"Harry always looks on the bright side of things--until the day he stumbles into a situation that leads to darkness, danger, and death. Now Harry doesn't know if he's tracking a killer or if the killer is tracking him and his assistant Friday, the only woman he has ever loved. Turning to the authorities only makes things worse. With Harry and Friday on the run--hunted by the police, the killer, and even Harry's friends and relatives--the chances for survival look grim"--
Master Python techniques and libraries to reduce run times, efficiently handle huge datasets, and optimize execution for complex machine learning applications. Fast Python is a toolbox of techniques for high performance Python including: Writing efficient pure-Python code Optimizing the NumPy and pandas libraries Rewriting critical code in Cython Designing persistent data structures Tailoring code for different architectures Implementing Python GPU computing Fast Python is your guide to optimizing every part of your Python-based data analysis process, from the pure Python code you write to managing the resources of modern hardware and GPUs. You'll learn to rewrite inefficient data structures, improve underperforming code with multithreading, and simplify your datasets without sacrificing accuracy. Written for experienced practitioners, this book dives right into practical solutions for improving computation and storage efficiency. You'll experiment with fun and interesting examples such as rewriting games in Cython and implementing a MapReduce framework from scratch. Finally, you'll go deep into Python GPU computing and learn how modern hardware has rehabilitated some former antipatterns and made counterintuitive ideas the most efficient way of working. About the Technology Face it. Slow code will kill a big data project. Fast pure-Python code, optimized libraries, and fully utilized multiprocessor hardware are the price of entry for machine learning and large-scale data analysis. What you need are reliable solutions that respond faster to computing requirements while using less resources, and saving money. About the Book Fast Python is a toolbox of techniques for speeding up Python, with an emphasis on big data applications. Following the clear examples and precisely articulated details, you’ll learn how to use common libraries like NumPy and pandas in more performant ways and transform data for efficient storage and I/O. More importantly, Fast Python takes a holistic approach to performance, so you’ll see how to optimize the whole system, from code to architecture. What’s Inside Rewriting critical code in Cython Designing persistent data structures Tailoring code for different architectures Implementing Python GPU computing About the Reader For intermediate Python programmers familiar with the basics of concurrency. About the Author Tiago Antão is one of the co-authors of Biopython, a major bioinformatics package written in Python. Table of Contents: PART 1 - FOUNDATIONAL APPROACHES 1 An urgent need for efficiency in data processing 2 Extracting maximum performance from built-in features 3 Concurrency, parallelism, and asynchronous processing 4 High-performance NumPy PART 2 - HARDWARE 5 Re-implementing critical code with Cython 6 Memory hierarchy, storage, and networking PART 3 - APPLICATIONS AND LIBRARIES FOR MODERN DATA PROCESSING 7 High-performance pandas and Apache Arrow 8 Storing big data PART 4 - ADVANCED TOPICS 9 Data analysis using GPU computing 10 Analyzing big data with Dask
An essential work for rock fans and scholars, Before Elvis: The Prehistory of Rock 'n' Roll surveys the origins of rock 'n' roll from the minstrel era to the emergence of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. Unlike other histories of rock, Before Elvis offers a far broader and deeper analysis of the influences on rock music. Dispelling common misconceptions, it examines rock's origins in hokum songs and big-band boogies as well as Delta blues, detailing the embrace by white artists of African-American styles long before rock 'n' roll appeared. This unique study ranges far and wide, highlighting not only the contributions of obscure but key precursors like Hardrock Gunter and Sam Theard but also the influence of celebrity performers like Gene Autry and Ella Fitzgerald. Too often, rock historians treat the genesis of rock 'n' roll as a bolt from the blue, an overnight revolution provoked by the bland pop music that immediately preceded it and created through the white appropriation of music till then played only by and for black audiences. In Before Elvis, Birnbaum daringly argues a more complicated history of rock's evolution from a heady mix of ragtime, boogie-woogie, swing, country music, mainstream pop, and rhythm-and-blues--a melange that influenced one another along the way, from the absorption of blues and boogies into jazz and pop to the integration of country and Caribbean music into rhythm-and-blues. Written in an easy style, Before Elvis presents a bold argument about rock's origins and required reading for fans and scholars of rock 'n' roll history.
Is your PC dragging? Does your broadband network creep along at dial-up speeds? Do Web pages take forever to load on your smartphone? Don't wait! If your gear has lost its pep, these fixes will get you back into the fast lane.-Supercharge your PC's hardware-Learn how to replace your graphics card-Upgrade your RAM-Adjust network card settings-Give your printer a speed boost
In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.
Is your daily run starting to drag you down? Has running become a chore rather than the delight it once was? Then The Happy Runner is the answer for you. Authors David and Megan Roche believe that you can’t reach your running potential without consistency and joyful daily adventures that lead to long-term health and happiness. Guided by their personal experiences and coaching expertise, they point out the mental and emotional factors that will help you learn exactly how to become a happy runner and achieve your personal best.
In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.
The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English offers the ultimate record of modern American Slang. The 25,000 entries are accompanied by citations that authenticate the words as well as offer lively examples of usage from popular literature, newspapers, magazines, movies, television shows, musical lyrics, and Internet user groups. Etymology, cultural context, country of origin and the date the word was first used are also provided. This informative, entertaining and sometimes shocking dictionary is an unbeatable resource for all language aficionados out there.