Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
Mastering Python, Second Edition by Rick van Hatten aims to help you “write powerful and efficient code using the full range of Python’s capabilities.” It’s a big book, some 680 pages in print form, and well written. And it does indeed delve into Python’s “full range.” Even so, a few reviewers have commented that they … Continue reading Mastering Python, 2nd Edition -> Big & Beneficial
Python Cookbook, 3rd Edition David Beazley & Brian K. Jones (O’Reilly – paperback, Kindle) PYTHON 3 users will be very pleased with this new book. Those who still cling to Python 2 likely will not. Even though “most working Python programmers continue to use Python 2 in production,” its authors concede, and “Python 3 is not … Continue reading Python Cookbook, 3rd Edition – Breaking Away from Python 2 to Python 3 – #programming #bookreview
Python for Kids Jason R. Briggs (No Starch Press – paperback, Kindle) Subtitled “A Playful Introduction to Programming,” Python for Kids is recommended “for kids aged 10+ (and their parents).” But what if your kids are grown or you don’t have any kids? Should you ignore this book while learning Python? Absolutely not. I’ve recently … Continue reading Python for Kids – A fun & efficient how-to book that even grownups can enjoy – #programming #bookreview
Big Data is hothotHOT. And O’Reilly recently has added three new books of potential interest to Big Data workers, as well as those hoping to join their ranks. Hadoop, Hive and–surprise!—Python are just a few of the hot tools you may encounter in the rapidly expanding sea of data now being gathered, explored, stored, and … Continue reading Big Data Book Blast: Hadoop, Hive…and Python??? – #programming #bookreview
Practical Computer Vision with SimpleCV Kurt Demaagd, Anthony Oliver, Nathan Oostendorp, and Katherine Scott (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) SimpleCV, or Simple Computer Vision, is “an easy-to-use Python framework that bundles together open source computer vision libraries and algorithms for solving problems,” according to the authors of this useful and informative how-to book. The subtitle is “Making … Continue reading Practical Computer Vision with SimpleCV – ‘Seeing’ with Python – #programming #bookreview
Think Python Allen B. Downey (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) First, a confession. My favorite book for learning Python is Head First Python by Paul Barry. It literally does throw you head-first into Python programming. By page 10, it has you working with nested lists. By page 30, you are creating a function that you will save and turn … Continue reading Think Python – A gentle and effective guide to learning Python programming – #programming #bookreview
PayPal APIs: Up and Running, 2nd Edition Matthew A. Russell (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $29.99; Kindle edition, list price $23.99) The focus of this book is “monetizing your application with payment flows.” That’s a high-toned way of saying Click here to spend some money or Click here to pay your bill or Click here to donate. … Continue reading PayPal APIs: Up and Running – How to monetize your apps – #programming #bookreview #in
Think Complexity By Allen B. Downey (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $29.99) Are you a reasonably competent Python programmer yearning for new mental challenges? Allen B. Downey’s Think Complexity definitely can deliver some. His well-written new book can help you dive into complexity science and improve your Python skills at the same time. Right away, you … Continue reading Think Complexity – Exploring Complexity Science with Python – #programming #bookreview
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