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Bibi-binary

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Note: each Bibi digit is formed from a square arranging the 1-bits in its binary representation. If only a single bit is 1 the line starts at the centre and ends in that bit's corner; otherwise it relies on the order of the positions of the 1-bits. When there are exactly two 1-bits, the line passes through the centre. The forms are rounded when there are less than three 1-bits, and use sharp corners when three or four of the bits are 1.

The Bibi-binary system for numeric notation (in French système Bibi-binaire, or abbreviated "système Bibi") was first described in 1968[1] by Robert "Boby" Lapointe (1922-1972), based on the concept of hexadecimal notation. At the time, it attracted the attention of André Lichnerowicz, then engaged in studies at the University of Lyon. It found some use in a variety of unforeseen applications: stochastic poetry, stochastic art, colour classification, aleatory music, architectural symbolism, etc.[citation needed]

The notational system directly and logically encodes the binary representations of the digits in a hexadecimal (base sixteen) number. However, in place of the arabic numerals and letters currently used, it presents sixteen newly-devised symbols (thus evading any risk of confusion with the decimal system). The graphical and phonetic conception of these symbols renders the use of the Bibi-binary "language" simple and fast.

The description of the language first appeared in Les Cerveaux non-humains ("Non-human brains"),[2] and the system can also be found in Boby Lapointe by Huguette Long Lapointe.[3]

Why Bibi

The central observation driving this system is that sixteen can be written as 2 to the power of 2, to the power of 2. As we use the term binary for numbers written in base two, Lapointe reasoned that one could also say "bi-binary" for base four, and thus "bibi-binary" for base 16. Its name may also be a pun,[citation needed] as the word bibi in French is slang for "me" or "myself"; various forms of word play were at the centre of Lapointe's artistic œuvre.




References

  1. ^ Brevet d'invention n° 1.569.028, Procédé de codification de l'information, Robert Jean Lapointe, demandé le 28 mars 1968, délivré le 21 avril 1969. Downloaded from INPI.
  2. ^ Jean-Marc Font, Jean-Claude Quiniou, Gérard Verroust, Les Cerveaux non-humains : introduction à l'Informatique, Denoël, Paris, 1970.
  3. ^ Huguette Long Lapointe, Boby Lapointe, Encre, Paris, 1980 ISBN 2-86418-148-7
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