FlashBrighton: Code-along-Genetic-Algorithm May 19, 2008

Genetics: it's been around for, ooh, 3.5 billion years or so. Its got real staying power because of its fantastically simple formula of:

1. select;
2. reproduce;
3. mutate;

It almost looks like an algorithm doesn't it? 'Wonder if we can turn it into one?...

Well get ready to say 'YES WE CAN!' because at next week's FlashBrighton Sussex University's Genial-Genius-of-Genetic-Algorithm Ollie Glass drops in for a flying visit. Along with his good friend Math.random() Ollie will show us how simple it is to create Genetic Algorithms - or "GA's" to those in the business - and we'll all code-along with him in an openly-creative-positivity-workshop-nice kinda way, so we'll all go away at the end of the night with a simple-sample "GA" to study. Or those of us with laptops will anyway! :)

Ollie will code using Processing (processing.org) and you can use whatever language you fancy, be it ActionScript, Processing, Java or whatever else. Our own Seb Lee will be live coding in AS3 alongside Ollie on a separate projector... if he can get one!

Not just a Jack but a Master-of-all-trades, Ollie is a freelance Java consultant, AI specialist, Developmental psychologist and musician who teaches, programs, lectures, composes and creates! Phew! You can read more about Ollie at his site ollieglass.com, where you'll find such phrases as "emergent complexity", "dasein and dharma" & "overlapping metaphors for reality". Like, woteva THAT means!

IMPORTANT!

Please not that next week's meeting will happen on MONDAY 19TH MAY AND NOT TUESDAY 20TH MAY as is customary. You really will look silly if you turn up a day late, eagerly clutching your MacBook Air, to find no geeks.

AND JUST AS IMPORTANT!!

We are not meeting at The Cricketers as per. Tonight's venue will be "The Werks". You can get the address and whatever other details about this FANTASTIC VENUE you might wanna know at http://thewerks.org.uk/

Register now to ensure your place... and guarantee more FlashBrighton raffle tickets!

Official Website: http://www.flashbrighton.org/wordpress/?p=113