In order to use a programming language, you need access to a compiler or interpreter. The simplest way I know of to get that is to sign up for web hosting, since most servers are running PSP.
To use a programming language to do something, you write an application.
A model begins as a list of points. At the end of the process, your application displays a rendering based on the points you supplied, and relationships you established between them.
A first component, then, would create a form into which you can enter your list of points and relationships. When you send your list, all your points get stored in variables. I guess your relationships do, to. I'm still thinking this out.
You could start a model by giving it a name:
(model name="my house")
next, you can name a few points:
(point name="left front corner of the foundation of my house" feet="0,0,0")
(point name="right front corner of the foundation of my house" feet="50,0,0")
Wow, I can see how this is going to take some doing. Boy, do I feel it will be worthwhile, though.
(point location="0,0,0" name="lower left corner of the outside of the front wall of the living room, where it meets the brick step at the base of the wall" accuracy="a guess")
If we don't include a location, our interface for recording observations can prompt us for it later.
Here, though, we've re-named the origin. Later, if we call that point, our interface can remind us that it has a history, and what the history is.
We could teach our application to understand the definition of a feature, for example, a wall.
(rectangular plane color="light grey") (name="outside face of front wall of living room")
(corner 1)(/corner 1)
(corner 2)(/corner 2)
(corner 3)(/corner 3)
(corner 4)(/corner 4)
(/rectangular plane)
More later.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Urbanism and Computing
For the present purpose, let us define urbanism as mapping.
Since the purpose of the blog was previously defined as computing, the general question is about computer mapping.
My idea is to create a place on line where people can do their own mapping.
I propose teaching people to write their own mapping software. Contrary to what appears to be prevailing thought, this will make it easier for people to access the technology.
I described the blog as a place to ask questions. If I can formulate a series of questions that anyone can follow ...
My other thought is to separate the process of recording observations from the rendering component of the mapping process, by describing a language for making observations. Again, this should make the process in question much more accessible.
Finally, a business component of some sort seems to be central to any enterprise, but how is that done? Similar to the idea of teaching people to write their own software, what about teaching people to organize their own businesses? If we teach people to write software, they will innovate, and their innovations should be turned into products, which is the role of business.
My plan is to write to anyone I can find who might be able to help, and ask them to read the questions and thoughts I'm recording, and for information to publish here, or other kinds of support they might suggest.
Since the purpose of the blog was previously defined as computing, the general question is about computer mapping.
My idea is to create a place on line where people can do their own mapping.
I propose teaching people to write their own mapping software. Contrary to what appears to be prevailing thought, this will make it easier for people to access the technology.
I described the blog as a place to ask questions. If I can formulate a series of questions that anyone can follow ...
My other thought is to separate the process of recording observations from the rendering component of the mapping process, by describing a language for making observations. Again, this should make the process in question much more accessible.
Finally, a business component of some sort seems to be central to any enterprise, but how is that done? Similar to the idea of teaching people to write their own software, what about teaching people to organize their own businesses? If we teach people to write software, they will innovate, and their innovations should be turned into products, which is the role of business.
My plan is to write to anyone I can find who might be able to help, and ask them to read the questions and thoughts I'm recording, and for information to publish here, or other kinds of support they might suggest.
Purpose of the Blog
The general purpose is urbanism.
The narrower purpose is computing applied to urbanism.
The narrow purpose is to be a place for me to ask for information about computing, in the context of questions about urbanism and experiments with technology I understand.
The ride-along specific purpose is to be a place to note things of interest.
The narrower purpose is computing applied to urbanism.
The narrow purpose is to be a place for me to ask for information about computing, in the context of questions about urbanism and experiments with technology I understand.
The ride-along specific purpose is to be a place to note things of interest.
Monday, December 1, 2008
In my log I noted "a very nice wine that cost five dollars, I had a feeling as soon as I saw it."
I have never bought a South African wine. I figured it was a gimmick. I mean, I figured there is a good movement, there, but what do I know about it, and that most people buy because it's a gimmick. I'm sort of wary of gimmicks. They can be fun, but they're dangerous. You could end up being an idiot.
