Prototyping 2013-09-23 (Networked Media)

This page is currently being worked on.

Sept 23 2013: 1.02 "Turtles & Ducks"

Promiscious bits

Last week the question came up of transforming audio to text and back again. What does it mean to re-interpret bits as another media? Examples.

Promiscous interfaces

Computer languages are naturally "promiscuous" in that the interesting things they do are typically provided by libraries -- which is like a software application that you use by programming through the language.

Python supports a flexible concept of typing sometimes called duck typing. What if we secretly replaced our turtle with another turtle trained to respond in exactly the same way as the one built-in to Python, but with a alternative agenda ;)

Some tools + concepts

• Inkscape (application)
• SVG (a standard for vector graphics)
• XML "Universal" Markup for all kinds of documents
• Inkscape Plugin (a (Python) program that transforms an SVG file, typically run from within the Inkscape interface)

Rough Notes

• Inkscape: XML Editor
• SVG: Open in a text editor... draw by typing, search and replace

Turtle Vectors

Seymour!

Promiscuity

• Inkscape: Apply path tools to a resulting drawing (need good example -- how to join nodes ?!)
• Python: Load a JSON feed (following Max's example?)

Inkscape forums

Results for search "Joining nodes inkscape":

• http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=12935
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGJi5sXxSfQ
• http://imagesbyheatherm.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/joining-lines-in-inkscape-using-the-node-tool/

Afternoon

Practice with Seymour

Extra: Think about other Inkscape/Python plugins

Examples

• http://archipels.be A website I worked on that uses SVG+html plus some other random tools

Putting SVG Online

• http://code.google.com/p/svgpan/
• http://www.cyberz.org/projects/SVGPan/tiger.svg ... cue 80s music!