You might be a geek if… you believe you can do anything, provided there’s proper documentation.

A generative art experiment with Genetic Algorithms and Color Transformations

As I increase in my understanding of number systems the world of programming opens up more and more.  I just realized (tada!) that the max number of color variations in our traditional web system is 16777215.  16777215 is equivilent to #ffffff.  So when you give Flash a color like 0×000000, it’s really just converting it to 0.  Alternatively, if you give Flash #ffffff, it’s converting the color to 16777215.  So if I want a random color in Flash it’s as simple as Math.round( Math.random() * 16777215 ); and if I want to transform a color over time, I only need to increment that variable my color is stored in.  This is a really simple realization that most people already understand, but for me it’s opening up a whole new world.

As for binary, I’m using a lot of it.  I’m encoding paths for genetic mutations, neural networks rely on binary, etc.  I keep finding new ways to use binary – ways that surprise me, but that make sense.  I hope my students in Programming Logic listen when I talk about Binary and Hex numbering systems.

I was recently tasked with creating an audio player in Flash Actionscript3 that uses ID3 tags to read the artist and title of each track.  I got a little carried away and ended up using a modified version of my rotation algorithm, along with a new custom made bitmap particle font.  I like the final result though.  I may adapt it eventually for null process if they decide they would like to use it.

Well, I got everything sent off to apply to grad school (SCAD) this week.  Now I’m waiting for some kind of word back.  Though I doubt they’ve received the materials yet as I sent them Wednesday.  Just nice to have everything out the door.

In the process of writing and thinking about my process and purpose I have decided to start carrying a notebook again.  And, mind you, not a computer but a real live notebook with a pen and everything.  I think I was at my most creative when I did, and I need to return to that mentality.

In other news, I’ve been working with genetic algorithms for the first time.  It’s a combination of binary, Flash’s drawing api, evolution, etc for the sake of creating something beautiful.  Right now it’s totally separate from the artificial neural network development I’ve been doing the past couple years, but there my eventually be a convergence.

I’ve added a link to the right for the portfolio I sent in to grad school.