The computer is not a dumb machine!

“The computer is a dumb machine. It needs to be told what to do at every step”. How often have we heard of this refrain from friends and those who have only an incidental interaction with computers?  To them a computer is like a ball which has to be kicked from place to place. Only those who are ignorant or have a fear of computers would make such a statement. However this is so far from the truth.  In this post, my 100^th, I come to the defense of the computer in a slightly philosophical way.

The computer is truly a marvel of technology. The computer truly embodies untapped intelligence. In my opinion even a safety pin is frozen intelligence. From a piece of metal the safety pin can now hold things together while pinning them, besides incorporating an aspect of safety.

Stating that the computer is a dumb machine is like saying that a television is dumb and an airplane is dumber.  An airplane probably represents a modern miracle in which the laws of flight are built into every nut and bolt that goes into the plane. The electronics and the controls enable it to lift off, fly and land with precision are work in tandem and perform a daily miracle.

Similarly a computer from the bare hardware to the upper most layer of software is nothing but layer and layer of human ingenuity, creativity and innovation. At the bare metal the hardware of the computer is made up integrated chips that work at the rate of 1 billion instructions per second. The circuits are organized so precisely that they are able to work together and produce a coherent output, all at blazing speeds of less than a billionth of a second.

On top of the bare bones hardware we have some programs that work at the assembly and machine code made of 0’s and 1’s. The machine code is nothing more but amorphous strings of 0’s and 1’s. At this level   the thing that is worked on (object) and the thing that works on it (subject) are indistinguishable. There is no subject and object at this level. What distinguishes then is the context.

Over this layer we have the Operating System (OS) which I would like to refer to as the mind of the computer. The OS is managing many things all at once much like the mind has complete control over sense organs which receive external input. So the OS manages processes, memory, devices and CPU (resources)

As humans, we like to pride ourselves that we have consciousness. Rather than going into any metaphysical discussion on what consciousness is or isn’t it is clear that the OS keeps the computer completely conscious of the state of all its resources.  So just like we react to data received through our sense organs the computer reacts to input received through devices (mouse, keyboard) or its memory etc. So does the computer have consciousness?

You say human beings are capable of thought. So what is thought but some sensible evaluation of known concepts? In a way the OS is also constant churning in the background trying to make sense of the state of the CPU, the memory or the disk.

Not to give I can hear you say “But human beings understand choice”. Really! So here is my program for a human being

If human_being provoked

Get angry

If human_being insulted

Get hurt

If human_being ego stoked

Go mad with joy

Just kidding! Anyway the recent advances in cognitive computing now show it is possible to have computers choose the best alternative. IBM’s Watson is capable of evaluation alternative choices.

Over the OS we have compilers and above that we have several applications.

The computer truly represents layers and layers of solidified human thought. Whether it is the precise hardware circuitry, the OS, compilers, or any application they are all result of human thought and they are constantly working in the computer.

So if your initial attempt to perform something useful did not quite work out, you must understand that you are working with decades of human thought embodied in the computer. So your instructions should be precise and logical. Otherwise your attempts will be thwarted.

So whether it’s the computer, the mobile or your car, we should look and appreciate the deep beauty that resides in these modern conveniences, gadgets or machinery.

Blob with an attitude (stiffness) in Android

This post is an enhanced version of my earlier blob post Creating a blob in Android using Box2D physics engine and AndEngine. To introduce stiffness to the overall blob structure I used revoluteJoint between adjacent bodies as follows

}

// Create a revoluteJoint between adjacent bodies - Lacks stiffness

for( int i = 1; i < nBodies; i++ ) {

final RevoluteJointDef revoluteJointDef = new RevoluteJointDef();

revoluteJointDef.initialize(circleBody[i], circleBody[i-1], circleBody[i].getWorldCenter());

revoluteJointDef.enableMotor = false;

revoluteJointDef.motorSpeed = 0;

revoluteJointDef.maxMotorTorque = 0;

this.mPhysicsWorld.createJoint(revoluteJointDef);

}

// Create a revolute joint between first and last bodies

final RevoluteJointDef revoluteJointDef = new RevoluteJointDef();

revoluteJointDef.initialize(circleBody[0], circleBody[19], circleBody[0].getWorldCenter());

revoluteJointDef.enableMotor = false;

revoluteJointDef.motorSpeed = 0;

revoluteJointDef.maxMotorTorque = 0;

this.mPhysicsWorld.createJoint(revoluteJointDef);

The motorSpeed, maxMotorTorque is set to 0 and the enableMotor is set to false. However I found that this joint still lacks stiffness.

