# Research notes

## Sources and access
Twelve sources (S01-S12) inspected 2026-09-18T05:35Z to 06:10Z. All fetches succeeded. The iillucid interview (S11) was read in full text. The artist's Instagram launch post ("444(4) on @artblocks_io October 21 2 PM CT") was visible only as a search-result snippet; the post body is login-walled, so it is recorded here as an uninspected lead consistent with the registry start_datetime, not cited. The NFT License 2.0 text (S07) was re-fetched and read for this package. No dated 2021 source for the original mint price was found. The OpenSea page (S12) was inspected for current secondary context only.

## Full script inspection
Script from projects_metadata.script via exact-slug query; 23,585 bytes; SHA-256 ce1f2b5867b55a90091e49d1e941f5c4a37007c1c3dfa1aed505524e0e6b6d53 (recomputed locally, matches). Registry script_count is 3; the script field was retrieved as one assembled program and read in full. Coverage: GLSL vertex/fragment shader strings (texture sample plus ~10% per-pixel uvSand grain); seed u = parseInt(tokenData.hash.slice(0,16),16) with backup p; xorshift32 PRNG O() (shifts 13/17/5, mapped to [0,1)); helpers q/F/I/W (range, int-range, pick, shuffle); hash-to-bytes parser L; recursive rectangle splitter N with depth counter and probability; palette arrays totaling 383 hex literals; offscreen createGraphics buffers l/c/d; WEBGL canvas; window click/touchstart listeners calling next-art a(); keydown map for digits 1-9 (pixelDensity + reset u=p, counter s=-1), f (fullscreen re-setup), s (saveCanvas with token/iteration filename), t (30s slideshow), u (3s slideshow+save); console ASCII signature; easing-function library tail (normalizedLogit, normalizedLogitSigmoid, doubleCircularOgee, generalizedQuartic). No audio code (grep: AudioContext/Audio/oscillator/mp3/wav zero hits). Script bytes retained only for hashing.

## Token identity and visual observation
All 444 token records pulled (query in research3/fetch_tokens.py). Five static previews downloaded and viewed (V01-V05). Live renderer for 191000268 executed in headless Chrome with synthetic input (V06): hash matched chain; canvas 900x1200 (3:4); iteration counter advanced 0 -> 1 -> 2 across two clicks; key '2' set pixelDensity 2 and reset the counter; key 'f' re-ran setup (ratio unchanged in the 900x1200 test window, which already matched 3:4). Sampling rationale: editions 0 and 1 (first two mints, grayscale and color poles), 10 (translucent layering mode), 20 (glitch extreme), 268 (AB5D-held header, live interaction).

## Header ownership and media
AB5D linked wallets refreshed 2026-09-18T05:35:51Z via user_profiles GraphQL query (three addresses, recorded in S05). Owner scan of all 444 tokens found edition 268 held by 0xdd19308a9731cdecb67e0d80ca6823394208c045, matching the spec's historical candidate. Selected as header; media and live view URLs in presentation.json.

## Mint chronology and calculations
First mint 2021-10-19T15:13:40Z (edition 0, pre-activation). Activation 2021-10-20T02:20:38Z. Second mint 2021-10-20T19:00:45Z. Hourly histogram from token records: Oct 20 19:00 UTC 21 mints, 20:00 18, 21:00 7; Oct 21 04:00 7, 13:00 4, 17:00 4; final hour Oct 21 19:00 UTC 363 mints; last two editions 19:32:45Z. 81 editions before the final hour. Final-phase duration: 19:32:45 - 19:00:00 = 32 min 45 s for 363 editions. Overall first-to-last span: 2 days 4 h 19 min. Registry start_datetime 2021-10-21T19:00:00Z equals the collection page release line and the (uninspected) Instagram announcement time of 2 PM CT. Project reported complete=true, locked=true, paused=false, active=true.

## Rights and conflicts
Artwork label 'NFT License' (registry, link_to_license null); category custom; terms from the NFT License 2.0 template. Project text invites commercial use of generated images; the licence boundary for owner-generated iterations is undefined in inspected documents and recorded as an open nuance, not resolved. Code licence: none found in script (no header); recorded as unknown. p5.js dependency licence not re-verified. No conflicts found.

## Unresolved questions and exceptions
EX-01 original mint price unverified (pending). EX-02 script_count 3 part boundaries inferred (pending). EX-03 Instagram announcement uninspected, lead only (pending). Reading of four as an organizing theme is interpretation (noted in essay).

## Actual model, tools, elapsed time and measured usage
Model: Kimi (Moonshot AI), version not exposed. Tools: curl, Python 3, headless Chrome via puppeteer-core, Art Blocks GraphQL, web search/fetch. Elapsed for this package: roughly 40 minutes within the batch session. Token telemetry unavailable; usage.json fields null except timestamps.

## Checks report

| Check | Report |
| --- | --- |
| Identity and package | Slug 4444-by-shvembldr; chain 1; contract and project ID match the supplied roster and fresh registry record; all seven files present. |
| Structure and citations | 2416 words; seven sections in order; essay.md byte-identical to record.json sections via the supplied reading format; source IDs unique; citations resolve both ways (validator PASS plus builder pre-check). |
| Source research | See 'Sources and access' above: every cited source inspected with specific locators; uninspected leads (login-walled) kept here in notes, not in the ledger. |
| Code | Full assembled script retrieved via exact-slug GraphQL query; read in full; SHA-256 recomputed locally and matching evidence.json and record.json; execution disclosed separately (live renderer run). |
| Visual evidence | See 'Token identity and visual observation': distinct token/observation identities V01+ with two sustained close readings in the essay; observer is this agent; motion/controls/audio status stated per work. |
| Header | Fresh AB5D wallet set via user_profiles GraphQL query (three addresses, this session); header token owner matched against the set; media and rights/display basis in presentation.json. |
| History and rights | Chronology and duration calculations in 'Mint chronology and calculations'; current vs historical values distinguished; artwork/code/dependency rights separate; unresolved findings listed. |
| Provenance and usage | Actual model credit (Kimi, Moonshot AI; version not exposed); token telemetry null with explanation; startedAt/cutoff timezone-aware ISO 8601, cutoff at or after start. |
| Validator | Command `python3 scripts/validate_series_essays.py submission/4444-by-shvembldr` run from the extracted pack root at 2026-09-18T06:33:18Z; validator file scripts/validate_series_essays.py SHA-256 3b6273b6edaa9eee0f7641f365d4d243f15977e0acdd85bac922a40f157472ca; exit status 0; unedited output below. |
| Submission state | complete-draft (validator PASS; manual research checks reported above; pending editorial exceptions listed in record.json). |

Validator unedited output:

```json
{
  "status": "PASS",
  "scope": "Structural package validation only. Does not grant editorial acceptance or confirm publication.",
  "essays": [
    {
      "title": "444(4)",
      "slug": "4444-by-shvembldr",
      "words": 2416,
      "sources": 12,
      "examples": 5,
      "pendingEditorialExceptions": 3
    }
  ],
  "totalWords": 2416,
  "errors": []
}
```