Music, magic and myth are elements essential to the identities of New Orleans musicians. The city''s singular contributions to popular music around the world have been unrivaled; performing this music authentically requires collective improvisation, taking performers on sonorous sojourns in unanticipated, ''magical'' moments; and membership in the city''s musical community entails participation in the myth of New Orleans, breathing new life into its storied traditions. On the basis of 56 open-ended interviews with those in the city''s musical community, Michael Urban discovers that, indeed, community is what it is all about. In their own words, informants explain that commercial concerns are eclipsed by the pleasure of playing in ''one big band'' that disassembles daily into smaller performing units whose rosters are fluid, such that, over time, ''everybody plays with everybody''. Although Hurricane Katrina nearly terminated the city, New Orleans and its music—in no small part due to the sacrifices and labors of its musicians—have come back even stronger. Dancing to their own drum, New Orleanians again prove themselves to be admirably out of step with the rest of America.

If you want to learn how to program but don't know where to start, this is the right book and the right language for you. From the first page, our self-paced approach will help you build competence and confidence in your programming skills. And Python is the best language ever for learning how to program because of its simplicity and breadth...two features that are hard to find in a single language.

But this isn't just a book for beginners! Our self-paced approach also works for experienced programmers, helping you learn Python faster and better than you've ever learned a language before. By the time you're through, you will have mastered the key Python skills that are needed on the job, including those for object-oriented, database, and GUI programming.

To make all of this possible, section 1 presents an 8-chapter course that will get anyone off to a great start with Python. Section 2 builds on that base by presenting the other essential skills that every Python programmer should have. Section 3 shows you how to develop object-oriented programs, a critical skillset in today's world. And section 4 shows you how to apply all of the skills that you've already learned as you build database and GUI programs for the real world.

Python is one of the most powerful languages in the world — and one of the easiest to learn! Whether you’re new to programming or coming from another language, this book’s self-paced approach meets you where you are. If you’re new to programming, you can slow down when necessary and do the exercises at the end of each chapter to build confidence and skill. If you already know other languages, you can move quickly through the familiar to focus on the new as you learn Python faster than you’ve ever learned a language before. Either way, by the end of the book, you will have mastered the Python skills employers are looking for today.

Here’s how the book is organized: Section 1 is an 8-chapter course that gets you started with Python fast. By the end of this section, you’ll be able to use functions and modules to organize a program that uses file I/O to read and write data. Section 2 builds on that foundation with additional skills every Python programmer needs. Section 3 dives into object-oriented programming. And section 4 brings it all together as you build realistic database and GUI applications.

Music, magic and myth are elements essential to the identities of New Orleans musicians. The city''s singular contributions to popular music around the world have been unrivaled; performing this music authentically requires collective improvisation, taking performers on sonorous sojourns in unanticipated, ''magical'' moments; and membership in the city''s musical community entails participation in the myth of New Orleans, breathing new life into its storied traditions. On the basis of 56 open-ended interviews with those in the city''s musical community, Michael Urban discovers that, indeed, community is what it is all about. In their own words, informants explain that commercial concerns are eclipsed by the pleasure of playing in ''one big band'' that disassembles daily into smaller performing units whose rosters are fluid, such that, over time, ''everybody plays with everybody''. Although Hurricane Katrina nearly terminated the city, New Orleans and its music—in no small part due to the sacrifices and labors of its musicians—have come back even stronger. Dancing to their own drum, New Orleanians again prove themselves to be admirably out of step with the rest of America.

If you want to learn how to program but don't know where to start, this is the right book and the right language for you. From the first page, our self-paced approach will help you build competence and confidence in your programming skills. And Python is the best language ever for learning how to program because of its simplicity and breadth...two features that are hard to find in a single language.

But this isn't just a book for beginners! Our self-paced approach also works for experienced programmers, helping you learn Python faster and better than you've ever learned a language before. By the time you're through, you will have mastered the key Python skills that are needed on the job, including those for object-oriented, database, and GUI programming.

To make all of this possible, section 1 presents an 8-chapter course that will get anyone off to a great start with Python. Section 2 builds on that base by presenting the other essential skills that every Python programmer should have. Section 3 shows you how to develop object-oriented programs, a critical skillset in today's world. And section 4 shows you how to apply all of the skills that you've already learned as you build database and GUI programs for the real world.

Python is one of the most powerful languages in the world — and one of the easiest to learn! Whether you’re new to programming or coming from another language, this book’s self-paced approach meets you where you are. If you’re new to programming, you can slow down when necessary and do the exercises at the end of each chapter to build confidence and skill. If you already know other languages, you can move quickly through the familiar to focus on the new as you learn Python faster than you’ve ever learned a language before. Either way, by the end of the book, you will have mastered the Python skills employers are looking for today.

Here’s how the book is organized: Section 1 is an 8-chapter course that gets you started with Python fast. By the end of this section, you’ll be able to use functions and modules to organize a program that uses file I/O to read and write data. Section 2 builds on that foundation with additional skills every Python programmer needs. Section 3 dives into object-oriented programming. And section 4 brings it all together as you build realistic database and GUI applications.