My adventuresome parents did visit a winery, when they were in Capetown, and they had a picture, and looked, I thought, quite classy, and nice. That's part of the reason I had a feeling when I saw this bottle. I only saw it because my Kat has been playing around with buying wines. She tries things I don't even look at. As usual, I like everything she does. Anyway, I also thought this bottle had sort of a serious look, even though, on the surface, it looks like a souvenir. (Come to think of it, I've received some very, very nice souvenirs from Africa ... touristy things, but really good.) The wine confirmed my intuition.
I guess I'd say it's big. I don't really know what the term means, though, so I may get laughed at.
I was just thinking about something related. What was it? Oh, right, I had some honey from Zambia, I think it was (Kat bought me that, too, come to think of it), and it had quite a powerful bouquet of African leather. (We should do a perfume!) I wondered if Zarafa would be like that, and, actually, subtly so, it is.
And there was this, too: ... and now I can't remember what this one was ... Oh, right: Pinotage. Is that a know type? (Click the picture to see it a little larger.) I feel like I've heard it. Anyway, I love the word.
How To Move Oneself
There are all these things I could do in the garden that would really be good. I could go out and do some work first thing in the morning, a lot of days. That would be the ideal time. When I think about it then, though, I don't want to go outside, for various reasons. It's too cold, and I feel shy, and I don't want to spend the whole morning doing those jobs. So, typically, and pretty much every time, I've just stayed inside and put off the outdoor things. It made me mad that I wasn't getting anything done, but that's just how it went.
In general, I've been experimenting with the idea that, when something is hard to get done, I can make progress by tackling it in very small pieces. This has actually worked really well, at least on some things. Mostly I've been using to keep up with the cleaning, and I feel like I'm gradually getting caught up with it. I'm using the idea in other parts of life, too, though. Actually, this blog is probably an example, though, as I think about it right now, I'm having to work to remember how I developed my routine, and what I thought about. Still, I'm sure it's the case.
What I'm saying is, I think people can succeed at anything by taking this approach, even really big things. In fact, I think it's the secret to being able to get really big things done. Also, I think when we work at little parts of something, gradually, we build momentum, until, at a certain point, we can find ourselves really flying, and all sorts of amazing stuff can happen in really easy ways.
Anyway, I was thinking about how to get all those garden things done, and I had been thinking for more than a week about maybe going out in the front yard in the morning, with my bushel basket, and just picking up a few leaves, and trimming a few of the long Bermuda runners, and then going back in. It wouldn't even look like I'd done anything, which was actually part of the idea, but over time, doing it regularly, it would get the yard looking tidy.
I could still feel how I would hesitate, when it came to it, in the morning. Then I got this other idea, to just go out and sort of tour the yard and look around a bit, at that time in the morning. One of the things that I felt was happening was that I couldn't remember what I needed to do, at those moments, and that made me hesitate, so, if I did a little tour like that, I would be reminded. Plus, it would get me moving around a little.
Well, I did it this morning, and then I ended up doing a little raking. I did just a little, just as I'd planned, and then came in. It felt good.
In general, I've been experimenting with the idea that, when something is hard to get done, I can make progress by tackling it in very small pieces. This has actually worked really well, at least on some things. Mostly I've been using to keep up with the cleaning, and I feel like I'm gradually getting caught up with it. I'm using the idea in other parts of life, too, though. Actually, this blog is probably an example, though, as I think about it right now, I'm having to work to remember how I developed my routine, and what I thought about. Still, I'm sure it's the case.
What I'm saying is, I think people can succeed at anything by taking this approach, even really big things. In fact, I think it's the secret to being able to get really big things done. Also, I think when we work at little parts of something, gradually, we build momentum, until, at a certain point, we can find ourselves really flying, and all sorts of amazing stuff can happen in really easy ways.
