"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.
The war against The Blight is over, and the subterranean realms of Nulapeiron have a chance for peace. But Tom Corcorigan, revolutionary and war hero, newly married and longing for the quiet life, knows that a greater force threatens his world: the planet-consuming Anomaly, which has absorbed billions of humans and alien beings into itself. Tom's association with the disembodied Eemur's Head, the flensed and bloody remains of a powerful Seer, changes him into something more than a poverty-stricken Lord. The spacetime-warping science of Seers and Oracles penetrates the heart of reality, bringing new enemies and allies into Tom's life. And his "story crystal," a gift from a mysterious mu-space Pilot, reveals more of the Pilots' history and true nature, and the existence of their home in a universe no ordinary human being can experience: the strange, shifting, living fractal city that is Labyrinth. Soon the Anomaly, an evil far more powerful than its offspring Blight, rips into the world, decimating the human realms. Among the free humans who survive in the floating terraformer spheres of Nulapeiron's skies, only the forces commanded by Tom Corcorigan have a chance against this omnipotent invader. For only a Warlord who is no longer human, who is willing to sacrifice everything, can deliver humanity from darkness. Resolution concludes the trilogy of Nulapeiron tales featuring Tom Corcorigan, bringing the story to a triumphant climax and revealing the devastating secret of the Oracles' creation.
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.
This audio CD and booklet presents 10 backing tracks for you to practice soloing. Each track is recorded twice, once with harmonica and once without. Improve your timing by keeping up with a professional group. Develop a bank of riffs while playing with a solid blues backing. Learn new phrasing techniques. Playing along will stimulate your powers of improvisation. Listening carefully to what each instrument is doing will help you emulate it or just blend in, picking up rhythm patterns and playing your favorite melody over some of the tracks. Become acquainted with different blues grooves. It's good fun and great practice whatever your level of proficiency. the booklet contains basic instruction on rhythm, tone, melody, harmony, tongue blocking, improvisation, positions and scales, bending notes, and more.
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
The ultimate training resource for athletes and coaches includes more than 262 exercises and drills, programming, and exclusive access to online video library. Assessments provide parameters for individual programs and sport-specific training.
