Diving into Python the Hard Way

   short attention span
   demand for quality/variety
   desire to learn Python
+ need for useful project
coolProject CreateProject (Dive Into Python, Python the Hard Way, Time)

First, some investigation...

What are Python's strengths? 

According to this:

Python code looks like executable pseudo code.

Can be used as an integration/extension language

Has strong (web) presence

Also: 

Python is interpreted and interactive

Doxygen-like "Sphinx" allows code to generate documentation

Supports high level datatypes (lists, tuples, dictionaries)

This page has a 'nice & concise' overview:  

Weakness = slower than C/C++/Java

Nimble language, meaning the "compiler and vm are the same program,"

     Load, Translate, Execute (no compiling, which allows optimization)

And Now for Foolish Young Optimism

Looking through basic examples, I don't feel like I need ( or can stomach ) the hand-holding, baby-step, tutorialize-me-to-death approach. Can't I just write something? Why not! 

A little more research into Python's core libraries and standard algorithms: 

Built In Functions (That I Didn't Automatically Assume ) Part I:

• all( iterable ) - Are all the elements true? AND
• any( iterable ) - ^ OR
• callable( object ) - classes are callable (returning instances), class instances are callable if __call__() method is defined (Where/how/why would you use this??)
• classmethod( function ) - returns the classmethod called function... see below for further investigation of classmethods and decorators etc.
• cmp( x, y ) - compare two values a and b (answer is int of sign x-y )
• complex( r, i ) - create complex number 
• dir( [opt arg] ) - no args=> list variables in current scope; arg=>list valid attrib of arg

Decorators

David and Tom tried explaining this to me yesterday. Decorators are functions that return other functions, often "wrapping" them. 

Stack Overflow to the rescue -- HUGE answer halfway down the page (only read half, but I understand decorators now): 

You see, decorators are wrappers which means that they let you execute code before and after the function they decorate without the need to modify the function itself.

A decorator takes a function as a parameter, basically writes/defines the code to be run (before, yourFunction, after) and returns that as a new 'decorated' function. As for the syntax.... 

[define bow, giftwrap, box functions.... example: 

def box(func): 

   def wrapper():

       print "*bow on top goes here*"

   return wrapper()

]

@bow

@giftwrap

@box

def present(gift=defaultSocks)

     print gift

If you call present(), you get a pair of defaultSocks, in a box, wrapped, with a bow on top. TaDa!