the trick would be to speak for 19 hours about it without actually getting around to defining it. That's the stuff of performance art.
