Suggested Resource – Full Stack Python

In our roaming around the internet, we discovered Full Stack Python written by Matt Makai of Twilio. Take a look at the TOC below for more specific info. Matt does a thorough job of documenting interesting and helpful resources and breaks down more complicated processes into smaller tasks.

He is also very responsive on twitter @mattmakai.

TIL Dropbox and BitTorrent both employ Python in their workflows.

Table of Contents

Every topic below with a link currently has a page on Full Stack Python. If there isn’t a link I’m working on getting a page for that topic up.

1. Introduction

2. Working with Python

Why Use Python?
Development Environments
Vim
The Best Python Resources

3. Core Language

Generators
The Standard Library (stdlib)

4. Web Development

Web Frameworks
Django
Flask
Pyramid
Bottle
Morepath
Other web frameworks
Web design
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
JavaScript
WebSockets
Web application security

5. Web App Deployment

Servers
Platform-as-a-Service
Operating systems
Web servers
WSGI servers
Source control
Application dependencies
Static content
Caching
Task queues
Configuration management
Continuous integration
Docker
Logging
Monitoring
Web Analytics
There is also a subjects map (.pdf) that visualizes deployment concepts.

6. Data

Relational databases
NoSQL

7. Web APIs

API integration
API creation

8. Testing

Code metrics
Unit testing
Integration testing
Database testing
Mocking
Browser testing

9. Meta

What “full stack” means
About the author
Change log
Future directions

Project Thoughts

All:

Thanks for all the energy, collegiality, thoughtfulness, and good vibes yesterday. The sense of community in the class is palpable and admirable, and it will help your projects succeed.

I’ve been mulling over the projects since last night, and though I’m sure you’ll clarify much over the next week, I wanted to share some quick thoughts about each project that I hope you grapple with as you write your plan. Please read comments on each others projects, as they may trigger thoughts about your own.

Tandem
We need to know more about the work that’s already been done around these questions elsewhere, and the marriageability of the technologies that you imagine bringing together to enable this mode of looking. You also need to identify a usable corpus for your test case.

HUAC
We need a clear sense of the amount of plain text that is available for you to work with, and whether an OCR component will be necessary for this project (if you have a substantial run of the proceedings available as plain text, I think you should eliminate the OCR bit for now). We also need to know how the XML markup will be generated (manually, automated, or both; each choice comes with its own set of questions), and what your taxonomy will be. And, we need to know what tools you’re going to need for each step from processing to presentation ( gathering, parsing, storing, retrieval, display).

CUNYPodcast
We need to know what this project makes easier or possible. What do other podcast networks lack that your project can provide for CUNY? What material needs do you have for the project (mics? software?). Is this something that is targeted only towards CUNY, something that’s generalizable, or both?

MicroFashion
We need a clear sense of the technical challenges you’ll face in querying, processing, parsing, and displaying data pulled from #sprezzetura. What do you know about this process, and what do you need to learn?

Finally, we’re going to need to hear from you where you want to host your project. As I noted, we can arrange Reclaim Hosting accounts… but before doing so take a look and make sure Reclaim has what you need. I can put you in touch with Tim Owens (who runs Reclaim) if you have questions.

Onward!

Project Plan Template

Post to the blog Sunday by midnight; tag with “project plan”

  • Team Members and roles
  • Abstract (250 words)
  • Very brief environmental scan (300-500 words)
    • what problem does this solve?
    • what lacuna does it fill?
    • what similar projects are there?
  • What technologies will be used?
    • which of these are known?
    • which need to be learned?
    • what’s plan to learn them? what support needed?
  • How will the project be managed? (GC Redmine available to our class?)
  • Milestones (including dates of deliverables)

Tokyo Destruction Diary Pre-Pitch

The basic idea is to create an interactive map of Tokyo, charting instances of rapid destruction (1923 earthquake, WWII), social upheaval (protests of the 1960’s), and random acts of violence (1995 sarin gas attack, the 2008 Akihabara massacre), along with the city’s own growth and changes during the post-war years. Then I would juxtapose this historical data with trends in media related to the destruction of Tokyo and to see how media becomes a barometer for fears generated from past trauma or changes.

Though not all change and destruction in Tokyo is the result of horrific disasters or war. Tokyo is a city that almost perpetually has buildings being torn down and new ones being built up. According to a Frekonomics podcast, half of all homes in Japan are demolished after only 38 years (http://freakonomics.com/2014/02/27/why-are-japanese-homes-disposable-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast-3/). Death and rebirth become cyclical parts of daily life that shape Tokyo, literally and figuratively.
So why focus on Japan and Tokyo? From the 1980’s (arguably earlier) to today, we have seen Japanese pop culture become more and more present in the American cultural landscape. It informs how we perceive Japan’s history and culture (though sometimes these perceptions may be skewed) and once obscure portions of Japanese arts and media have now become common knowledge thanks to fan communities, bloggers, publishers, and other people bridging the gap between our culture and Japan’s. Through this exchange, we’ve seen the Japanese death/rebirth cycle take form in movies, tv shows, books, video games, and more. Mothra snaps Tokyo Tower in twain, only for it to be in one piece again the next time Godzilla emerges from the murky depths.

This project would act as a way to chart Japan’s history, it’s changes in media, and it would ultimately take the form of a website which would be viewed by people interested in media, history, and Japanese culture.

 

Preparing for Tuesday’s Class

A few notes in advance of tomorrow’s class.

Skillset
You should have all made a public post on this blog detailing your skillset. Most (but not all of you) did. If you haven’t please do, asap; if you have, please make sure your post has the tag “skillset.”

Journals
Apologies for being unclear about this, but we want your journals to be private and hosted somewhere other than our shared blog. These are spaces for you to reflect for yourself and us, and not for public consumption. Please be sure we know the location of your journal.

Pitches
We have 9 pitches scheduled, so we are reducing the amount of time you will be allowed. Each project will have NINETY SECONDS at the start of class. Your pitch, beyond describing your project, should include a statement of its potential contribution to the field of digital humanities.

Here are a few readings/projects to help you focus and position your project:

RRCHNM at George Mason hosted two “One Week/One Tool” gatherings, during which two DH projects were imagined, built, and launched. The spirit of this NEH-funded gathering has informed the framing and goals of Praxis II. Read about Anthologize here, and read about Serindip-o-matic here.

Also: see Amanda Hickman’s “FOSS and Proprietary Software,” which argues how open source software projects open up a range of paths for communities of users to contribute and extend their reach.

We’re both very much looking forward to tomorrow’s meeting.