"moving" aiming the jet

I've got the bug.

Has anyone tried dynamically computerized redirecting/aiming the jet?

I'm thinking I can draw circles in my pool.
Hearts.
Sine waves (horizontal or vertical)
And of course the corkscrew.

Ive got a bunch of ideas to iron out, but I think I'm gonna do it.

(it helps that I have 30 years experience as an embedded systems designer and programmer)

Yes! Please keep me in the loop on what you do as I'm working on some similar ideas.

I'm teaching myself python and flask on a beaglebone black to be my motor controller. Starting out I'm using a 12v DC pump with a motor driver from pololu.com and will very the pump speed to create a "walking arch" that grows and shrinks. My list of priorities right now is set like this Pump Control->RGB Lighting->Cutter->Nozzle Motorized Movement.

My end goal is to laminar nozzles pointed at each other that can move around and sometimes walk up each other or cut intermittently between each other. The effect of two laminar streams hitting each other head on is really cool in that is creates a sheet of water perpendicular to the original stream flows. I have a lot of motor/robotics experience but not a lot of linux/python/web experience so its a little slow going on that end but should pick up once I nail it down. I'd be interested in some collaboration if anything overlaps!

My plan is to make a nozzle.
I'm going to tap water off my pool system, which will be an issue as it runs at different speeds, so I'll eventually buy a dedicated pump.

To do the motion, I plan to buy a cheap four channel remote control transmitter/receiver and four servos.
Mount the nozzle on a pivot mechanism with one (or two for more power) for up/down and one for left/right.
I'll use the transmitter and receiver to play around with the concept and see if it works.

Then I'll use a PIC (or maybe play with an Arduino) to control the servos directly and start programming the choreography.

I'm thinking vertical and horizontal sine waves in the air, drawing in the pool etc.

If I can come up with a fast enough valve, I even have the idea that I might be able to punch out "dots". Send a dot, re-aim, and send another dot etc, so it looks like multiple dotted streams.

With color, I think that would be real cool. Especially if I add color.

Does anyone know - if you chop the stream "dots", can you "capture" a different clor of light in each chunk? (I'm guessing the light bounces back and forth in the chunk)?

Think of the water stream as a fiber optic cable. The cable stays lit as long as it is connected to the light source. As soon as you break the cable the light is gone. This means the instant you cut the stream the light is gone from any water still in the air that is now disconnected from your light source.

As far as controlling servos with PICs, check out the ChipKit Pi: http://www.element14.com/community/community/raspberry-pi/raspberry-pi-accessories/chipkit_pi

Its a pretty slick way to get PIC functionality on top of an embedded computer like the Raspberry Pi.