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An ML-Focused Python Guide Book for Beginners

The Orange Pages: A Map to Python Wisdom

I’ve decided to create yet another Python site (YAPS), The Orange Pages, an ML-focused Python guide book for beginners. It is in a similar vein to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Python and Automate the Boring Stuff. It will include what I’ve learned in my five years as an engineer, utilizing Python as the “magic” as my boss calls it. Unlike the preceding sites, the information will be on Github as a set of Markdown documents. The focus will be on big data manipulation, analysis, machine learning, and that handful of scripts you simply can’t do without (like that awesome ML Docker container).

I know learning something new can be a daunting challenge for a beginner-level Python or machine learning engineer. That’s why I’m creating this guide. Instead of combing Google and textbooks, this guide will be the “Walmart” of Python development. You may even impulse download a few of the libraries in the collection.

If you are a senior engineer or have your own library you want to submit for inclusion, feel free to submit a pull request with a new Markdown document describing your library and why it’s useful.

I’ll spend some time embellishing on the documentation on GitHub here on the blog.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few social issues on my heart.

I hope everyone out there is ok during this strange time of quarantine due to COVID-19. If you are a person of color, please know Jesus loves you, as do I. We must emulate Christ’s love if we are to ever find peace in our nation. #BlackLivesMatter

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.

John 13:34 CSB

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Building a Machine Learning Docker Container

container

I created a simple machine learning Docker container image for executing small experiments on AWS and Azure.

The container uses Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS at its core with Python 3 and common Python ML libraries:

  • pandas
  • scipy
  • numpy
  • matplotlib
  • records
  • tensorflow
View the Dockerfile on GitHub

Machine Learning with Docker Source Code

#Download base image Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS
FROM ubuntu:latest

# Update Ubuntu Software repository
RUN apt-get update && apt-get -y upgrade
RUN apt-get install -y sudo curl lsb-release wget

# Install Python 3 with pip
RUN apt-get install -y python3-pip
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip3 install -r requirements.txt

# Environment settings
ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED 1
RUN echo 'alias py=python3' >> ~/.bashrc
RUN echo 'alias pip=pip3' >> ~/.bashrc

# TODO: Add nvidia-docker once it supports Windows
# https://github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-docker/issues/429