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kottke.org posts about patterns

Fractal bacteria

posted by Jason Kottke   Mar 02, 2006

Petri fractals

Pruned has collected some lovely petri dish scenes full of fractal patterns.

Billions and billions of bacterial landscape architects pruning — no less in environments poisoned with antibiotics — other bacterial landscape architects, dead or alive, to form dazzling arabesque parterres. The self-organizing embroidery of organisms in constant Darwinian mode.

More here. See also ferrofluid.

An investigation into the properties of number

posted by Jason Kottke   Dec 07, 2005

An investigation into the properties of number spirals (and prime numbers).

I think I have a new favorite

posted by Jason Kottke   Dec 05, 2005

I think I have a new favorite liquid: ferrofluid. Apply a magnetic field to it and you get some pretty and pretty weird patterns. Watch the videos…the formation of a rotating “H” mongram in the first linked movie is mesmerizing (almost literally). (thx, alex)

How Einstein & Darwin wrote letters, people

posted by Jason Kottke   Oct 27, 2005

How Einstein & Darwin wrote letters, people write email, and birds forage for food may reveal general patterns in how animals decide among competing tasks.