old_contents: # Tai Sakuma <tai.sakuma@gmail.com>
  import itertools
  
  ##__________________________________________________________________||
  def key_vals_dict_to_tuple_list(key_vals_dict, fill=float('nan')):
  
      tuple_list = [ ]
  
      if not key_vals_dict: return tuple_list
  
      vlen = max([len(vs) for vs in itertools.chain(*key_vals_dict.values())])
  
      for k, vs in key_vals_dict.items():
          try:
              tuple_list.extend([k + tuple(v) + (fill, )*(vlen - len(v)) for v in vs])
          except TypeError:
              # assume k is not a tuple
              tuple_list.extend([(k, ) + tuple(v) + (fill, )*(vlen - len(v)) for v in vs])
  
  
      return tuple_list
  
  ##__________________________________________________________________||
  
new_contents: # Tai Sakuma <tai.sakuma@gmail.com>
  import itertools
  
  ##__________________________________________________________________||
  def key_vals_dict_to_tuple_list(key_vals_dict, fill=float('nan')):
      """Convert ``key_vals_dict`` to `tuple_list``.
  
      Args:
          key_vals_dict (dict): The first parameter.
          fill: a value to fill missing data
  
      Returns:
          A list of tuples
  
      """
  
      tuple_list = [ ]
  
      if not key_vals_dict: return tuple_list
  
      vlen = max([len(vs) for vs in itertools.chain(*key_vals_dict.values())])
  
      for k, vs in key_vals_dict.items():
          try:
              tuple_list.extend([k + tuple(v) + (fill, )*(vlen - len(v)) for v in vs])
          except TypeError:
              # assume k is not a tuple
              tuple_list.extend([(k, ) + tuple(v) + (fill, )*(vlen - len(v)) for v in vs])
  
  
      return tuple_list
  
  ##__________________________________________________________________||
  
subject: add docstring