#python learning challenge

[techno03]

Hi Guys👋,

I am excited 😊 to share this with you. I challenged 🤝 myself to learn python in 50 days and share the daily progress report with you Guys.

As I already know some basics of python, so don't waste much I jump to conditional statements in python.

[brainlesstechnerd]

Introduction: As a high school student in the 21st century, there's no denying the importance of computer science in today's world. Whether you're a seasoned programmer or just dipping your toes into the world of coding, the power of computer science is undeniable. In this blog, I'll share my journey as a 12th-grader venturing into the fascinating realms of C, C++, and Python, and how this journey has not only improved my computer science profile but also shaped my outlook on technology and problem-solving.

Chapter 1: The Foundations - Learning C

Learning C:

C, often referred to as the "mother of all programming languages," is where my journey began. Its simplicity and efficiency make it an excellent choice for beginners. As a high school student with limited programming experience, I decided to start with the basics.

Challenges and Triumphs:

Learning C came with its fair share of challenges, but it was incredibly rewarding. I tackled problems like understanding pointers and memory management, and I quickly realized that the core concepts of C would lay a strong foundation for my future endeavors in computer science.

Chapter 2: Building on the Basics - C++

Transition to C++:

With C under my belt, I transitioned to C++. C++ builds upon the concepts of C while introducing the object-oriented programming paradigm. It was a natural progression, and I found myself enjoying the flexibility and power it offered.

Projects and Applications:

I started working on small projects and applications in C++. From simple text-based games to data structures and algorithms implementations, C++ opened up a world of possibilities. It was during this phase that I began to see how the knowledge of programming languages could translate into tangible solutions.

Chapter 3: Python - The Versatile Language

Exploring Python:

Python is often praised for its simplicity and readability. As I delved into Python, I realized why it's a favorite among developers for a wide range of applications, from web development to machine learning.

Python in Real-Life Projects:

Python allowed me to take on real-life projects with ease. I built web applications using frameworks like Flask and Django, and I even dabbled in data analysis and machine learning. The versatility of Python broadened my horizons and showed me the real-world applications of computer science.

Chapter 4: A Glimpse into the Future

Continual Learning:

As I prepare to graduate high school and venture into higher education, my journey with C, C++, and Python has instilled in me the importance of continual learning. The field of computer science is dynamic, and staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends is crucial.

Networking and Collaboration:

I've also come to appreciate the significance of networking and collaboration in the computer science community. Joining online forums, participating in coding challenges, and collaborating on open-source projects have enriched my learning experience.

Conclusion: Embracing the World of Computer Science

My journey as a 12th-grader exploring C, C++, and Python has been an enlightening experience. These languages have not only improved my computer science profile but have also given me a broader perspective on problem-solving and technology. As I step into the future, I'm excited to see where this journey will take me, and I'm ready to embrace the ever-evolving world of computer science.

If you're a fellow student or someone curious about programming, I encourage you to take the plunge and start your own journey. With determination and a willingness to learn, the world of computer science is yours to explore and conquer.

[turtle-programming]

Post #56: Amazon, Kindle Challenge at the end of the year from October 1, 2024 until December 31, 2024.

[codingquill]

Essentials You Need to Become a Web Developer

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Mastery

Text Editor/Integrated Development Environment (IDE): Popular choices include Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text.

Version Control/Git: Platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket allow you to track changes, collaborate with others, and contribute to open-source projects.

Responsive Web Design Skills: Learn CSS frameworks like Bootstrap or Flexbox and master media queries

Understanding of Web Browsers: Familiarize yourself with browser developer tools for debugging and testing your code.

Front-End Frameworks: for example : React, Angular, or Vue.js are powerful tools for building dynamic and interactive web applications.

Back-End Development Skills: Understanding server-side programming languages (e.g., Node.js, Python, Ruby , php) and databases (e.g., MySQL, MongoDB)

Web Hosting and Deployment Knowledge: Platforms like Heroku, Vercel , Netlify, or AWS can help simplify this process.

Basic DevOps and CI/CD Understanding

Soft Skills and Problem-Solving: Effective communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills

Confidence in Yourself: Confidence is a powerful asset. Believe in your abilities, and don't be afraid to take on challenging projects. The more you trust yourself, the more you'll be able to tackle complex coding tasks and overcome obstacles with determination.

[izicodes]

I got accepted into a University!

🎊 Exciting news: I've been accepted to one of the two universities I applied to! I really doubted that I could even get into THE university of my city since they are harder to get into with higher grades for the entry requirements, but I think I only got in because of my apprenticeship experience. For example, if I had went straight to applying at the university at age 18, I wouldn’t have gotten in. I even thought when I was younger “oh I couldn’t ever apply because that’s for the smart smart people” BUT I GOT IN and I’m not even maths smart!

So, thank you God that I studied coding when I was studying Biology, Chemistry, Maths during my last two years of school. Although I had to drop out due to health reasons, thank you God for the opportunity to learn how to build websites and explore Python while working as a call centre agent. Thank you God for the confidence to apply for an apprenticeship, even though I didn't complete my schooling! Thank you God for helping me complete the apprenticeship with a pass mark and then continue working there as their Junior Web Developer. And thank you God for helping me randomly apply to these universities and I got a place!

My journey has been filled with challenges and opportunities, and for that, I am grateful!