So I replaced the revoluteJoint with the weldJoint which is probably more appropriate

// Create a weldJoint between adjacent bodies - Weld Joint has more stiffness

for( int i = 1; i < nBodies; i++ ) {

final WeldJointDef weldJointDef = new WeldJointDef();

weldJointDef.initialize(circleBody[i], circleBody[i-1], circleBody[i].getWorldCenter());

this.mPhysicsWorld.createJoint(weldJointDef);

}

// Create a weld joint between first and last bodies

final WeldJointDef weldJointDef = new WeldJointDef();

weldJointDef.initialize(circleBody[0], circleBody[19], circleBody[0].getWorldCenter());

this.mPhysicsWorld.createJoint(weldJointDef);

Here are clips of the the Blob with more attitude

Blob with attitude – Part 1

Blob with attitude – Part 2

You can clone the project from Github at Blob_v1

Creating a Blob in Android using Box2D physics engine & AndEngine

Here is a short post on my attempt to create a Blob using Box2D physics engine and AndEngine. This demo tries to recreate the Blob Joint at GwtBox2D Showcase. This Blob Joint demo in Java uses a ConstantVolume Joint for creating the Blob. For my blob I use a distanceJoint for maintaining the shape of the Blob.

A Blob is created in the initial shape of an ellipse as follows

// Add 20 circle bodies around an ellipse
for (int i=0; iFIXTURE_DEF = PhysicsFactory.createFixtureDef(30f, 0.5f, 0.5f)
Vector2 v1 = new Vector2(x1,y1);
final VertexBufferObjectManager vb = this.getVertexBufferObjectManager();
circle[i] = new AnimatedSprite(x1, y1, this.mCircleFaceTextureRegion, this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());
circleBody[i] = PhysicsFactory.createCircleBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, circle[i], BodyType.DynamicBody, FIXTURE_DEF);

...
}

A distance Joint is created between every body as follows

// Create a distanceJoint between every other day
for(int i= 0;i < nBodies-1; i++) {

for(int j=i+1; j 0) {
connectionLine[i] = new Line(centers[i][0],centers[i][1],centers[i-1][0],centers[i-1][1],lineWidth,this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());
connectionLine[i].setColor(0.0f,0.0f,1.0f);
this.mScene.attachChild(connectionLine[i]);

}

// Join the first body with the last body
if(i == 19){
connectionLine[0] = new Line(centers[0][0],centers[0][1],centers[19][0],centers[19][1],lineWidth,this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());
connectionLine[0].setColor(.0f,.0f,1.0f);
this.mScene.attachChild(connectionLine[0]);
}

The connecting lines move along with the moving shapes as below

// Update connection line so that the line moves along with the body
this.mPhysicsWorld.registerPhysicsConnector(new PhysicsConnector(circle[i], circleBody[i], true, true) {
@Override
public void onUpdate(final float pSecondsElapsed) {
super.onUpdate(pSecondsElapsed);
for(int i=1;i < nBodies;i++) {
connectionLine[i].setPosition(circle[i].getX(),circle[i].getY(),circle[i-1].getX(),circle[i-1].getY());

} connectionLine[0].setPosition(circle[0].getX(),circle[0].getY(),circle[19].getX(),circle[19].getY());
}
}

);

So here is the clip of the blob in action : Blob clip

You can clone the project from Github from the Blob code

Bull in a china shop – Behind the scenes in Android

Here are the details about how I constructed the “Bull in a china shop” demo. For this demo I used Box2D physics engine and AndEngine to make the demo. I decided to use sprites for the china shop and picked up images of glasses, wine glasses, bottles etc from www.openclipart.org.

Be extremely careful when creating the TextureRegion using BitmapTextureAtlas. If you don't get the co-ordinates right the display can be weird.

