The main reason to use Python is that you get a lot more options than what's included in most spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are ...

IPython Console - this is a powerful interactive Python shell. For example, it makes system commands available directly and it allows you to see plots inline. There are many good features of IPython.

IPython community leaders Fernando Perez and Brian Granger, will lead a 3-hour IPython tutorial where attendees will use IPython’s various components to assemble interactive data projects in Python.