NSA Python study group
London, UK
📚 Study room (under development)
📄 Download course materials (18Mb)
Learn Python from the NSA
A recently released FOIA request made to the NSA brought their internal Python training course to light...
If you'd like to learn Python direct from NSA materials, the recording of our event from March 2020 is still online.
What: Study group to learn python from the internal NSA training course
Suitable for: Absolute beginners; intermediate or advanced Python developers also interested in the NSA's Python training materials
Age restriction: 18 or above
Tickets were free
When: Saturday March 28th 2020, 11.00 to 16.00
Where: ONLINE (previously, Newspeak House in Shoreditch, London)
🌟 Python beginners with or without a background in other programming languages are very welcome! More experienced developers, come along, share your skills, and explore the course material with us.
🌟 The course is designed for self-study or classroom work. We will work together on the course material, and support each other.
🌟 We will make inroads on the first few modules and assess the course material together as we go...
💬 We'll be communicating on our Discord server during and after the first session.
This event switched to ONLINE only during the lockdown. We adapted!
We are seeking a sponsor to cover the cost of hospitality at future meet ups.
Please reach out to: team@policerewired.org
Structure
NSA structure
The course from the NSA is very accessible, and broken down into 2 parts...
Basics of Python (week 1)
10 modules, each expected to take ~45 minutes.
In an intensive course these would comprise the first week.
Further topics (week 2)
10 advanced modules, coverage chosen by the class as needed.
Our structure
We'll be taking things at a more leisurely pace...
Our first meet is to form a study group, explore the first few modules, and establish together how suitable the course material is for our structure.
We will meet periodically after that, approximately every 2-4 weeks on a weekend day.
At each meet, we will tackle 2 or 3 modules from late morning to mid-afternoon, taking short breaks to relax and to eat lunch.
Course materials
On 7 Feb 2020, Chris Swenson released the scanned, OCR'd output from an FOIA request he made to the NSA - asking for their Python training materials. It's a 400-page 180Mb PDF.
Shortly afterwards, Sherif Eldeeb released a reduced, 18 Mb version.
We have mirrored the original release here: comp3321.pdf (180Mb)
We have mirrored the reduced version here: comp3321_red.pdf (18Mb) - with comments
Our mirrors, hosted on Google Drive, permit commenting on the document - and we will be making use of the reduced version to share information, tips, and commentary on the material.
We have provided shortcuts to the start of the first 11 modules, under Basics of Python in the study room.
Code of conduct
Everybody should be able to feel safe and enjoy our events, free from harassment.
Please take the time to read our code of conduct. It's the same code of conduct we used at Hack the Police, and designed to ensure a positive, fun event for all.
You will need
Equipment
In order to be able to participate in the study group, please remember to bring:
A laptop that you are able to install Anaconda Python on.
A power cable for your laptop.
Anything that you're most comfortable with making notes.
Pre-read
Please take a look at the course materials (either full or reduced, from our mirrors).
Please attempt to install Anaconda Python on your laptop.
Please install a text editor that you're comfortable with.
Some possible choices are listed in the Python IDEs and Editors Guide at RealPython.
If you're not sure which to install, try either:
PyCharm for Anaconda (JetBrains)
Visual Studio Code (Microsoft)
Read about this initiative in Learn Python from the NSA on dev.to - a community of software developers helping each other out.
📚 Study room (under development)
📄 Download course materials (18Mb)
The study room
The study room is space where we can live stream, and also work together in groups.
It also contains a library with deep links into the first 10 modules of the material.
It's currently under development - so please bear with us as we try to get this right...
We'll see you there on Saturday the 28th!