Creating a 2D Fractal Landscape Generator in Python

     I've been fascinated with fractals for a good while now, so a few months ago, I decided to create a python program to generate fractal mountains. The program works by starting a triangle with random vertices. Then, it divides the triangle into 4 smaller triangles and randomizes the locations of the new vertices.

In the program, I had to create classes for both the nodes (vertices) and the connections between the nodes. I had to give the nodes attributes for both their Cartesian coordinates (location in the image) and their barycentric coordinates (location in the overall triangle). Then, I had to create a roughness parameter (to define how much the nodes would be randomized) and an iterations parameter to define how many times the program would repeat. Then, I made a "for" loop to run through each triangle of connections, create new nodes for the midpoints, connect them up with new edges, and randomize them. Here's some of the results:

Iterations = 6, roughness parameter = 0.2

Iterations = 5, roughness parameter = 0.2

Iterations = 6, roughness parameter = 0.25

Iterations = 5, roughness parameter = 0

You can have a look at the code here.

Cosplay for DragonCon: Corvo Attano

     For DragonCon 2013, I decided that I wanted to cosplay Corvo Attano from the game Dishonored. 

     I started on the mask by hammering cinefoil onto a prop skull, then cutting the result in half.

Then, I held the two halves together by gluing them to a bunch of speampunk-looking objects. I used washers for the right eyepiece and an doorknob cover for the left one. The jawpieces were held on with glue and copper wire, and I added some extra brass pieces just for decoration.

My Mask

My Mask

Corvo's Mask

     The result certainly wasn't perfect, but I felt it stayed pretty loyal to the real thing. For the Jacket, I bought a black trenchcoat from the thrift store and used acrylic gold paint to add the trim. I added an assortment of belts and other accessories to add to the authenticity, and purchased some boots from the thrift store to complete the getup.

However, a Corvo cosplay wouldn't be complete without his retractable sword. It just so happens that Amazon sells extendable swords for Tai Chi training. This sword is awesome, and for around 13 bucks, it's  a great toy to have. After wielding my new sword, I was all set to head off to DragonCon. 

Testing Different Grain Geometries for Solid Rocket Boosters

     Back in February, my friend and I decided to see if we could measure a difference between different grain geometries in small solid rocket boosters. Grain geometry refers to the shape of the hole running down the center of the fuel: the hole changes shape as the fuel burns, resulting in a different thrust pattern depending on the shape of the hole. We tested 2 different grain geometries: a circular hole and a cross-shaped hole.

     We made some SRBs from PVC tubes and fueled them with a potassium nitrate - sugar mix (we found out later that using PVC for rockets is a terrible idea: if it explodes and shatters, the pieces of PVC lodged into your skin will not show up on a x-ray). We attached the boosters to a force sensor to collect thrust data.

     Our tests for the circular grain geometry both failed spectacularly:

   

    However, our test for the cross-shaped geometry went beautifully:

     In fact, in the data, you can clearly see two peaks in thrust:

     This thrust pattern is due to the changing surface area of the hole: as the fuel begins to burn, the cross begins to morph into a circle, reducing the surface area and the overall thrust. As it continues to burn, the circle expands, increasing the surface area, resulting in a second peak.

     Overall, this project was a great learning experience and a great excuse to explode things. If you choose to try this yourself, be safe, and don't use PVC like we did.