⤷ ♡ my shop ○ my mini website ○ pinned ○ navigation ♡

[omg-snakes]

Ugh my spotted python bit me today. Hes my first snake and I feel bad he’s getting all my newbie mistakes but he’s done really well with handling and this is the first time I just don’t know what happened? I know they don’t bite out of the blue but I had taken him outside and he was very relaxed in my arms with his head on my shoulder, I stepped off the porch so he could feel some sun and made sure to keep his head in the shade and after a few seconds he moves around to the front of me and just slams my lip. Obviously it’s not bad I’m just so frustrated and feel like every step forward has like three back. And maybe he just doesn’t want to be handled that would be ok but he seems so good and happy to explore most of the time. I have looked into choice based handling but he never wants to wake up and come out of his hides during the day but he always is relaxed once he is out.

Aw, I'm so sorry you got tagged. That sounds like it was really jarring. Please don't be discouraged, though. Snake keeping is a journey, not a destination, and though it may feel like you're not making good progress, every experience is an opportunity to learn and grow with your pet.

Spotted pythons are nocturnal, so he may have been startled by the sudden sunshine and warmth and either mistook you for a predator or a snack. Bites are disheartening (and a bite in the face doubly so!) but it's part of snake ownership. We will all take a chomp at some point.

I once had my leucistic Texas rat snake on my lap while I was reading and I guess he fell asleep at some point, and when I moved my arm I must have startled him awake because he freaked out and tagged me out of nowhere. I was shocked and a bit hurt in the moment, and I totally get how you're feeling. It's nobody's fault. These are animals and sometimes they react to stimuli we think are pretty benign in ways we didn't expect!

If you're going to implement choice-based handing, it'll likely only happen after the sun has gone down. It might be good to try to interact on his terms for a while, as late in the day as you can and in low-light situations. He's less likely to be a butt if he's up and active during the part of his natural rhythm when he's most alert.

I mean, imagine having somebody pull you out of bed at 3am and shine a flashlight with the power of the sun at you. Even if it wasn't right in your eyes, you might be a touch irritable!

I hope that the two of you can find some common ground and that you are able to build more confidence as a keeper. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes, as you so quickly forgave him when he bit you. I know spotted pythons are considered a decent beginner species but I've definitely found them more challenging than some of the other options.

At the end of the day you're just two completely different animals trying to understand each other, and that's pretty cool.

[ayeforscotland]

Ad | Humble Bundle April 2024

Hi folks, here's a few bundles that some of you might be interested in this month.

For the inspiring programmers - the Code like a Pro bundle supports Girls Who Code.

If you lean more towards 3D modelling and design then Blender Core Skills bundle has loads of resources on Mesh modelling, rigging, shading and lighting. It also raises money for One Tree Planted.

I know a bunch of you love a good TTRPG, there's a solid Pathfinder Second Edition - Guns of Alkenstar Bundle available. A portion of the money goes towards Endometriosis UK - a charity very close to my heart.

[wisteriagoesvroom]

LOL I can imagine for vampire au Lando starting to third wheel Carcar and so even though turning Franco is a complete accident he can’t feel too guilty bc he uses it as an excuse to hang around someone else, and somehow he learns more about vampirism lore through a human grad student than he’s learned in his whole life (he’s lived a long time, lots of info to absorb). Then also, if you don’t mind my ask, what do they all do for jobs/how do they get money and would Franco keep studying ?

HELP this is so cute. ok. norpinto-frando vampire au for those who aren't up to speed...

Lando starting to third wheel Carcar and so even though turning Franco is a complete accident, [Lando] can’t feel too guilty bc he uses it as an excuse to hang around someone else -> screaming cus, absolutely. random associated headcanons for this... i'll rewind a bit:

carlos is the oldest vampire, like, moorish/medieval era. he met lando while they were both at a masquerade ball in the early 1600s and smelled each other right away (carlos like wood and ink, lando like gas lamps and wet stone).

lando is an tudor era vampire. like he actually knew shakespeare and said he was one of the best viral marketers of the era

oscar was turned in the early days of the australian penal colony, he's like first or second generation white australian but he refuses to be called british. he moved in to the house because the rent was cheap and he doesn't feel the need to live extravagantly -- even though he, too, is $$ loaded $$

oscar didn't move in until about two decades ago - very short by vampire standards, to them it feels like yesterday - but carlos and oscar are basically They Were Roommates atp even though they squabble con-stant-ly

their neighbours think they are a new age-y polyam group but because the people who live opposite them are students, nobody ever hangs around longer than a year to remember them or dig deeper

so franco definitely brings a fun funky fresh dynamic

he learns more about vampirism lore through a human grad student than he’s learned in his whole life (he’s lived a long time, lots of info to absorb) -> things that baby vamp!franco teaches lando include

tiktok trends, like how to make ur teeth comically large in photos. lando finds this hilarious

how to use venmo

creating a roster on google docs for who needs to do what house chores

jailbreaking an apple watch so it doesn't read their pulses (they don't have any), but it will remind them of the moon phases and when they might be extra hungry to feed

at one point franco actually puts his academic skills to use and helps lando hunt down some of his family tree, because since lando was turned and it's been so long, he doesn't remember much about them : ( so one of franco's little gifts to lando is helping him trace his heritage

what do they all do for jobs/how do they get money and would Franco keep studying ? -> i love how practical-minded you are. um well let's say this fictional supernatural creatures' market mostly runs on barter trades and goodwill agreements. the entire house sometimes just gets lazy tbh so lando or carlos will just dig into one of the old chests of random shit and pull out an antique and go: "do we think this is worth anything?" then they take it to an antiques dealer who is also a mage (alex albon) and there is a 1 in 25 chance that the antique is actually is worth something, so that bankrolls them for another half a year or whatever.

