• A Top Interview with Altarfinch!

This week, we have for your reading pleasure another interview, this one's from August’s Top Player, altarfinch! He was chosen due to the excellent Python skills he presented in each and every one of his publications!

CheckiO: When and how did you first start programming?

altarfinch: My big brother is a developer. When I was younger, I was amazed about how he was making games and I was looking for bugs in it... At that time I thought that programming was dark magic and I waited until University to start learning. There, I discovered a whole new world where everything is possible. I was a big fan of the algorithm and A.I. courses.

CheckiO: How long have you been coding in Python?

altarfinch: I had an introduction to python course at University and that's almost all. I had fun coding a Tron clone with an evil AI during exam revision, before I totally forgot about it.

CheckiO: What is your favorite thing about Python?

altarfinch: I recently discovered how to use generators and I love it! Overall, I think it's the most elegant programming language.

CheckiO: How did you discover CheckiO and what do you like about it?

altarfinch: A colleague of mine whose pseudonym is Amachua showed me the game, I started to play it intensively to catch up. Now we are in competition to solve the new enigmas. I love logic enigmas and A.I. and I like to understand at last some algorithms I was thrown in the face at University (like Dijkstra's...). I think, CheckiO is a wonderful way to learn.

CheckiO: How has CheckiO helped you to develop your Python skills?

altarfinch: When I started playing CheckiO, I had only fuzzy memories about Python. I basically started from scratch and learned a lot. I still have a lot left to discover such as playing with itertools or understanding Veky's one-liners. ;)

CheckiO: What do you do with your Python skills, do you earn a living with them?

altarfinch: I'm not using Python in my work... maybe later when I have the opportunity... I'm currently pursuing a PhD in Virtual Reality!

Last week we brought you an awesome interview from our Star Player, Suwanditan! We’ll be adding more interviews of our Star and Top Players over the next few months. Until then, keep on coding!

-Ryan

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