Re: ~e; on learning basic electronics

[human being <human@electronetwork.org>]

  Louis, first let me thank you for responding and allowing further
  clarification, it is especially enjoyable to be able to communicate
  about these ideas in their full scope and to reflect on them in new
  ways and in greater detail, and also to learn through questioning.

  [A disclaimer on my writing: there are reasons for my writing style,
  one of which is writing near the speed that the ideas necessitate to
  try to catch them in language, with gaps of grammatical wreckage.
  This is partially related to the ideas below, in terms of language and
  logical models for reasoning, as the HIOX symbol is proposed to be.]


	HIOX and 16-segment LED Displays
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/


  To pick up the conversation here, it is believed that there are several
  issues being discussed, and it would be helpful to keep these clear.
  There was some initial research which led to an investigation of the
  alphabet years prior, which revealed a common structure of which all
  letters and numbers can be generated from a symbol. Oddly, this is a
  symbol that is undocumented (professionally, ref. http://symbols.com )
  to date, yet which is also present in the built environment and 
buliding
  detailing (ornament, iconography) at the same time as the evolution
  of the (Roman to specifically English) languages to which it pertains.
  A direct corollary can be found in classical civic buildings in Rome, 
as
  well as the updated courthouses, state, federal, and other buildings
  which continue this tradition. Thus, an investigation of a structure in
  language was also found in architecture, and further, in other designs
  that are probable in being influenced by language, such as symbolism
  in flags, patterns, art (Union Jack, architectural ornament, Jasper 
Johns).

  This common structure in language (described here as HIOX) was a
  device used to generate hand-drawn graphic patterns and geometries,
  symbolic writing (a material deconstruction of language structures) and
  also as a system of logic, to provide a way to beyond paradoxical 
states,
  which has a parallel to quantum computing and quantum computing.

  Thus, HIOX has up until about one month ago operated as an 'idea'
  which has been shelved for a decade due to the complexity of trying
  to communicate the basic ideas in writing. A mathematician/teacher
  once verified the capacity for calculus based on language structure.

  This idea is so abstract it is easily made invisible and yet so simple 
to
  'see' but to consider it as a thought is counter-intuitive to the way 
that
  language and design and logic and other things are now conceived.
  Therefore, an early goal was to imagine way to communicate the idea
  through a process of trial and error. Having general architecture 
skills,
  the approach was pursued through drawing, diagrams, geometry, and
  the exploration of symbols. Experiments in writing with this structure 
in
  the alphabet led to approaches for a public, versus private, reasoning.
  Much of the 'idea' has been debugged in its various manifestations yet
  it has not been put together in a cohesive nor comprehensive way, nor
  explored as such (in more intense aspects such as computation) for a
  few reasons. One of which is people that relate to the core idea, which
  is what this communication is about with the alphanumeric display, at
  the same time as a few major hurdles so as to demonstrate the HIOX
  idea in a way people can generally understand, in a very tangible way.

  The conclusion has long been that little 'logic machines' would need
  to be built, with spinning alphabets and letters, mirrors, and electric
  motors that would be the equivalent of the Schrodinger's Cat thought
  experiment, yet with language and common sense reasoning at stake,
  where a person would be able to see one letter or number spinning
  through a series of mirrors, that would reflect a superposition of 
states
  so that a 'q' spun on its axis may also appear to be a 'p', or a 'b', 
even
  the letter 'd' if the mirrors were correctly configured. And the 
experiment
  would be a model of the question, and a button would be pressed to
  stop the experiment, at which point the logic machine would stop its
  spinning, and the letter (or number) would be viewable by a person,
  and at this point the probability of certain letter-states would show 
that
  certain letters are more ambiguous than others, and sometimes even
  a number and a letter may appear identical (using motors, and time)
  using a common symbolic shape for generation. The value may not
  appear self-evident but it is believed that a working physical model
  would help communicate the physical (dimensionality) of the logical
  system which then could be referenced to the experiment and not an
  abstract symbol which as an idea contains more than this one view.