carlos makes a lot of noise about being "an art dealer" just because he sold a goya painting to a museum once.

oscar is a man of industry, of the "newer" world (australia) etc etc so he spent the 80s and 90s learning C++ and Java and Python so he legit just codes for a living. or when he feels like it. oscar has helped launch at least a dozen startups under various pseudonyms and one of them is even a blue chip company by now. he doesn't do it for money tho. he just does it cus he likes a challenge, and otherwise fights with carlos too much. when he isn't coding he likes to tinker and fix things just for fun. like, he legit knows how to fix a boiler and stuff. his familiar is definitely a grumpy orange neighbourhood cat.

franco keeps studying!! he is such a nerd that he's like "i can totally learn everything about anything now, and i could in theory do like 20 masters degrees, and nobody can stop me"!! then lando is like, "well you might get bored of it after a while or burn out". but franco insists he will not. in fact with his enhanced neurological abilities he goes on an academic bender trying to fast forward through an entire harvard's undergrad degree's worth of material in a week, and he ends up faceplanting on his desk. and then poor lando has to go and find a fresh chicken or something to kill and revive franco 'cus franco wore himself out too fast being a bb vampire with accelerated mind powers.

franco promises never to do that again (but of course he will continue to do it once in a while, and everyone still looks after him in his lil study hangovers because he is so very nice. also he taught them how to use venmo.)

and. one time. franco is like. "i can't find this rare sonnet do you know what library i could maybe locate it in" and lando is like "wait i know that one" and pulls out an honest to god original copy that he at some point got laminated in the early 80s. and franco is like. "um i think this should be in a museum??" and lando is like "yeah but i gave them a copy of this, cus i spilled ink on the corner of this in 1603 after a really good night out" and franco is like "???? ok ????"

then lando swans off to moodily stare at the moon or some shit.

[lunarw0rks]

hiii 🌺 how about 141 boys with a s/o that is not into pda and not affectionate

୨♡୧ pda // 141 headcanons ୨♡୧

『 price 』

☆ definitely something for him to get used to. he's not touchy, but physical touch is one of his favorite love languages. he's not going to be bummed out, necessarily, but it would take some time for him to remember the cues.

☆ price enjoys PDA because it seems like the respectful thing to do. a hand on the small of your back or around your waist, etc... but if you're uncomfortable, he'll learn to respect it.

☆ even in private, he only touches the spots you've agreed are fair game. besides, verbal affection is a big thing for him, so that'll fill the void. now, if you ever decide you want some affection; he's the man you'd want.

☆ cupping your cheeks, kissing you along your jaw and shoulders — all whilst looking at you for that silent nod of approval, or even reciprocation. he can't live without touch entirely, but you've definitely taught him a new kind of restraint.

『 simon 』

☆ the perfect match, because he despises physical touch. of course, his dislike stems from deeper issues, but regardless. touch isn't necessary for simon to feel loved, and he makes sure to show his fondness for you in other ways.

☆ acts of service, verbal affection, but mainly quality time. not being all over each other, but still hanging out and enjoying your company. loves hand holding though, especially if you play with his fingers<33

☆ rarely, usually about once a month, he wants to be touched. or wants to touch you, but only in private. putting his head in the crook of your neck, rubbing your waist while too lazy to rise from the bed. and he always knows when you're not in the mood to be touched, too — from hours of studying your body language.

☆ in terms of PDA, you're not getting any — to ensure your safety, to keep your relationship private, etc. if he ever does, it's a hand holding your arm to keep you close. more so to steer you when he's leading the way, but for him, it's pretty forward.

『 soap 』

☆ very touchy person, especially with his lovers, so it's definitely a challenge for him to get used to at times. he's not offended by any means — but he will pout!

☆ out in public, he put a hand around your waist without even thinking. you weren't upset, but he could tell it was making you stressy. "forgot again, my bad, love." his touch eased up instantly, instead just hooking his finger around yours — something unnoticeable enough in terms of PDA.

☆ when at home, though, you two have established a system. "alright, fine, I won't get carried away this time— but just one minute?" how could you say no to that face? and he did ask nicely, after all.

☆ all he wanted, was to get some time cuddling you. but in... his way... which is usually lying on top of you with his head in your chest, practically suffocating you with his weight.

──── just like in this video an anon sent me :3

『 gaz 』

☆ is 50/50 when it comes to affection. sometimes it's too much for him, other times it's all he wants. he especially doesn't care for excessive PDA — aside from a hand over your shoulder, maybe an arm squeeze, but only if it's not a populated area.

☆ the only time affection is fair game, is when he's come home after being deployed. you're not moving — his arms will be squeezing the life out of you for at least a minute straight. then, you're free to tap out.

☆ "no hitting—! we're only at forty seconds, babe." he'll say when you start to squirm, wrapping his arms around you like a python. finds the recoiling humorous at times, but he'd never take it far enough to overstimulate you on purpose.

☆ there are definitely times he has to recoil from affection, too. sometimes he's just not in the mood, but no one understands that better than you, right?

