Visually Explained Videos are Wonderful

Python is a wonderful programming language. But, like most languages, there are things about it that you just have to know. You can’t infer the existence of things like *args and **kwargs. You need to be told about them, what they do and how best to use them.

The Visually Explained series of videos does a fantastic job of placing Python elements in context. It covers lots of fiddly things about the language which are super powerful but you might not know about. They are impeccably presented and just the right length. If there’s something you’re grappling with, or you just want to broaden your Python horizons, you should take a look at them.

Rather Useful Videos

I promised video versions of the Rather Useful Seminar I did on Monday. Here they are.

I quite enjoyed making them. Even though everything broke. I might make some more now that I’ve worked out what not to do.

Red Rock Cider Police Squad Ads

I was digging around for information about the Canon Dial 35 and I discovered that it was used to take an award winning photograph of Leslie Nielsen as part of an advertising campaign for Red Rock Cider. I haven’t been able to track down the picture, but I have managed to find a collection of the adverts. Well worth a watch. Back when advertising was clever and funny.

Using Azure Functions with IoT devices video

I’ve made a new screencast. This one is all about the use of Azure Functions with IoT devices. I find it quite magical that I can press a button (in this case the Joke Button above) and have a function run in the cloud in response to that action. And the code to make it work is tiny. Find out how it works and how to get started in the video.