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the history of such a form

2024-06-01

2 minute read

I've hit a slump with my plants project. It's still called "bloom" in my project directory, but I don't think of it in that way anymore. I'm stuck wanting to build a small, feature complete L System library so that I can properly experiment with parametric l-systems. There is a JS library that someone wrote to do it, but I don't like it.

I want one that can interpret productions written in the almost the same format as they're written in ABOP, something kind of like the below

parseProduction("A>B(i)<CD : i > 0 => B(i-1)");
> 
{
    symbol: "B",
    parameters: ["i"],
    leftContext: "A",
    rightContext: "CD",
    condition: (parameters) => parameters["i"] > 0,
    output: (parameters) => `B(${parameters["i"] - 1})`
}

I think I know how to do this, but since the weekend I've been exhausted. I can barely focus on work, let alone this project. I'm still sick, and struggling to rest the necessary amount to heal.

While I was walking around Sydney garden I realised that I need to model a plant I can actually look at. The problem with a thistle is I can't go and look at one in person. Maybe I could get my brother to film one for me, but I think it's a better exercise initially to actually observe a real plant, a plant I can know. I'm afraid of it looking like a "baby's first L-System" graphic, but I guess I can work on that and trust my taste a little.

I did plug the Bresenham algorithm into the script so now at least we can get lines at any angle, instead of awkwardly clamping to 45deg.

I'm fascinated at how differently I see trees now. They weren't wrong:

The idea of the form implicitly contains also the history of such a form.

I'm hoping that once I heal I'll be able to turn to this project with a little more wit and rigour, as I really feel like I'm in a slump and dangerously close to never terminating.

What else

I went to a solid perfume workshop today - it was fun. I made a lovely but very mild solid perfume. It used 5 bases:

So it's not particularly complex. Not great projection, but I think I did get really close to what I was after, given my experience and limited palet.

After that I went walking around Fitzroy and Collingwood with my friend A. We got some coffee, got some icecream and visited a couple of second hand stores. I got a white carhart shirt and a garlic press. Finished with a schooner of hazy pale - a good day out in my books. Maybe in anyone's.

In my last entry I thought I would be pumping out another dense digest of all that's been on my mind. I spoke instead of acting. All those riches have been lost to time. Maybe next time I'll strike while the iron is hot.

listening to

boom boom boom boom - sega bodega

questions