News

News, Python, Time Waste

Python: 3D real-time debugging and function call structure

Here is two videos of a small script (python and xmlrpc calls to ubigraph visualization server) created to show a 3D graph of  the function call structure of a python application, the first shows only the structure created while running the application and the next video shows a debugging-like tool, it changes the node color to red when the function is called, and the labels shows: function name, python file name and the line on the python file where the code is.

Update (26/02): download here the script source-code.

To use the script, start the Ubigraph visualization server and add the profile module to your python application, it will looks like this:

import prof3d

def run_main():
   # your code

if __name__ == "__main__":
   prof3d.profile_me()
   run_main()

by Christian S. Perone
News, Python, Time Waste

Twitter in 3D !

I was doing some tests on the Ubigraph dynamic graph visualization tool and I have this idea to use the Ubigraph tool to render 3D graphs of Twitter friends on real-time. Follows the video of the scripting utility I’ve created, it starts with a red node of your twitter and when you click, it shows your friends, when you click on your friends, it shows their  friends, and so on. I think it is interesting those social network graphs, when I got more time I’ll put more ideas on the pratice =)

Update (26/02): download here the script source-code.
To use it, you must install python-twitter, use the easy_install:

easy_install python-twitter

I’ve tested with Python 2.5, but it should works on 2.4 and 2.6 too.

Start the Ubigraph visualization server and run the script. The syntax for the script is like this:

python twitter3d.py -u username

You can get a help using:

python twitter3d.py –help

by Christian S. Perone
Genetic Algorithms, News, Science

Genetic Algorithms help us to understand how we see

There is a very interesting article on the insciences.org, it talks about the use of a Genetic Algorithm to create images used to test people brain performance:

The team developed a ‘genetic algorithm’, based on a simple model of evolution, that can breed a range of images and visual stimuli which were then used to test people’s brain performance. By using artificial intelligence to design the test patterns, the team removed any likelihood of predetermining the results which could have occurred if researchers had designed the test pictures themselves.

Read the full article or see the created images.

by Christian S. Perone
News, Science

Happy Darwin day !

As Wikipedia says:

Darwin Day is a recently instituted celebration intended to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin on February 12, 1809. The day is used to highlight Darwin’s contribution to science and to promote science in general.

Today is the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the On the Origin of Species. So, take some time to read.

“I love fools experiments.
I am always making them.“

charles-darwin-cropped-1258

Charles R. Darwin (b. 1809 – † 1882)

by Christian S. Perone
Genetic Algorithms, News, Science

A beautiful example of cooperation between theory and experiment, the new Boron form

The NY Times has a nice article talking about the discovery of a new Boron form using Genetic Algorithms:

Now researchers led by Dr. Oganov have added to the actual discoveries. They have found a form of boron that is nearly as hard as diamond.

This discovery even illustrates the power of the idea of evolution, using a so-called genetic algorithm to decipher the structure of the new boron crystal.

“This work is a beautiful example of cooperation between theory and experiment,” said Aitor Bergara, a physicist at the University of the Basque Country in Spain. Dr. Bergara was not involved with the research, which was published online by the journal Nature.

Read the full article.

by Christian S. Perone