distellamap prints

Screen Name: distellamap
Currently Living:
Member Since: 2/20/2007
Last Update: 8/19/2007
Gallery Type: Public

Gallery: series1 (7 images)

Like any other game console, Atari 2600 cartridges contained executable code also commingled with data. This lists the code as columns of assembly language. Most of it is math or conditional statements (if x is true, go to y), so each time there's "go to" a curve is drawn from that point to its destination.

When a byte of data (as opposed to code) is found in the cartridge, it is shown as an orange row: a solid block for a "1" or a dot for a "0". The row is eight elements long, representing a whole byte. This usually means that the images can be seen in their entirety when a series of bytes are shown as rows. The images were often stored upside-down as a programming method.

The original version of these images were a series of prints where you can actually read the individual bits of text. I modified a version of distella to produce disassembled text output in the format that I wanted, and then used Processing to write a second program that creates the image of the output.

The medium (16 x 23.4) size (or larger) is recommended. The small (10.9 x 16) might also work (the original prints were 13 x 19).

Also added a pair of images from the dismap project, which did a similar operation on Nintendo cartridges.

I've put together this gallery on imagekind to handle requests I've received for prints of the distellamap and dismap projects. The full net proceeds on sales benefit one of a handful of charities for child hunger and education.