learning python – emerging-mind

TOOLBOX: raspberry PI & Python & Experiments

emerging-mind.org, eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
Email: info@emerging-mind.org
Author: Gerd Doeben-Henisch
gerd@doeben-henisch.de
August 11, 2022

raspBerry PI

The raspberry PI Prozessor [1], nicely embedded in a simple but powerful board, seems to be a universal tool to integrate knowledge about hardware, the linux operating system, a huge space of available software, many programming languages, and a whole bunch of additional electronic components allowing lots of interesting experiments.

On this site it will be explored how one can built up step by step experiments attached to the topic of ‚learning‘.

Python

There are today more than 100 programming languages around. Every has their own merits. In the realm of ‚learning‘ and close to hardware applications the programming language ‚python‘ has some popularity.[2] Therefore we will use this language here.

Experiments

Having hardware, knowing a programming language, playing with ideas — this all can only awake to some real experience when it will be transformed to some working system which allows real experiments. This shall be happen on this site. The Order of experiments is completely driven by ‚curiosity‘ and by ‚uprising questions‘.

COMMENTS

[1] See the raspberry PI organization: https://www.raspberrypi.com/

[2] For the Version 3.0 of python see here: https://www.python.org/download/releases/3.0/

PROGRAMMING WITH PYTHON – Simple Programming Environment with ubuntu 16.04

emerging-mind.org eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
Email: info@emerging-mind.org
10.-12.February 2018
Author: Gerd Doeben-Henisch
gerd@doeben-henisch.de
February 12, 2018

IDEA

This text describes a simple programming environment for python3
in an ubuntu 16.04 environment.

1 The Environment … 1
2 Steps To Prepare Python Environment … 2
3 Use Python Interactive Console … 3
4 Debugging with the Code Module … 6

PDF

PROGRAMMING WITH PYTHON. Milestone 0. Actor-Environment Baseline

emerging-mind lab (EML)
eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
29.Nov. 2017
info@emerging-mind.org
Author: Gerd Doeben-Henisch
EMail: gerd@doeben-henisch.de
FRA-UAS – Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
INM – Institute for New Media (Frankfurt, Germany)

ZIP-FOLDER

SUMMARY

This small software package is a further step in the exercise to learn python3 while trying to solve a given theoretical problem. The logic behind this software can be described as follows:

This software shall be an illustration to a simple case study from the uffmm.org site. The text of the case study is not yet finished, and this software will be extended further in the next weeks/ months…
The base-version of this software offers the user a menu-driven start to define a simple test-environment where he can investigate the behaviour of (yet) simple actors. At the end of a test run (every run can have n-many cycles, there can be m-many repetitions of a run) a simple graphic shows the summarized results.
The actual actors are without any kind of perception, no memory, no computational intelligence, they are completely driven either by a fixed rule or by chance. But they are consuming energy which decreases during time and they will ‚die‘ if they can not find new energy.
A more extended description of the software will follow apart from the case study as well as within the case study.
The immediate next extensions will be examples of simple sensory models (smelling, tasting, touching, hearing, and viewing). Based on this some exercises will follow with simple memory structures, simple model-building capabilities, simple language constructs, making music, painting pictures, do some arithmetic. For this the scenario has to be extended that there are at least three actors.
By the way, the main motivation for doing this is philosophy of science: exercising the construction of an emerging-mind where all used parts and methods are know. Real Intelligence can never be described by its parts only; it is an implicit function, which makes the ‚whole‘ different to the so-called ‚parts‘. As an side-effect there can be lots of interesting applications helping humans to become better humans 🙂 But, because we are free-acting systems, we can turn everything in ins opposite, turning something good into ‚evil’…

PROGRAMMING WITH PYTHON ubuntu 14, Windows10, ubuntu 16. Build the Environment. Part 2

emerging-mind lab (EML)
eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
31.Oct – 2.Nov 2017
info@emerging-mind.org
Gerd Doeben-Henisch
gerd@doeben-henisch.de
FRA-UAS – Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
INM – Institute for New Media (Frankfurt, Germany)
November 2, 2017

1 Why an Update (of ubuntu 14.04)? 2
2 Download And Install Ubuntu 14.04 3
3 Prepare The SW Environment 3
4 Terminal, Packet-Manager ’Synaptic’ 4
5 Manage Programs 5
6 Type Setting with TEXStudio 5
7 File-manager ’Krusader’ 6
8 Open Office Suite (e.g. for Drawing) 6
9 Simple Editor ’gedit’ 8
10 Screen-shots with ’shutter’ 8
11 Image Post-Processing with ’gimp’ 8
12 Python2+3, spyder3
13 Recording with the ’simplescreenrecorder’ 10
14 Video-Streamer ’vlc’ 11
15 Speech Synthesis with ’espeak’ and ’pyttsx’ 11
16 Ubuntu 14 and Windows 10 as Environment for Python3 12
17 Opting for ubuntu 16.04 besides ubuntu 14.04 12
18 Rebuild the Environment with ubuntu 16.04 13