  So, a lot of effort was put in to trying to keep working on this idea 
in
  bits and pieces over the years, and its manifestations have mainly
  been in 2-dimensional forms, (maybe even a type of 3D if animate).
  To try to give a sense of this scope of investigation, I have created
  a webpage compiling previous online work created that is related:

	HIOX and 16-segment LED Displays
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/

  Among the examples shown are animations created for a project
  (architectural glossary), in which the background patterns for that
  website employed these symbols as a graphic field or texture. View
  one example of the 26 letters on different colored backgrounds at:

	Tesselation patterns of the alphabet from
	the Design-List Glossalalia project.

	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/000000/a.htm
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/333333/a.htm
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/666666/a.htm
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/999999/a.htm
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/CCCCCC/a.htm
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/FFFFFF/a.htm

These are just the uppercase letters using the HIOX model, and in
viewing one letter one can see various effects, while looking at
letters which are similar in form (N, S, Z) or reflection (W, M), or
structure (V, W) or ordering (H, I, O, X) in relation to the whole.
An attempt to create an 'artifact', which eventually did become an
unintentional fragment through part of it breaking off, shows one
of the numbering systems based on rotating and reflecting letters
of the alphabet, a type of differentiation inside a common structure.

	HIOX fragment of structures and patterns within the alphabet

This can also be seen in the 'Glossalalia' graphic created for the
glossary website, which shows how lowercase letters also share
common structures that are not simply idealized but are used as
a system of relating letters, words, and spacing in typography and
with type face design in the English alphabet, such as with a font
program (e.g. Fontographer) or basic graphic design instruction.
This then adds another layer of calculability to the HIOX symbol.

There is the basic symbol, which is created by overlaying letters
H, I, O, X, atop one another. Yet, there is a 2D representation of
the same idea, in which time is stretched and stopped as each
letter is flipped and twisted on its axes, which is demonstrated
by two proposals for jewelry (more likely they will be soldered
out of paperclips and much larger, due to cost of precious metal
and the complexity of the designs).

	complete HIOX necklace showing all 26 letters of the
	Roman alphabet extended in 4-dimensional space-time.
	metal with leather cord.

   	complete HIOX necklace showing numerals zero through
	nine extended in 4-dimensional space-time.
	metal with leather cord.

Another approach is was proposed as jewelry, which was the
now oft-repeated 'custom array of LEDs' symbol, which would
demonstrate this idea through the manual switching of current
to separate circuits which would light each letter in the symbol.

The discovery of the last week or two being that an actual LED
display already exists in this (proposed) symbol, and that not
only does it not need to be recreated, but that its operating is
informative in that it is the essence of the English language in
electronic form, when using LEDs, which as said before is also
found in artworks, building detailing, and geometrical patterns.

	digital reproduction of a painting of two symbols
	acrylic paint on cardboard. minnesota. 1995

This fact cannot be disassociated from its common symbolism,
if it too can calculate the entire alphanumeric system, even if it
is the Union Jack, or stone detailing on an ancient Roman villa.
Likewise, it need be mentioned that the first image was exploring
this idea when the symbol of a 'swastika' was found in the symbol,
of which there are a variety of designs and prior interpretations to
that of the Nazi use, which stood for 'energy' for a long time prior,
is found in building detailing also (in San Francisco even, as was
noted on another list) and Sweden I believe it is, and was used as
a map symbol during the rise of electrification, for power plants. It
was used here for the positive/negative aspects in an attempt to
demonstrate the movement of the HIOX symbol, and afterwards
was realized it was also a swastika symbol, which is an ancient
symbol like crosses are, and of a variety of forms and meanings.

