Python Weekly (Issue 687 February 13 2025)

Author

Rahul Chaudhary
February 13, 2025

Welcome to issue 687 of Python Weekly. Let's get straight to the links this week.

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Articles, Tutorials and Talks

This video introduces DuckDB, a lightweight, embedded database that allows running SQL queries directly on Pandas DataFrames without the need for a server, simplifying data analytics. It showcases how DuckDB streamlines operations from in-memory storage to persistent storage and Jupyter integrations, also highlighting multithreading capabilities and extended SQL functionalities.

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up and training a neural network to autonomously control a real robot.

This practical tutorial shows how to use uv to build and install custom Python CLI applications globally on your system.

Analysis of PEP 517 build backends used in 8000 top PyPI packages.

Learn about Django templates with this guide. Explore what they are, why they're useful, and how to use them. Discover the different types of Django templates.

This post introduces "ML by Hand," a Python-based machine learning library built from scratch using NumPy for educational purposes, emphasizing transparency and direct correspondence to mathematical formulas over efficiency, contrasting with libraries like PyTorch. The library aims to provide a deeper understanding of deep learning models by stripping down abstraction layers and enabling easier debugging, with CuPy integration for potential GPU acceleration.

Learn how to use Okta FGA to secure your LangChain RAG agent in Python.

In the ever-evolving world of machine learning, the journey from theory to application can be both fascinating and complex. This article aims to demystify part of this journey, focusing on two significant ranking algorithms: RankNet and LambdaRank. At first glance, these algorithms might seem daunting, but we’ll break them down into simpler terms, making them accessible to everyone.

The official Django MongoDB Backend is now available, enabling Django developers to seamlessly integrate MongoDB into their projects with Django models, admin support, and MongoDB-specific query optimizations. This integration aims to improve developer experience and accelerate software development by leveraging the flexibility of the document model and the full feature set of MongoDB Atlas.

Interesting Projects, Tools, and Libraries

Prompt-To-Agent : Create custom engineering agents for your codebase.

Your lightweight companion for building simple, interactive, and dynamic data apps in Python.

Democratizing Reinforcement Learning for LLMs.

Sort input lines semantically with llm.

A security library for FastAPI that provides middleware to control IPs, log requests, and detect penetration attempts. It integrates seamlessly with FastAPI to offer robust protection against various security threats.

A Python library for verifying code properties using natural language assertions.

SQLAlchemy extension for FastAPI with built-in pagination and asyncio support.

A self-hosted API that takes a URL and returns a file with browser screenshots.

Automatically convert epubs to audiobooks.

Unified automatic quality assessment for speech, music, and sound.

OCRmyPDF adds an OCR text layer to scanned PDF files, allowing them to be searched.

New Releases

This release includes the following announcements:

  • No-config debugging

  • Test discovery cancellation

  • Launch the Native REPL from the terminal

  • Go to Implementation with Pylance

  • AI Code Action: Generate Symbol (Experimental)

This release includes a python 3.11 interpreter. We are labelling it "beta" because it is the first one. In the next release we will drop 3.10 and remove the "beta" label. There are a particularly large set of bugfixes in this release thanks to @devdanzin using fusil on the 3.10 builds, originally written by Victor Stinner.

Upcoming Events and Webinars

There will be a talk, UV: What is it and should you use it?

There will be following talks

  • Pythonic Potions: Mastering Scientific Sorcery With Efficient Code

  • something fun and/or scary about logging

  • phaser - the missing middle layer for complex data pipelines.

There will be following talks

  • Speeding up Linear Regression with Smarter Algorithms

  • Beyond the Hype: Building and Evaluating Robust RAG Systems

There will be following talks

  • Vector Streaming: Memory-efficient Indexing to VectorDB

  • Fine-Tuning SLMs like Phi-3x-Vision: Insights from Scene Analysis in ADAS

There will be following talks

  • Transforming IKEA’s delivery logistics using mathematical optimization and data science

  • Real-Time Personalized Product Recommendations at IKEA Digital: Challenges, Innovations, and the Future

  • Beyond the Cart - The Role of Data In Checkout Success Rate and Supply Chain Efficiency

There will be following talks

  • Gaussian process regression: from roller coasters to black holes

  • An AI agent doing something useful

  • Smart Campus Microgrids: AI for Real-Time Renewable Optimization

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