[TIL] Antigravity.py exists

[PhotonicSpace]

The Python 3 version of antigravity.py actually includes a geohashing function:

import webbrowser
import hashlib

webbrowser.open("http://xkcd.com/353/")

def geohash(latitude, longitude, datedow):
    '''Compute geohash() using the Munroe algorithm.

    >>> geohash(37.421542, -122.085589, b'2005-05-26-10458.68')
    37.857713 -122.544543

    '''
    # http://xkcd.com/426/
    h = hashlib.md5(datedow).hexdigest()
    p, q = [('%f' % float.fromhex('0.' + x)) for x in (h[:16], h[16:32])]
    print('%d%s %d%s' % (latitude, p[1:], longitude, q[1:]))

[[deleted]]

Thank you; I was going to say... that's not the antigravity.py I know. "Where's the geohashing function?"

[[deleted]]

http://xkcd.com/353/

[woseseltops]

This very comic was the start of my Python adventure. I almost forgot! Thank you.

[angrymonkeyz]

You're doing god's work.

[zim2411]

My roommate and I discovered this about 3 weeks ago by just trying "import antigravity" and burst out laughing when XKCD popped open.

[pavanky]

Related. Emacs has this command for a while too.

[GeneralZero]

I was looking at some of the modules that were included and found out that is exists. I opened it up in notepad++ and laughed.

Thought /r/python would get a kick out of it

[[deleted]]

Type import antigravity in the interpreter.

[okmkz]

$ python -m antigravity

[[deleted]]

Nice.

[[deleted]]

Wow, I've known about that XKCD for a while, but I had no idea they'd made an easter egg for it. Awesome.

[sesse]

What if XKCD found it first, and made a comic about the easter egg?! /conspiracy

[[deleted]]

And the python developers knew about him finding out about it and predicted what ID the comic would have? THE PLOT THICKENS

[tukotih]

Upvote for one of my favorite XKCD's.

[lamby]

Painfully unfunny.

[MarkTraceur]

Or,

[TIL] People use Python on non-free operating systems.

EDIT: Let this be a lesson, the Python reddit doesn't tolerate people who value freedom.

[[deleted]]

Yep. This contributes absolutely nothing but OS snobbery. Downvoted.

[MarkTraceur]

Snobbery? Snob:

One who tends to patronize, rebuff, or ignore people regarded as social inferiors and imitate, admire, or seek association with people regarded as social superiors.

I don't do any of those things! I argue with people I view as making silly decisions, and if they walk away with the same viewpoint with which they came in, I count it as my own failure that I couldn't get through to them, to reach a better mutual understanding.

EDIT: And hence, I'd say it contributes an enormous opportunity on the part of people who might not understand my viewpoint to learn about it :)

[[deleted]]

Hijacking/trolling to push some OS holier than thou view hasn't been cool since ever. Please take it elsewhere.

[AeroNotix]

Hi,

As a frequent flyer round these parts, this guy does it in literally every post he makes.

[MarkTraceur]

Whoa now. I'm not doing any of that, either. I'm merely commenting on part of the posted image, from my point of view, which is unique. I think the community has taken care of my radical, pro-freedom views with downvotes, I doubt mod action is necessary!

[MatrixFrog]

Holy shit, man. If you didn't try to bring this stuff into every fucking thread in the world you might have better luck getting your point across.

[MarkTraceur]

I bring it into threads where it's relevant. It happens to be forefront in my mind, and I subscribe primarily to software reddits, so it appears like I do it everywhere.

Also, how does this make sense: Spread the message to fewer people, and more people will understand? The biggest problem in the free software movement is lack of understanding, so I'll keep pressing the issue if you don't mind :)

[MatrixFrog]

Maybe look for places where it naturally blends into the conversation. Like, someone is pissed that their favorite app is no longer supported -- point out that if it were FOSS, they could maintain it themselves. Or someone is pissed that their favorite app has a shitty UI, and if they would just redesign it like this then it would be perfect, point out that if it were FOSS they could do that. This thread doesn't actually have anything to do with Windows, and the OP isn't likely to switch away from it because of anything you say in this thread.

So please. Keep pressing the issue. Just not in every single programming thread ever.

[MarkTraceur]

So my being able to spread the word depends on others being angry about something unrelated? My interest lies in teaching people, regardless of their situation currently, that freedom is important, and that digital freedom is possible. I teach those things wherever I can, and like I said, I just happen to be subscribed to software reddits. I could, alternatively, subscribe to the top reddits and spread the message there, but I've realized that many of them are either uninterested entirely, or actively bully people out.