Further into the basic symbol, there can be 'fractals' or 'scales' of
the symbol which are self-repeating as patterns, which can be
much better demonstrated with better diagrams (these are just
examples of what has been put online in the past). For instance,
colored lines can be used, weight of lines, etc, but it is scalable.
So too, with regard to aspects of (sacred) geometry, this is also
one way to approach the organization and structure of places.

	jewelry permutations and scalability
	HIOX boxed sphere

The references provided by Louis were accurate to the basic
notion as described and I would like to respond to these as a
way to further sketch the nature of this idea. But before this I
would like to mention that all of the above ideas were loaded
in the post sent earlier to the list "on learning basic electronics."
All of this (very abstract) thinking and difficulty in communicating
a single notion, so I tried to avoid getting bogged down in the
idea, yet attempted to share it, as it relates (as a logical model)
to a possible way to communicate about electromagnetism, as
absurd as this may seem. So it is not entirely without relation.
And this is part of the excitement, as the 16-segment alpha-
numeric LED display confirmed this decade of thought, and
made several experiments (beyond the symbol) possible, and
this was never before imagined as even a remote possibility.

In any case, I have researched the alphabet quite a bit and
what was written was not without precedent. Durer's variations
on the letter 'i' confirms the basic assumption about structure,
but it is 6000 years prior that it existed. And, as the Concise
Oxford Companion to the English Language also confirms,
the alphabet is based on a Roman system but has evolved,
and 'English' (or American-English, even) is appropriate use
as the other Roman-based alphabets have special characters
for letters like i, a, e, o, u, et cetera for pronunciation of sounds.
For this reason, the most economical language is English, and
American-English if ligatures or other devices are proposed.

The early Roman alphabet did branch off of several letters and
did have its origin in other alphabets. An argument which would
approximate a 'primitive hut' of language this is not. It is to say
that the visual connections between alphabets and letters and
their influencing another is not unrelated to today's letters in the
alphabet, and the simple fact that a V and a W are both related
in their Roman origin and today's representations still remains
relevant for its structure. Though, the Roman alphabet was not
the alphabet we use today, only parts, and this work is about
today, not an idealized and fictitious background or past, though
the connections mentioned with regard to language are indeed
fact. As are the mathematical connections between the two, and
the use of language, letters, and symbols in generative patterns.

These structural aspects of language are common knowledge,
and the OED or other reference on 'the alphabet' would have
more information of which this HIOX symbol references, and
also demonstrates this long lineage of connections between
both letters and themselves, and numbers (i.e. mathematics).

I tried to search for a few examples, and since this symbol is
not 'defined' or identified or even acknowledged as having any
meaning whatsoever, it is difficult to google several examples
of buildings as the meta-data does not exist to pinpoint it yet.
True, there are numerous examples of this in Western classical
architecture, yet they are not directly defined as being of this
symbol, nor are they tied to an architect, but rather a cultural
system, though I thought I once saw drawings of a Krier work
that makes me wonder if it had this detailing, I am sure some
new urbanist architects have used it, post-modernists have,
as have classical architects (but did Vitruvius actually build?).

The point of the reference to the Union Jack or the patterns
on a building is that one can generate the alphabet within
them -- and if this is the case, why is it without meaning or merit
when the same symbol shows up in an electronics LED display
that actually proves this to be the case, as an artifactual symbol.
A counterpoint being, how do other languages exist in LED
form? Hindi, Kanji, Arabic? I have seen larger displays yet still
cannot locate a single LED unit of the same 16-segments that
can display all these languages, unless it is of a larger format.
The absence of another predominant and equally simple symbol
also says something about the nature of language, it is proposed.

	Digital Display Data Summary // multiple language displays...
	http://www.ieeinc.com/html/display_data_summary.html

That the Character Fonts for the above referenced URL show that
a 5x7 and-or 5x8 dot matrix can drive ASCII, European, Cyrillic,
Katakana, Hebrew, Greek, Polish display languages, while a
7x14	display is needed for Thai, 8x12 for Farsi and Arabic, and
a 16x16 display is needed for GB Chinese, Hungul (Korean) is
informative about electronic information and how language is
incorporated into its system of representation. Of note is that the
English alphanumeric display is 5x5, or even less segmented.
And, that integrated circuit (IC) and microcontroller chips exist
to drive these displays, for alphanumeric specific computations.

