From http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12325608/iterate-over-a-dict-or-list-in-python/12325691#12325691
>>> def seq_iter(obj):
... return obj if isinstance(obj, dict) else xrange(len(obj))
...
>>> x = [1,2,3]
>>> for i in seq_iter(x):
... x[i] = 99
...
>>> x
[99, 99, 99]
>>>
>>> x = {1: 2, 2:3, 3:4}
>>> for i in seq_iter(x):
... x[i] = 99
...
>>> x
{1: 99, 2: 99, 3: 99}