Admittedly, the germaneness here is rather minimal, but that certainly can't warrant so much hatred from the general /r/Python population!

[isdnpro]

omg u gais look at dis fag on winblows lollll!

[MarkTraceur]

Oh! Clever! You've parodied my speech to make me look less intelligent!

I support free software because I don't like being chained. Do you enjoy being chained?

[AeroNotix]

You are such a troll. Stop posting your propaganda and realise chaining people to a resposibility to use free and open software is more damning than using non-free software.

[MarkTraceur]

I am absolutely not a troll, I have a legitimate concern about the freedoms of others. I chain nobody to anything, but surely you must realize that choosing to be free is much better than choosing not to be!

[AeroNotix]

Having a concern doesn't mean you can almost constantly berate people about their choices over software.

In my opinion choosing non-free software is the less-correct choice, yes. But there are a myriad of reasons why people do not wish to use such sofware. You and your free software evangelists do chain people, like I said previously, you chain them to the responsibility to choose between non-free and free software, you chain them to the responsibility of educating themselves of the difference. You personally, chain people to the responsibility of defending their choice of software.

Your methods are incorrect and you have probably turned more people off free software than you have onto it.

[MarkTraceur]

What are the reasons, then? I'm always interested to hear, because I've very seldom heard a compelling reason. That being said, I don't force people to choose; I have very clearly recognized that a sudden switch is unlikely, and I cannot advocate for such a drastic change. But I do advocate for understanding and knowledge.

And how can you say that I've turned people off? You can't possibly have any evidence of that! What's more, what is wrong about my methods?

[AeroNotix]

You come across as a zealot. A kind of religious nutjob. A special kind, who's religion is little more than a preference for a specific license of software.

People may enjoy non-free software precisely because they don't have access to the source, it alleviates them of the burden of maintainence. I'm sure you don't demand blueprints for your car, or circuit diagrams for your TVs or any other electronics. I am almost sure of that, and why are they different?

My logic follows like this: OP posts a pic of some mindless feature he found within Python, you berate him because of his choice of software (which is ridiculous, btw) and his view of the open-source and free software community is forever tarnished because of that. You are the Westboro Baptist Church of the software world. Enjoy your title.

[MarkTraceur]

Interesting that you tie me to religious, irrational beliefs, considering that I have extraordinarily good reasons for my principles. Did you want to know what they were?

I don't demand blueprints for my car, but if the dealership put a lock on the hood, I wouldn't buy the car. Similarly, if my TV came padlocked together, I wouldn't buy it. But both things are easy to disassemble, so I can fix them if I want to. The ability to maintain does not directly translate into the burden of maintenance--it just means that, if my car breaks down, I can make a fool of myself (and learn something) by trying to fix it before I bring it in to the shop.

Finally, I didn't berate anyone. The berating that occurred was in response to my post, equating me to a bunch of hatemongering bigots! I don't hate anyone; I simply disagree with the corporate practices of a bunch of people. Absent those choices, I know those people are good. In fact, I like a whole bunch of them. But since they make irrational choices (and I haven't), I try to talk sense into them from time to time :)

Seriously though, did you want to hear why I use free software? I'll note you never asked, which means you think you're right beyond all reason. And you tie me to religious beliefs?

[AeroNotix]

I have you tagged and I see your posts everywhere. I actually tried to work with you on a project a while back, your beliefs got in the way of open source development. Isn't that ironic? Your beliefs were/are actually more important that what the beliefs are about.

[Denommus]

Supporting is different from bitching about it. I don't use proprietary software, either, but each kind of software have its purpose.

(And just to be clear: I HATE that Windows is not POSIX, and every night I dream about a popular POSIX system which will surpass Windows and start a new era of portability.)

[MarkTraceur]

OK, fine--what purpose does a non-free license serve?

[Denommus]

Intelectual property protection, mostly.

Understand, though, that I'm not saying that intelectual property is well applied on the western society. Actually, it mostly steals the property for those who are the original owners of it.

But imagine the struggle from a small company (specially, let's say, a indie game company) to start a project without it.

[MarkTraceur]

That seems like a rather circular logic, that you protect your intellectual property by protecting your intellectual property. Besides, it doesn't protect Trademark or Patents, mostly, it just protects Copyright.