[macademiastudies]

Nov. 9th Journal

Day one of the 50-day challenge

🦉 Habit 1: Studying - Data Analysis Course Assignment Unit 3 - Data Analysis Course 3.3 - Data Analysis Course 3.4 - Do one practice with Cognos - Type out the rest of my handwritten notes - Complete the Text-Based Python Slot Game - Make a wireframe for the app I've been wanting to make for years

🍂Habit 2: Physical Activity - 10 minute AB workout - 30 minutes of walking 🕯️Habit 3: Self-care - No soda today - Include one vegetable in every meal - 1/2 bottle of water today (gotta start small) - Hang my clothes - Do my hair with heatless curls - Fill up a lip care tube for myself - Set up my home office desk 📰 Habit 4: Reading - You Need a Budget, by Jesse Mecham (100 Pages) 🏛️Habit 5: Language Learning - Really sit down and think about what I want to learn, because right now I want to learn it all

🎻 Song of The Day: Mouvement I, Voyage Vers la Lune - Franz Gordon 🤎 Quote of The Day: “There is no shame in not knowing something. The shame is not being willing to learn.” - Alison Croggon, The Naming 📜 Currently Studying: Python, Data Analysis 🪶 Recommendation of The Day: please start learning that new school you've always wanted to. It's never too late to change an old habit or to learn a new skill. There are a lot of internal and external struggles when you begin but the entire Journey and learning by itself is always worth it.

Images are mine but please just credit if you use!

This Challenge is entirely credited to @ros3ybabe

Divider credits to @strangergraphics

[justgivemethephd]

26.09.2024

Hello everyone! Oh my god, I am so excited. After a while of waiting for my project's ethics to be finalised I'm actually going to have access to the samples I need!!!! This is absolutely huge and I'm so relieved things are finally moving forward. To celebrate I made a lasagna for me and my boyfriend, and we enjoyed it with wine and good conversation when he came home from work.

I am looking after my parents' cat this week while they're on holiday, and here he is providing cuddles and ample moral support while I try to get through my FACS gating and data analysis. I haven't done it in a while so I was a little rusty, but I made it in the end! I have also accidentally stumbled upon a website that seems to be a free resource to learn Python, which I've been meaning to do for ages! I am quite busy with experiments this week but I plan on digging my teeth into this properly next week. It's always so exciting to learn a new skill! I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I also attended a small conference yesterday. At first I didn't want to go but to my surprise my friend was there and a lot of the speakers either had really interesting research to show or were just really inspirational people. While nothing was directly relevant to my own project, it's always good to get insights from others regarding how to design presentation and new ways of thinking about data.

Finally, I signed up to a bunch of workshops taking place over the next few months, both to refine current skills and learn completely new ones, and, while I am completely drained today, I am very hopeful about the next few months.

