python Tales


Book review — Python Distilled, by David M. Beazley

Book review — Python Distilled, by David M. Beazley

This is a pragmatic book that presents some of the most important topics about the Python programming language in a concise form, designed to make it easier to find out the most relevant information bits in a context where resources abound and frequently are just too overwhelming.
Reading time: 5 minutes
Just updated - both Optimize Images and Optimize Images X

Just updated - both Optimize Images and Optimize Images X

This time, we are releasing both Optimize Images and Optimize Images X at the same time. The original CLI version now uses temporary files with in-memory buffers, which prevents unnecessary I/O, and also displays more detailed and more useful version information. Optimize Images X, the GUI version, is now compatible with Python3.7+ and has the ability to open or preview a selected image.
Reading time: 1 minute
Just updated - Optimize Images X v0.9.1 (Beta 2)

Just updated - Optimize Images X v0.9.1 (Beta 2)

So, just 3 days after the first public beta, here we got the second beta for Optimize Images X. It includes an important hot fix for Windows and Linux, and two new usability features.
Reading time: 1 minute
New project: Optimize Images X

New project: Optimize Images X

Just for fun, this month I set myself to start a new Python project. It’s the same as Optimize Images, but with a big X and a nice graphical user interface. It wants to help you reduce the file size of images, and hopefully make your websites load faster.
Reading time: 2 minutes
Book review - Foundations of Deep Reinforcement Learning, by Laura Graesser and Wah Loon Keng

Book review - Foundations of Deep Reinforcement Learning, by Laura Graesser and Wah Loon Keng

Deep Reinforcement Learning is a somewhat new field within Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence (you may pick your favorite term between these two, even if they’re not strictly the same), which combines Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning and is based on the general idea that an agent can learn by observing its actions and their consequences. No, it is not a return to John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner’s behavioral psychology. We are talking, instead, about a set of pretty advanced machine learning algorithms that, when properly mastered, allow computers to achieve remarkable results in some complex tasks. That’s what this book is about, so let’s dive in…
Reading time: 5 minutes
Just updated - Optimize Images v1.4.0

Just updated - Optimize Images v1.4.0

Optimize Images has a new version just released on PyPI! Besides the usual clean and polish, this release includes two new features that may be of interest for you, especially if you are using this utility on servers.
Reading time: 2 minutes