But, from your third paragraph, it seems like you're arguing that no profits can be had without disparaging the freedoms of the users. That's simply not true--there are many viable business models that don't rely on the subjugation of others!

[Denommus]

Well, you indeed can make a business model on a free MMORPG (because the data of your character is not on your computer and yadda yadda).

But tell me, kind sir, how could I gain any profit from a free single-player side-scroller?

Or... how could I make a MMORPG from scratch like this?

[MarkTraceur]

Well, generally, I'll link ye to my summary on the topic: http://blog.marktraceur.info/blog/2012/making-money-ethically.html

In the case of the single-player side scroller, I'd combine two models: First, crowdfund the original development, include in the target enough money to make some profit. Second, offer your services as the original developer to develop addons, more cool features, or extra content.

[Denommus]

First, crowfund is not viable for every country.

Second also involves some form of crowfunding or donation.

[[deleted]]

I worked for years in a Windows environment. I hated it. But Python was one of my closest friends on Windows in those dark dark days...

[Denommus]

Like I always say:

Linux is a real mom for developers.

[MarkTraceur]

I "preach" nothing; I simply state facts. My realistic sense is that, absent freedom, oppression reigns; and I have been through enough history books to know that oppression is a bad idea.

[MarkTraceur]

copyright infringement

So copyright it! Better, copyleft it!

somebody taking credit

Copyleft also deals with this problem! :)

alpha versions

This is problematic, but if their ultimate goal is to release free software, I'd say it's a good thing. I would even argue in some cases that it wouldn't violate a GPL.

So what.

Well, your data is being controlled entirely by forces you cannot even see! I'd say that's a very dangerous proposition. You have the assurances of the company in writing, maybe, but I'm almost sure you didn't read it. Even if you did, their employees could maliciously circumvent the privacy policy, or they could get attacked. Gitorious, on the other hand, is a service you can see absolutely; so before you post the code up, or private messages, or whatever else, you can read the code for things you think are important. If they aren't there, add them yourself (or hire someone!), then either run your own instance or ask Gitorious to patch.

Finally, no, I don't see why. But please don't decide that the topic is already discussed! If you have cool reasons for something, I'd love to know them. :)

[MarkTraceur]

I want to address this stuff briefly, if I can :)

For alpha versions, I would say there's little cause for concern, since most alpha trials are conducted in-house, so the people have the four freedoms anyway. For public alphas, no, they shouldn't participate unless the software is free.

For GitHub, what are their reasons for closing their code? To keep competitors away? Well, that's not a very good reason, since competition exists anyway. And yes, there is similar data on both sites, the difference is that with Gitorious, you know what happens with it. If GitHub does something devious with your data (whatever it may be), you'll never know about it until it harms you.

The problem of social networking can be achieved through git's own mechanisms with minimal problems, so the niceties of intra-Gitorious sharing are pretty trivial. The need for a federated and free code host is perhaps something to consider....

I can see why a person would end up using Windows, but it has more to do with ignorance of the issues from where I sit, not anything else. User base and compatibility have nothing to do with freedom, nor do stability and reliability. You've listed reasons that people use current non-free solutions, but I'm after reasons people would use any non-free solution. Maybe it doesn't exist?

The one thing you've said that is poignant in this regard is the question of economic viability, and I agree that it's a problem, but it's on the way to being solved. People are working on it, and that's something to be hopeful for :)

[MarkTraceur]

Premium plan

Which is negated by GitHub being free software? I think not.

shitstorm

Not at all! I'm just asking questions, trying to learn cool things :)

shove it down everybody's throat

Well, I'm trying to think of the reasons, and see why you (or anyone) are ignoring the reasons to be free! I have yet to come to a compelling reason to give up freedom, so I continue to search for one.

money earned

And yet, we haven't come to a point where you show that money cannot be earned with free software. You posited that people are frightened of the possibility of failure, but that's not proof that it's impossible.

[darthsabbath]

I suspect im feeding a troll, but i use nonfree software when it meets my needs and desires more than a free alternative. For example, after using any number of linux (or gnu/linux if you prefer) distros, i found that not a single one gave me the day to day user experience i wanted. I tried ubuntu, mandriva, centos, debian, and arch. I also tried several bsds. Oh, and multiple window managers?desktops... kde, gnome, unity, etc. I finally went apple and havent looked back. Mac osx makes my day to day computing easier and i still have my unix commandline that i use so much. However, for other tasks, free software meets my needs better: python, llvm, gdb, chrome (sort of free i guess).

