Rodrigo Girão Serrão: Python Training, itertools, and Idioms 3d1j7

Once you’ve learned the vocabulary and syntax of the Python language, how do you progress into...

Once you’ve learned the vocabulary and syntax of the Python language, how do you progress into learning the right combinations to put into your code? How can Python’s built-in itertools library enhance your skills? This week on the show, we speak with Rodrigo Girão Serrão about teaching Python through his blog and his ion for the itertools library.
We discuss Rodrigo’s different approaches to writing on his blog. He likes to document smaller concepts about Python and building code in his “Today I Learned” series. He’s also been collecting advice about the best way to use core Python features in another series called “Pydon’ts.”
We cover his recent PyCon US tutorial about the built-in itertools module. The functions contained in the module create iterators for efficient looping. We discuss the categories of tools inside the collection and ways to simplify your code.
We also explore the concept of vocabulary versus idioms in writing. Idioms are a group of words that hold a symbolic meaning that goes beyond the literal meaning of the individual words. We dig into how that applies to learning Python and building a personal collection of programming idioms.
This episode is sponsored by AMD.
Course Spotlight: Working With Missing Data in Polars
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Topics:
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:02:34 – Creating Polars video course
00:03:27 – How did you start programming and teaching Python?
00:04:59 – Where did mathspp come from?
00:05:38 – Exploring math and programming in university
00:07:48 – Learning APL
00:09:24 – What goes into building the blog?
00:15:05 – The Pydon’ts and writing books
00:18:37 – PyCon US 2025
00:20:46 – Sponsor: AMD
00:21:23 – Teaching a tutorial about itertools
00:28:58 – Categorizing itertools
00:40:39 – Video Course Spotlight
00:41:55 – The difference between me and Shakespeare
00:46:51 – Learning and practicing with idioms
00:51:01 – TIL and asking questions
00:53:54 – What are you excited about in the world of Python?
00:55:40 – What do you want to learn next?
00:57:35 – How can people follow your work online?
01:01:19 – Thanks and goodbye
Show Links:
mathspp blog
TIL (Today I Learned) - mathspp
Working With Missing Data in Polars
Paul Valéry - “A poem is never finished” - Oxford Reference
Personal highlights of PyCon US 2025 - mathspp
PyCon US 2025 Lightning Talks - Friday, May 16th, 2025 PM - YouTube
PyCon US 2025 Tutorial Sneak Peek: “Reimplement itertools for fun & profit” Rodrigo Girão Serrão - YouTube
Alan Perlis - Wikipedia
Epigrams on Programming
What learning APL taught me about Python - mathspp
What APL taught me about Python ⚡️ – lightning talk by Rodrigo Girão Serrão at EuroPython 2023 - YouTube
itertools — Functions creating iterators for efficient looping — Python 3.13.4 documentation
Module itertools overview - mathspp
The little book of itertools - mathspp
Python itertools By Example – Real Python
What’s new in Python 3.14 — Python 3.15.0a0 documentation
beehiiv — The newsletter platform built for growth
Python drops 🐍💧 newsletter - mathspp
Books - mathspp
Rodrigo Girão Serrão 🐍🚀 (@mathspp.com) — Bluesky
Rodrigo Girão Serrão - LinkedIn
Rodrigo 🐍🚀 (@[email protected]) - Fosstodon
Rodrigo 🐍🚀 (@mathsppblog) / X
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