[Baypiggies] San Francisco-based Introduction to Programming (in Python; taught by me for free)

[Asheesh Laroia]

It's pretty late, so I may not be totally coherent, but:

I've been using the "Python for Software Design: How to Think Like a 
Computer Scientist" textbook to teach an introduction to programming 
course here in San Francisco to the SF Linux Users Group.

I'd be very happy if some other people on this list, say, were interested 
in attending.  So far we will have had two meetings, Monday evenings at 6 
PM at The Grind Cafe 
<http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-grind-cafe-san-francisco>.

We're only on chapter two, at our second meeting.  The way I'm structuring 
it is that I want people to do the readings at home, and preferably do the 
exercises and email me their answers to them, so that the class time can 
be used to discuss what people have already read, and fix 
misunderstandings or address questions.  I see it as a teacher-guided 
self-learning process.

If it were a college class, it would be as if there were no real lectures, 
and only the TA sesisons.  I think that sort of maximizes dynamism.

There is still time for people to catch up, especially as the chapters are 
ten clearly-written pages (rather than long or painfully dense).  I would 
love to have some more people - you're welcome to quiz me about this on 
the list or off-list by private mail.  Feel free to take a look at the 
book and see where you would fit in; I'd also be happy if people tell me, 
"Call me when you reach chapter 7 and I'll join in" or something like 
that.  By doing a chapter a week, it's somewhat slow-paced, I admit.

-- Asheesh.

P.S. OT: Path MTU discovery problems suck.

P.P.S. I found a Python bug to conglomerate my earlier email about 
Quoted-Printable encoding onto.

-- 
Do what comes naturally.  Seethe and fume and throw a tantrum.