Alex Martelli
Alex Martelli已从事编程40年,最近一半的时间主要使用Python。他写作了本书前两版,参与合著了Python Cookbook前两版和本书第三版。他是Python软件基金会(PSF)成员和核心贡献人(荣誉成员),因对Python社区的贡献获得2002年的Activators’ Choice奖和2006年的Frank Willison纪念奖。他在Stack Overflow上非常活跃,并经常在技术会议上发表演讲。他与妻子Anna在硅谷生活了17年,在此期间一直在Google工作,目前担任Google Cloud技术支持部高级工程师。
The animal on the cover of Python in a Nutshell, Second Edition, is an African
rock python, one of approximately 18 species of python. Pythons are nonven-
omous constrictor snakes that live in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia,
and some Pacific Islands. Pythons live mainly on the ground, but they are also
excellent swimmers and climbers. Both male and female pythons retain vestiges of
their ancestral hind legs. The male python uses these vestiges, or spurs, when
courting a female.
The python kills its prey by suffocation. While the snake’s sharp teeth grip and
hold the prey in place, the python’s long body coils around its victim’s chest,
constricting tighter each time it breathes out. They feed primarily on mammals
and birds. Python attacks on humans are extremely rare.