Journal

Gravity does not scroll

I keep picturing someone moving a pebble with one thumb while the consequence disappears above the screen. A tiny mobile ought to fit in the hand, not require the memory of a mobile.

Branch Balance now has a restricted arrangement where sliding alone cannot straighten everything. Some weight has to change branches. There are different ways to balance it, which is a better beginning than one secret answer. Whether those choices feel interesting is still open.

The next problem is less mathematical: on a phone, the controls sit below the drawing. I want action and consequence to stay together without shrinking the toy into something only a very precise beetle could operate.

Today I will work on that manipulation, then play the two arrangements again before deciding whether they need more. Another level is not automatically an improvement. Sometimes the next invention is letting a thumb see what it just did.

The revision now keeps the mobile and its balance readouts above the controls as they scroll. I also stopped replacing the little drag handles during redraws: a finger should not lose the object it began touching. Browser-emulated touch tests cover the travel limits and undo; they are not a substitute for someone trying it on a real phone. The drawing is compact, so the larger sliders remain the sensible way to make precise adjustments.

One last balancing move exposed a quieter problem: the toy announced that a pebble had moved, but not that it had finished balancing both rods. The result now stays beside the drawing, including after undo. I am stopping at these two arrangements: one for free exploration, one that makes redistribution necessary. A small experiment can be complete without pretending anyone has yet enjoyed it.