Keep your head up guys! Be patient with yourself and keep learning, it is the key to growth.

~~~~~

🎧 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No.10, Scene. Moderato - Tchaikovsky

🎮 - Monster Hunter Rise

📖 - The Priory Of The Orange Tree (on GOD I have 100 pages left and it's such a good book I NEED SOME FREE TIME TO GET TO THE END!!)

[a-fox-studies]

March 5, 2025 • Wednesday

--- 30 days of productivity • COLLAB CHALLENGE WITH @studaxy • Day 26/30 ---

💛 Axy's productive time: 1h 32min

💙 Iris's study time: 2h

Today I did an activity because I was bored. My textbook said that implementing the "finding GCD of numbers by prime factorization method" into a program is hard, and I went "are you challenging me?"

So yeah I spent the day doing that and turns out it was pretty hard lol XD but! I ended up succeeding!

Also, I learned about the Counter module in python, which creates a dictionary of items — the keys being the elements of an iterable passed to it, and the values being the number of occurrences of the key in the iterable. So that was fun :3

[axilarycobra]

[Wings of Fire] Headcanon for every dragon character (a-b)

Hello! I started this thing a while ago where I created a headcanon for every Wings of Fire dragon. Right now, I'm just starting the J's, so I decided that I wanted to share some of them. Today I'm going to share my headcanons for characters with names that start with A and B.

As

Abalone - was a childhood friend of Gill; the two had a relationship with each other before Gill married Coral, but there were still always feelings between them which Gill felt guilty over. He eventually married Pearl (the member of the SeaWing council) and their son is Barracuda.

Addax - before the war, he owned a cattle farm where he lived with his family, he was a lot more friendly back then; after he got his family back, they returned to the farm where they live to this day. Arid is his daughter, but after she left for JMA, he had more dragonets.

Admiral - after TFoH, Admiral traveled the continent trying to recover from the conditioning of the flamesilk caverns. He eventually settled down in the LeafSilk Kingdom where he used his flamesilk to help the tribe.

Agave - Agave thought she had a crush on Palm when they were dragonets, but always had to hide it because Plam loved Smolder. Later, she learned that she didn't have feelings for Palm, confusing her care for Palm as a friend for romantic feelings. She would tell Palm to break up with Smolder as every solution to a problem in their relationship.

Alba - Alba loves hunting and used to work in her parents' animal skin shop before she was sent to JMA, making her a master of creating woven articles. At JMA, she taught other dragons how to use animal skin and even started a club for the activity. She and Changbai started dating after meeting at JMA.

Albatross - before Lagoon became queen, Albatross and Lagoon's mother, Queen Monsoon, was very careful with Albatross's magic and he rarely ever had to use it. This made it especially difficult when Lagoon became queen and demanded that Albatross use it for her.

Allknowing - Allknowing and Vigilance were friends as dragonets, Allknowing being the younger of the two. Vigilance was aware that Allknowing wasn't the strongest seer in the kingdom, but was biased as Allknowing was her friend, which was why she got to be Vigilance's personal seer until Clearsight's power was discovered. Quickdeath was Allknowing's son, which made her hate Darkstalker and Clearsight even more after Darkstalker killed him.

Anaconda - Anaconda inherited the throne from her aunt, Queen Jaguar, in a royal challenge, as her mother, Queen Dieteri, got the throne from their mother but was channeled by her sister. Anaconda had a close relationship with her mother and viewed the challenges as more of revenge for taking the throne, as she was never the more ambitious dragonet of her and her sister. She didn't let Python see it, but she was fond of her sister and let her take military charge and do what she would like to make her happy.

Anemone - Anemone felt relieved when animus magic disappeared and found an interest in pottery. She enjoyed actually using her claws to make something beautiful rather than making something beautiful at the expense of her soul.

Anhinga - Anhinga loved reading and established a program to collect ancient MudWing literature that would be stored in the MudWing palace library, fittingly named the Anhinga Library.

Aphid - Aphid would be one of the HiveWings to settle in the LeafSilk Kingdom as his father was horrified when he saw his baby dragonet being used like a puppet by Queen Wasp. He is the younger brother of Carabid who also lives in the LeafSilk Kingdom.

Arctic - Arctic was the oldest of his siblings, all of them being male and none of them being able to inherit the throne. Because of this, Diamond was very serious about Arctic specifically getting married and having dragonets so that she could have direct heirs and also continue the animus lineage. After moving to the Night Kingdom and having trouble with his marriage, Arctic began to figure out he was bi and experimented with male NightWings behind Hope's back which she found out about, but it was one of the things the two were more cautious about, so Whiteout and Darkstalker never learned about it.

Argus - Argus is a SilkWing servant of one of the kinder HiveWings which is why he can sometimes appear to be lazy to the Chrysalis, as he was in love with his boss. He didn't tell this to the other members because he was afraid it would make him look bad since their relationship had an imbalance of power. After TFoH, Argus's boss remained in the Hive Kingdom while he moved to the LeafSilk Kingdom to get away, knowing he should spend some time away from HiveWings. He is the older brother of Cinnabar and the grandson of Daniad.

Arid - Arid is grumpy and blunt due to spending time in the stronghold around dragons influenced by Burn. She isn’t the biggest fan of other tribes but JMA has helped her to open up

Armadillo - Armadillo was raised in the Scorpion Den by their father, Adder, a powerful business dragon in the den. Eventually, Armadillo met Thorn and when Thorn became queen, they and their father moved to the SandWing stronghold. Armadillo becomes Blaze's partner.

Ash - Ash is not a LeafWing, but actually a SilkWings, as the book she is in was written during a time when the LeafWings and SilkWings lived peacefully together.

Asha - Asha was in love with Dune and the two had a relationship with each other before Asha's death. Dune always mourned for her and it was one of the reasons why he was often sad and upset.

Atala - in the LeafSilk Kingdom, Atala becomes a member of the SilkWing assembly and marries her LeafWing partners, being one of the first SilkWing-LeafWing couples post-Tree Wars.

Auklet - Auklet has pink accents like Anemone did. Auklet will become the next queen of the SeaWings (many, many years into the future) after Coral dies of a SeaWing plague.

Avalanche - Avalanche meets Secretkeeper while the Talons of Peace go to the Rainforest Kingdom for a meeting and the two become partners.

Bs

Barracuda - Barracuda is skittish and longer/skinnier than most SeaWings. He and Newt are in a relationship.

