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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.books,net.games,net.physics,net.astro
Subject: THE RECURSIVE UNIVERSE, Poundstone
Message-ID: <8592@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 25-Feb-85 11:10:25 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.8592
Posted: Mon Feb 25 11:10:25 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Feb-85 11:49:40 EST
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Just read THE RECURSIVE UNIVERSE, by William Poundstone (1985, 252pp, William
Morrow & Co.) -- subtitle: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific
Knowledge.

I recommend it as being of interest to those of you with an interest in
either cosmology, physics, or the game "Life". Poundstone uses "Life" 
(and some related constructs, like Von Neumann's self-reproducing
cellular array) to demonstrate how relatively simple fundamental
physical laws can give rise to something as complex as our universe.

It also is a great intro to "Life", for those of you who might find
this game something worth experimenting with. I had read the initial
info on it in Scientific American back in 1970 and '71 (gee, that makes
me feel old...), played with it a little, and then shelved it in dead
storage in the back of my mind. Seeing how many interesting things have been
done with it, as outlined in this book, is inspiring. The book contains
BASIC and IBM-PC assembler version programs to play "Life" on small
machines. (By the way, is there a C version [or several] floating around
the net, maybe set up for various graphic terminals in addition to text
terminals?)

The book is well worth checking out of your local library, even if you
don't find the topic worth buying a copy (price has been clipped from this
library copy.)

Regards,
Will Martin

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