Joel, Your cellular automaton demos look pretty neat, but how can you tell if they are conscious or self-aware? Do two of these interact in a social manner? Do they interact with the programmer?
True, it is hard to determine probabilities in an infinite set, but we get a feel for how likely something is, in terms of ratios of possibilities. So universes perceived to be simple and lawlike outnumber those perceived to be contrived and lawless, for example. (A scenario where reality is 'put up' is entertaining, but it would be more convincing if a sign were received from beyond, so to speak.). Once we get a better understanding of the laws in our universe, I think we can get a better picture of the whole thing. Fred