	Compare Kanji LED display IC24-120 to 16-segment display
	http://www.hitechled.com/InCarDisplays.htm

To then turn, twist, flip, reflect, and rotate these is also not out of
the question, or out of precedent. Two examples to add to earlier
references between mathematics, patterns, geometry, and the
alphabet. It is proposed that while this is not overtly common in
Western culture, the HIOX symbol demonstrates a connection
to what is more common in Islamic cultural traditions:

	"To observe the abstract, geometrical nature of Islamic art"
	from Lesson 5 Art part: Islamic art
	http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.pattern/lesson5art.html
	
	"Arabic calligraphy also provided a basis for decorative forms.
	Sacred Qu'ranic writing evloved into abstract pattern, enhancing
	Islamic  ornamentation with both visual and spirtual symbolism."

An example from Emigre by designed by founder Zuzana Licko in 1997
is the Hypnopaedia which uses a similar approach as demonstrated
on the Glossalalia patterns (especially if looking at the #000000 
series,
the #333333 and others, they begin to look like an Islamic geometrical
patterning using the English/Roman alphabet as information generator.)
These are basically custom-designed typefaces, letters of which are
rotated and combined to make larger intricate and ornate patterns.

	Hypnopaedia by Zuzana Licko
	http://www.emigre.com/EF.php?fid=98

	Hypnopaedia, 140 illustrations // notice common symbols...
	http://www.emigre.com/dp/getfontpage.php?PHyp.html

	Hypnopaedia: Font Design Information
	http://www.emigre.com/EFfeature.php?di=98

	"...people in general find it difficult to comprehend letters as
	abstract shapes. ... By turning letter designs into texture, the
	Hypnopaedia pattern illustrations allow us to make this
	distinction and appreciate letter shapes on a different level."

	"It occurred to me that taking letter forms out of their usual
	context of alphabetic word composition, would illustrate that
	letter form designs have value as independent forms, separate
	and distinct from their ability to represent alphabetic characters."

	"...the original letter forms are altered by rotation and by
	the positioning or interlocking of adjacent shapes."

	Zuzana Licko answers common questions about Emigre Fonts:
	// designed typefaces for dot-matrix printers, very interesting...
	http://www.emigre.com/Licko.php

	Q: Where did the name "Hypnopaedia" come..?
	"The name "Hypnopaedia" makes reference to sleep learning,
	or teaching through hypnosis; we chose this name because
	the repetition of the these elements and their formation
	into patterns can have a mezmorizing effect."

I appreciate anyone who has read this far, it is a lot of information
and still an abstraction yet the idea is abstract as is mentioned in
various resources (from the materiality of language, to electronic
displays and various languages, to undocumented symbols and
proposals for their relevancy, to logic machine contraptions, all
tied together with art, architecture, typography, and mathematics).
It may not be any closer to the point, other than to summarize why
all of this is needs to be written to say something very simple: that
using 4 of these 16-segment LED alphanumeric displays allows
these ideas to be demonstrated in yet another way, and discovery
of this possibility was the result of trying to learn about electronics
and is a reason for learning more about them, and it is sharing in
this (what is to me an) adventure is one perspective on meaning
in learning electronics that is cultural, based in ancient systems,
that there are ideas reconstituted or developed into and through
electronics that are also elsewhere in the built environment, and
even that this is an aesthetic proof of a logical device, which is
someday hopefully going to be tested even if it is entirely faulty.

Thanks Louis for your reply, I do not expect many will find much
if any significance in most of this, and yet it is greatly helpful for
me to be able to try to communicate about it and learn more of
how others see and experience these ideas and proposals, not
that this was the intent of writing, it was just the path I was taking
in learning it, and tried to write a little bit about it, not planned as
much as needing to share a discovery, and then needing to try
to clarify something that may be too early to write about simply.

	HIOX and 16-segment LED Displays
	http://www.electronetwork.org/exhibits/hiox/

Any ideas or input or suggestions are appreciated. I am having
troubles with the 7-segment display as the integrated circuit did
not exactly match in numbers, and I also have no idea how to
input a regular wave/signal into the circuit, so it will be awhile
in learning before LED lettering is within the realm of the possible.

Brian

---
Reference: Eurodisplay: when image leaves a sign
http://www.eurodisplay.com/html_eng/prodotti.htm

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