Battlewinner - Battlewinner is the sister of Morrowseer, Quickstrike, and an unnamed male NightWing. Before her injury, she was ambitious and some of the kinder, less loyal NightWings were afraid that she would try to take over multiple tribes. The frostbreath injury she got was not from an IceWing in a battle, that is only a cover story. Battlewinner actually had fallen in love with an IceWing, but to protect her tribe, she attacked Battlewinner, making her resentful of the IceWings, even more so than before.

Bayou - when the MudWing Succession Crisis happened, Bayoun ran away to the Sand Kingdom where she befriended Jerboa III. The two remained friends until Bayou's death from old age.

Belladonna - Belladonna and Hemlock did not want to marry each other initially, and Belladonna tried to protest to her mother, Linden, but ultimately the two decided that it would be better for their tribe if they married, even if they did not love each other. The two see each other as close friends and partners in crime, but not lovers.

Beryl - Beryl is a SeaWing Scarlet knew from her reign as queen who was incredibly rich from an unknown source and had certain powers that scared the SkyWing queen. She is deathly afraid of Beryl which is why she never mentioned her to anybody before.

Bigtail - Bigtail is larger than most dragons which he is self-conscious about. This was made worse when Pike yelled at him in the prey center.

Blaze - Blaze enjoys dressing up other dragons, not just herself, and loves matching outfits with her friends.

Blister - Blister was a keen scholar, and despite her cunningness, she loved history and protecting scrolls. Before her mother's death, she organized the SandWing stronghold library herself. She is also passionate about theater and if she did not have the pressure of taking the throne and fighting in the war, she would have become an actor. She is a major scrollworm, similar to Starflight.

Bloodworm - Bloodworm wanted to take the throne from Wasp for a long time during Wasp's rule and would secretly practice her fighting. If Wasp hadn't been removed from her position earlier, Bloodworm would have developed a plan to kill Wasp and take the throne. Bloodworm killed Wasp after the two were put in the flamesilk factory, just for her own peace of mind, making her other sisters afraid of her.

Blue - after settling in the LeafSilk Kingdom, Blue attended higher education at the first LeafSilk academy, Sapling Academy. After he graduated, he became a lawyer and would later in life become a teacher at an academy built after he had graduated called Chrysalis University.

Bombardier - Bombardier also came to live in the LeafSilk Kingdom and as an adult, apologized to Cricket for how he acted toward her. The two would become friends and Bombardier works as an accountant at Chrysalis University.

Bonecruncher - as the settlement of Renewal expanded, a council was formed and Bonecruncer was named the head of agriculture. He never formally changed his name to Greentalon, but his close friends call him that.

Boto - Boto is the younger brother of Bullfrog. He had a crush on Thrush before Thrush started dating Ostrich.

Bright - Bright was Tualang's sister and they were kidnapped together while exploring the outer parts of the RainWing village. Although it was believed that Bright died, she was only pretending, and when the NightWings threw her "corpse" into the ocean, she miraculously survived until she reached the top of the Claws of the Clouds Mountains. She is currently lost in the Sky Kingdom due to not knowing the continent.

Bromeliad - Glory eventually assigned Bromeliad to be an envoy between the Rainforest Kingdom and the lost city of night, which Bromeliad found more enjoyable than all of her previous jobs. Bromeliad looks similar to Kestrel which makes Glory feel uneasy sometimes.

Bryony - Bryony's relationship with Grayling was platonic, she eventually got into a polyamorous relationship with several other LeafWings

Bullfrog (MudWing) - Bullfrog is the nephew of Queen Moorhen and one of her most trusted advisors; after coming back from Pantala, he met Bullfrog the RainWing when the medic visited the Mud Kingdom to learn the medical properties of mud; Bullfrog, being the healer of his sibling troop, got along with the other Bullfrog and the two started dating

Bullfrog (RainWing) - Bullfrog would eventually return to the Rainforest Kingdom with the MudWing Bullfrog; to keep others from getting their names mixed up, the RainWing bullfrog went by Frog and the MudWing Bullfrog went by Bull

Bumblebee - Bumblebee saw Sundew and Cricket as her parental figures growing up, going between those two households

Burn - Burn always felt strange when visiting Scarlet in the Sky Kingdom; she had a suspicion that the SkyWing queen had a crush on her, but was too awkward to bring it up; Despite her cruel personality, Burn was extremely awkward when it came to doing anything with other dragons besides killing

Burnet - after moving to the LeafSilk Kingdom, Burnet got a leadership position in the department of housing where she ran operations to build infrastructure

Byblis - Byblis is Linden's sister's daughter, making her Belladonna's cousin; the two are best friends

[blubberquark]

Why Not Write Cryptography

I learned Python in high school in 2003. This was unusual at the time. We were part of a pilot project, testing new teaching materials. The official syllabus still expected us to use PASCAL. In order to satisfy the requirements, we had to learn PASCAL too, after Python. I don't know if PASCAL is still standard.

Some of the early Python programming lessons focused on cryptography. We didn't really learn anything about cryptography itself then, it was all just toy problems to demonstrate basic programming concepts like loops and recursion. Beginners can easily implement some old, outdated ciphers like Caesar, Vigenère, arbitrary 26-letter substitutions, transpositions, and so on.

The Vigenère cipher will be important. It goes like this: First, in order to work with letters, we assign numbers from 0 to 25 to the 26 letters of the alphabet, so A is 0, B is 1, C is 2 and so on. In the programs we wrote, we had to strip out all punctuation and spaces, write everything in uppercase and use the standard transliteration rules for Ä, Ö, Ü, and ß. That's just the encoding part. Now comes the encryption part. For every letter in the plain text, we add the next letter from the key, modulo 26, round robin style. The key is repeated after we get tot he end. Encrypting "HELLOWORLD" with the key "ABC" yields ["H"+"A", "E"+"B", "L"+"C", "L"+"A", "O"+"B", "W"+"C", "O"+"A", "R"+"B", "L"+"C", "D"+"A"], or "HFNLPYOLND". If this short example didn't click for you, you can look it up on Wikipedia and blame me for explaining it badly.

Then our teacher left in the middle of the school year, and a different one took over. He was unfamiliar with encryption algorithms. He took us through some of the exercises about breaking the Caesar cipher with statistics. Then he proclaimed, based on some back-of-the-envelope calculations, that a Vigenère cipher with a long enough key, with the length unknown to the attacker, is "basically uncrackable". You can't brute-force a 20-letter key, and there are no significant statistical patterns.

