Curious about programming? Ever wished you could write your own scripts to automate repetitive tasks, or for fun? Or been interested in understanding how an application works (and why there are always bugs in the software you use??). I'm teaching a new class in Tog on learning how to program …

A couple of weeks ago I started getting in trouble when trying to update my system (Debian Wheezy) via aptitude. A dozen or so packages were failing to configure, and while these failures occurred other packages couldn't install.

Output would contain things like this:

Setting up install-info (4.13a.dfsg …

I like micro-blogging, or well, I hang out on identi.ca anyway. I'd like to use it more but I have trouble keeping track when I add interesting-but-too-prolific people on my subscription list, or I sink when the occasional flamewar/"debate" erupts in a group I follow. I don't write …

I've been using the Michel Thomas Method to learn Japanese lately, using this set of CDs (8 hours). It works wonderfully well. The method only claims to teach you basic conversation skills, no writing or reading, and does so without requiring you to learn long lists of vocabulary or really …

A couple of tips so I don't have to look it up again. A few months back I wanted to generate coverage data for a stand-alone application, with a few tweaks.

$ coverage run -p tests/my_python_tests.py
$ coverage run -p tests …