Back from visiting some REAL Makers

Just got back from visiting some friends who are airplane builders.  That is a REAL project!  Was very cool to see their projects - it is definitely not for the faint of heart.  Forgot my camera so I couldn't post pics, but the EAA links from this page will give you the idea.

Too Much Neat Stuff

I'm beginning to think that "real" books are a waste of time when it comes to teaching yourself programming.  The few I've picked up second-hand aren't that good, and seem to be more about documenting modules than showing you how to string it all together.
Found this little gem online, and got a recommendation from someone else who is in the process of learning programming.  It seems to get you to something tangible right away - with the other books I've got you seem to go from "Hello World" to a mish-mash of gibberish in about two paragraphs.

On a more tangible note...

Went to the American Crafts Council show today - saw a lot of talented people who make a lot of beautiful things.  Even saw some Steampunk gear show up, which is the first I've seen it at any of these shows, and I've gone for the last 5 years.
Fooled around with vPython a little bit - the tutorial on 3D was a lot more fun than some of the other stuff I've been working on, but I continue to grind away.  I think I need to come up with a project so that things aren't so "academic" in nature when it comes to learning Python

Inspiration!

Found this post on Hacker News this morning....was just what I needed to get out of the funk I've been in with trying to learn Python! Looks like this guy went the same route.
Note:  Due to it's being featured on Hacker News, I'm thinking the site is a little overwhelmed.  It seemed slow to load when I tried it this morning...

IDLEness

Got going on some Python Code today, and am having problems with the IDLE for Python, copied some stuff out of the Deitel book verbatim and it won't run!  Getting a syntax error I can't figure out, since it is right out of the book.

Either there's a typo in the book or my aged eyes are missing something.  Haven't really learned the IDLE interface too well, so will have to geek around in that until I figure it out.  Have another book on Python that is much "cleaner" in presentation.  The Deitel book is very verbose, but thorough....almost like it was written to make a weight/page requirement!

Widening the scope!

Have added a few links to the right sidebar.  There's MAKE magazine, which really doesn't need much explanation.  Also added the Experimental Aircraft Association, which I've been a member of forever!  The ultimate maker project has to be building your own airplane!
Going to make this a little more of a "what's cool" essay blog as opposed to the boring, all-about-me-learning programming blog that it was turning out to be.  Still plugging away on the Python, as well as HTML/CSS.

A Lesson From The Past

Found this interesting post about the German apprentice system.   I'm supportive of anything that builds craftsmanship and excellence, and these guys appear to be having a good time doing it!
We've lost so much of our trade and craft training here in the U.S. - it's a pity that community colleges and trade schools tore out all their "real" tools and built computer labs, for the most part.

The Two Brains

That's right - the two complete brains, not just right and left!  I seem to have to do a complete exchange since I have a hard time shifting between modes.  Assuming these modes exist for all of us.
I've been spending too much time in the touchy-feely writers world lately, and need to get something more concrete pounded into my head.  I realized this while reading the Deitel book last night.  When I read a narrative story, the flow of the story allows you to really "skim" through the words.  You don't have to digest each one to get the gist of what is going on.
Technical stuff isn't like that, which has been my downfall in the past.  You really need to chew on each word to get the meaning.  The first chapters of the Deitel book are mainly syntax, and very confusing to me at first glance.  But once you get past that, the rest of the book is a little more fluid in control structures and descriptions of objects, etc.
Because there really isn't any way to string syntax descriptions into a storyline, or flow smoothly from one to the other.  They are naturally disjointed - you just need to internalize them and use that knowledge to build on later.