컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� CHAOS THEORY PCX FILES 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� By Andrew Ho Copyright (C) 1992 (Kind of) A collection of nifty chaos theory files in xx.PCX format for chaos theory buffs out there. For information on chaos theory check out the books listed on the next page. Note: The following bibliography was taken from my collection of OK homemade chaos programs under the product name of CHAOS EXPLORER, which fills up almost a MEGABYTE! (For me, that's really something.) The product is at v-1.00 (that's version negative one, you saw right) because of the fact that the documentation is taking longer than I expected to finish. The program will be available soon through your local BBS! All the pictures on this disk are homemade... I made them all with the programs I made, which, as mentioned above, are soon to be released public domainwise. They are in standard xx.PCX format, and thus most people can read them. Have fun. 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴커 � BIBLIOGRAPHY � 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴켸 Here I review some useful books on chaos, fractals, and other great stuff. Included also are interesting books concerning related subjects. And screw correct bibliography format. You probably don't need it and I definitely don't. Notice there are not many books. This is because, like I keep saying, chaos theory is new. However, it will be old soon if I don't stop babbling. And so: CHAOS: MAKING A NEW SCIENCE James Gleick A great book, one of the best books I have ever read! I just can't stop plugging it! Explains the history and development of chaos theory from its very birth to fairly recent times. Includes great pictures, diagrams, explanations, etc. Has some great color plates. James Gleick is an excellent science writer and a recognized expert, after this book came out. CHAOS: MAKING A NEW SCIENCE is truly one of the most revolutionary books around! This book is what started me off on the Chaos Quest. All I can say is, if you haven't read this book yet, READ IT! READ IT! MEMORIZE IT! THE FRACTAL GEOMETRY OF NATURE Benoit B. Mandelbrot Everybody knows Mandelbrot (except maybe primitive aborigine basket-weavers who have lived inside paper bags in Antarctica and were deaf, dumb, blind, and stupid); he discovered the fascinating Mandelbrot set, that weird cardioid-connected-to- a-quasi-circle-surrounded-by-weird-Julia-sets shape. This book discusses most everything Mandelbrot researched. Fairly old but makes fairly good reading, I guess; esoterically confusing mathematical discussions, but has some great three- dimensional fractal pictures. Hats off to Mandelbrot. AN EYE FOR FRACTALS: A Graphic & Photographic Essay Michael McGuire A good beginner's book on fractals. Excellent low-level lay writing. The author seems to be trying to make a statement about fractals and their relationships with nature; fractals are shown juxtaposed with strikingly beautiful landscapes and other photographs of trees, rocks, etc. Contains one of the best explanations of fractal dimension available. Mandelbr봳 and Julia sets are covered well. The author attempts to explain affine transformations, but to no avail; affine transformation is a difficult subject. Nevertheless a good book to read if you wish to begin making your own fractals. [Bibliography continued] FRACTAL GEOMETRY: Mathematical Foundations and Applications Kenneth Falconer Don't read this book unless you know lots and lots of math or love math jargon; it scared me off. But it is very useful for getting equations and other math junk out of. Filled with tons of proofs which will be of no use to you. However, has some really interesting sections on random variations of regular fractals which you will not want to miss. Doesn't mention computers much -- you won't want it if you are a hands-off (wimpy program-copier) programmer. CHANCE AND CHAOS David Ruelle A mathematical book -- not too much on chaos; concentrates more on other aspects of mathematical probability. Kind of interesting, but a bit dry -- But what can you expect from a professor of theoretical physics? Does have a good section on Lorenz's attractor; doesn't tell much, but lists the equations and some other basic stuff. I have a soft spot for this book because the author was one of the original researchers studying Lorenz's attractor and thus was an important Founding Father of chaos theory. FRACTALS: Endlessly Repeated Geometrical Figures Hans Lauwerier A good book that explains lots about fractals; listings of many programs in Turbo Basic, but the programs aren't that high quality (although I shouldn't talk -- my programs aren't too much better). Some great explanations of chaotic orbits and esthetic chaos. The main usefulness of this book lies in its listings of the ranges and values that provide good orbits, and the explanations of basic fractal construction. Some good fractal generating programs are in this book, although revising them a little goes a LONG way. Has some really good line-replacing method fractal generators which I didn't bother putting in here, so you might want to check those out. A GEOMETRY OF NATURE Edward Rietmann A highly mathematical book -- has listings in Turbo Basic also for generating lots of chaotic things. Good reading, and as for the programs: I discovered this book after making most of these programs -- and boy was I flattered! The [Bibliography continued... A GEOMETRY OF NATURE] programs in here are pretty weak. They all plot data points to a file, which is then read by a data-plotting program; no look at construction and changing parameters! ARRRGGGHHH! But it's got some great formulas and techniques. Don't read this unless you know basic calculus, or are the type of computer wimp who likes to copy programs directly out of books (O.K., so if you're a beginner you are excused. But nobody who wants to imagine dreaming about calling him- or herself a hacker had better not even think about copying programs directly out of books. Especially low end books like this one.). This book is for people who know lots of math and little computers. However, if you like to get out the flowcharts, and flowchart programs to figure out how they work, or if you're stuck on some problem and you need to peek at some confusing programs and try to figure them out, this book is definitely useful. Also, there are listings of ten billion different differential systems which make strange attractors, a gold mine for most programmers. HACKERS Stephen Levy I include this book mainly for inspirational value; this book is a story of computer hackers -- a truly monumental tale. This book has a special significance to me, and indeed to any true hackers anywhere; I read the sections on the original MIT hackers, obsessed with hacking the hell out of their primitive computer -- and I thought, "That's ME!" This has got to be one of the greatest books on all time. To give a flimsy excuse for plugging this book here, it does have a section on hackers hacking John Conway's Life. ARTIFICIAL LIFE: The Quest for a New Creation Stephen Levy Levy is one of the finest writers in existence. This book explains cellular automata such as Life and other systems in great detail and postulates on possible artificial life arising from these. A truly FASCINATING, great story, with good background information. All the 1-D CA's were unabashedly filched from this book. This is definitely a book well worth reading. A new information philosophy is definitely rising up, spurred on by chaos theory and cellular automata. All of it is spreading from the premise that large scale detail and disorder come from simple rules. This is a story about some of these rules which is inspirational.