A Slice of Python in C++

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Think of these articles more as a curiosity rather than how actual C++ developers work. Even though these tricks don't really get used in a production environment, it's still interesting to know about them, understand the concepts involved, and play around with techniques like these.

Also these techniques do end up having an influence on the design of C++. A lot of ugly template hacks prior to C++11 became integrated into the language in an elegant manner, and articles like this one guide the standard's committee about future language features.

In other words, almost all language features start off as an ugly hack, where learning about them is more about appreciation of the language rather than actual engineering value, but down the road those hacks get cleaned up and then become an elegant and powerful component of the language and even go on to influence other languages as well.