The Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds

One of my favorite resources for exploring cellular automata is The Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds by A.K. Dewdney. The chapter "Three-Dimensional Life" is worth the price of the book (which you can get used for less then $2 on Amazon). It gives several examples of stable and cyclic forms that can emerge in a 3D version of the Game of Life. I also used the info to create an interesting Glider Gun display.

Instead of sections, the book is broken up into "worlds" to explore. The worlds are:

• Infinite Graphics - exploring Mandelbrots (fractals), Wallpaper for the Mind.
• Mathemagadgets
• Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Insanity - with a great introduction to game theory and the minimax algorithm using a game of checkers.
• Life in Automata - from One-Dimensional Computers to Three-Dimensional Life
• Puzzles and Worldplay
• Stimulation through Simulation
• Core Wars

While visiting Amazon, you may also want to pick up a copy of his other book: The Tinkertoy Computer and other Machinations: Computer Recreations from the pages of Scientific American and Algorithm. In that book you'll find more interesting chapters playing with fractals, automata, etc.

Latest buzz words in science: Robot swarms (usatoday.com)

Going back over the archives from an old site of mine, I found this interesting geek-related article from 2005:

Latest buzz words in science: Robot swarms (usatoday.com):

"Robotmakers find inspiration for their programs in nature: the behavior of bee, ant, and wasp colonies, as well as of flocks of birds and schools of fish. Ants, for example, communicate by leaving pheromone trails that other ants can follow to food. Ants also work as teams to distribute their workload, such as finding the most efficient paths for foraging or deciding who will haul bits of leaves back to the nest, without needing any directions from a leader."

Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos

This is my favorite book on the science of Complexity. You won't find any how-to's. This book is the story of several pioneers of the science and the Santa Fe Institute. Think of it more as a history book then as a science book.

If you are interested in Artificial Life, you'll be interested in the story of Christopher Langton. You may have seen his name on the cover of compilations on the subject.

The book was published in 1992. But because it's a history book, I don't think you'll find it to be outdated. I found it fascinating to discover there was a whole institute and individuals dedicated to this stuff. It inspired me in my own work to develop CA (cellular automata) based maze solvers and 3D Life programs. I hope you'll find it just as interesting.

Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos by M. Mitchell Waldrop