My Ticket Into Space Looks Cheap, Price Soars to $250,000 Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Three years ago I bought a $200,000 ticket to fly into space aboard Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. I chose the “poor man’s” option, which requires only a 10 percent deposit. Three months before I fly, I will raid my 401(k) for the remaining $180,000 balance. So I won’t be among the first bunch of 500 fliers including Justin Bieber and Formula One legend Michael Schumacher who, according to reports, paid for their tickets up front. Virgin Group chairman Branson and his family will board the very first commercial flight. He has suggested that could happen as early as Christmas. A milestone was reached in April when for the first time in flight, Virgin Galactic lit the rocket motor on SpaceShipTwo, sending the craft supersonic. Capitalizing quickly, Branson raised the price of a suborbital space ticket by $50,000 to $250,000 (we early purchasers still get the original price). The new development has potential space tourists’ hearts ticking faster. Mid-Air Jettison
An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (Part 1) - Rice University About the Course This two-part course (part 2 is available here) is designed to help students with very little or no computing background learn the basics of building simple interactive applications. Our language of choice, Python, is an easy-to learn, high-level computer language that is used in many of the computational courses offered on Coursera. To make learning Python easy, we have developed a new browser-based programming environment that makes developing interactive applications in Python simple. These applications will involve windows whose contents are graphical and respond to buttons, the keyboard and the mouse. The primary method for learning the course material will be to work through multiple "mini-projects" in Python. Recommended Background A knowledge of high school mathematics is required. Course Format The first part of the course will last five weeks.
CS For All: Introduction to Computer Science and Python Programming Looking to get started with computer science while learning to program in Python? This computer science course provides an introduction to computer science that’s both challenging and fun. It takes a broad look at the field of computer science through a variety of demonstrations and projects. We’ll cover both low- and high-level concepts, from how the circuits inside a computer represent data to how to design algorithms, as well as how all of this information affects the technology we use today. Additionally, we’ll teach the basics of Python programming, giving us a a way to put our new CS knowledge into practice. No need to know any programming before starting the course; we’ll teach everything you need to know along the way.
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