JAVA 1520

My second semester of Java with Dr. Brown and I love that we are getting straight to work!  Dr. Brown doesn't mess around... well, I won't say that.  It sounds like he spent his Christmas Break messing around with Processing and our new textbook, The Nature of Code .  When he told us that he spent his free time reading this book, it definitely gave me hope that this semester will be a little extra interesting. The day before class, I was reading the notes and glanced at the introduction of the online textbook and I immediately knew I would love it.  It is filled with examples of code for pretty little moving drawings with instruction and explanation mixed between.  After reading the whole introduction, I am excited about quite a few things....

• Being able to apply everything I learned in Stats directly to my field of interest - in a useful way
• The connection of code with nature - especially after ending last semester with the Fibonacci stuff
• Thinking about programs for AI types of applications 
• Looking deeper into algorithms and patterns
• The artistic possibilities that this semester might provide

Here are some screenshots of the Introduction Examples:

Bell Curve

Probablility

This was one of my favorite examples, although I wish I could have spent more time on it.  The one thing I didn't get to research is why the dots all end up grayed out as other dots appear on top of them. I think it might have something to do with the background specified.  

Standard Deviation and Mean

Here I changed the standard deviation so the dots would appear farther apart.

Standard Deviation and Mean 2

 Many times while I was working through these examples, I was reminded of what I messed around with over Christmas Break... which, at the time seemed counter-productive and made me feel like I was wasting precious time (although, with 2 sick kids for 3 weeks straight, nothing too spectacular could have been done).  I ended up downloading every photography app there is in the AppStore while I laid there in the dark waiting for my kid's cough medicine to kick in.  As far as editing pictures, I used Instagram, Vintique, and Lumie the most.  Lumie has various bokeh overlays for photographs, and as soon as I completed the Standard Deviation Example above, all sorts of thoughts started going in my head.  I wonder if this is how they make those apps?  Do they use this formula, or do they just stamp the circles in a way that looks good to them?  Could I make a better app by using this formula - or an app that can do more than just apply one particular overlay pattern?

I just hope that one day I will have the luxury of time - and that I can take these whims of inspiration and see how far I can go with them.  I guess I still have a whole lot to learn before doing all that.  I just need more time...

"One who syncs in tandem with the Fibonacci spiral, can skip universes, dimensions and realities, by controlling something called TIME." 

~Ethona   

(via forceswithinyou.blogspot.com)