Mining Bits and Knowledge
Mind Bending in English
Python Strings Accumulation Techniques
15/03/12
So, let’s suppose that it’s just a normal raining evening and you’re, as always, coding in Python. Then sundelly in the middle fo your code you need to accumulate some strings, what would you do? Simply accumulate using the +=, wright? Yeah, me too, until today! I’ve just found out (through PythonMeme.com) about a python’s string accumulation “flaw” that made me change my way to write strings accumulation…
I’m talking about this post by Xah Lee where he briefly discuss about on point in the Google’s Python Style Guide. After reading I’ve decided to make some tests to prove this point of view. By the way, I was tho only one how didn’t know about this style guide?
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Installing Pacman 4
19/01/12
In this last Tuesday (January 17) pacman 4 was moved into Arch Linux’s core repository. This new version brings several new features for this great package manager, but what stands out most is the GPG (GNU Privacy Guard) package signing, which ensures the integrity and reliability of the packages and/or repositories for that distribution. It is a fact that this functionality already existed for some time on other GNU/Linux distributions, like Debian and derivatives. However, in Arch Linux this feature was still in the testing phase and could only be obtained by activating the testing repository or compiling it through AUR (or, for the faint of heart, using the tool yaourt).
The Arch Linux team, unlike other distributions teams, are always striving to make the migration process any smoother. And no big change is “threaded down the users throat”. Thus, this feature is disabled by default in this update. But even with all the care in the world, a significant change may require some level of manual intervention, and this update is no exception. When I tried to update the pacman today, I received the following message:
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PyCon2011 Highlights: Python and CouchDB in Practice
26/12/11
This is another Atlanta PyCon2011 lecture that I’d like to highlight. This one was given by Luke Gotszling and talks about Python and CouchDB, a NoSQL database document oriented.
Now some additional information…
Humble Indie Bundle 4 is Available!
16/12/11
Finally the Humble Indie Bundle 4 was released! This time the bundle is composed by “Jamestown”, “Bit, Trip Runner”, “Super Meat Boy”, “Shank” and “NightSky HD”, if you pay more then the average ($5,31 U.S. Dollars) you’ll get “Gratuitous Space Battle” and “Cave Story+”.
Below is a video that explains briefly what is the Humble Bundle and demonstrate all 7 games…
WordPress 3.3 Arrived
13/12/11
The WordPress 3.3 was just released! This new version is named “Sonny”, in honor of the great jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt. This new version brings many new UI improvements and a new drag-and-drop uploader.
The upper video highlight these main features:
- Drag and drop uploader;
- Hover menus for better navigation;
- New and highly customizable toolbar;
- Tumblr importer.
My Own Domain
11/12/11
Hello everybody! I know I have been absent lately, but this posts title summarizes everything: Finally Mind Bending has its own domain. Sounds simple but it gave me a good headache because the way that my blog is installed and hosted. This gave me so much trouble that I’m writing an article explaining how to do it, even because other people may be facing the same problem.
Do not worry because the old address is being redirected to here, but that would be nice if this blog partners update their banners :). As for RSS readers I apologize because FeedBurner re-indexed it all and ended up generating updates for some old items. I also ask for visitors if they stumble to something strange or any notice any mistake, please let me know so I can correct it as soon as possible.
I apologize again for the lack of update, but I just couldn’t write without remembering that purchased and unused domain (and also because my Post Graduation essays). But do not worry, I have some articles already prepared, soon you’re going to see some interesting topics here.
Until then…
Introducing GIT
22/11/11
GIT is a distributed VCS (version control system) which emphasize speed. Most people forget that a version control system is not just for working with programing codes, but with any type of file that needs to be versioned. Thus GIT can be useful for anyone who wants to maintain and manage versions/changes to any file type, whether it may be a source code, a textual document (for example, your graduation thesis), images and so on. Exactly, it can help from a student to a graphic designer or a developer.
At this point you ask me, “But what about the infrastructure to maintain a version control system?”, this is another point that everybody is wrong about! You can use Git only on your desktop, without relying on a server, but of course it also works remotely using the client-server model.
So I’m creating this series of articles called Git Is For All, which has the intention to help all those who want to learn how to use this powerful tool. So join me in this series where I’ll teach (and learn) how to install, configure and use GIT, either locally (on your desktop) or remotely (through a server).
Mind Bending Blog’s Facebook Page
01/11/11
Hello, this is a very quick post just to inform you that now the Mind Bending Blog has a Facebook page! In fact it was created a cuple of days ago, but only now I got time to advertise it. You must be thinking that this isn’t a notable thing, after all, everyone has Facebook, right? Wrong…
PyCon2011 Highlights – Why Is Python Slow And How PyPy Can Help
26/10/11
In continuation to the series of articles PyCon2011 Highlights, today I won’t just suggest but insist with you to watch this great talk by Maciej Fijałkowski and Alex Gaynor, about the Python’s Virtual Machine called PyPy. I always wondered how PyPy (which is written in Python) can be faster than CPython (which is written in C). This talk not only clarified this question of mine but made me very curious about the subject, which resulted in a little research to better understand PyPy and JIT.
For those who were lost during the lecture, here’s a brief explanation on how PyPy and JIT work.
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Farewell and Thank You Very Much Dennis Ritchie
13/10/11
Definitely this is not a good month for technology as a whole. First Steve Jobs dies and now Dennis Ritchie. Generally I don’t like to write about this kind of stuff, but unlike the first event this loss certainly won’t reach the media and news, so I decided to talk about it. This amazing hacker died at 70 on October 08th.
Dennis Ritchie
Furthermore, I consider this loss much greater than Steve Jobs, since he wouldn’t have been able to influence anything or anyone if Dennis Ritchie hadn’t existed. Dennis simply was the creator of the C language and co-creator of UNIX (along with Ken Thompson). This definitely brilliant mind was responsible for “defining the templates” for a range of operating systems (often called UNIX-like) among them is GNU/Linux and Mac OS. Strange as it may seem, their creations were essential even for Windows.