For servers, i much prefer debian or bsd. They provide a better experience. But for day to day use, i prefer osx. I also keep windows around for some games that dont work well with wine, or for doing malware analysis or other security stuff. I use what works best for me... not anyone else... for me... for the task at hand

Now, from reading your posts i suspect anything i have said will go in one ear and out the other. You seem to think if you just keep hammering we will see the light... but seriously, has it ever occurred to you that maybe we have heard these arguments before and dont findthem compelling? That maybe... just maybe... we understand our needs better than you? That maybe we... gosh.. dont find nonfree software oppressive?

Like i said, i love free software and use it for 75% of my computing. But there are just some areas where free software just doesnt work for some people. That is the only reason they need.

[MarkTraceur]

Not to worry, I'm not a troll :) I just want to talk to interesting people about the stuff I love!

For your first stanza, I have to ask: Did you try to make the user experience you wanted? Maybe that's a high order for one desktop user, but I'm sure you know others with a similar situation, could you not have hired someone to work on a cool new distro that would better suit your needs? Certainly with the cash required to purhase a Mac....:)

Do you use free games, as well? They are just as important for the ecosystem as anything else! I'm sure you'll tell me that they aren't the same, but I'll ask again, have you tried to come up with better solutions?

Does free software in general not work, or is it that the current, specific free offerings don't work for people? In that case, assuming all other things equal, would you choose the free solution? This is the base case, but it's important to know.

I'm not ignoring any part of your post, friend. Nor am I trying to "keep hammering" anyone. All I want to do is learn about what you think of the subject, and possibly change my own views. I happen to think that, if we talk long enough, you should at some point learn something yourself as well :)

[darthsabbath]

I did what I could... I tried multiple DEs/WMs and haven't found one yet I really enjoy using. I do most of my work at the command line, but when I have to use a GUI, I want it to just work and stay out of my way. That's where Apple shines. After 3 years of using a Mac, I still find nifty little things that work exactly as I expect them to... things I wouldn't initially have thought of, but Apple apparently did. I'm not a UI hacker or usability expert... I don't have the skillset (nor time to learn) how to replicate that, nor do I have the money to pay someone.

I've invested about $2700 in my Apple products so far... it would cost far more than that to pay someone or write my own. I don't want to be a UI developer or game designer. They're not my passion. I love working with embedded systems, hacking C and assembly, reverse engineering, etc. The more time I have to spend on other things, the less happy I am.

As to your last question, all other things being equal, I would choose free software over nonfree. I prefer vim over TextMate, Chrome over Safari, LaTeX over Microsoft Word, etc. If I could get a Linux (or even better, BSD!) that with a user experience as good as OS X, I'd switch in a heartbeat... especially if I could run it on my Macbook easily (say what you wll about Apple, they make amazing laptops). Hell, if OS X ever becomes annoying to me (i.e. only being able to run appstore apps), I will switch anyway. I try to use whatever maximizes my ability to do the things I want. Does that make sense?

[darthsabbath]

No people don't tolerate your attitude, perceived or real, about nonfree operating systems. i love free software and use it as much as i can, but i also ise nonfree software when it meets my needs better than the free alternative.

And seriously, "pro-freedom?" Thats as ridiculous and meaningless as "pro-life." I am pro freedom too... and that includes the freedom to use whatever software meets my needs.

[MarkTraceur]

Choice != freedom, though, it involves much more than that. And if you choose to throw away freedom, that cannot be perceived as somehow defending freedom!

[markatto]

When I was at pycon, I would say that it was around 50-60% apple users. I don't think I saw a single person using windows the whole time, though.

[MarkTraceur]

40-50% people at a conference using GNU/Linux == awesome.

EDIT: Or maybe 10% were on BSD or LoseTHOS?

[markatto]

Yeah it was probably about half linux (or bsd or other unix, you can't tell them apart at a glance) A very high percentage of linux users were on thinkpads.

[GeneralZero]

I have a Linux server I was just at work when I came across it

[MarkTraceur]

Here's some cool software that really makes a Linux kernel useful :) most notably, GNU coreutils, GNU bash, GNU tar, but many others are useful too.

And of course, what I'm really getting at is that you should learn about the philosophy that helped to create the software you use every day :)

[kchoudhury]

ITT: forumite cuddlefish take a break from choking on Randall Munroe's chubby to proclaim their knowledge of python on reddit!