juggler.html Copyright (c) 1996,7 Allen Knutson, Matthew Levine, Gregory Warrington This file is part of [MA][GNU]S. [MA][GNU]S is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. [MA][GNU]S is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with [MA][GNU]S; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. [MA][GNU]S This page contains [MA][GNU]S, a Java juggling applet by Allen Knutson, Matthew Levine, and Gregory Warrington. See the main page for more info (including how to get your own copy, so you don't have to wait for it to run over the network).

[MA][GNU]S should appear in its own window. (After it downloads)

Sorrry, you need a Java enabled web browser to run Java applets. This either is not one, or you have Java features disabled. (For versions >2 of Netscape, check Options/Network Preferences/Languages)

A brief tutorial

Getting started

If you know about siteswaps, and know which ones you want to see, click on the pattern entry field, enter the desired pattern, and hit "enter". Otherwise you can get started with "Random" under the "Mode" menu, or select from a list from the list under "Samples". (Note that the "Samples" menu, and its submenus, are tear-off menus, making it easier to pattern-surf.)

Things to see

These each get their own "Help" menu items.
  • The space-time diagram - the recent history of [MA][GNU]S, with the height information forgotten.
  • The orbits window - to follow the individual balls if the pattern works, or else find out why it doesn't.
  • The state graph - more detailed information about the balls in the air. Note that you can add to it by specifying throws, not just collecting throws from the juggler.

    • Some interesting display options

    These are all under the "Options" menu, which also can be torn off.
  • Show trails - only draws balls and doesn't erase them.
  • Trippy colors - the balls vary in color.
  • Alice balls - also known as the "lava lamp effect".
    • These three mix and match nicely.

    Most other things you might think to vary about the juggler's behavior are in the Settings window (which can be brought up from "Options").

    What is it doing?

    There are several Options to keep track of what throws are occurring. This is particularly useful during a transition (which [MA][GNU]S does automatically when asked to show a new pattern) and during Random Mode.
  • Show numbers for balls - this is perhaps the most enlightening, replacing the balls with flying numbers.
  • Label hands w/ throws.
  • Show Space-Time Diagram - this keeps the most history.