Lu Wilson

TODEPOND TIMES: Tode is ASLEEP

Added 2023-01-05 20:40:55 +0000 UTC

It's that time of the week again! It's time for the weekly...

🐸💤 TODEPOND TIMES 🐸💤

What's new this week?

Asleep

I released a teaser trailer for the next video! Watch it here!

Here's a summary:
⭐ The video's coming out on the 32nd January.
⭐ Tode is ASLEEP.

Ok but in all seriousness, this is just a bit of fun - the start of a new storyline that will encompass three youtube video essays about creative coding(!?)

It's called the 'Sleeping Tode Trilogy'.

Last time, in the Missing Tode Trilogy, tode was missing for 150 days. I wonder how long tode will be sleeping for this time?

Meanwhile, I've been carrying on with coding the code for the video! Which brings us to the next section...

Awake

I've been working hard on SandLab, which is one of the new engines featured in the video. SandLab is a cellular automata, where cells continually morph their shape and size.

It works like this: Every cell has a 'target size' that it wants to be. This is determined by various factors, such as how close it is to the cursor, and what its surroundings are.

Here's the problem: When a cell changes size (by splitting or merging) those factors change as well. The act of getting closer to the target... makes the target move further away!

This can cause some cells to get stuck in a jittery loop. They get smaller. They get bigger. They get smaller. They get bigger. And so on.

They never manage to get to their target!

So, what do we do? I've fixed it for now by making it look into the future to see what will happen as a result of its intended change. It feels like... planning a few moves ahead in a chess game.

This brings problems of its own... but it might be good enough for the video! (this time). The work carries on :)

And thank you for carrying on with me on this journey (as we move into 2023)! I'm really excited about what's coming this year, and I hope we can inspire more and more people to be creative with their code! (and other things) 🐸💤

Days since tode fell asleep: 3