I’m in the beginners section on how to do cellular automata. The instructor (I came in 10 seconds late and missed his name) is explaining how to use a particular piece of software.

Q: You suggest we look for “interesting stuff” when playing around with CA. But what do you mean by “interesting”?

A: Everyone has a different viewpoint. But there are basic things like classifying them [according to Wolfram’s 4 classes of CA, the 4th being complex/random]. Or you might notice that in Rule 30 big white triangles come at particular intervals. You can ask about the distribution of these triangles and plot according to the size of the triangle and where it shows up. You might understand more about how Rule 30 works. These localized structures are incredibly interesting.

A: Isn’t there a problem with relying on perception to notice randomness?

Q: Yes, perception isn’t reliable. That’s why this is non-trivial.

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