Anyway, I was thinking about how to get all those garden things done, and I had been thinking for more than a week about maybe going out in the front yard in the morning, with my bushel basket, and just picking up a few leaves, and trimming a few of the long Bermuda runners, and then going back in. It wouldn't even look like I'd done anything, which was actually part of the idea, but over time, doing it regularly, it would get the yard looking tidy.
I could still feel how I would hesitate, when it came to it, in the morning. Then I got this other idea, to just go out and sort of tour the yard and look around a bit, at that time in the morning. One of the things that I felt was happening was that I couldn't remember what I needed to do, at those moments, and that made me hesitate, so, if I did a little tour like that, I would be reminded. Plus, it would get me moving around a little.
Well, I did it this morning, and then I ended up doing a little raking. I did just a little, just as I'd planned, and then came in. It felt good.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Completely Enhanced Storage Concept (Big Box!)
I dreamt this one up some time ago. I'd like to secure some pretty substantial capital and go big, and international. I'm pretty fuzzy on how to do that.
It's storage that provides a lot of additional services, which can be characterized as support.
It's storage that treats storage as an activity, not as sort of the end or a break from something, not as a kind of lack of vibrancy (a desperate measure to handle a problem), but as an actual kind of vibrancy.
Asside from the occasional legitimate purpose (while away on an extended mission), what is storage? It's no secret it's a way to try to handle clutter. Also, people try to do some work in their storage units.
The problem with storing clutter is it remains a problem. Throwing it away is not entirely satisfactory, either: it's a kind of defeat. (I mean that in all seriousness.) The real solution to clutter is doing something with it. That's what I want my Big Box to actively support.
It's storage that provides a lot of additional services, which can be characterized as support.
It's storage that treats storage as an activity, not as sort of the end or a break from something, not as a kind of lack of vibrancy (a desperate measure to handle a problem), but as an actual kind of vibrancy.
Asside from the occasional legitimate purpose (while away on an extended mission), what is storage? It's no secret it's a way to try to handle clutter. Also, people try to do some work in their storage units.
The problem with storing clutter is it remains a problem. Throwing it away is not entirely satisfactory, either: it's a kind of defeat. (I mean that in all seriousness.) The real solution to clutter is doing something with it. That's what I want my Big Box to actively support.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Recycling Plastics At Home
Reason: so lots of little plastic bits and scraps, and, worst of all, bags, don't end up ... in the sea.
You may send your plastics somewhere for recycling, but who knows what actually happens to them.
One nice thing would be to know. I do want to build a tool for documenting that. What's a tool? Maybe it's an organization. How would one go about that? People who know how to answer that could leave suggestion in the comment area of this post, or at my e-mail.
But, if the scraps and bags never leave our houses, so much the better. My idea is to make them into solid blocks that will only come apart as their surfaces crumble ... they'll never come apart into scraps and bits again. This is a chemistry problem and a mechanical engineering problem. It would be interesting to document the chemistry of plastics, here. As far as the mechanical issues go, I suppose we're talking about a pressure vessel and a controlled method for heating it, and then the resulting block of polymer needs to be broken out of it, so a releasing agent is needed, and so on.
Special topic: styrofoam! At present, no one is even taking it for recycling. Processing it ourselves is as close to a viable option as anything!!!
Final note: the real answer is developing alternatives for, especially, food packaging.
You may send your plastics somewhere for recycling, but who knows what actually happens to them.
One nice thing would be to know. I do want to build a tool for documenting that. What's a tool? Maybe it's an organization. How would one go about that? People who know how to answer that could leave suggestion in the comment area of this post, or at my e-mail.
But, if the scraps and bags never leave our houses, so much the better. My idea is to make them into solid blocks that will only come apart as their surfaces crumble ... they'll never come apart into scraps and bits again. This is a chemistry problem and a mechanical engineering problem. It would be interesting to document the chemistry of plastics, here. As far as the mechanical issues go, I suppose we're talking about a pressure vessel and a controlled method for heating it, and then the resulting block of polymer needs to be broken out of it, so a releasing agent is needed, and so on.
