Bits, Bops, Bots, and Boxes
By Maurice Cherry

October 19, 2018

Bits, Bops, Bots, and Boxes

Gotta CAPTCHA 'Em All 🤖⌨ #

A completely automated public turing test to tell computers and humans apart -- or CAPTCHA, for short -- is often used on web forms to ensure that data that's been entered and submitted has been done by a human. It's a useful way to cut down on spam. The first CAPTCHA is over 30 years old, making it a fundamental part of the World Wide Web.

Web developer and glitch user Patrick Weaver (@PatrickWeaver) has a little fun with CAPTCHAs in his Glitch app Please Confirm You Are A Robot. Enter your name, tick the checkbox, and see if you can gain access!

Build Your Own Song Bracket 🎤📊 #

Brackets aren't just for college basketball anymore! Talk to five fans of any music artist, and chances are you'll get five different answers as to which tune is their best.

Glitch user Renato (@Renato) created a bracket ranking app based on the repetoire of popular rapper Lil Peep; just click each song to advance them throughout the bracket. Try remixing it and customizing it for your favorite music artist!

Going in Circles ⭕↔⭕ #

Math is fantastic for solving problems and figuring out patterns -- that's where the famous Venn diagram comes from. But what happens if you try to merge a bunch of circles at once?

Mathematician and Glitch User Christian Lawson-Perfect (@christianp) answers that question with an app called Spontaneous Venning. As the simulation runs, people either wander about, walk in a circle, gravitate towards the center, or go towards (or away from) others like them. Refresh the app to run a new trial!

Lines, Dots, Circles, and Boxes 🔳⚫ #

Programmers are creating really stunning artwork on Glitch using P5.js. Generative artist Anders Hoff (@inconvergent) is even trying out art on Glitch and created a small sandbox with examples that you can view, remix, and make your own. Which one is your favorite?

Fun with Micro:bit! 📲🤖 #

Here at Glitch, our new design engineer Tiffany Tseng (@scientiffic) has been experimenting with micro:bit devices. These tiny tools contain sensors, LEDs and other apparatuses, and are often used to teach basic programming concepts in a tangible way.

Through her work, Tiff has built several nifty starter apps that let you control and read sensor values from a micro:bit! You'll need a micro:bit to put these apps to use, of course, but check out the videos below to get an idea of how they work!

"i hope u dance" 🎶🎧 #

Jenn Schiffer (@jennschiffer) is our director of community engineering here at Glitch...and also a recording artist! (By recording, I mean recording .)

Jenn, along with Phillip Calvin (@pnc), recently released a compilation of random song lyrics from their voicemail messages titled "i hope u dance".

Sit back, dim the lights, and click play on the fist song to listen to the dulcet tones of pOnD wAtEr. (Jenn's even made it so the songs continue playing consecutively -- no interaction required!)

This week, our featured illustrator on Glitch is Michael DeForge! Michael is based out of Toronto, and his illustrations are both esoteric and familiar, filled with vibrant colors and simple, childlike wonder.

View more of Michael's work at his website, and check out his illustrations based on our featured apps!

The variety of apps in this week's roundup really shows how flexible Glitch is as a tool for creation and self-expression. You can start from scratch, build something with a buddy, or remix an already existing app and customize it to your heart's content. What will you create today?