A Trippy Trip Down Memory Lane - Otomata

Because I am an occasional stumbler (on the Internet), I find the most bizarre and amazing sites. Somewhat recently, I found this gem:

Otomata

Otomata is a generative sequencer. It employs a cellular automaton type logic I've devised to produce sound events.

This musical tool sounds quite geeky, but is actually a lot of fun and pretty simple to understand. Though I can't say I was knowledgeable of the term "cellular automaton" there was something about the style which seemed familiar from my youth. Then I saw this:

And instantly I'm back as an early teenager. Other kids were riding bikes or learning skateboard tricks. I did those things too, but I also spent a large portion of my time in front of this magic box:

One of the many shareware and freeware games my dad had found this magic box was called Conway's Game of Life. It didn't seem like much on the surface. You could add squares to a grid and start them in action. Sometimes they'd fizzle out and die, but other times they'd react with each other in a very life-like way (hence the name). I followed the link to refresh my memory and suddenly I've gone down the proverbial rabbit hole and am itching to play this learning game again. What's more, I want to introduce my kids to it. With Reese's analytical mind, she'd love it!

More Information

• Wikipedia
• Recent news about Conway's Game of Life
• ConwayLife.com - Wiki