Special topic: styrofoam! At present, no one is even taking it for recycling. Processing it ourselves is as close to a viable option as anything!!!
Final note: the real answer is developing alternatives for, especially, food packaging.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Mission Features
Integrating More Farming Into City Life.
Experiment: Building Prototype Public, Landscape, Industrial, and Agricultural Environments in Skyscraper Scale Structures
Recycling Plastics At Home
Experiment: Building Prototype Public, Landscape, Industrial, and Agricultural Environments in Skyscraper Scale Structures
Recycling Plastics At Home
Friday, November 21, 2008
Page Following (computing function)
The idea: if I set my system up to follow a site, it checks the page, at intervals, for changes, and creates a record of the page's history.
Using Page Miniaturization, I can view different versions from the history side by side to see changes at a glance.
Is there existing software that performs Page Following (with or without site miniaturization).
Using Page Miniaturization, I can view different versions from the history side by side to see changes at a glance.
Is there existing software that performs Page Following (with or without site miniaturization).
My project: create an extremely easy to use networked cad which anyone can use to explore urbanistic concepts of all degrees of scale and complexity.
I am tracking my several projects at http://bloggerslogatanurbanistslogs.blogspot.com/.
Initial Project: a web site where people can publish their geographical observation, within a rational framework.
My Questions:
Is there some sort of standard practice for developing projects of this type?
While I call myself an urbanist, I am operating completely outside of the native environment for urbanists: academia and business. Maybe I need to learn more about urbanism as it is being practiced in those environments.
An answer to the question "what's happening" could be structured as follows:
There are players.
The players work on projects.
Describe the projects.
To learn about the projects, ask the players.
The place to find players is at schools.
In this medium, blogs, I can build a catalog of urbanistic projects.
A player may have inactive or nascent projects.
The goal would be to activate such a project.
Information about active projects would be the resource to help players activate new ideas.
It is important that any display of information be fully comprehensible at a glance.
Thus, possibly, a list of active projects. A separate list of nascent and inactive projects.
Each entry links to a description of the project.
I am tracking my several projects at http://bloggerslogatanurbanistslogs.blogspot.com/.
Initial Project: a web site where people can publish their geographical observation, within a rational framework.
My Questions:
Is there some sort of standard practice for developing projects of this type?
While I call myself an urbanist, I am operating completely outside of the native environment for urbanists: academia and business. Maybe I need to learn more about urbanism as it is being practiced in those environments.
An answer to the question "what's happening" could be structured as follows:
There are players.
The players work on projects.
Describe the projects.
To learn about the projects, ask the players.
The place to find players is at schools.
In this medium, blogs, I can build a catalog of urbanistic projects.
A player may have inactive or nascent projects.
The goal would be to activate such a project.
Information about active projects would be the resource to help players activate new ideas.
It is important that any display of information be fully comprehensible at a glance.
Thus, possibly, a list of active projects. A separate list of nascent and inactive projects.
Each entry links to a description of the project.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Internal Arts Recovery Exercises
In connection with links on silk reeling exercises, I just posted a comment about being careful and taking time to recover after practice, and how beginners should start with just a little practice.
Actually, here's a story.
I learned Tai Chi from a book. I practiced one move for a week, then added another, and so on, as recommended (except there were long periods when I didn't practice - lapses in motivation - so it took me almost twenty years to learn the whole Yang Style Tai Chi). I perhaps ought to add that I felt I had a good understanding of movement and posture from some other martial arts studies, plus hiking and climbing, and yoga.
Still, some time around my second week of practice, I experienced a very sharp pain in the area of my waist. It went away immediately, but I didn't want to experience it again, so I proceeded very carefully, after that. By proceeding carefully, I mean keeping tabs on how it feels in the body, and responding to that information, if something tells me to be gentle, or to stretch in some way, for example.
The root of strength, in this regard, seems to be thrusting the hips forward. The torso can then arch back, giving an elongation to the abdominal cavity, and aligning and massaging all the organs. Again, its something you feel your way through. Also, any turning originates in the hips. It's not that there isn't twisting in the abdomen and back ... it just originates and is rooted in the hips.
