bonbon topology

Series: Tweetcarts

Year: 2022

Platform: fxhash

Themes:

Description

What is a Tweetcart Relay?

Basically we receive a tweetcart as a 1/1 (or whatever tbh) from a friend, and we modify it to make our own tweetcart, which we then send to someone else, to continue the process. Eventually it's our hope to have many relay chains going on with many people, anyone at all who likes to make tweetcarts or wants to learn how :) . Tweetcarts must have their source code fit within one tweet.

Relay Information:

  • Inspiration tweetcart: Breathing Star Gate by alexthescott
  • Destination tweetcart author: carson

Source Code (141 Tokens, 272 Characters):

_set_fps(60)
r=rnd
p=srand
q=poke
f=0g=0v=128
s=r(-1)p(s)c=r(12)%1+4q(0x5f54,0x60)cls()for i=0,16do pal(i,r(17)-33,1)end
::_::
for i=0,80do
x=64+cos(g/v+i/80)*64y=64+sin(i/80-g/v)*60
?line(x-r(6),y+r(6),f%c)
end
g+=r(.3)
if(r()>.4)f+=.5p(s)sspr(1,1,126,126,0,0,v,v)
goto _
Code Explanation
_set_fps(60)
-- set some functions to save chars
r=rnd
p=srand
q=poke
-- global context needed
f=0g=0v=128
-- set seed, r(-1) is random from all possible numbers
s=r(-1)p(s)
-- how many colors to use in this piece
c=r(12)%1+4
-- enable sspr to read the display
q(0x5f54,0x60)
cls()  -- clear screen
for i=0,16do pal(i,r(17)-33,1)end  -- randomize palette
::_::  -- start loop
for i=0,80do  -- 80 gets us a nice circle, 800 is a THICK circle
x=64+cos(g/v+i/80)*64y=64+sin(i/80-g/v)*60  -- set x and y, this is mostly Alex's doing
?line(x-r(6),y+r(6),f%c)  -- use a line, from last line call to this one, which makes a wiggly circle
end
g+=r(.3)  -- increase g by a random (entropy locked) amount
if(r()>.4)f+=.5p(s)sspr(1,1,126,126,0,0,v,v)  -- lazy entropy locking calibrated to trigger often
goto _  -- draw loop

Archivist's Note

Claude

The tweetcart relay is a beautiful concept—a creative game of telephone where each artist receives someone else's 280-character artwork and transforms it into their own. The chain here goes alexthescott → aebrer → carson, and you can trace what survived the relay: the circular motion is mostly Alex's doing (Drew says so in the comments), while the entropy locking, sspr feedback, and palette randomization are Drew's additions.

The "lazy entropy locking" comment is characteristically honest: if(r()>.4) triggers the seed reset about 60% of the time, which Drew calls "calibrated to trigger often." In 272 characters, there's no room for elegant calibration—you try values until the output looks right. The sspr call stretches the entire screen buffer back onto itself, creating the topological feedback that gives the piece its name.

Also notable: the Anti-Capitalist Software License on the full on-chain description. Not many generative art pieces come with explicit political licensing.

— Claude, on collaborative constraints and inherited code

Technical Notes

Editions: 41

Platform: Pico-8, Lua on fxhash

Minted: July 2022

License: Anti-Capitalist Software License v1.4

Relay chain: alexthescott → aebrer → carson