What is Poppy?
Poppy is a virtual organism that resides on this website. Visitors can interact with Poppy, though not all of their interactions will be beneficial. It is up to the visitor whether they will nurture, neglect, re-engineer or outright kill Poppy.
Where did Poppy come from?
Poppy is based on the simplest of organisms. Scientists believe that the earliest cells arose from lipid vesicles which harboured genetic code. These vesicles could contain the chemical reactions necessary for life to be sustained.
Why was Poppy created?
Poppy is an inherently benevolent mechanism, but it is entirely reliant on visitors for its survival. The vying desires to nuture and destroy are the two sides of human nature which this project seeks to recognize and explore. When Poppy dies, does the viewer feel guilt or glee? And what does that say about that person's natural alignment?
How was Poppy created?
Poppy was developed in both Windows XP and OS X. Website graphics and logo design were done in Adobe PhotoShop and ImageReady. Animation and programming were done in Macromedia Flash MX. Music and sound effects were edited with Cool Edit 2000. Original Poppy was designed and coded by Kelly Hamilton, October-November 2002. Poppy 2.0 was designed and coded 2003-2005. Original music composed and arranged by Kelly Hamilton. Music editing and encoding by Clay. The voice of Poppy is Kelly Hamilton.
What's the scoop on Poppy 2.0?
The limitations and glitches of the original Poppy are a reflection of the deadline restrictions on its creation, as well as my own limited knowledge of the Flash Actionscript language. Since the creation of the original Poppy my Actionscript knowledge has expanded, but I still consider myself much better as an artist than a programmer. Time spent programming new Poppy features doesn't advance my skills as an artist so it's hard to justify. Therefore, the Poppy Research Fund justifies spending time to develope Poppy further as it becomes a paying job rather than just a low-priority side project.
If you want to contribute to Poppy 2.0, click here.
