Chris Myers has a nice selection of short intermediate-level Python programs and tutorials for Python programmers interested in enhancing their skills in the language, and having a better understanding of recursion and object-oriented programming.

Being interpreted and dynamic, Python is generally not as fast as compiled languages. Here is a technique for optimizing Python by way of Jython, including reasons why you’d want to use Java to implement some parts of your Python program and exactly how to write an extension in Java.

If you’re a Python programmer or have an interest in the language take a look at this well-written article on Python internals, the first of a series, from Yaniv Aknin.

Google has taken the intensive two-day Python class that they offer internally to employees with very little programming experience (didn’t know they hired people like that), and put it here for free under the Creative Commons attribution 2.5 license. The class covers installing Python on your computer through text files, processes, and http connections. There are Python exercises and Python lecture videos.

Have you always secretly harbored a resentment over having to use the syntax that Python forces you to use, in order to make a living and earn the money that you need to go and party it up with your homeboys on the weekend?

Like, Python will totally help you with that. Now you can reuse ‘like’, ‘um’, ‘yeah’, and many other terms that are syntactically correct and semantically relevant to you, right there in your Python code bro. (Not sure if ‘whoa’ is supported– we may have to wait for the next release)

It’s hard to overstate the importance of this. Additional keywords include ‘bro’, omg, sup, hey, hella, and many more, from six of our most important subcultures (valleygirl, fratguy, internets, Snoop, local, and misc. Can’t forget misc.)

Jonathan Howard was probably operating under too much stress when he created Like, Python using Python’s tokenizer to add keywords to Python’s lexical understanding. Like, Python is a superset of Python so that scripts written in Python are valid Like, Python. So you have no excuse not to use it, pretty much.

Think of the time savings, yo. You’ll be able to totally finish work and get to the mall that much faster.

Frustrated with what he saw as limitations of IDLE, Noam Yorav-Raphael created DreamPie, a Python Shell that he claims is a new kind of interactive shell, combining the best features of IDLE, IPython and the Python shell. The window is divided into the ‘history box’, for viewing previous commands/output, and a ‘code box’, and you also can copy code from anywhere, edit the code and have it run instantly.

Here’s an introductory video on IronPython, open source .NET implementation of Python which allows those programming in Python the benefits of the .NET libraries while still being able to maintain compatibility with CPython.

Lots of time is saved by automating repetitive tasks with scripts, but there has always been a learning curve associated with using them, much less creating them. The Sikuli graphical scripting language, a fascinating bit of tech created at MIT, enables programming using GUI screenshots rather than lines of code. Check the screencast showing automation of a pretty brainless task– it’s fairly impressive. Sekuli looks for the targets that receive the commands on the screen using a ‘computer vision engine’ that finds the best matching region. The script is based on Jython, a Python implementation on Java VM so you can use virtually any Python module with it. So there is a learning curve, but a basic understanding of Python is probably all that’s required. Hat tip to Jim Rutherford.

We have done posts on how to make a video game for kids before, and we have done a slew of posts on python in the last several years, but here is a way to teach kids how to create their own very simple video games, like Tic Tac Toe and Hangman and learn python principals in the process. Released under the creative commons license, 2nd edition by Albert Sweigart.

Will Python and Django become the next hot languages for web developers? With Google’s recent App Engine announcement the spotlight is certainly shinning bright on this scripting language and web application framework.   The  Atomeo blog hast a great post to get you ready for Google Apps Engine by Learning Python and Django.