Chris
You can convert a string value s to a Boolean value using the Python function bool(s). Here are a few examples: As you can see, any string will be converted to the Boolean value True–with one exception: the empty string ”. This is contra-intuitive for many people because they think that the string ‘False’ should … Read more
Boolean logic is a fundamental skill for any programmer. You need to have a solid understanding to be able to grasp the meaning of code quickly—and write your own bug-free code. Oftentimes, you’ll find that the source of bugs in your code is because of flaws in your logic. So improving your ability to reason … Read more
A programmer who only works on algorithms is a rare beast in the wild. For some, it sounds like a dream job — others would never touch a job with such a description. However, there are some jobs that involve lots of algorithmic design: Computer science researcher. When working as a computer science researcher in … Read more
Becoming a freelancer is one of the most interesting opportunities these days. It allows you to earn money from the comfort of your own home. For example, average Python freelancers regularly earn between $50 and $61 per hour on freelancer platforms such as Upwork. Surprisingly, many people fear to take the first steps. They are … Read more
If you want to be more successful, you need to think in probabilities. I just watched the 2000 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder Meeting because I was interested in how Warren Buffet commented in the burst of the Internet Bubble. Warren Buffet argues that he doesn’t care if some things don’t turn out the best way. … Read more
Do you want to learn to code, create your own coding business, and earn more money in the process? Over the months, I’ve created tons of short videos (many of them on the way home from my son’s kindergarden) to help you create a thriving coding business with Python. If you really want to accelerate your speed, … Read more
When publishing my Python textbook for the first time, figuring out how to convert a simple PDF file to epub3 cost me hours. Especially if you’ve got a lot of graphics (or code) in your PDF, it’s not so simple. Fortunately, I ran into the great program PDF Mate (which is free in the basic … Read more
Every Python programmer has its own skill level with respect to Knowledge of the programming language and syntax Ability to solve problems Speed of code understanding Knowledge of algorithms and code complexity Ability to select appropriate data structures. Although it is challenging to aggregate these skills into a single number that quantifies the degree of … Read more
The zip() function takes a number of iterables and aggregates them to a single one by combining the i-th values of each iterable into a tuple. For example, zip together lists [1, 2, 3] and [4, 5, 6] to [(1,4), (2,5), (3,6)]. You can unzip this list of tuples by calling zip(*list) using the unpacking … Read more
My freelancer course member Pratyush wants to improve learning efficiency in Python. He asked me the question: “how can I accelerate the pace of my problem-solving mind?” Focus first and foremost on reading and writing massive amounts of code. It’s that simple. Maximize the time you are looking at source code, and improvement will come … Read more
The for/else and while/else statements are not syntax errors in Python. They have the following meaning: The else branch executes if the loop terminates naturally because the loop condition isn’t met anymore. You may ask: isn’t this always the case? No! You can also have a “forced” termination from within the loop body using the … Read more
This guide is a conceptual view on how to start your career as a data scientist–and on which skills you should focus. Here are the three most important steps recommended in the video: Learn Python basics (link to free Python crash course on this blog). Learn NumPy (link to free NumPy tutorial on this blog). … Read more