Date: Apr 04/20/09 1:44 PM Subject: [GNHLUG] PySIG: Using Python to Solve Radar Problems -- April '09 meeting, this Thursday From: "Bill Sconce" PySIG Manchester, NH 24 April2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Using Python to Solve Radar Problems, presented by Bruce Labitt ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________________________________________________________________ PySIG -- New Hampshire Python Special Interest Group Amoskeag Business Incubator, Manchester, NH 24 April 2009 (4th Thursday) 7:00PM (Beginner's Q&A at 6:30PM) The monthly meeting of PySIG, the NH Python Special Interest Group, takes place on the fourth Thursday of the month, starting at 7:00 PM. A beginners' session precedes, at 6:30 PM. (Bring a Python question!) Favorite-gotcha contest; follow-up on Mercurial implementations after Kent's Hg presentation last month; Janet's cookies (the rumors turned out to be true -- Derby-Day Preview Cookies (!)); and more this month. ________________________________________________________________________ Using Python to Solve Radar Problems Presented by Bruce Labitt Radar systems analysis and simulation can tax the abilities of many computing platforms. A customized platform built from off-the-shelf components has been assembled to speed the analysis of computationally intensive radar simulations. Open-source software has been employed to speed both the development and running of the code. Python was used to implement the user interface, C and openmp were used for the computation engine, and Python used again in the back end to render the surface plots. This was the author's first experience with a moderately sized software project. The author had to learn Python and numpy, and was impressed with both the versatility and power of the Python language. Plus: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ o Our usual roundtable of introductions, happenings, announcements o Data Types IX - (Running PySIG joke :) o Gotcha contest - Got a favorite "gotcha"? Bring it and share... And of course, milk, & cookies. This month: Derby-Pie cookies (not JBD safe, yet laced with special "Kentucky Bluegrass Icing"...) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6:30 Beginners' Q&A 7:00 Welcome, Announcements - Bill & Ted & Alex 7:10 Cookies & Milk - Janet & Alex (thanks, Alex!) 7:15 Favorite-gotcha contest 7:20 Mercurial-Implementation stories -anyone 7:25 Impromptu lightning talk(s) - anyone 7:30 Using Python to Solve Radar Problems presented by Bruce Labitt 8:30 Open discussion; plans for next time 8:45~ Adjourn ________________________________________________________________________ About PySIG: PySIG meetings are typically 10-20 people, around a large table equipped with a projector and Internet hookups (wired and wireless). We encourage laptops and a hands-on seminar style. The main meeting starts at 7 PM; officially we finish circa 9 PM. Everyone is welcome. ("Membership" is anyone who has an interest in the Python progamming language, whether on Microsoft systems or Linux or OS X; or cell phones, mainframes, or space stations. We have everyone from object-oriented gurus to recovering COBOL programmers.) Tell your friends! Beginners' session: The half hour before the formal meeting (i.e., starting at 6:30PM) we have a beginners' session. Any Python question is welcome -- whoever asks the first question gets the half hour! Questions are equally welcome by mail beforehand (in which case we can announce them) or at the meeting. (As are all Python questions, anytime.) Mailing list: http://www.dlslug.org/mailman/listinfo/python-talk About Python: "Python is a dynamic object-oriented programming language that can be used for many kinds of software development. It offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, comes with extensive standard libraries, and can be learned in a few days. Many Python programmers report substantial productivity gains and feel the language encourages the development of higher quality, more maintainable code." "NASA uses Python...so does Rackspace, Industrial Light&Magic, AstraZeneca, Honeywell, and many others." Google: "Python has been an important part of Google since the beginning, and remains so as the system grows and evolves." -Peter Norvig http://www.python.org About Amoskeag Business Incubator: Our gracious hosts are the Amoskeag Business Incubator, an organization providing a supportive entrepreneurial environment that stimulates the growth of businesses to ensure economic vitality and encourage job creation, by providing affordable office space and technical assistance to early stage companies. PySIG and GNHLUG thank the ABI for their generous hospitality. http://www.abi-nh.com ________________________________________________________________________ Directions: PySIG NH meetings are held at the Amoskeag Business Incubator, 33 South Commercial Street, Manchester, NH. Coming in to Manchester using I-293, from the north: o Use Exit 5 ("Granite Street") from I-293. Stay to the left at the bottom of the ramp, to turn left (east). Go under I-293 and cross the bridge over the Merrimack River. Coming in to Manchester using I-293, from the south: o Use the Granite Street exit. Turn right (east). Go under I-293 and cross the bridge over the Merrimack River. After crossing the bridge: o Turn right (south) at the first light. This is South Commercial Street. o Go past one parking-lot entrance, turn right into the second one. 33 Commercial Street will be right in front of you. You may go in via either the ramp or the door and up three steps inside. o Inside. Up the stairs if via the door. Go through the glass doors - follow the diamonds on the floor. Go left at the last diamond. (Under a sign which says "<- Amoskeag Small Bus. Incubator"). o More diamonds, another sign... much glass and office space for SNHU; turn left there, 4 more diamonds and you're at the glass doors for the Incubator. An "abi" sign is above. o Through the doors, straight down the hall. The ABI Conference Room is on the left. ________________________________________________________________________ $URL: svn://svn.in-spec-inc.com/isi/trunk/isi/opages/pysig.announcement $ (c) 2009 In Spec, Inc.: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ $Id: pysig.announcement 3876 2009-04-20 17:37:48Z sconce $ $Rev: 3876 $ _______________________________________________ gnhlug-announce mailing list gnhlug-announce@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/