Come to think of it, I also experienced an excruciating pain in my waist area one day while I wasn't practicing. For some reason I never associated it with the tai chi until today. Anyway, I healed it, much to my amazement, by holding a colorful painting over the area. I was studying color healing, at the time, which is where I got the idea, but the effect was quite miraculous, and I had thought I was a goner.
So, about processing through the sensations that follow this kind of exercise, which are felt deep in the abdominal organs, for example. (Sometimes also in the joints, perhaps, as well as other areas.) Waiting, and staying loose, are the basic methods. Here are some others:
Actually, here's a story.
I learned Tai Chi from a book. I practiced one move for a week, then added another, and so on, as recommended (except there were long periods when I didn't practice - lapses in motivation - so it took me almost twenty years to learn the whole Yang Style Tai Chi). I perhaps ought to add that I felt I had a good understanding of movement and posture from some other martial arts studies, plus hiking and climbing, and yoga.
Still, some time around my second week of practice, I experienced a very sharp pain in the area of my waist. It went away immediately, but I didn't want to experience it again, so I proceeded very carefully, after that. By proceeding carefully, I mean keeping tabs on how it feels in the body, and responding to that information, if something tells me to be gentle, or to stretch in some way, for example.
The root of strength, in this regard, seems to be thrusting the hips forward. The torso can then arch back, giving an elongation to the abdominal cavity, and aligning and massaging all the organs. Again, its something you feel your way through. Also, any turning originates in the hips. It's not that there isn't twisting in the abdomen and back ... it just originates and is rooted in the hips.
Come to think of it, I also experienced an excruciating pain in my waist area one day while I wasn't practicing. For some reason I never associated it with the tai chi until today. Anyway, I healed it, much to my amazement, by holding a colorful painting over the area. I was studying color healing, at the time, which is where I got the idea, but the effect was quite miraculous, and I had thought I was a goner.
So, about processing through the sensations that follow this kind of exercise, which are felt deep in the abdominal organs, for example. (Sometimes also in the joints, perhaps, as well as other areas.) Waiting, and staying loose, are the basic methods. Here are some others:
- stretching, such as yoga sitting toe touch with normal breathing, and also cobra
- sumo style stomping (which is really a gentle action, so don't hurt yourself trying to make a hole in the floor ... it's the rearing back that produces the stretch, as much as the stomp)
- making funny noises, such as raspberries, hoots, screeches, wawawa, hmmmm, and so on
- palm healing, where you simply hold the palm softly over the affected area, allowing a field of life energy to massage it
- walking
- easy jogging
- drinking tea
- incense
- energy visualization, for example, a vortex of sparkling energy gently turning around you
- zazen sitting, which, if practiced for some minutes, really teaches physical alignment
- scholarship - reading and writing
I have a story about another internal art, PaQua, too. Twice, right after experimenting with it (again, from a book), I got an intense sore throat. Both times, I quit practice. Each time, the sore throat stayed with me for two weeks. Both times, I just laid of the PaQua, and carried on normally, pretending I was fine ... maybe being a little easy on myself. Both times, after about two weeks, the symptom receded.
Later, I tried PaQua again, with great care (as described above), and didn't have a repeat of the incident. (I've misplaced my PaQua book, and haven't practiced it very much.)
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Anurbanist Fundraiser
At this time all I can do is ask for donations ... and advice.
My policy announcement: I will keep 10% of all donated funds for my personal use.
Note: this is not a non-profit. There is no non-profit related tax deduction (as far as I know, because I don't know anything).
I do seek a legitimate way to make my projects into an investment vehicle. At this time, I have no way to offer that. Your advice on that subject, readers, could be e-mailed to me, or posted in one of the comments sections, such as the comments for this post/article.
A Proposal: I will undertake to document all donations. I will undertake to keep donors identities private. I will undertake to publish this anonymous record of donations so that you, as donors on an ongoing basis, can see the Fundraiser results. I will undertake to thoroughly document disbursement of all funds (except my private 10%).
