The hidden picture is a robot!
The picture as Python
Here is the same picture stored as numbers in a Python list. The program reads each number and prints a symbol for it, so you can see the picture appear in the Python shell.
picture = [
"0000000110000000",
"0000000220000000",
"0333333333333330",
"0343333333333430",
"0333333333333330",
"0335555555555330",
"0333333333333330",
"0066666666666600",
"0066666666666600",
"0066666666666600",
"0066666666666600",
"0066666666666600",
"0066666666666600",
"0066666666666600",
"0066666666666600",
"0005005005005000",
]
symbols = " #@*o+="
for row in picture:
line = ""
for number in row:
line = line + symbols[int(number)]
print(line)When you run it, it prints:
##
@@
**************
*o**********o*
**************
**++++++++++**
**************
============
============
============
============
============
============
============
============
+ + + +
Squashing the picture smaller
Computers often save space with a trick called run-length encoding. Instead of storing every pixel, they count how many of the same colour are in a row. Here’s this picture written that way:
Show the run-length code
- Row 1: 7 × white, 2 × red, 7 × white
- Row 2: 7 × white, 2 × grey, 7 × white
- Row 3: 1 × white, 14 × orange, 1 × white
- Row 4: 1 × white, 1 × orange, 1 × yellow, 10 × orange, 1 × yellow, 1 × orange, 1 × white
- Row 5: 1 × white, 14 × orange, 1 × white
- Row 6: 1 × white, 2 × orange, 10 × navy, 2 × orange, 1 × white
- Row 7: 1 × white, 14 × orange, 1 × white
- Row 8: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 9: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 10: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 11: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 12: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 13: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 14: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 15: 2 × white, 12 × teal, 2 × white
- Row 16: 3 × white, 1 × navy, 2 × white, 1 × navy, 2 × white, 1 × navy, 2 × white, 1 × navy, 3 × white