   Understanding Noise
  I've been trying to implement proper coherent noise for a while (versus my current approach of just setting every pixel to a random color and relying on the graphics card to filter it), and from what I've found, the best way to do it nowadays is with simplex noise.  Unfortunately, the only article I can find on the subject is incredibly dense.Is the algorithm simpler than it seems, or should I try something easier first, given that this is my first foray into the subject?  Should I try the older variant of Perlin noise, or is there something better/easier to get my feet wet with?   
  check out this book :http://www.amazon.com/Texturing-Modeling-Procedural-Approach-Kaufmann/dp/1558608486/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240452415&sr=8-1perlin noise has artifactsgradient noise is really goodsparse convolution noise is perfect, but slow