TreeMaker Origami Program

Background In 1989, I wrote an article for the magazine Engineering & Science about the state of technical folding, which, even then, seemed to be progressing by leaps and bounds due to an infusion of scientific and mathematical principles. In recounting some of the connections between origami, math, and technology, I wrote: Computing succumbed to the appeal of folded paper when, in 1971, Arthur Appel programmed an IBM System 360 computer to print out simple geometric configurations at the rate of more than one hundred a minute. A screen shot of the design screen for a scorpion using TreeMaker 4. The ensuing decade saw this speculation turned into reality (and no one was more surprised than me!) Initially, TreeMaker was little more than a mathematical curiosity and a tool for exploring the mathematical theory of how to design a base. A screen shot of the computed crease pattern for a scorpion using TreeMaker 4. The folded base, and a finished model folded from this base. Description

Why is the derivative of the volume of a sphere equal to its surface area? PlotDevice: Draw with Python You've been able to visualize data with Python for a while, but Mac application PlotDevice from Christian Swinehart couples code and graphics more tightly. Write code on the right. Watch graphics change on the right. The application gives you everything you need to start writing programs that draw to a virtual canvas. It features a text editor with syntax highlighting and tab completion plus a zoomable graphics viewer and a variety of export options.PlotDevice's simple but comprehensive set of graphics commands will be familiar to users of similar graphics tools like NodeBox or Processing. Looks promising.