Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #00685
To: Sean Rigter rigter@cafe.net
From: Steven Bolt sbolt@xs4all.nl
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 11:26:14 +0100 (CET)
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: hmmm...i wonder which subject
On Fri, 19 Feb 1999, Sean Rigter wrote:
> Use a tripod, position camera level with center and about 3-4 ft away
> from the screen, tilt the camera about 45 degree with respect to the
> screen defocus, adjust zoom, turn down the lights adjust brightness
> contrast, color, and hue , do it all again until something interesting
> starts to happen, tilt, push, pull, squint, turn on ozzy osbourne and
> suddenly ..... watch the most amazing cellular automata come to life!
>
> Now that's about the complexity of advanced BEAM!
I'd call that complexity rather than capability. It can be fun, but
huge tethered multiprocessor Unix operated `mobile' robots can also
be fun. It's not what I'm looking for. Being complex or behaving in
a complex way does not by itself impress me. It has to be
functional, by being more successful when performing some task.
Mark T's Walkman is impressive not because it's complex, but
because it walks rather well.
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# sbolt@xs4all.nl # Steven Bolt # popular science monthly KIJK #
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