Welcome to KirbyCalculator.net! Below is a little preview of the "Kirby Calculator" software currently under development by Frank Swenton of Middlebury College. If you use Kirby diagrams in your research or teaching and are interested in having some input on the direction of the project, please send me an e-mail at fswenton@middlebury.edu!
Updates:
- Release of the next (now cross-platform) alpha/beta version of the software using Nokia's Qt is planned for late January 2011. Preliminary testing under Windows, Ubuntu Linux, and Mac OS X has everything looking good; I'll post some YouTube videos giving a preview in time! [Development is progressing, but a bit more slowly due to the addition of a new little member of my family!]
- I'll be giving a quick overview of the new version at the AMS/MAA Joint Meetings in New Orleans on Thursday, January 6 at 5:45pm (please note the change in time; the printed schedule will still show Saturday 1/10) in the Differential Topology/Knot Theory Contributed Paper Session; I should have time available during the conference to chat with anyone having questions or requests, so please don't hesitate to get in touch before or during the meetings!
- I've partially activated a bit more functionality and implemented export of diagrams as SnapPea triangulations (added to the File menu, also [ctrl]-E); for Kirby diagrams, 2-handle components are given the appropriate coefficients in the triangulation.
A pre-release alpha version of the software is now available to try; remarks and the download link are available here.
Below are some examples below showing the software's capabilities at this [pre-alpha] stage in its development; click any of the framesets below to view the corresponding video on YouTube.
Example 1 Introduces the basics of the program's interface (3 minutes, 9 seconds):
Example 2 shows a few more of the manipulations possible with the software (7 minutes, 16 seconds):
Example 3 is a bit more terse, showing just how quickly and easily manipulations can be done (1 minute, 19 seconds):
Example 4 shows an explicit handle-slide across a (-4)-framed handle (3 minute, 42 seconds):
