There is a lot of code that overloads the __call__ method. This is the method that "calling" an object activates: something(x, y, z) will call something.__call__(x, y, z) if something is a member of a Python-defined class.

At first, like every operator overload, this seems like a …

A couple of months ago, a successful attack against the Node ecosystem resulted in stealing an undisclosed amount of bitcoins from CoPay wallets.

The technical flow of the attack is well-summarized by the NPM blog post. Quick summary:

1. nodemon, a popular way to run Node applications, depends on event-stream.
2. The …

JSON is a useful format. It might not be ideal for hand-editing, but it does have the benefit that it can be hand-edited, and it is easy enough to manipulate programmatically.

For this reason, it is likely that at some point or another, checking in a JSON file into your …

If you want to speak to me, 1-on-1, about anything, I want to be able to help. I am a busy person. I have commitments. But I will make the time to talk to you.

(Thanks to Nelson Elhage and Saivickna Raveendran for their feedback on earlier drafts. All mistakes that remain are mine.)

When talking about garbage collection, the notion of "generational collection" comes up. The usual motivation given for generational garbage collection is that "most objects die young". Therefore, we put the objects …

As my friend Thursday said in her excellent talk (sadly, not up as of this time) naming things is important. Avoiding in-jokes is, in general, a good idea.

It is with mixed feelings, therefore, that my pun-loving heart reacted to Chris's disclosure that the most common suggestion was to call …

(Thanks to Brian for his feedback. All mistakes and omissions that remain are mine.)

Some commands have a --dry-run option, which simulates running the command but without taking effect. Sometimes the option exists for speed reasons: just pretending to do something is faster than doing it. However, more often this …

(Thanks to Mark Rice for his helpful suggestions. Any mistakes or omissions that remain are my responsibility.)

Some Python projects are designed to be libraries, consumed by other projects. These are most of the things people consider "Python projects": for example, Twisted, Flask, and most other open source tools. However …

(Thanks to Avy Faingezicht and Donald Stufft for giving me encouragement and feedback. All mistakes that remain are mine.)

"eyes have they, but they see not" -- Psalms, 135:16

Eyes are expensive to maintain. They require protection from the elements, constant lubrication, behavioral adaptations to protect them and more. However …

When I was in my early 20s, I was OK at programming, but I definitely didn't like it. Then, one evening, I read the Python tutorial. That evening changed my mind. I woke up the next morning, like Neo in the matrix, and knew Python.

I was doing statistics at …