Solving the Web's Most Popular Code Shortening Competition in Python

Explore the fascinating world of code shortening in this 40-minute conference talk from EuroPython 2015. Dive into the SIZECON competition on SPOJ, one of the web's oldest and most popular code shortening challenges, with a unique twist where only characters above ASCII value 32 count towards the penalty. Journey through the depths of Python, uncovering mind-bending tricks and exploits to achieve increasingly shorter solutions. Witness the evolution of code optimization techniques, culminating in the current record solution of just 28 characters. Prepare to encounter some of the most obfuscated, contrived, and unconventional Python code ever written, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the language. Compare your own attempts at solving SIZECON against the Python 2 and Python 3 SPOJ rankings, and gain insights into extreme code optimization techniques.