How to: Aug 25, 2023
1. freeCodeCamp just published a new book to help you learn Python programming. This book explains core Python concepts through more than 100 code examples. It also shows you how to install the latest version of Python and use it in both VS Code and PyCharm. You'll learn about loops, data types, conditional logic, modules, and more. (full-length book): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/the-python-code-example-handbook/

2. For more Python practice, you can develop your own game with Pygame. You'll code your own playable version of the 1970s arcade classic Pong. This is a great first project for a beginner Python developer. (1 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/beginners-python-tutorial-pong/

3. And if you're ready for some more advanced Python, how about building an app on top of GPT-4, the powerful Large Language Model that powers ChatGPT? This course will show you how to use Python libraries, Vector Databases, and LLM APIs to create your own AI agents that can browse the web and carry out tasks for you. This is no longer science fiction – it's something anyone can sit down and learn how to do with some patience and good instruction. And freeCodeCamp has got good instruction in spades. (2 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/development-with-large-language-models/

4. Steganography. It's not a dinosaur – it's a method of hiding information in plain sight. This tutorial will teach you how Steganography works. Then it will show you how to code your own algorithm that can encrypt data right into the pixels of an image. (20 minute read): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/build-a-photo-encryption-app/

5. If you're feeling really ambitious, why not code your own Dropbox-like cloud storage app? This new freeCodeCamp course will teach you how to use the popular PHP Laravel web development framework. You can code along at home and build your own cloud locker app with a user-friendly web interface. This app will back up your files to Amazon's cloud, so you can conveniently share them with friends. (14 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/build-a-google-drive-clone-with-laravel-php-vuejs/

Quote of the Week: *"Only ugly languages become popular. Python is the one exception."* — Donald Knuth, prolific computer science author and Turing Award recipient