Stephen Gruppetta @s_gruppetta@qoto.org

@willmcgugan I read somewhere that there aren't, by design

@klyons I can imagine!

@notat thank you!

@trinsec in an external service I was looking at. I assume it's not a standard naming, then!

@trinsec so does that mean that only QOTO members are likely to see the markdown, and everyone else just sees the plain text?

@walterbogers Thank you. Hope you enjoy it. To be honest, most of the _real-world_ 3D plotting I've needed in the past was static. This is dynamic 3D plotting which, arguably, is less common (although of course it's useful for 4D data!)

Not sure whether you're only meant to get a single shot at an #introduction, but I'll extend on mine a bit now that I'm starting to find my feet here

My main focus is on communicating about #programming, specifically #Python. That includes teaching!

However, my first career was as a physicist

---

After studying #Maths and #Physics and then getting my PhD in Physics from Imperial College, London, I went down the _normal_ route of a few postdocs, an academic fellowship, and then a lectureship.

Most of my science work centred around novel retinal imaging technology with the primary aim of early disease diagnosis, plus a bit more about the optics of the eye.

I learnt to code as part of my PhD work and then relied on programming (mostly MATLAB, at the time, before the Python-era) for all of my research work, from simulation and modelling, to running the lab experiments, to analysing the data.

---

When I left academia, I decided to focus on teaching programming to both children and adults.

I spend a lot of time creating learning content, including **[The Python Coding Book](https://thepythoncodingbook.com)** and regular articles on the blog.

I also run **[codetoday](https://www.codetoday.co.uk)** which runs live lessons for children from age 7 to learn coding in Python (only Python, no kids-platforms. Yes, starting from age 7, you'd be surprised how well they pick the basics up)

---

I'll be sharing bits on content regularly here too, typically aimed at intermediate learners (including those aiming to move from beginners to intermediate), including steering towards scientific programming and related fields.

OK, I've abused #QOTO's longer character limit too much, so I'd better stop!

#newbie question: Is a _private_ toot the same as _followers-only_?

It's nice to be able to post using **markdown** - it will also make posting code more natural

`print("Hello, Mastodon!")`

Although I've noticed that on the iOS app I'm using (the official one), markdown is not rendered. It is on the web platform.

Not sure about other apps…

_PS: I believe this is not a feature on all servers…_

@martinpeck `turtle` is a fun module to use, beyond the basic _draw a few squares_ type of tutorials you find.

I use it a lot for teaching and I try to push it to its limits and use it to teach more advanced topics, too

@martinpeck both projects were fun to write (both the code itself and the articles!)

# 3D Solar System Using Matplotlib

The 3D version uses #matplotlib for the animation

Here's the article: **[Simulating a 3D Solar System In Python Using Matplotlib](https://thepythoncodingbook.com/2021/12/11/simulating-3d-solar-system-python-matplotlib/)**

#python #animation #simulation #planets #matplotlib

# Using Python to create a solar system

If anyone is looking for a fun exercise to flex their #Python #coding fingers…

Using just gravitational attraction between bodies, you can create your own 2D solar system with as many stars and planets as you want. Here's a binary star system with some relatively stable planets

Here's the article, including a detailed step-by-step tutorial, if you want to read more: **[Simulating Orbiting Planets in a Solar System Using Python](https://thepythoncodingbook.com/2021/09/29/simulating-orbiting-planets-in-a-solar-system-using-python-orbiting-planets-series-1/)**

#Python #simulation #animation

…and there's also a 3D version _(next post)_

@ambv @mariatta I agree with the retweets (I qualified my comment in a later reply, in fact – apologies for that) My comment was more on the stance in the links on cross-posting in general, rather than RTs

@ambv @mariatta PS: I realise your comment was about an RT with Twitter handles, but the links go on to discourage any cross-posting. I understand that the _platform_ will prefer that. But is it the right thing for the _people_ on the platform?