Here is a snippet of this

this.mBitmapTextureAtlas = new BitmapTextureAtlas(this.getTextureManager(), 556, 246, TextureOptions.BILINEAR);

this.mTumblerTextureRegion = BitmapTextureAtlasTextureRegionFactory.createFromAsset(this.mBitmapTextureAtlas, this, "tumblr.png", 0, 0);

this.mBitmapTextureAtlas.load();

this.mBottleTextureRegion = BitmapTextureAtlasTextureRegionFactory.createFromAsset(this.mBitmapTextureAtlas, this, "bottle.png",20, 29);

this.mBitmapTextureAtlas.load();

this.mGlassTextureRegion = BitmapTextureAtlasTextureRegionFactory.createFromAsset(this.mBitmapTextureAtlas, this, "glass.png",36, 69);

this.mBitmapTextureAtlas.load();

this.mVaseTextureRegion = BitmapTextureAtlasTextureRegionFactory.createFromAsset(this.mBitmapTextureAtlas, this, "vase.png",56, 89);

this.mBitmapTextureAtlas.load();

...

...

This is very important to get right otherwise you are setting yourself for a lot of grief.

Superficially the demo looks real easy. It appears that creating a pyramid stack should be a breeze as long as you get the coordinates right. Wrong! Building a pyramid using Box2D with the effect of gravity can be a real challenge as I found out. I would build two stacks and the stack would become unstable and collapse.

Anyway here are the findings

1. Each row is not placed directly over the object below. I leave a gap of 2 px between them The reason is the object below exerts a force 'F' upward. The object above exerts a force 'mg” below and the physics engine tries to resolve this difference in forces and causes instability in the structure. So the key is a to leave a small gap in between
2. Now that there is a gap between 2 rows the coefficient of restitution 'e' is made 0. Even a value as small as 0.1f can make the objects jitter and cause instability.
3. The friction between the platform and the objects or the objects themselves is made maximum equal to 1.0f to prevent sliding of the objects.

// Add tumblers

for(int i=0; i < 21; i++) {

tumbler = new Sprite(80 + i * 25, 450, this.mTumblerTextureRegion, this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());

FIXTURE_DEF = PhysicsFactory.createFixtureDef(1f, 0.0f, 1f);

tumblerBody = PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, tumbler, BodyType.DynamicBody, FIXTURE_DEF);

this.mPhysicsWorld.registerPhysicsConnector(new PhysicsConnector(tumbler, tumblerBody, true, true));

this.mScene.attachChild(tumbler);

}

// Add glasses

for(int i=0; i < 14; i++) {

glass = new Sprite(130 + i * 25, 428, this.mGlassTextureRegion, this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());

FIXTURE_DEF = PhysicsFactory.createFixtureDef(1f, 0.0f, 1f);

glassBody = PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, glass, BodyType.DynamicBody, FIXTURE_DEF);

this.mPhysicsWorld.registerPhysicsConnector(new PhysicsConnector(glass, glassBody, true, true));

this.mScene.attachChild(glass);

}

...

...

Hopefully if you get everything right you should have a stable structure. I had to do this through trial and error before I got it finally right. Whew!

Once you get a stable structure with the proper sprites in place most of the problem is solved. For the last part I add a bull sprite and set it off at a velocity from the point of touch.

bull = new Sprite(pX, pY, this.mBullTextureRegion, this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());

FIXTURE_DEF = PhysicsFactory.createFixtureDef(25f, 0.0f, 1f);

Log.d("here","here");

bullBody = PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, bull, BodyType.DynamicBody, FIXTURE_DEF);

if(pX > 360)

bullBody.setLinearVelocity(-5,-5);

else

bullBody.setLinearVelocity(5,5);

Note: Since the sprites are not regular shapes I had to use a box shape. So the collisions are not pixel perfect.

Make sure you set up your project properly in Eclipse. The important settings are

1. Project->Properties->Android->Android4.2
2. Project->Properties->Java Compiler: Check the “Enable project specific setting” and also set compiler compliance level to 1.6
3. Finally click Project->Properties->Android: Under Library click 'Add' and add AndEngine and AndEnginePhysicsBox2DExtension

and you are good to go.

