Re: Mosquito or no-see-em?

[ben.yates@xxxx]

--- In MWcybercourse@xxxx, "Gary McCallister" <mccallis@xxxx> wrote:
> This is interesting and obviously captures a better movement 
and helps eliminate the bug of slipping through the barrier. As a 
poor biologist, however, I am a little concerned that some of the 
refinements are not exactly mosquito like. I am well aware that most 
of the people on the list are more interested in the computers 
behavior, but I feel I must speak on behalf of the organism. 
> For example, there is some evidence that mosquitoes DO move 
very randomly, at least until they are quite close to a host. 
Secondly, as we add refinements that make the program run better, I 
wonder if we are exceeding the decision making capacity of the 
organism. These are animals of very little brain (probably even less 
than Pooh Bear). Third, there are a number of varibales that we are 
not considering, like multiple sources, alternative energy sources, 
or weather conditions. Lasty, when confronted with a barrier such as 
window screen, mosquitoes DO occassionally find a way through. (It 
is almost like magic).
> 

I agree, let's keep them stupid... :) I would think, then, that 
instead of 70% moving towards, 30% random, we should start with 70 
random, and decrease this randomness as distance decreases (as the 
mosquito "detects" the target). 
I'm not sure that I can or will add the "extras", but I do admit that 
sometimes the mosquito DOES find a way through my screen as well. 
Consider that my "screen" is rectangle. If the mosquito moves FORWARD 
through a CORNER (thereby passing through and landing on the adjacent 
side), it HAS passed through the screen.
There is also the possibility of adding a small chance (say 10%) that 
a mosquito CAN pass through the middle (it found a hole, for example).
It would be interesting to extend this project to include multiple 
targets, and introduce "repellant" on some targets, if we know what 
the repellant does. But we'd really need to increase the mosquitoes 
as well. Then add birds. (My wife had a suggestion about West Nile 
virus, but I didn't bite).
Anyway, thank you for an interesting project. I don't plan to "take 
over" your project, but it has been fun to experiment with. I do 
admit I was more interested if it was capable of being programmed on 
a dialect as old as TI Logo II (1981)... it required a different 
approach, I am sure.

Ben