Automata by Example – build cellular automata just by clicking around | Hacker News Reader

Automata by Example – build cellular automata just by clicking around

demos.samgentle.com

97 pointssgentle14 comments

Good idea, but badly needs a "wildcard" pattern and some way to generate rules by rotation.

Epilepsy trigger warning.

Yeah, sorry, some of the patterns can get a bit flashy, especially when they have rules like all black pixels -> white + all white pixels -> black.

If it helps, the slider down the bottom controls the speed. Or here are a few patterns that are certified non-flashy:

Expanding squares: https://demos.samgentle.com/automata-by-example/?1=1a&26=10&...

Diamond: https://demos.samgentle.com/automata-by-example/?2=10&49=10&...

Rule 30: https://demos.samgentle.com/automata-by-example/?1=10&2=10&4...

It's very cool, but you should put an actual red-letter epilepsy warning at the top of the page if you want to keep those flashy patterns. Or else don't offer the faster rates.

This could definitely trigger some of the epileptics I've known.

That's a good thought, thanks. I've added an epilepsy warning that triggers when you have both full-white and full-black rules enabled: https://demos.samgentle.com/automata-by-example/?0=10&1ff=10

Bravo, well done.

Genuine question, do people not run some kind of screen filter software if they have that kind of epilepsy? It seems like quite an oversight, and I don't think it'd be that hard to implement. Even just something that applies a 1-2 second low pass filter to any pixels that see a large jump in brightness.

Just yesterday I came across a similar tool by Loren Schmidt, where you can generate CAs by choosing one to evolve a new generation from.

http://vacuumflowers.com/cellular_automata/rules.html

Writeup here: https://samgentle.com/posts/2017-01-14-automata-by-example

Made a fractal by accident O_O https://demos.samgentle.com/automata-by-example/?10=100&11=9... https://demos.samgentle.com/automata-by-example/?10=152

This is really cool, however I often have it graying out rules I made for what seems like no reason? Its not when I have a rule for that beginning permutation again.

EDIT: I just noticed its when I pass through a rule I already had while drawing, it doesn't reset the grey after the rule has been changed

After spending some time attempting to emulate wireworld, I think you would need at least a 4x4 rule grid, though at most a 9x6 grid (6x3 to encode a 2-bit 3x3 grid, plus padding just in case). Can you get a "nice" turing-complete ruleset out of this?

Pretty cool, after some clicking around I ended up with a Sierpinski triangle generator.

Me too. Interesting how many ways you can get to Sierpinski-ish geometry.

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