[Edu-sig] a non-rhetorical question

Thu Jul 12 06:25:59 CEST 2007

Yes!  Like a rapper, you must have REALNESS to get over!

A helpful recurring activity was asking kids to google image search a
background for simple 2-D games and demos.  This way, they get some
random, yet real, data to use: the width, height, filename, URL, etc.

bgsize = width, height = (800, 600)

Kevin

On 7/11/07, kirby urner <kirby.urner at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 7/11/07, Kevin Driscoll <driscollkevin at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Three years ago, I was definitely on the lexical path and would have
> > expected students to be able to answer Andy's question after a couple
> > class meetings.  However, in my most recent course, I used PyGame and
> > exposed students to object-oriented data structures first and logic /
> > algorithms second.
>
> Hi Kevin --
>
> You latter approach sounds more similar to mine.
>
> On the subject of data structures, I also recommend providing them
> with some large pre-populated ones to play with i.e. already filled with
> substantial "real world" content.
>
> One might think it makes no difference just going {'foo':'bar'} all
> the time i.e. using little "meaningless" constructs so we can just
> study the object's API.
>
> But especially for newbies we're trying to recruit for the longer haul,
> I think it adds another dimension to get to play with something like this:
>
> cities = {
>  'Albany, N.Y.': [(42, 40, 'N'), (73, 45, 'W')],
>  'Albuquerque, N.M.': [(35, 5, 'N'), (106, 39, 'W')],
>  'Amarillo, Tex.': [(35, 11, 'N'), (101, 50, 'W')],
>  'Anchorage, Alaska': [(61, 13, 'N'), (149, 54, 'W')],
>  'Atlanta, Ga.': [(33, 45, 'N'), (84, 23, 'W')],
>  'Austin, Tex.': [(30, 16, 'N'), (97, 44, 'W')],
>  'Baker, Ore.': [(44, 47, 'N'), (117, 50, 'W')],
>  'Baltimore, Md.': [(39, 18, 'N'), (76, 38, 'W')],
>  'Bangor, Maine': [(44, 48, 'N'), (68, 47, 'W')],
>  'Birmingham, Ala.': [(33, 30, 'N'), (86, 50, 'W')],
>  'Bismarck, N.D.': [(46, 48, 'N'), (100, 47, 'W')],
>  'Boise, Idaho': [(43, 36, 'N'), (116, 13, 'W')],
>  'Boston, Mass.': [(42, 21, 'N'), (71, 5, 'W')],
>  'Buffalo, N.Y.': [(42, 55, 'N'), (78, 50, 'W')],
>  'Calgary, Alba., Can.': [(51, 1, 'N'), (114, 1, 'W')],
>  'Carlsbad, N.M.': [(32, 26, 'N'), (104, 15, 'W')],
>  'Charleston, S.C.': [(32, 47, 'N'), (79, 56, 'W')],
>  'Charleston, W. Va.': [(38, 21, 'N'), (81, 38, 'W')],
>  'Charlotte, N.C.': [(35, 14, 'N'), (80, 50, 'W')],
>  'Cheyenne, Wyo.': [(41, 9, 'N'), (104, 52, 'W')],
>  'Chicago, Ill.': [(41, 50, 'N'), (87, 37, 'W')],
>  'Cincinnati, Ohio': [(39, 8, 'N'), (84, 30, 'W')],
>  'Cleveland, Ohio': [(41, 28, 'N'), (81, 37, 'W')],
>  'Columbia, S.C.': [(34, 0, 'N'), (81, 2, 'W')],
>  'Columbus, Ohio': [(40, 0, 'N'), (83, 1, 'W')],
>  'Dallas, Tex.': [(32, 46, 'N'), (96, 46, 'W')],
>  'Denver, Colo.': [(39, 45, 'N'), (105, 0, 'W')],
>  'Des Moines, Iowa': [(41, 35, 'N'), (93, 37, 'W')],
>  'Detroit, Mich.': [(42, 20, 'N'), (83, 3, 'W')],
>  'Dubuque, Iowa': [(42, 31, 'N'), (90, 40, 'W')],
