How to generically transform a list?

[Marco Aschwanden]

Thanks to all the hints which seem to prove that there is one and only one 
sensible approach - though some (like me) needed a few more lines.

It is just funny how easy horizontal slicing is made (list[:]) but how 
"difficult" vertical slicing is. It is a common task and one does not 
realize how often one does need vertical slicing. eg.: getting the keys of 
dictionary is a vertical slicing, or turning a list into a dict involves 
vertical slicing...

Just out of pure curiosity: Is there a langue that allows vertical and 
horizontal slicing and dicing with the same built-in pattern?

Regards,
Marco (Eagerly awaiting the cookbook's second edition)