reference: proktophantasmist
21.12.09
23.11.09
Strange Attractor of The Week
It's about time I posted something. Sorry.
Anyway, in studying chaos theory I got sidetracked by these pretty little things. These 'things', like the one shown here, are chaotic attractors.
To understand what an attractor is I'll use an analogy with biochemistry. Think about protein folding. You've got an initially unfolded protein in some environment, ie. a buffer solution. As time goes on the protein will eventually fold into some stable conformation. The conformation it folds into could be called an attractor of the system since it 'attracts' the parameters defining the protein and causes them to settle into some final values.
So, an attractor is just a general way of representing the state of a given system, like your protein, after a long time. For example, if you've ever plucked a guitar string and watched it slowly stop vibrating, you've observed an attractor. The final position of the string, really just a single point, is the attractor.
For the case of the guitar string the attractor is just one point. No matter how you pluck it the string will, after time, stop moving. You can predict its future absolutely. A chaotic attractor, on the other hand, has no such absolutes. The system it describes does settle to final set of states, it's just not possible to say which state. The diagram above is an example of such a chaotic attractor.
Sorry for the lengthy introduction to chaotic attractors. I think I'll be posting one for the quadratic map (like the one above) every week. (And maybe other systems too...) I'll include a calculation of the largest lyapunov exponent, a measure of how chaotic it is, and the dimension too. Just for fun. Of course, you don't have to care. Just look at it and appreciate how pretty it is. :)
D = fractal dimension = 1.6
L = largest lyapunov exponent = 0.329
Anyway, in studying chaos theory I got sidetracked by these pretty little things. These 'things', like the one shown here, are chaotic attractors.
To understand what an attractor is I'll use an analogy with biochemistry. Think about protein folding. You've got an initially unfolded protein in some environment, ie. a buffer solution. As time goes on the protein will eventually fold into some stable conformation. The conformation it folds into could be called an attractor of the system since it 'attracts' the parameters defining the protein and causes them to settle into some final values.
So, an attractor is just a general way of representing the state of a given system, like your protein, after a long time. For example, if you've ever plucked a guitar string and watched it slowly stop vibrating, you've observed an attractor. The final position of the string, really just a single point, is the attractor.
For the case of the guitar string the attractor is just one point. No matter how you pluck it the string will, after time, stop moving. You can predict its future absolutely. A chaotic attractor, on the other hand, has no such absolutes. The system it describes does settle to final set of states, it's just not possible to say which state. The diagram above is an example of such a chaotic attractor.
Sorry for the lengthy introduction to chaotic attractors. I think I'll be posting one for the quadratic map (like the one above) every week. (And maybe other systems too...) I'll include a calculation of the largest lyapunov exponent, a measure of how chaotic it is, and the dimension too. Just for fun. Of course, you don't have to care. Just look at it and appreciate how pretty it is. :)
D = fractal dimension = 1.6
L = largest lyapunov exponent = 0.329
14.9.09
Fucking FAFSA.
Here's what the 2009-2010 Federal Student Aid Handbook says:
So, unless I'm married, in the military, my parents are dead, I was emancipated (only worked if it had happened before I turned 18), I have children, or am an orphan, I'm pretty much left out. Thank you so very much Uncle Sam, mom and dad. I'll be sure to return the favor whenever I can. I guess I could always marry a hooker or join the U.S. Army. I've been looking for an excuse to kill women and children in the desert on the other side of the planet. Sign me up.
6.9.09
The End Of The Beginning
Just bought this. Definitely one of their best. Still nothing in compared with All Is Violent, All Is Bright, but the first track, "The End Of The Beginning" makes the album worth every cent. You're cheating yourself if you don't get this album.
3.9.09
Now What?
Looks like I can't get a loan. Or at least not one that will allow me to defer payments until I graduate. I still have four semesters to go... If I drop out now I'd have to start paying back the near 50k in loans I already have out. What do I do now?
27.7.09
26.7.09
16.7.09
13.7.09
Linux!
Yeah, its been a while since I posted, so? Got Zenwalk linux up and running on my macbook. With the proper amount of tweaking (hours and hours) I've now got the trackpad working (including two finger scrolling) along with the camera, the hardware/media keys, the wireless, and the microphone. Keep in mind that NONE of these things worked at first. Feeling accomplished.
I think I'll stick with linux for a while. Whoo.
27.2.09
Great website!
Ever tried to explain a math, chemistry, or physics problem to someone online? Yeah. Some things are just easier said with pictures. Ditch the scanner and hit up this website:
P.S it's free
19.2.09
25.1.09
19.1.09
Pay for your own T.V.
So on February 17th all analog television broadcasts will cease and everything will be broadcast in digital. So what? Well, if you're currently using an antenna to receive your free local T.V. then you'll be without your precious shows until you get a converter box. These things aren't cheap; around $60 for a generic one. Apparently though, if you just can't handle that price, if you need your T.V. fix so bad you just might die, the government is stepping in and offering free 40$ coupons to help you with this terrible economic burden. Are you f***ing kidding me!? If I understand this correctly the government is paying, which means I am paying in part, for people to watch T.V. ! I mean, I know it would be horrible to miss out on Fox news for a while, but when did television become a necessity of life? Pay for your own damn T.V.
15.1.09
Aloe abstraction
This is just the first draft image of an idea I've been toying with. Here I've used iteration and repeated digital manipulations to abstract a photograph of an aloe plant. I wonder how far you can go, how abstract it can get, before the image loses any semblance of what it portrayed originally and becomes something else entirely.
7.1.09
Absurd Solution 1.
Being the college male that I am it is natural that I do not own an iron. Consequently, there are unfortunate yet infrequent times that I kick myself in the ass for not doing so. Such was the situation this morning. A particular pair of pants I own, and like very much, appeared to have been violently mangled, tied into a knot while wet, and thrown into the drier. The creases were so extreme you might think I was trying to make origami with my pants. Not good for going into public.
An absurd solution came to me all at once; a ray of sunlight dispersing the clouds of despair. Can you guess what it was? "I'll simply shower with my pants!" I said to myself. Brilliant. I then proceeded to hang my deformed and angular pants on the towel rack inside my tub. While showering as usual, and with the steam at its most dense, I smoothed the wrinkles with my semi-dry hands. I emerged from the shower victorious and with amazing wrinkle free pants. You'll definitely want to try this at home!
6.1.09
5.1.09
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