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I still can't get over how much interest the game of life maintains since it's invention. It might just be my favorite "field" of CS at this point. It's such a

I still can't get over how much interest the game of life maintains since it's invention. It might just be my favorite "field" of CS at this point. It's such a satisfying intersection of maths, coding, "biology", and "biological engineering".

pfarrell 5y ago
Totally. It's amazing how much complexity arises from something so simple. Just like in the game itself :). We lost someone special when we lost John Conway.
- jonsen 5y ago
  We've still got Stephen Wolfram.
kitd 5y ago
You could add "existential philosophy" to the list too.
Aperocky 5y ago
I like to think of this as the power of simplicity. A transistor is a simple piece of electronic, when combined in billions, it supports the incredible information transformation we see today.
- mirekrusin 5y ago
  This is great thought. How many transistors make computer interesting has some parallels with how many neutrons create consciousness.
  - wanderingstan 5y ago
    I suspect you mean neurons, but yes, a given amount of neutrons are also apparently needed for consciousness!
    - mirekrusin 5y ago
      Yes neurons for some reason my phone doesn’t like it and autocorrects, missed it.
jodrellblank 5y ago
One that Conway didn't like much, saying (roughly) that it had all been explored and proved and other work of his was more interesting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA in this Numberphile interview with him.
- idiotsecant 5y ago
  This reminds me a lot of the aging rockstar who hates the billboard top 10 hit that he always gets asked to play.
  - smoldesu 5y ago
    If you're Thom Yorke, you use that hatred to drive you to build your magnum opus. Though admittedly, I don't know how one could iterate on Game of Life. It's simplicity is part of what makes it so great.
    - djtriptych 5y ago
      Well kinda. The Bends was next after Pablo Honey, which contained "Creep", the song Radiohead famously learned to hate. The "magnum opus" is typically said to be OK Computer, their 3rd album, 2 after Pablo. While it was certainly a departure, the band generally said they wanted a total artistic change in direction. Interesting though is the song "Iron Lung" on The Bends, which is a song about "Creep" where they refer to it as, among other things, a "total waste of time".
  - a4isms 5y ago
    Yes, and both have my sympathy. Sometimes, a musician revisits their earlier work and finds new things to explore. Joni Mitchell and Ryuchi Sakamoto come to mind. But other times, a musician feels that although their earlier work may be new and exciting to you, they are finding other things more engaging today and tire of answering questions about the old work with the same rote, trite answers. Over and over again. For someone constantly seeking fresh ground to cover, this attitude is an asset. p.s. In this discussion about comedy, Louis CK talks about a tip he got from George Carlin, namely to throw the old material out after a year and start over again, forcing yourself to find new things to say about the Universe. In the same discussion, Jerry Seinfeld explains that some of his material is ten years old, and he is still finding ways to sharpen and refine it. There is clearly no one right way about this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k
agumonkey 5y ago
some people in biology labs also made a game of life out of dna tiles (google nicolas schabanel / damien woods)

pfarrell 5y ago

Totally. It's amazing how much complexity arises from something so simple. Just like in the game itself :). We lost someone special when we lost John Conway.

jonsen 5y ago
We've still got Stephen Wolfram.

kitd 5y ago

You could add "existential philosophy" to the list too.

Aperocky 5y ago

I like to think of this as the power of simplicity. A transistor is a simple piece of electronic, when combined in billions, it supports the incredible information transformation we see today.

mirekrusin 5y ago
This is great thought. How many transistors make computer interesting has some parallels with how many neutrons create consciousness.
- wanderingstan 5y ago
  I suspect you mean neurons, but yes, a given amount of neutrons are also apparently needed for consciousness!
  - mirekrusin 5y ago
    Yes neurons for some reason my phone doesn’t like it and autocorrects, missed it.

jodrellblank 5y ago

One that Conway didn't like much, saying (roughly) that it had all been explored and proved and other work of his was more interesting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kUJL04ELA in this Numberphile interview with him.

idiotsecant 5y ago
This reminds me a lot of the aging rockstar who hates the billboard top 10 hit that he always gets asked to play.
- smoldesu 5y ago
  If you're Thom Yorke, you use that hatred to drive you to build your magnum opus. Though admittedly, I don't know how one could iterate on Game of Life. It's simplicity is part of what makes it so great.
  - djtriptych 5y ago
    Well kinda. The Bends was next after Pablo Honey, which contained "Creep", the song Radiohead famously learned to hate. The "magnum opus" is typically said to be OK Computer, their 3rd album, 2 after Pablo. While it was certainly a departure, the band generally said they wanted a total artistic change in direction. Interesting though is the song "Iron Lung" on The Bends, which is a song about "Creep" where they refer to it as, among other things, a "total waste of time".
- a4isms 5y ago
  Yes, and both have my sympathy. Sometimes, a musician revisits their earlier work and finds new things to explore. Joni Mitchell and Ryuchi Sakamoto come to mind. But other times, a musician feels that although their earlier work may be new and exciting to you, they are finding other things more engaging today and tire of answering questions about the old work with the same rote, trite answers. Over and over again. For someone constantly seeking fresh ground to cover, this attitude is an asset. p.s. In this discussion about comedy, Louis CK talks about a tip he got from George Carlin, namely to throw the old material out after a year and start over again, forcing yourself to find new things to say about the Universe. In the same discussion, Jerry Seinfeld explains that some of his material is ten years old, and he is still finding ways to sharpen and refine it. There is clearly no one right way about this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k

agumonkey 5y ago

some people in biology labs also made a game of life out of dna tiles (google nicolas schabanel / damien woods)