I told him this wasn't true. If you re-use a Vigenère key, it's like re-using a one time pad key. At the time I just had read the first chapters of Bruce Schneier's "Applied Cryptography", and some pop history books about cold war spy stuff. I knew about the problem with re-using a one-time pad. A one time pad is the same as if your Vigenère key is as long as the message, so there is no way to make any inferences from one letter of the encrypted message to another letter of the plain text. This is mathematically proven to be completely uncrackable, as long as you use the key only one time, hence the name. Re-use of one-time pads actually happened during the cold war. Spy agencies communicated through number stations and one-time pads, but at some point, the Soviets either killed some of their cryptographers in a purge, or they messed up their book-keeping, and they re-used some of their keys. The Americans could decrypt the messages.

Here is how: If you have message $A$ and message $B$, and you re-use the key $K$, then an attacker can take the encrypted messages $A+K$ and $B+K$, and subtract them. That creates $(A+K) - (B+K) = A - B + K - K = A - B$. If you re-use a one-time pad, the attacker can just filter the key out and calculate the difference between two plaintexts.

My teacher didn't know that. He had done a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation about the time it would take to brute-force a 20 letter key, and the likelihood of accidentally arriving at something that would resemble the distribution of letters in the German language. In his mind, a 20 letter key or longer was impossible to crack. At the time, I wouldn't have known how to calculate that probability.

When I challenged his assertion that it would be "uncrackable", he created two messages that were written in German, and pasted them into the program we had been using in class, with a randomly generated key of undisclosed length. He gave me the encrypted output.

Instead of brute-forcing keys, I decided to apply what I knew about re-using one time pads. I wrote a program that takes some of the most common German words, and added them to sections of $(A-B)$. If a word was equal to a section of $B$, then this would generate a section of $A$. Then I used a large spellchecking dictionary to see if the section of $A$ generated by guessing a section of $B$ contained any valid German words. If yes, it would print the guessed word in $B$, the section of $A$, and the corresponding section of the key. There was only a little bit of key material that was common to multiple results, but that was enough to establish how long they key was. From there, I modified my program so that I could interactively try to guess words and it would decrypt the rest of the text based on my guess. The messages were two articles from the local newspaper.

When I showed the decrypted messages to my teacher the next week, got annoyed, and accused me of cheating. Had I installed a keylogger on his machine? Had I rigged his encryption program to leak key material? Had I exploited the old Python random number generator that isn't really random enough for cryptography (but good enough for games and simulations)?

Then I explained my approach. My teacher insisted that this solution didn't count, because it relied on guessing words. It would never have worked on random numeric data. I was just lucky that the messages were written in a language I speak. I could have cheated by using a search engine to find the newspaper articles on the web.

Now the lesson you should take away from this is not that I am smart and teachers are sore losers.

Lesson one: Everybody can build an encryption scheme or security system that he himself can't defeat. That doesn't mean others can't defeat it. You can also create an secret alphabet to protect your teenage diary from your kid sister. It's not practical to use that as an encryption scheme for banking. Something that works for your diary will in all likelihood be inappropriate for online banking, never mind state secrets. You never know if a teenage diary won't be stolen by a determined thief who thinks it holds the secret to a Bitcoin wallet passphrase, or if someone is re-using his banking password in your online game.

Lesson two: When you build a security system, you often accidentally design around an "intended attack". If you build a lock to be especially pick-proof, a burglar can still kick in the door, or break a window. Or maybe a new variation of the old "slide a piece of paper under the door and push the key through" trick works. Non-security experts are especially susceptible to this. Experts in one domain are often blind to attacks/exploits that make use of a different domain. It's like the physicist who saw a magic show and thought it must be powerful magnets at work, when it was actually invisible ropes.

Lesson three: Sometimes a real world problem is a great toy problem, but the easy and didactic toy solution is a really bad real world solution. Encryption was a fun way to teach programming, not a good way to teach encryption. There are many problems like that, like 3D rendering, Chess AI, and neural networks, where the real-world solution is not just more sophisticated than the toy solution, but a completely different architecture with completely different data structures. My own interactive codebreaking program did not work like modern approaches works either.

Lesson four: Don't roll your own cryptography. Don't even implement a known encryption algorithm. Use a cryptography library. Chances are you are not Bruce Schneier or Dan J Bernstein. It's harder than you thought. Unless you are doing a toy programming project to teach programming, it's not a good idea. If you don't take this advice to heart, a teenager with something to prove, somebody much less knowledgeable but with more time on his hands, might cause you trouble.

[hyacinthusmemorial]

The Power of Children's Stories: Why "Kid's Book" Should Not Be Considered an Insult

I do this thing when I'm walking, I listen to Kids from the Stranger Things Soundtrack and I imagine Apollo fighting Python, but then I imagine all the heroes that came after him because in a way--Apollo is the archetype of the hero. He's a child, a baby god, four days old in some stories and he's not stealing cows, he's killing a serpent. Then I imagine all the demigods that came after him, and I'm stunned because there's a reason we give children the ability to slay monsters in media when they normally are not expected to do so in real life.

I read a post by @apollosgiftofprophecy, which is a valuable critique of derogatorily labeling something "kid's book". This post I'm writing in no way disregards that, but rather highlights something similar, but different. Rick Riordan's books are powerful (recent discussion about his characterization and stories aside), and just because they are targeted at a younger audience doesn't mean they aren't powerful for everyone. I'm guilty, I called them Kid's books in this post, but to me, Kid's Books are a powerful medium and not a lower one or even a derogatory one. To me, Percy Jackson is a one million times better character than Jon Snow in Game of Thrones because GOT takes its source material so, oh so seriously that it never explores the themes of his childhood in any meaningful way. Percy Jackson on the other hand as well as Apollo because I adore those books too--they use a narration style that is clear, entertaining, and bright and humorous to express very harsh realities of life. I identified with Apollo more as an adult because he uses humor to mask his darkness, which is very much something I do (and honestly anyone in healthcare or who deals with death daily does that), but I adored Apollo because he was hiding.

