From 1b1bc6ffd6af487b9f5b087f1e3f97d37824519c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Brian Picciano Date: Thu, 27 May 2021 15:20:39 -0600 Subject: both new posts from vacation --- .../2021-05-16-new-years-resolution-vibe-check.md | 62 ++++++ src/_posts/2021-05-26-viz-4.md | 213 +++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 275 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/_posts/2021-05-16-new-years-resolution-vibe-check.md create mode 100644 src/_posts/2021-05-26-viz-4.md diff --git a/src/_posts/2021-05-16-new-years-resolution-vibe-check.md b/src/_posts/2021-05-16-new-years-resolution-vibe-check.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..965eac8 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/_posts/2021-05-16-new-years-resolution-vibe-check.md @@ -0,0 +1,62 @@ +--- +title: >- + New Year's Resolution Vibe Check +description: >- + The not-quite-halfway progress report. +--- + +It's been over five months since I started my New Year's resolution, where I +committed to writing 52 blog posts by the end of the year. This week I'm on the +first vacation I've been able to take since the pandemic started, and, for lack +of anything else to really write about, am doing an almost-halfway checkup on +the whole process. + +Almost immediately into the process I wished I'd set my sights a bit lower. One +post a week is a pretty intense pace, it turns out. If I were to reset the +parameters of the resolution I would probably halve the requirements, down to +26 posts in the year. One concern would be that I would be more likely to forget +to do the bi-weekly post, whereas with the current system it's coupled with my +normal work rhythm and so stays more top of mind. But I think I'd have a much +easier time (perhaps even twice as easy!), so it might balance out. + +My thought in the beginning was that I could write on Friday afternoons or +Monday mornings as a bookend to working, but what's generally happened is that I +write on weekends. During the week the energy to write something up just isn't +there; writing posts is a kind of work all on its own, and I can only bring +myself to do so much work everyday. + +Lately it's been particularly difficult to pump out the posts. Obviously a large +component of this is that I quickly picked all the low hanging fruit that were +on my mind when I started this resolution, but an unexpected culprit has also +appeared: seasons. When I started the resolution it was still winter, and during +the cold months it's a lot easier to stay inside and work on a computer. As the +weather warms it's been harder to find time though, in between working on the +garden and going out and doing things with friends. + +Figuring out what to write about is becoming more of a challenge as well +(obviously, given the topic of this post). Ideally I'd like to post about things +I'm _doing_, rather than just talking about some topic, and for the most part +I've mostly kept to that. Constantly posting about ideas I have or opinions I +hold isn't really contributing any real work, unless the ideas or opinions are +really groundbreaking (they're not). If, on the other hand, I use the posts as a +kind of background motivation to get up and do something useful, so I can write +about what I did, then at least progress has been made on _something_. + +The catch there is that I've now added an additional "thing" to do every week, +in addition to the weekly post, and, as previously covered, I just don't have +the time and energy for that. So some posts (ahem) are pretty much fluff, and I +barely have the energy for those! Yet another reason to wish I'd committed to 26 +in the year, I suppose. + +It hasn't been all added stress and strife though. Doing the posts _has_ caused +me to work on side projects more, and even better quite a few people I know have +given me really good feedback on what I've been doing, and some have even +started getting involved. So, in the sense of being a way to inform others about +the things I'm working on, the posts are a great success! And I've definitely +been more consistent about working on side projects this year. + +I'll wrap this up and continue with my vacation. Summary: blog is more extra +work than expected, it's maybe worth it, but it would be more worth it if I +halved my pace. I'm not _going_ to halve my pace, because that's not how +resolutions work. The end. + diff --git a/src/_posts/2021-05-26-viz-4.md b/src/_posts/2021-05-26-viz-4.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cd6054a --- /dev/null +++ b/src/_posts/2021-05-26-viz-4.md @@ -0,0 +1,213 @@ +--- +title: >- + Visualization 4 +description: >- + Birth, death, and colors. +series: viz +tags: tech art +--- + + + +This visualization is a conglomeration of ideas from all the previous ones. On +each tick up to 20 new pixels are generated. The color of each new pixel is +based on the average color of its neighbors, plus some random drift. + +Each pixel dies after a certain number of ticks, `N`. A pixel's life can be +extended by up to `8N` ticks, one for each neighbor it has which is still alive. +This mechanism accounts for the strange behavior which is seen when the +visualization first loads, but also allows for more coherent clusters of pixels +to hold together as time goes on. + +The asteroid rule is also in effect in this visualization, so the top row and +bottom row pixels are neighbors of each other, and similarly for the rightmost +and leftmost column pixels. + + -- cgit v1.2.3