Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · 14d

I learned a few algorithms for generative art, you can too:
nedbatchelder.com/blog/202509/...

Hobby Hilbert Simplex

An exploration and explanation of how to generate interesting swoopy art

nedbatchelder.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · 18d

People should spend less time learning DSA, more time learning testing.

nedbatchelder.com/blog/202509/...

Testing is better than DSA

People should spend less time learning DSA, more time learning testing.

nedbatchelder.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · 21d

Vote Forward is running letter-writing campaigns to US voters. votefwd.org
Does it help? Not sure. Doom-scrolling doesn't!

Vote Forward

Vote Forward volunteers send heartfelt handwritten letters to unregistered and low-propensity voters encouraging them to participate in our democracy. The letters have been shown to significantly boos...

votefwd.org

Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Aug 25

My wife's latest for Psychology Today. That's me in the pic, about 22 years ago..

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-...

A Lifetime of Autism and Summer Vacations

Personal Perspective: As empty-nesters, we can go anywhere, do anything. But in the summer, we don't. We go to that same rental, even though it is way too big for just the two of us.

www.psychologytoday.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Aug 19

Thanks to an amazing contribution by Alex Gaynor, `coverage combine` is now twice as fast! Not released yet, but give it a try and report back.
python3 -m pip install git+https://github.com/nedbat/coveragepy

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Reposted by Ned Batchelder

Mike Fiedler @miketheman.com · Aug 13

Love it! And stacking parametrize for combinations is cool, too!

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Aug 13

The pytest.mark.parametrize feature is amazing, and more people should use it, especially people new to writing #Python tests. But it looks scary. I wrote an explainer: nedbatchelder.com/blog/202508/...

Starting with pytest’s parametrize

Pytest’s parametrize feature is powerful but it looks scary. I hope this step-by-step explanation helps people use it more.

nedbatchelder.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Aug 11

I fixed a handful of issues with the new `patch = subprocess` feature in coverage․py. Try 7.10.3 and let me know how it goes!

coverage.readthedocs.io/en/7.10.3/ch...

Change history for coverage.py — Coverage.py 7.10.3 documentation

coverage.readthedocs.io

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Aug 7

Every puzzle contains another puzzle: how was it constructed? The game Flow Free asks you to find the paths to connect same-colored dots on a grid. How are these layouts created?

A hexagonal grid with tightly-packed paths connecting same-colored dots.

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jul 31

You are a treasure, and I hope you have someone who treasures you.

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jul 29

"Coverage is one of those tools that's just silently awesome."

news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4472...

Coverage.py Regex Pragmas | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jul 28

Did you know you can write your own regexes to exclude code from coverage.py measurement?

nedbatchelder.com/blog/202507/...

coverage.py

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jul 25

I quoted you: nedbatchelder.com/blog/202507/...

Coverage 7.10.0: patch

Coverage 7.10 has some significant new features that have solved some long-standing problems.

nedbatchelder.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jul 25

A few more words about the new `patch` option in coverage․py 7.10:
"The latest release of Coverage feels like a Christmas present!"

nedbatchelder.com/blog/202507/...

Coverage 7.10.0: patch

Coverage 7.10 has some significant new features that have solved some long-standing problems.

nedbatchelder.com

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Reposted by Ned Batchelder

leodevian.bsky.social @leodevian.bsky.social · Jul 24

@nedbat.com The latest release of Coverage feels like a Christmas present! The native support for Python subprocesses is so good! Thank you for all of it 🙏🏻

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jul 15

In #Python, why is `reversed(range(...))` different than `range(...)`?
nedbatchelder.com/blog/202507/...

2048: iterators and iterables

Making a simple game, I waded into a classic iterator/iterable confusion.

nedbatchelder.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jun 30

What's the best way these days to get nightly builds of #Python versions? I have deadsnakes in the coverage․py nightly action, but some of the builds are over two weeks old and I don't know why. Would pyenv be better? uv?

Anyone have an example working well for me to copy^H^H^H^H be inspired by?

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Reposted by Ned Batchelder

Chad Whitacre @chadwhitacre.com · Jun 27

For Open Path № 2, I talked to @simonwillison.net, @nedbat.com, and five other maintainers to understand the Open Source burnout crisis from their point of view. The dream? Financial support w/o hoops!

Full episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTY-...

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jun 27

Nice! What am I looking at in that third picture?

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jun 17

Are you in Boston and want to hang with #Python people? Boston Python's project & collaboration night is June 24th. It's an informal gathering to talk together, work together, learn from each other, network, whatever. Tell your friends :)

www.meetup.com/bostonpython...

Project & Collaboration Night, Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup

Bring a laptop. Bring ideas. Bring questions. Bring enthusiasm. Bring friends. The Boston Python Project & Collaboration Night is a time to find others with compatible inte

www.meetup.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jun 16

Two geometric facts about 63, but how to connect them?
nedbatchelder.com/blog/202506/...

Math factoid of the day: 63

Two geometric facts about 63, but how to connect them?

nedbatchelder.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jun 10

Cog 3.5!
--check now has --diff to see what changed
shorter checksum format to be less distracting
current directory restoration to simplify your code
and, shocker! --help works!

cog.readthedocs.io

Cog — cog 3.5.1 documentation

cog.readthedocs.io

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jun 9

39 years ago today....

nedbatchelder.com/blog/202506/...

Digital Equipment Corporation no more

Tech giants come and go

nedbatchelder.com

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Ned Batchelder @nedbat.com · Jun 6

Every June I dig this up: hachyderm.io/@nedbat/1105...

Ned Batchelder (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Do you have interns at work this summer? They may find this helpful (created by a summer intern at edX a few years ago):

hachyderm.io

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Reposted by Ned Batchelder

cait (and adonis) @cait.bsky.social · Jun 5

a friend of mine shared this ai-generated "emotion wheel" and unfortunately i have been laughing my ass off at it for like 15 minutes now. today i am feeling Fnliinneon

emotion wheel starting with "joy, fear, anger" in the center and then lapsing into gibberish

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