My RSS feed for Slashdot brought my attention to an article on Slate. The Slashdot summary stated:
This Slate article talks about a single line of code — 10 PRINT CHR$ (205.5 + RND (1)); : GOTO 10 — and how it manages to create a complicated maze without the use of a loop, variables and without very complicated syntax.
Even though that “one line” of code really is two lines and it really does use a loop, that short string of code is still very interesting. While the way the code generates a maze isn’t immediately intuitive, it becomes obvious once you watch a bit of the video above. All that code does is randomly kick out a forward slash or backward slash. Once they wrap around to the next line, they start to form what looks like a maze.
As a little exercise I created something similar using PHP. To make that work I had to use a fair bit of CSS to make it look decent. In any case, it occurred to me that this would be a wonderful project for a Polargraph! Draw a random forward slash or backslash, get to the end of the line and make a bunch more on the return line. How awesome would a huge paper roll of nothing but a giant maze look?
I think I may have found a project cool enough to show off at Maker Faire. :)
- Wanna make a DrawBot?
- DrawBot Resources and Links: Updated 2013/04/01
- DrawBot, the Adventure Begins
- DrawBots for the slow learner
- DrawBot - Parts Ordered!!!
- DrawBot - The Breakdown
- DrawBot - Parts Shipped!!!
- DrawBot - What would you draw?
- DrawBot - The Plan!
- DrawBot - The Hacks
- DrawBot - Giant Unicorn?
- DrawBot - The Delivery?
- DrawBot - The Delivery, Part II
- DrawBot – The Delivery, Part III
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part I
- DrawBot – The Software, Part I (and an existential conversation)
- DrawBot – The Delivery, Part IV
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part II
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part III
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part IV
- DrawBot – Design Considerations
- DrawBot – Halp!!! No - seriously, a little help?
- DrawBot – The Face Palm
- DrawBot – The Delivery, Part V
- DrawBot – The Silver Lining of Failure
- DrawBot – The Delivery, Part VI
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part V
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part VI
- DrawBot – Printed Parts
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part VII
- DrawBot – The Operation, Part I
- DrawBot – The Assembly, Part VIII
- DrawBot – The Breakdown, Part II
- DrawBot – Printing!
- DrawBot – Printing, Part II
- DrawBot – Why are you crying?
- DrawBot – Calibration
- DrawBot – Pen Selection
- DrawBot – How to Recover from a Stalled Print!
- DrawBot – Drawing Success(ish)!!!
- DrawBot – Pen Selection, Part II
- DrawBot – Onwards and Upwards!
- DrawBot – Another Successful(ish) Drawing!, and an Update
- Restarting a Stalled DrawBot Drawing
- TSP FTW!
- Speedier DrawBot Drawings
- Two new DrawBot links! And an update!
- Excellent DrawBot Slides
- Another Drawing Robot!!!
- DrawBot Practice Tip: A Watched Pot
- The biggest inkjet printer ever
- Why do DrawBots draw on walls?
- Maze Code + Polargraph?
- All New Polargraph on the way!!!
- Ideas for improving my DrawBot
- DrawBot Aesthetic Re-Design Ideas
- The Eagle Has Landed
- Every Body Needs a Skull
- I think I know what I want to draw next...
- This project is not going to overengineer itself
- Overengineered Spools
- Overengineered Stepper Motor Mounts, Filament Guides
- Overengineered Bolt Endcaps, Case Holder
- Sourcing DrawBot Parts
- DrawBot - A Tour!
- DrawBot - A Preview
- Arduino Powered Drawing Robot Poll
- Building an Arduino Drawing Robot - On The Cheap
- DrawBot - Printed Parts Tour
- Unidentified Foam Object
- Arduino Powered Drawing Robot - Take 2 (Or 3)
- DrawBot, now ACTUALLY wall mounted!
- A Study of Drawing Robot Pen Holders and Design Considerations
- Drawing Robot Pen Holders, Calligraphy Pens, and Thought Experiments
- Ideal Qualities in a Drawing Robot Pen Holder
- Enough talk! Finally a pen holder!
- DrawBot Pen Holder Post Mortem
- To Maker Faire!!!
- Skipping! How could I forget the skipping?!
- Drawing Robot Penmanship
- PlotterBot at Maker Faire Bay Area 2013!
That’s two lines of code, a loop, and not a maze. :head explode: :)