Monthly Archives: June 2011
Brand New YouTube Channel — thenewbostonTV
thenewboston, the ultimate source for free video tutorials on the internet! Here you can find all of thenewboston tutorials organized in an orderly fashion in the Tutorials Section of the website.
MIT Course Online: A Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python
This course will provide a gentle, yet intense, introduction to programming using Python for highly motivated students with little or no prior experience in programming. The course will focus on planning and organizing programs, as well as the grammar of the Python programming language.
The course is designed to help prepare students for 6.01 Introduction to EECS. 6.01 assumes some knowledge of Python upon entering; the course material for 6.189 has been specially designed to make sure that concepts important to 6.01 are covered.
This course is offered during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), which is a special 4-week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month.
How Are Students Learning Programming in a Post-Basic World?
Computerworld (06/23/11) Lamont Wood
Since the Basic programming language has faded into obscurity, there is no single lingua franca across the entire PC user community to function as a default starter language, and among those distressed by Basic’s passing is science fiction author David Brin. He laments that today the top one-tenth of 1 percent of students “will go to summer camp and learn programming, but the rest may never know that the dots comprising their screens are positioned by logic, math, and human-written code.” On the other hand, Tufts University professor Kathleen Fisher applauds the emergence of numerous programming languages. “Different languages are good for different things, each has its own domain of discourse, and it is best if the application is in the language’s domain,” she says. Fisher cites Python as a language that is taking a vanguard position for introducing programming to a new generation of students, noting that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University are using it. Python developer Vern Ceder notes that Indiana’s Canterbury college prep school teaches Python “because it is easier for kids to actually write productive code right away
An 8-bit computer designed and built by Jack Eisenmann, a high school student
The World War II battle of machines that sparked the beginning of the computer age
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/technology/of-codebreakers-and-mechanical-giants-56949.html
The Enigma machines made their debut in short-lived peace, just following the first Great War. Enclosed in foldable wooden boxes, the devices featured series of protruding knobs and keys, resembling a cross between an antique typewriter and a laptop computer
First-ever Southern California Robotic Mouse Competition
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/2011_06micromouse.asp
First, there was Mickey Mouse. Then came Mighty Mouse. Now, at the dawn of the 21st century, comes micromouse, the little robot that could. Actually, a total of 13 micromice visited the UC San Diego campus last month, for a competition pitting teams from eight universities. It was the first Southern California competition hosted by UCSD IEEE at the Jacobs School of Engineering, but Kansas State University joined in the fun too. Fittingly, UCSD teams took first and second place in the competition. UCLA came in third.
Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners book
Your computer won’t respond when you yell at it. Why not learn to talk to your computer in its own language? Whether you want to write games, start a business, or you’re just curious, learning to program is a great place to start. Plus, programming is fun!
Hello World! provides a gentle but thorough introduction to the world of computer programming. It’s written in language a 12-year-old can follow, but anyone who wants to learn how to program a computer can use it. Even adults. Written by Warren Sande and his son, Carter, and reviewed by professional educators, this book is kid-tested and parent-approved.
You don’t need to know anything about programming to use the book. But you should know the basics of using a computer–e-mail, surfing the web, listening to music, and so forth. If you can start a program and save a file, you should have no trouble using this book.
The under-appreciated hard drive gets torn apart and explained
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/09/the-under-appreciated-hard-drive-gets-torn-apart-and-explained/
Bill Hammack, also known as Engineer Guy, takes us on a detailed tour of the inner workings of the ubiquitous hard disk drive — from the Lorentz Force driven arm, to the head that floats a mere 10nm above the layered cobalt platters thanks to the wonders of aerodynamics
Global Internet traffic
http://www.kurzweilai.net/global-internet-traffic-to-quadruple-by-2015
Sometimes it’s nice to have some data about the Internet to wow students when you are explaining the Internet to them. Here’ s some data like that.
