Without functions all we have are attributes of objects. Functions are where variables live. This extract from Programmer's Python: Everything is an Object explains that functions bring something new to objects – local variables.

In the UK Alan Sugar's Amstrad was the first company to look at computing with an eye to producing something cheap and cheerful and in doing so revolutionised the computer marketplace. It is now 40 year since the CPC 464 was launched - who remembers it?

Published this week, the latest Stanford HAI AI Index report tracks worldwide trends in AI. A mix of its new research and findings from many other sources, it provides a wide ranging look at how AI is doing.

The SIGBOVIK conference has just finished and its proceedings can be downloaded, but only at your peril. You might never see computer science in the same way ever again.

Israeli mathematician and computer scientist, Avi Wigderson, is the recipient of the 2023 ACM A.M Turing Award which carries a $1 million prize with financial support from Google.

Syncfusion has provided an in-browser environment where you can write, compile and run code that uses Blazor components and get it previewed live.

Apache Superset 4 has been released with improvements to the reporting module and redesigned alerts. Superset is a business intelligence web application. It is open source, provides data exploration and visualization, and was originally developed by Airbnb.

Google has introduced Jpegli, an advanced JPEG coding library that maintains high backward compatibility while offering enhanced capabilities and a 35% compression ratio improvement at high quality compression settings.

Alan Turing's ACE computer is a legendary computer that is particularly special for I Programmer - our account of it was the first ever history article on the site when it launched in 2009. Now this iconic machine is being rendered as a fully working virtual machine. Once it's complete we'll be able to interact with it.

Amazon has told developers who are signed up to the Alexa Developer Rewards Program that their monthly payments will end at the end of June. The announcement follows a decision to end the program under which Alexa developers were offered free credits for Amazon Web Services.

Udacity has just launched an hour-long course on Ethical AI. Intended for a wide audience across many industries, it introduces to basic concepts and terms needed to step into the world of Ethical AI. The new course is free for 30 days.

Author: Kirupa Chinnathambi
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Date: November 2023
Pages: 416
ISBN: 978-0138222291
Rating: 4.5
Reviewer: Kay Ewbank

Subtitled 'a practical introduction to data structures and algorithms in JavaScript', this book is split into two parts; firstly, data structures, then algorithms.

This book shows how to write fast and safe Rust code through lessons you can fit in your lunch break. Dave MacLeod provides explanations and focused, relevant examples to make it accessible, even if you’re learning Rust as your first programming language, and covers the use of Rust for purposes from system programming, to web applications, and games.

With the subtitle, "Master the Full Stack with TypeScript, React, Next.js, MongoDB, and Docker" this book is a  hands-on, beginner-friendly approach to developing complete web applications from the ground up, using JavaScript and its most popular frameworks. Martin Krause goes from a React-driven frontend to a fully fleshed-out backend with Mongoose, MongoDB, and a complete set of REST and GraphQL APIs, and back again through the whole Next.js stack.

This is the story of one middle-aged woman in a cardigan determined to understand the growing phenomenon of online romance fraud. By winding up scammers and investigating the truth behind their profiles, Becky Holmes shines a revealing, revolting and hilarious light on a very shady corner of the internet.