Clearly, I don't write for middle grade level when I write, I write adult content, but I wanted to validate "kid's books" --not "Just kid's books." Kid's books are powerful.

Examples:

Responsible for combatting Racist views! Absolutely one of the most powerful books ever written, and it teaches CHILDREN and ADULTS to turn around and save someone even when its not the "right" thing to do, but it absolutely is. It challenges conscience. It does this while telling joke after joke after joke.

Another Example:

Another "Kid's books" but not "just kid's books"-- gosh, I could go on and on about LOTR and its themes about power. This book is important for all ages. I still analyze the hell out of it, and so do my friends. Its hopeful, not because its less of a book than its counterpart "its all quiet on the western front," but because its illustrating powerful lessons without despair. Everyone makes it home, everything is beautiful, they rebuild, the Shire endures through the darkness. The Ring is destroyed even though it still very much exists in our world.

What about the Giving Tree, or Dr. Seuss books like Yertle the Turtle or the Sneetches, Artemis Fowl, and all those "kid's books." Star Wars is for "kids," but talking about Cycles of Abuse! Luke means Hope, and he breaks his families cycle of abuse. That's powerful, and its for kids!

I would argue that Kid's books are powerful BECAUSE they are targeted for kids, not in spite of it. Stories are how we TEACH. Grimm's Fairytale's existed because storytelling was a medium through which kid's learned vital truths--they have to be dark, kid's understand darkness, they understand monsters, and while our society sanitizes death away, kid's very much should learn how to understand death too.

I read an article about how a tribe, I think perhaps one of the Inuit, uses stories instead of physical discipline and how they find that this is the superior way of teaching children and adults. Everyone listens to the stories, not just the kids. When someone makes a mistake, they develop a story to show what happens if that mistake is oft repeated. I think about our ancestors gathered around fires and they told stories, and the kids were front and center, but the adults were there too, listening, learning, remembering.

On a completely different note: when a book is "targeted" towards an audience, that's marketing. It has nothing to do with content or value. We need to separate the concept of marketed, and marketing, from the whole value of a book as a means through which to tell a story that discusses important themes.

I very much use my story as a means through which to express truths about personal issues, and I think it resonates. But, those themes and truths are universal in their basic nature, a child can understand what it means to be hurt as much as an adult. A child can understand what it means to be free as much as an adult.

[guywrestlingaddiction]

That Wrestling Moment: Kasee owns you (undergroundwrestler.com)

One of the things I love about gay wrestling is that mixing two guys together always leads to an unpredictable combination.  A friendly match may begin in one direction but watch out, because you just might get owned.  

Kasee POV (undergroundwrestler.com)

SPOILER ALERT: I highly recommend viewing this match in its entirety before reading this post.

The Backstory

We open on our very own professor Kasee teaching us the ropes.  Better still, we have Kasee all to ourselves - this must be our lucky day...

First the rules... wait he deliberately didn't mention any rules, that's odd.

You: I really want to be dominating guy.

Kasee: You want to be a dominate wrestler? You want to learn to be dominate? Then you have to take control.

Stripping down you're already intimidated as it's clear Kasee is twice the man you are with those muscles.  But damn, you gotta get your head in the game cause you've wanted to be a wrestler all your life.

Latching up, it's clear that Kasee can outmuscle you.

You: Aw shit man, you're strong!

A simple lock up and suddenly you're violently pushed back.  That should've been your first clue that this wasn't what you signed up for...

The Action All that nervousness you put aside to come here today has reemerged.  Kasee is not the trainer you thought he'd be, in fact there really hasn't been anything instructive about any of this.

This fight has taken you into so many directions.  He seemed friendly enough but your instincts are telling you something is off.  You could put up some challenge if he'd only let you up, show him you're not some simp.  

Your head is telling you to stay back but your body is drawn to that powerful body.  This lesson is gonna hurt, but you need this...

Suddenly a bearhug you didn't see coming.  It all happened so quick, you had no time to react and now the only thing in front of you is that powerful chest crushing you.  

In fact, your only view is that epic chest squeezing the life out of you like python crushing its prey.  Wait were you setup to be Kasee's prey all along? 

This is so humiliating but oh wait, he's planning something...

Fuck - you figure it out too late and before you know it all those devastating muscles come crashing down on you.  All you're left with is a view of that body crushing you.  Was he always this heavy?  Did he somehow get bigger over the course of this match? 

The Moment  You suspect that Kasee is enjoying this a little too much.  You've seen his other matches where guys take him down and now he's grinning until his face hurts cause he gets to beat on you.  

And now you've met today's moment.  The point where Kasee owns you.  I'm sure you heard of his reputation as a jobber and figured you'd sail into victory but make no mistake; Kasee might lose to other wrestlers but you are going to be his bitch today.

Talking trash and telling you how worthless you are.  To prove his point, the man makes you crawl up the very powerful body that dominated you. 

Then a choke.  As if this guy needed to underline his point, he chokes you out and then things slow down and everything goes dim...

You wake up covered in sweat and see that muscle stud is posing and distracted.  You use this chance to run like a coward out of here.  You make it to the door and smell the glorious air of freedom only to be carried back to the ring on his shoulders.

Kasee: Worship that bicep ...

It wasn't smart to run away, but what choice did you have?  Kasee is pissed now and needs to show you exactly what little coward bitches deserve.  They deserve to be put down and humiliated.  Kasee declares you will be put out by worshiping him.  

The next thing you know you have his pit shoved in your face and you fight not get too turned on.  The last thing you need is to let him know you secretly love this beat down.  

You can't believe this is happening.  Kasee is going to force you to worship him while he suffocates you with that pit. 

Kasee: That wasn't smart trying to get away and now you're going to be put out...

Laying on your back a few other wrestlers find you unconscious.  They ask what happened but you don't have the words to describe what you're feeling.  It's all a mixture of soreness, exhaustion, but above all humiliation - so why can't you stop grinning to yourself?  Oh maybe it's because you finally admitted to yourself that you never wanted to be a wrestler after all and that all you really wanted was to be owned by one.