Perceptual and Mathematical Spaces 

Instructors: Ian Horswill  + various

          with: Robin Hunicke, Robb Zubek

This course is part of a pilot program to teach computer science and art (broadly construed) in an integrated manner that brings out their commonalities. The course is open to all students, regardless of background. We will discuss the basic parameters of visual and auditory modalities, such as color, weight, and pitch, as well as relations between them, such as balance, consonance and dissonance. These issues will be explored in both aesthetic and mathematical terms and will be used as backdrop for teaching the basics of functional programming, a type of programming popular both in introductory programming courses, and in artificial intelligence programming. We will also explore the processes used in both programming practice and artistic practice, and the cultural and philosophical heritage of the two traditions.

Spring 2003: CS 370 - Computer Game Design

Zachary Schneirov's Rain of Lethal Blocks

ROLB is an asymmetrically competitive two player version of Tetris. One player chooses the next piece while the other plays normally. ROLB also takes a couple of extra steps to balance things out and make the game more interesting.

Greg Dunham's Behavior Scratch Pad

TBSP is a graphical tool to aid experts and non-experts alike in the building of behavior-based control programs. The tool takes advantage of the modular nature of behavior-based systems written in Generic Robot Language (GRL) to provide libraries of building blocks that can be combined using a graphical editor.