S. Lott / is on Nostr

Turning coffee into software since 1978.

#Python #programmer. Been writing #software since the days when computers were large, expensive, and rare. I've got a pile of books available from Packt Publishing, and some self-published titles on Google Play. I've got some training courses available at LinkedInLearning. I'm a #technomad -- traveling around during hurricane season, and living on a #sailboat the rest of the year.

Last Notes

2024-09-18 20:00:37

Modern Python Cookbook — with lots and lots of recipes — is something you might need. Find the results of checking all these recipes here:
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Python-Cookbook-updated-techniques/dp/1835466389
I (reluctantly) switched from using mypy to using pyright to check all of these recipes carefully. The type alias (PEP 695) syntax wasn’t fully supported.
I didn’t find any new problems with pyright, but I did tweak my workflow a little bit to use more of pyright’s linting features.
(The mypy issue https://github.com/python/mypy/issues/15238)

2024-09-02 20:19:04

#WordWeavers #western #horror
9/2. If you had to remove one of your characters, who would it be and why?
It would be a total rewrite; not a simple excision. There aren’t many characters to begin with. They each have a role and without a character, the story would stumble to a halt.
Example. Without Mr. Solomon, Diane would shoot someone in the army outpost, be tried, and executed. No book. A tragic short story about a woman making one too many bad choices.

2024-08-18 16:24:19

#WordWeavers #western #horror
8/18. Have you ever been the basis for a character in someone else's story?
I doubt it. I’m not very interesting.

2024-08-01 18:37:13

#Python #books
Shameless Self Promotion.
For the Python folks who are just starting as well as those looking to pick up some more skills, I’ve got something for you: The third edition of the Modern Python Cookbook. We’ve expanded the book include over 130 recipes, and tested all of the code with Python 3.12. Some older — less useful examples — have been pruned, and new topics have been added.
https://www.packtpub.com/en-us/product/modern-python-cookbook-9781835466384

2024-07-24 00:04:20

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@npub1lrv…tth9 Willing to bet he was bloodied by Secret Service guys pushing him down. Nothing to do with shooter. Everything to do with the cop’s response.

2024-06-26 16:15:03

#WordWeavers #western #horror
6/26. Does your MC truly fix stuff, or are they a duct tape type of fixer?
Part of the backstory on these horrors is that the “settlers” colonizing the US west in 1848 have killed off the expertise required to make serious repairs. All that’s left is duct-tape and baling wire until they take the time to learn.

2024-06-19 12:31:48

#WordWeavers #western #horror
6/19. Do your MCs or antagonists have characteristics you’re uncomfortable writing?
The MCs are mostly women, In the 1840’s, in the American West. Some of the characters are indigenous people. I’m not an expert in any of this.
While I live with a woman and I lived in the desert, there’s always the uncomfortable possibility I’ve missed something fundamental.
The antagonists are colossal jackasses. I get that. That’s just memoir.

2024-06-15 14:01:11

I had that dream again.
#IHadThatDreamAgain
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/620/999/169/012/890/original/fce45b9401fe6eb5.jpeg

2024-03-22 15:27:00

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@npub1psd…9sr7 is that true of all “branding” and marketing? Or is it unique to Apple because of the scale?

2023-10-26 12:54:42

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@npub1j7c…txk5 @npub1ccn…czwu the second amendment is quite clear on what the solution is. “Well regulated militia”. The regulated militia is cops and army. Everyone else needs licensing, registration, and insurance — like cars — and barbers.

2023-10-21 13:22:04

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@npub1ulm…hweg it’s not really a “fight” is it? One side is doling out punishment. The other side might be engaged in hopeless theatrics. Or trying to minimize the damage. Or maybe has some secret weapon. Unless they’re clueless, they know it’s no longer a proper fight.

2023-09-15 12:05:48

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@npub1gwk…nf5g @npub1g2d…83a0 it makes me wonder how much of the Big Media is run by closet fascists who like his brand of trash.

2023-09-08 12:35:18

#WordWeavers #western #horror
9/8 What do you pay attention to when describing your characters' surroundings?
Light. Sound. Plants and Animals. While these aren’t universally true, they seem important. Sometimes it’s architecture, people, or geography.
In a few cases, I go so far as to put a detailed map in my notes to assure consistency and clarity.
For horror, it seems like darkness is an active agency. Lurking. Grabbing. Touching. The chaos of the unknown.

2023-08-31 12:20:37

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@npub10n9…tjug I need a lot of structure. I found some “one page beat sheet” resources to help me understand the larger structure. Within each beat there’s a fine-grained structure to guide me and prevent rambling.
While I am a plotter, sometimes I have to refocus some beats while writing. Characters become a little more alive with each beat I write and the story need to adapt.

2023-08-23 11:41:47

#writingwonders #western #horror
8/23/2023 In your MC's mind, what's the worst thing they've ever done?
Diane obsesses over the uncanny events around her brother’s disappearance. This means she’s come to blame herself. The asylum and the abbeys in Europe haven’t changed her mind.
Amy has a long list of things she never wrote down. Things lost forever because of her failures to chronicle the uncanny. Failing to understand Diane’s journey is the worst.

2023-08-11 11:44:04

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@npub1k74…dmux thanks! I think these twists are why horror is so much fun to write.

2023-08-11 11:08:20

#writingwonders #western #horror
8/11/2023 MC POV: If you had to give your closest friend one piece of advice, what would it be? Why?
Antonia (to Geraldine): “Dina. You have to stop looking around at the sun and the mountains and those cactus. Look at this. Right here. Right now. What happened to this man? Why is he shrieking? What language is that?”

2023-08-03 13:18:10

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@npub1e7v…flg9 how many older versions are you supporting? How many individual lines of code have problems with older versions? Is the number manageably small (say under 20?) Can you make use of a typealias in an `if` to handle these special cases?