I will undertake to document certain plans for Fundraiser proceeds.
Readers can make repeat contributions if they are satisfied with the resulting documentation.
(This is also how I would want to run an investment vehicle. I suspect it is, in some regards, standard practice.)
My policy announcement: I will keep 10% of all donated funds for my personal use.
Note: this is not a non-profit. There is no non-profit related tax deduction (as far as I know, because I don't know anything).
I do seek a legitimate way to make my projects into an investment vehicle. At this time, I have no way to offer that. Your advice on that subject, readers, could be e-mailed to me, or posted in one of the comments sections, such as the comments for this post/article.
A Proposal: I will undertake to document all donations. I will undertake to keep donors identities private. I will undertake to publish this anonymous record of donations so that you, as donors on an ongoing basis, can see the Fundraiser results. I will undertake to thoroughly document disbursement of all funds (except my private 10%).
I will undertake to document certain plans for Fundraiser proceeds.
Readers can make repeat contributions if they are satisfied with the resulting documentation.
(This is also how I would want to run an investment vehicle. I suspect it is, in some regards, standard practice.)
Perhaps better planning can be achieved by involving everyone.
Everyone means anyone.
Everyone means lots of people.
This is in lieu of planning being done by a few people.
Planning is done by a few people because it involves special methods.
The core method of planning is rendering.
Rendering translates, transfers, or transmits information from one medium to another.
As it regards rendering, the special methods used by planners are procedures.
Today, we are using computers to perform these procedures.
Traditionally, the way to master rendering procedures involved extended rigorous training.
Today it may be possible for people without that training to use the procedures.
It is not that the procedures are so difficult to understand. Rather, they are somewhat intricate, and performing them efficiently enough to do extensive manual rendering is what is hard.
CAD software packages rendering procedures into relatively accessible instructions.
For whatever reasons, the quest for a high level of utility in CAD has been interpreted as requiring great intricacy in the software. This highly capable software is then sold at considerable cost, making it inaccessible to my target audience, everyone.
Some simpler CAD products are offered at modest prices (i.e., free of charge).
My research, however, shows that they are not easy to understand. This makes them, in turn, inaccessible to my audience, and unsuitable to my purpose.
I hypothesize that simple CAD is hard to understand and limited in power for one simple reason: it fails to clearly separate information about what is to be rendered from the rendering tools. Advanced CAD products do treat the underlying data separately, preserving it, to ensure full utility. Whether they are easy to understand is not my concern, here.
My goal is to build an easy to understand CAD by treating the underlying data separately.
Everyone means anyone.
Everyone means lots of people.
This is in lieu of planning being done by a few people.
Planning is done by a few people because it involves special methods.
The core method of planning is rendering.
Rendering translates, transfers, or transmits information from one medium to another.
As it regards rendering, the special methods used by planners are procedures.
Today, we are using computers to perform these procedures.
Traditionally, the way to master rendering procedures involved extended rigorous training.
Today it may be possible for people without that training to use the procedures.
It is not that the procedures are so difficult to understand. Rather, they are somewhat intricate, and performing them efficiently enough to do extensive manual rendering is what is hard.
CAD software packages rendering procedures into relatively accessible instructions.
For whatever reasons, the quest for a high level of utility in CAD has been interpreted as requiring great intricacy in the software. This highly capable software is then sold at considerable cost, making it inaccessible to my target audience, everyone.
Some simpler CAD products are offered at modest prices (i.e., free of charge).
My research, however, shows that they are not easy to understand. This makes them, in turn, inaccessible to my audience, and unsuitable to my purpose.
I hypothesize that simple CAD is hard to understand and limited in power for one simple reason: it fails to clearly separate information about what is to be rendered from the rendering tools. Advanced CAD products do treat the underlying data separately, preserving it, to ensure full utility. Whether they are easy to understand is not my concern, here.
My goal is to build an easy to understand CAD by treating the underlying data separately.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)