OVERVIEW

The original plan was, to set up under ubuntu 14.04 a program-
ming environment which can use python3, spyder3 and as additional
software a speech-synthesis software like pyttsx. While everything
worked fine (see the first part of this article), it came to a ’show down’ when trying to combine python3 under ubuntu 14.04 with spyder3 and pyttsx3. All trials to overcome the problem led to new problems (see below). Finally I decided to give up the axiom of having ubuntu 14.04 on account of ros (robot operating system), because the primary tool is in this phase the programming language python. Python offers a ’universe of concepts’ on its own. And, who knows, there will be a day where ros will work with ubuntu 16.04 too :-). Then I installed ubuntu 16.04 (as upgrade from the internet) and checked the combination of python3, spyder3 and pyttsx3. It worked.

The pages 1-15 of the article describe a first update still using
ubuntu 14.04. Then it came to the crash when trying to combine python3 + spyder3 + pyttsx3. This led to the upgrade to ubuntu 16.04 and the new story. Before it came to the upgrade there was an important interaction with windows 10 helping to understand some limits and possibilities.

For more Details see:

Programming with Python. Part 4. First Demo complete

emerging-mind.org
eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
(info@emerging-mind.org)
Gerd Doeben-Henisch
gerd@doeben-henisch.de
October 20, 2017

PDF

ZIP-SW

1 First Milestone Reached

The basic idea from the beginning was to check whether it is possible to
program in python a simple actor-environment demo with a graphical user interface (GUI).

During the parts 1-3 it could be proved step wise that all the wanted
features could be realized.

Clearly the actual code is far from being elegant nor is he completely
explained. But everybody can inspect the code delivered as a ZIP-folder.

This first GUI-based demo contains the following features:

1. A 7 x 7 grid is offered with empty cells.
2. 20% are randomly occupied by obstacles (black cells).
3. 1% of cells is randomly occupied by food (i.e. here one cell) (green
cell).
4. The start position of an actor (red circle) can be selected by pointing
into the grid.
5. The number of cycles can be entered how often the environment shall
be repeat the event loop.
6. The type of behavior function of the actor can be selected: manually
(:= 0), fixed (:= 1) as well as random (:= 2). With option 1 or 2 the
demo is running by its own. With option 0 you have to select the next
direction manually by clicking into the grid.
7. While the demo is running it reports the actual energy level of the actor
as well as the actual ’Time of the environment’ (which corresponds
closely to the number of cycles).
8. If either the maximum number of cycles is reached or the energy of
the actor is below 0 the application will stop and after 10 s vanish from
the screen.

2 How to Continue

There are many options how to continue. Actually the following ones are
considered:

ACTOR-ENVIRONMENT FEATURES

1. Enhance the actual version with with e.g. offering the selection of
more parameters to be eligible.
2. Allow multiple actors simultaneously.
3. Allow the automatic repetition of a whole experiment over n-times.
4. Allow storing of results and statistical evaluations.
5. Start explorations of different behavior functions like genetic algorithms,
classifiers, reinforcement, learning similar to alpha go zero,
etc.
6. Enhance perceptual structures and motor patterns.
7. Check different cognitive architectures
8. Enable basic dialogues with the environment
9. …

COMPUTING FEATURES

1. Transfer the windows implementation on ubuntu 14.04 too.
2. Compare the different versions.
3. Integrate the actor-environment pattern within the ros-architecture
4. Allow real-world sensors and actors especially for robotics, for sound
art work, for picture art work, for sculpture art works as well as for text
art work)
5. Rewrite the actor-environment demo as a distributed process network.
6. Realize a first demo of a Local Learning Environment
7. …

Continue to part 5

Programming with Python. Part 3. Different Behavior Functions for Experiments 1-4

emerging-mind.org eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
(info@emerging-mind.org)
Gerd Doeben-Henisch
gerd@doeben-henisch.de
October 18, 2017

Contents
1 Problem to be Solved 1
2 How to Program 2
2.1 Empty Behavior Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 Fixed Behavior Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.3 Random Behavior Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.4 Food-Intake Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Abstract

According to the actual requirements we have to prepare 4 different
types of behavior functions

1 Problem to be Solved

In part 2 we have mentioned the following 4 types of behavior functions
which we need:
1. The behavior function phi of the actor is ’empty’ phi = 0. The actor
functions like an ’envelope’: you can see the body of the actor on the
screen, but his behavior depends completely from the inputs given by
a human person.
1
2. The behavior function of the actor is driven by one, fixed rule phi(i) = const. The actor will do always the same, independent from the environment.
3. The behavior function of the actor is driven by a source of random
values; therefore the output is completely random phi(i) = random.
4. The behavior function of the actor is driven by a source of random
value but simultaneously the actor has some simple memory remembering the last n steps before finding food. Therefore the behavior
is partially random, partially directed depending from the distance
to the goal food: phi : I x IS —> IS x O with internal states IS as
a simple memory which can collect data from the last n-many steps
before reaching the goal. If the memory is not empty then it can
happen, that the actual input maps the actual memory-content and
then the memory gives the actor a ’direction’ for the next steps.

In this part 3 we will program the cases 1-3 and we will implement a
food-intake function which will increase the energy level again.

For more see the attached PDF-file.

For all the python sources see the attached ZIP-file.

Continue to part 4 (First Milestone)

Programming with Python. Part 2. Replacing console interactions by mouse-click events

emerging-mind.org
eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
info@emerging-mind.org

Gerd Doeben-Henisch
gerd@doeben-henisch.de

PDF

SW-ZIP

CONTENT

1 Problem to be Solved 1
2 How to Program 2
2.1 Continuation with Timer instead of Console Interaction; Quit . 2
2.2 Inserting an Actor by Mouse-Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Putting Things Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

OVERVIEW

Taking the proposal from Part 1 for an environment-actor demo
and enhance it with replacing all console interactions with mouse-click
events
In this part 2 (see the attached PDF for Details) the last version ‚gdh-win10.py‘ will be improved by replacing all console interactions by mouse-clicks or by time-delay functions. There are also some minor improvements of the files environment.py and acctor.py.

How to Continue?

Continue with Part 3

Programming with Python. Part 1. A simple Actor-Environment Demo

emerging-mind.org eJournal ISSN 2567-6466
(info@emerging-mind.org)
Gerd Doeben-Henisch
gerd@doeben-henisch.de
October 14, 2017

PDF

SOFTWARE AS ZIP-FOLDER

Contents
1 Introduction 2
2 Python Context 2
2.1 Python Language Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 Simple Graphics Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.3 Python Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.4 Integrated Programming Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4.1 PyCharm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.4.2 WinPython (With spyder and numpy) . . . . . . . . . . 6
3 Problem to be Solved 6
4 Programming with Python 8
4.1 Testing an Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.1.1 A First Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.1.2 Rectangles, Lines, Circles, Text-Labels . . . . . . . . 9
4.1.3 Producing a Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.1.4 Grid with Vertical Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.1.5 Grid with Vertical and Horizontal Lines . . . . . . . . . 14
4.1.6 Introduce Helper Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.2 Introducing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.3 Introducing Actors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.3.1 First Requirements for an Actor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.3.2 First Considerations How to Program . . . . . . . . . 23
4.3.3 Let an Actor Move: Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.3.4 Let an Actor Move: Actor Self . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.3.5 The Final Main Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.3.6 Final Helper Functions for the Environment . . . . . . 45
4.3.7 Final Helpfer Funtions for Actors . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5 Close Up 54

BASIC IDEA

What you see here is the content of the attached PDF. The text is somehow a protocoll of an experiment to learn the programming language python from scratch. No pre-knowledge, no tools, no teachers! If you are in the same situation and you like to learn python since long, here you can enter and follow the steps.

STARTING WITH A REAL PROBLEM

Many years I opposed to learn python because in my view the language is really disgusting from the point of view of mathematics. But, one has to accept, that python has made its way in many areas including technology, science, and the arts. And because I needed urgently an acepptable software environment for all my theories and experiments there is sometimes the day of decision: you have to start or you can’t show many things.

There is another point: meanwhile I identified as main framework for our theories (which we are discussing on uffmm.org) the combination of ubuntu + ros (robot operating system) + tensoflow. Here python is the main langauge besides C/C++. Furthermore I detected many applications for our art projects, which are also strongly supported by python. Thus the motivation became stronger than my disgust about this quirky style of thinking.

In the attached PDF you can see how I battled through the python-jungle in 3 days producing a first outcome.

After these 3 days I would say, yes, python is a worthful tool to work with. I am convinced that we can solve most of our problems with it.

Therefore it is highly probable that you will find here more documents with python programs in the future. The idea is indeed to set up a local learning environment (LLE) which is small, flexible, portable, and very powerful. It should enable really intelligent machines to help people, not to substitute people. The future will belong to new men-machine couplings.

CONTINUE with Part 2