I read a scientific american article (or blurb if i recall) about boids when I was a kid. I wanted to have boids so badly after reading it, I stayed up on school nights teaching myself java. Haven't stopped hacking since -- still stay up on work nights, still trying to learn java...<p>anyways, just thought i'd share that little piece of nostalgia, how it all began for me
I am reading 'Complexity' by Mitchell Waldrop and it mentioned boids a few chapters back. It is a pretty interesting book if you like this sort of stuff, lots of background on the game of life, artificial life, and emergent behavior of all kinds. quote: "To them that hath shall be given", meaning that positive feedback loops exist in the world of economics.
It's always good to go back to the original source, <a href="http://www.red3d.com/cwr/steer/gdc99/" rel="nofollow">http://www.red3d.com/cwr/steer/gdc99/</a>