Here are 2 clips of Bull in a China Shop demo

1.Bull in a china shop in Earth's gravity

2.Bull in a china shop in Moon's gravity

You can clone the project from Github from Bulldozed

Have fun...

Simulating the domino effect in Android using Box2D and AndEngine

In this post I describe the steps to create a domino effect in Android. I have used Box 2D which is a physics game engine and AndEngine. The simulation is based on a demo in Java by Daniel Murphy in his site http://www.jbox2d.org/. There is a great tutorial on Box2D at http://www.iforce2d.net/b2dtut/introduction. Box2D is a really powerful 2D physics engine with collision detection, friction and restitution and all the good things of nature.

In this post I deal with some of the basic concepts of Box2D engine. At the most basic level is the 'Body'. A body has linear,angular velocity,mass, location etc. It is then assigned a 'shape' which can be circle or polygon and finally we have assign the bodies to fixtures which carry properties of friction, restitution, density (density x area = mass), etc.

Finally all bodies are part of the 'world'.

So for the domino effect I create floor,roof,left and right walls which are the shapes

//Create the floor

final VertexBufferObjectManager vertexBufferObjectManager = this.getVertexBufferObjectManager();

final Rectangle ground = new Rectangle(0, CAMERA_HEIGHT - 2, CAMERA_WIDTH, 2, vertexBufferObjectManager);

final Rectangle roof = new Rectangle(0, 0, CAMERA_WIDTH, 2, vertexBufferObjectManager);

final Rectangle left = new Rectangle(0, 0, 2, CAMERA_HEIGHT, vertexBufferObjectManager);

final Rectangle right = new Rectangle(CAMERA_WIDTH - 2, 0, 2, CAMERA_HEIGHT, vertexBufferObjectManager);

The body with the fixture is

final FixtureDef wallFixtureDef = PhysicsFactory.createFixtureDef(0, 0.5f, 0.5f);

PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, ground, BodyType.StaticBody, wallFixtureDef);

PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, roof, BodyType.StaticBody, wallFixtureDef);

PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, left, BodyType.StaticBody, wallFixtureDef);

PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, right, BodyType.StaticBody, wallFixtureDef);

Similarly I create 3 platforms on which I array vertical bricks.

The shape is created by creating a sprite.

platform1 = new Sprite(50, 100, this.mPlatformTextureRegion, this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());

The platform body is created as follows

platformBody1 = PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, platform1, BodyType.StaticBody, FIXTURE_DEF);

The FIXTURE_DEF is the fixture which is defined as

privatestaticfinal FixtureDef FIXTURE_DEF = PhysicsFactory.createFixtureDef(50f, 0.1f, 0.5f);

where the parameters 50f,0.1f,0,5f correspond to density, coefficient of restitution and friction.

The platform is then added to the scene

this.mScene.attachChild(platform1);

I stack 37 vertical bricks on the platform

// Create 37 bricks

for(int i=0; i < 37; i++) {

brick = new Sprite(50 + i * 15, 50, this.mBrickTextureRegion, this.getVertexBufferObjectManager());

brickBody = PhysicsFactory.createBoxBody(this.mPhysicsWorld, brick, BodyType.DynamicBody, FIXTURE_DEF);

...

this.mPhysicsWorld.registerPhysicsConnector(new PhysicsConnector(brick, brickBody, true, true));

this.mScene.attachChild(brick);

brick.setUserData(brickBody);

}

I tilt the first few bricks to create the domino effect as follows

float angle = brickBody.getAngle();

Log.d("Angle","angle:"+ angle);

// Tilt first 4 bricks

if (i == 0 || i == 1 || i == 2 || i == 3 || i == 4) {

brickBody.setTransform(120/PIXEL_TO_METER_RATIO_DEFAULT,80/PIXEL_TO_METER_RATIO_DEFAULT,(65 - (i*10)) * DEGTORAD);

}

Note: The PIXEL_TO_METER_RATIO_DEFAULT which divides the units.

I tried to make the end of the domino effect in the 1^st platform trigger the domino effect in the 2^nd which would trigger in the 3^rd. However I could not make it happen consistently. So I trigger the domino effect in each of the 3 platforms by tilting the first few bricks.

Anyway it was good fun.

You can take a look at the domino effect in the domino clip

The entire project can be cloned from Dominoes