Reactors/jim-learns-stuff/cool-things-with-python

Jim Learns Stuff - cool things with Python 🐍

Python is one of the top programming languages in the world, topping the TIOBE index and coming second in the GitHub state of the Octoverse report.

Python is a very versatile language, used for everything from teaching young kids to code, to building complex ML and AI models. It’s used by web developers, micro-service developers, infrastructure engineers, and data scientists.

In this series of Jim Learns Stuff, Jim will be playing with some cool things with Python (some very hot of the presses), including re-creating classic cryptography from the ancient world, and embedding Python in a web page!

Registration/Live stream links

These events are run through the Microsoft Reactor Meetup group. You can register for these events on Meetup, or catch the live stream/recording on YouTube, or watch the live stream on Twitch.

Date/Time (Pacific Time)	Episode	Meetup registration link	Live stream/Recording	Twitch
4:00pm, 13th June 2022	Ancient cryptography
4:00pm, 20th June 2022	Python in the browser

Episode 1 - Ancient cryptography

Did you know some of the earliest documented cryptography was used for lovers to exchange love notes nearly 2,500 years ago? Or that techniques to break cryptography trace their origins to 1,500 years ago?

In this episode, Jim explores some classic cryptography and builds out tools in Python to not only encrypt messages, but also to try to decrypt them! he’ll be travelling around the ancient world from India, to Rome, Sparta and Baghdad, learning about their techniques for encrypting and decrypting all manner of secrets.

Episode 2 - Python in the browser

We all know to do web things in a browser you need JavaScript, right? That’s the only programming language you can mix in with HTML and have it work? Right? Right?

Wrong! How about Python inline in your HTML? Yes, this is now a thing thanks to PyScript, recently announced at PyCon US. PyScript uses a version of Python running under Web Assembly to allow you to use in-line Python, accessing all the normal Python packages you know and love.

In this episode, Jim learns all about PyScript, putting the early alpha versions through their paces to build out a simple web app. He’ll be seeing if he can do web development without JavaScript.

Speakers

Jim Bennett

Jim is a Regional Cloud Advocate focusing on building out and skilling communities in the Pacific North West, with a focus on the Microsoft Reactor in Redmond, Washington. He’s British, so sounds way smarter than he actually is, and is happy he moved to Redmond in time to be locked down at home and not see the office he came to work in, or the places he wanted to visit. In the past he’s lived in 4 continents working as a developer in the mobile, desktop, and scientific space. He's spoken at conferences and events all around the globe, organised meetup groups and communities, and written a book on mobile development.

He also hates and is allergic to cats, but has a 9-year-old daughter who loves cats, so he has 2 cats.

You can find Jim on the following platforms: