Scott Draves' Electric Sheep project combines distributed computing, open-source software and a thumbs-up or thumbs-down ranking system with some heady psychedelic magic to generate a flock of colorful screensavers, or "sheep," that can be used (and created) by anyone online.
The project draws its power from users' computers and generates designs that survive on the basis of their popularity--the audience votes for their favorites, and, according to the project's Web site, "the more popular sheep live longer and reproduce according to a genetic algorithm with mutation and crossover. Hence the flock evolves to please its global audience."
The Electric Sheep Web site also traces the genealogy of the "sheep": This page show three generations, including the two parents of a sheep, and the design's offspring.
Talkback
More ZDNet Photo Galleries
- BNET Industries
- Check out BNET's newest resource for managers and executives. Need to do research on your competitors? Don't have time to read every trade pub? BNET Industries is the new source for daily news, insights, and research on 11 major industries and 9,000 public companies.
-
- The technology industry from a different angle
-
- See what's hot in the auto industry
-
- Stay on top of the energy industry
