Gaze into the Wheel of Tao

[andrewducker]

Over on FB meico wrote:

Last night I found myself programming Taoist cosmology*... When making this image I had to periodically look outside to make sure the stars weren't going out one by one.**

This is an image of all trigram like symbol sets. The image represents all possible n-grams with lengths zero to eighteen. Going from lower portion of the image to the upper shows n-grams from zero to unity. The left side is all even n-grams and the right side is all odd n-grams.

*In the language called Processing. Code available to those interested.
**A reference to "The Nine Billion Names of God" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Billion_Names_of_God).

Comments

[nmg.livejournal.com]

I was impressed until I realised that the n-grams weren't arranged in grey code order. Rubbish shaft encoder is no good.

[andrewducker]

Rubbish shaft encoder?

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Rubbish (shaft encoder), not (rubbish shaft) encoder.

Wikipedia

[andrewducker]

Aaaah. _Now_ I get it.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

:D

[andrewducker]

What's grey code? I've encountered Gray Code, is it the same thing?

[marrog.livejournal.com]

For the record that is one of my favourite short stories ever. I read it when I was little and it blew my mind.

[andrewducker]

Mine too. That's what I loved SF for as a kid. Stories like that, and The Last Question.

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love both of those stories.

[0olong.livejournal.com]

I like that a lot! Very neat indeed.

[andrewducker]

"Processing" always makes me think of you.

[0olong.livejournal.com]

I am flattered. :)

[snarlish.livejournal.com]

This would be a great record cover.