>  'Duluth, Minn.': [(46, 49, 'N'), (92, 5, 'W')],
>  'Eastport, Maine': [(44, 54, 'N'), (67, 0, 'W')],
>  'Edmonton, Alb., Can.': [(53, 34, 'N'), (113, 28, 'W')],
>  'El Centro, Calif.': [(32, 38, 'N'), (115, 33, 'W')],
>  'El Paso, Tex.': [(31, 46, 'N'), (106, 29, 'W')],
>  'Eugene, Ore.': [(44, 3, 'N'), (123, 5, 'W')],
>  'Fargo, N.D.': [(46, 52, 'N'), (96, 48, 'W')],
>  'Flagstaff, Ariz.': [(35, 13, 'N'), (111, 41, 'W')],
>  'Fort Worth, Tex.': [(32, 43, 'N'), (97, 19, 'W')],
>  'Fresno, Calif.': [(36, 44, 'N'), (119, 48, 'W')],
>  'Grand Junction, Colo.': [(39, 5, 'N'), (108, 33, 'W')],
>  'Grand Rapids, Mich.': [(42, 58, 'N'), (85, 40, 'W')],
>  'Havre, Mont.': [(48, 33, 'N'), (109, 43, 'W')],
>  'Helena, Mont.': [(46, 35, 'N'), (112, 2, 'W')],
>  'Honolulu, Hawaii': [(21, 18, 'N'), (157, 50, 'W')],
>  'Hot Springs, Ark.': [(34, 31, 'N'), (93, 3, 'W')],
>  'Houston, Tex.': [(29, 45, 'N'), (95, 21, 'W')],
>  'Idaho Falls, Idaho': [(43, 30, 'N'), (112, 1, 'W')],
>  'Indianapolis, Ind.': [(39, 46, 'N'), (86, 10, 'W')],
>  'Jackson, Miss.': [(32, 20, 'N'), (90, 12, 'W')],
>  'Jacksonville, Fla.': [(30, 22, 'N'), (81, 40, 'W')],
>  'Juneau, Alaska': [(58, 18, 'N'), (134, 24, 'W')],
>  'Kansas City, Mo.': [(39, 6, 'N'), (94, 35, 'W')],
>  'Key West, Fla.': [(24, 33, 'N'), (81, 48, 'W')],
>  'Kingston, Ont., Can.': [(44, 15, 'N'), (76, 30, 'W')],
>  'Klamath Falls, Ore.': [(42, 10, 'N'), (121, 44, 'W')],
>  'Knoxville, Tenn.': [(35, 57, 'N'), (83, 56, 'W')],
>  'Las Vegas, Nev.': [(36, 10, 'N'), (115, 12, 'W')],
>  'Lewiston, Idaho': [(46, 24, 'N'), (117, 2, 'W')],
>  'Lincoln, Neb.': [(40, 50, 'N'), (96, 40, 'W')],
>  'London, Ont., Can.': [(43, 2, 'N'), (81, 34, 'W')],
>  'Long Beach, Calif.': [(33, 46, 'N'), (118, 11, 'W')],
>  'Los Angeles, Calif.': [(34, 3, 'N'), (118, 15, 'W')],
>  'Louisville, Ky.': [(38, 15, 'N'), (85, 46, 'W')],
>  'Manchester, N.H.': [(43, 0, 'N'), (71, 30, 'W')],
>  'Memphis, Tenn.': [(35, 9, 'N'), (90, 3, 'W')],
>  'Miami, Fla.': [(25, 46, 'N'), (80, 12, 'W')],
>  'Milwaukee, Wis.': [(43, 2, 'N'), (87, 55, 'W')],
>  'Minneapolis, Minn.': [(44, 59, 'N'), (93, 14, 'W')],
>  'Mobile, Ala.': [(30, 42, 'N'), (88, 3, 'W')],
>  'Montgomery, Ala.': [(32, 21, 'N'), (86, 18, 'W')],
>  'Montpelier, Vt.': [(44, 15, 'N'), (72, 32, 'W')],
>  'Montreal, Que., Can.': [(45, 30, 'N'), (73, 35, 'W')],
>  'Moose Jaw, Sask., Can.': [(50, 37, 'N'), (105, 31, 'W')],
>  'Nashville, Tenn.': [(36, 10, 'N'), (86, 47, 'W')],
>  'Nelson, B.C., Can.': [(49, 30, 'N'), (117, 17, 'W')],
>  'New Haven, Conn.': [(41, 19, 'N'), (72, 55, 'W')],
>  'New Orleans, La.': [(29, 57, 'N'), (90, 4, 'W')],
>  'New York, N.Y.': [(40, 47, 'N'), (73, 58, 'W')],
>  'Newark, N.J.': [(40, 44, 'N'), (74, 10, 'W')],
>  'Nome, Alaska': [(64, 25, 'N'), (165, 30, 'W')],
>  'Oakland, Calif.': [(37, 48, 'N'), (122, 16, 'W')],
>  'Oklahoma City, Okla.': [(35, 26, 'N'), (97, 28, 'W')],
>  'Omaha, Neb.': [(41, 15, 'N'), (95, 56, 'W')],
>  'Ottawa, Ont., Can.': [(45, 24, 'N'), (75, 43, 'W')],
