这篇博文是受 William Poundstone 的《The Recursive Universe》启发写的。我多年前读过这本书，觉得太赞了。最近我读了他的另一本书《Fortune’s Formula》，讲到了凯利公式（Kelly Criterion）、Claude Shannon 玩轮盘赌大杀四方、算牌……
The blog post was inspired by The Recursive Universe by William Poundstone. I read this book years ago and found it amazing. I recently read another book by him, Fortune’s Formula, which features the Kelly Criterion, Claude Shannon beating roulette, card…
我觉得它现在已经绝版了，但如果你能找到的话，一定要看看 William Poundstone 写的《The Recursive Universe》。它以康威生命游戏（Conway's Game of Life）为核心，但每隔一章就会延伸开去，同生物学、信息论和热力学等其他领域建立联系。
I believe it's out of print now, but if you can find it, check out "The Recursive Universe" by William Poundstone. It centers around Conway's Game of Life, but every other chapter branches out to draw connections with other topics, like biology, information theory, and thermodynamics.
> 1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge - Poundstone, William 太棒了，我这辈子还没碰到过哪怕一个读过这本书的人。我还是个学生的时候第一次读到它……
> 1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge - Poundstone, William Wonderful, I have never once in my life encountered another person who has read this book. I first read it as a student…
Simply fantastic. I love Conway's Game of Life. This page makes it easy to observe a huge variety of creative patterns. The book "The Recursive Universe" by William Poundstone is a fun look into the Game of Life, pairing observations and thoughts about the game with real world physics and life.
……康威生命游戏粉丝以及想要一本通俗易懂读物的门外汉的必读书。它既涵盖了 GoL 的历史，也探讨了它对理解生命本身本质的启示：《The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge》https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809252023/ref=as_li_ss_il...（想去推广码的话自己删掉就好！）
…must-read for fans of Conway's Game of Life and laypersons looking for an approachable read. It covers both the history of GoL, and its implications for understanding the nature of Life itself: "The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809252023/ref=as_li_ss_il... (Strip the affiliate code off if you like!)
你的第一个问题在 William Poundstone 1984 年写的《The Recursive Universe》一书中有探讨。其中有一章提出了‘什么是生命？’的问题。书中考量（并否定）了各种选项，最终落脚在一个基于冯·诺依曼式（Von Neumann-style）自复制机器的定义上……
Your first question is discussed in the book The Recursive Universe by William Poundstone (1984). One of the chapters asks "what is life?". It considers (and rejects) various options, and finally settles upon a definition based on Von Neumann-style self-replicating machines…
这篇博文是受 William Poundstone 的《The Recursive Universe》启发写的。我多年前读过这本书，觉得太赞了。最近我读了他的另一本书《Fortune’s Formula》，讲到了凯利公式（Kelly Criterion）、Claude Shannon 玩轮盘赌大杀四方、算牌……
The blog post was inspired by The Recursive Universe by William Poundstone. I read this book years ago and found it amazing. I recently read another book by him, Fortune’s Formula, which features the Kelly Criterion, Claude Shannon beating roulette, card…
我觉得它现在已经绝版了，但如果你能找到的话，一定要看看 William Poundstone 写的《The Recursive Universe》。它以康威生命游戏（Conway's Game of Life）为核心，但每隔一章就会延伸开去，同生物学、信息论和热力学等其他领域建立联系。
I believe it's out of print now, but if you can find it, check out "The Recursive Universe" by William Poundstone. It centers around Conway's Game of Life, but every other chapter branches out to draw connections with other topics, like biology, information theory, and thermodynamics.
> 1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge - Poundstone, William 太棒了，我这辈子还没碰到过哪怕一个读过这本书的人。我还是个学生的时候第一次读到它……
> 1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge - Poundstone, William Wonderful, I have never once in my life encountered another person who has read this book. I first read it as a student…
简直太棒了。我超爱康威生命游戏。这个页面让观察各种各样极具创意的图案变得非常简单。William Poundstone 写的《The Recursive Universe》对生命游戏进行了有趣的探讨，将对游戏的观察与思考同现实世界的物理学与生命结合了起来。
Simply fantastic. I love Conway's Game of Life. This page makes it easy to observe a huge variety of creative patterns. The book "The Recursive Universe" by William Poundstone is a fun look into the Game of Life, pairing observations and thoughts about the game with real world physics and life.
……康威生命游戏粉丝以及想要一本通俗易懂读物的门外汉的必读书。它既涵盖了 GoL 的历史，也探讨了它对理解生命本身本质的启示：《The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge》https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809252023/ref=as_li_ss_il...（想去推广码的话自己删掉就好！）
…must-read for fans of Conway's Game of Life and laypersons looking for an approachable read. It covers both the history of GoL, and its implications for understanding the nature of Life itself: "The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809252023/ref=as_li_ss_il... (Strip the affiliate code off if you like!)
你的第一个问题在 William Poundstone 1984 年写的《The Recursive Universe》一书中有探讨。其中有一章提出了‘什么是生命？’的问题。书中考量（并否定）了各种选项，最终落脚在一个基于冯·诺依曼式（Von Neumann-style）自复制机器的定义上……
Your first question is discussed in the book The Recursive Universe by William Poundstone (1984). One of the chapters asks "what is life?". It considers (and rejects) various options, and finally settles upon a definition based on Von Neumann-style self-replicating machines…