>  'Philadelphia, Pa.': [(39, 57, 'N'), (75, 10, 'W')],
>  'Phoenix, Ariz.': [(33, 29, 'N'), (112, 4, 'W')],
>  'Pierre, S.D.': [(44, 22, 'N'), (100, 21, 'W')],
>  'Pittsburgh, Pa.': [(40, 27, 'N'), (79, 57, 'W')],
>  'Portland, Maine': [(43, 40, 'N'), (70, 15, 'W')],
>  'Portland, Ore.': [(45, 31, 'N'), (122, 41, 'W')],
>  'Providence, R.I.': [(41, 50, 'N'), (71, 24, 'W')],
>  'Quebec, Que., Can.': [(46, 49, 'N'), (71, 11, 'W')],
>  'Raleigh, N.C.': [(35, 46, 'N'), (78, 39, 'W')],
>  'Reno, Nev.': [(39, 30, 'N'), (119, 49, 'W')],
>  'Richfield, Utah': [(38, 46, 'N'), (112, 5, 'W')],
>  'Richmond, Va.': [(37, 33, 'N'), (77, 29, 'W')],
>  'Roanoke, Va.': [(37, 17, 'N'), (79, 57, 'W')],
>  'Sacramento, Calif.': [(38, 35, 'N'), (121, 30, 'W')],
>  'Salt Lake City, Utah': [(40, 46, 'N'), (111, 54, 'W')],
>  'San Antonio, Tex.': [(29, 23, 'N'), (98, 33, 'W')],
>  'San Diego, Calif.': [(32, 42, 'N'), (117, 10, 'W')],
>  'San Francisco, Calif.': [(37, 47, 'N'), (122, 26, 'W')],
>  'San Jose, Calif.': [(37, 20, 'N'), (121, 53, 'W')],
>  'San Juan, P.R.': [(18, 30, 'N'), (66, 10, 'W')],
>  'Santa Fe, N.M.': [(35, 41, 'N'), (105, 57, 'W')],
>  'Savannah, Ga.': [(32, 5, 'N'), (81, 5, 'W')],
>  'Seattle, Wash.': [(47, 37, 'N'), (122, 20, 'W')],
>  'Shreveport, La.': [(32, 28, 'N'), (93, 42, 'W')],
>  'Sioux Falls, S.D.': [(43, 33, 'N'), (96, 44, 'W')],
>  'Sitka, Alaska': [(57, 10, 'N'), (135, 15, 'W')],
>  'Spokane, Wash.': [(47, 40, 'N'), (117, 26, 'W')],
>  'Springfield, Ill.': [(39, 48, 'N'), (89, 38, 'W')],
>  'Springfield, Mass.': [(42, 6, 'N'), (72, 34, 'W')],
>  'Springfield, Mo.': [(37, 13, 'N'), (93, 17, 'W')],
>  'St. John, N.B., Can.': [(45, 18, 'N'), (66, 10, 'W')],
>  'St. Louis, Mo.': [(38, 35, 'N'), (90, 12, 'W')],
>  'Syracuse, N.Y.': [(43, 2, 'N'), (76, 8, 'W')],
>  'Tampa, Fla.': [(27, 57, 'N'), (82, 27, 'W')],
>  'Toledo, Ohio': [(41, 39, 'N'), (83, 33, 'W')],
>  'Toronto, Ont., Can.': [(43, 40, 'N'), (79, 24, 'W')],
>  'Tulsa, Okla.': [(36, 9, 'N'), (95, 59, 'W')],
>  'Vancouver, B.C., Can.': [(49, 13, 'N'), (123, 6, 'W')],
>  'Victoria, B.C., Can.': [(48, 25, 'N'), (123, 21, 'W')],
>  'Virginia Beach, Va.': [(36, 51, 'N'), (75, 58, 'W')],
>  'Washington, D.C.': [(38, 53, 'N'), (77, 2, 'W')],
>  'Wichita, Kan.': [(37, 43, 'N'), (97, 17, 'W')],
>  'Wilmington, N.C.': [(34, 14, 'N'), (77, 57, 'W')],
>  'Winnipeg, Man., Can.': [(49, 54, 'N'), (97, 7, 'W')]}
>
> Feel free to use it.  It'd be cool to have a large repository
> of pre-filled data structures e.g. every bone in the body,
> animals paired with their latin names, whatever.
>
> Some could be simple lists, others more nested like above,
> which contains lists of tuples in a dictionary with strings
> for keys.
>
> One thing I did almost on the first day with the above
> structure is convert it to XML, not because I wanted them
> to understand the code (even though it's short) but
> because I wanted them to start eyeballing XML as yet
> another way to store structured data.
>
> Kirby
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