wildmyron wrote:The G->block in the first post works, but it needs a colour changing reflector (shown with p8 reflector)...
I'm sure this could be patched up with something stable, but I wouldn't know where to start.
Yeah, there are huge numbers of ways to patch this thing up, especially since the G+X->pi doesn't have to be a block. Could be a boat or a pond or a number of other less likely things, or a beehive:
Code: Select all
x = 140, y = 107, rule = LifeHistory
62.A$60.3A$59.A$49.2A8.2A$50.A5.5B$18.2A11.A18.A.AB.4B$17.B2AB9.A.A
18.2AB.6B4.B$18.3B9.A.A20.10B.B2A$17.B.B9.2A.3A2.2A14.12B2A$17.5B8.B
4.A2.A14.11B.B$17.6B6.2AB3A3.A.AB2.4B3.13B$17.8B4.2A.A6.2AB2.5B2.12B.
2B$18.13B10.24B2A$16.13B12.24B2A$15.15B12.20B.B.B$15.15B10.B2.20B$14.
17B.B5.26B$14.51B$13.13B2A11BDB2A21B$12.14B2A9B3DB2A21B$11.2AB3.20BDB
D23B4.2A$10.A2.A4.19BD25B4.A$9.A.2A5.6B3.B2.2B2.29B.BA.A$9.A7.6B13.4B
2.7B.13B.B2A$8.2A6.9B17.6B2.15B$3.2A10.4B4.2A19.3B3.10B.4B$4.A9.4B5.A
21.B4.14B$2.A10.4B7.3A24.12B$2.5A5.4B5.3A2.A24.11B$7.A3.5B5.A2.A26.
11B$4.3AB2.7B.BA.A2.2A26.9B27.2A$3.A.2B2.8B.B2A31.9B28.A$3.4A12B33.9B
15.A11.A$.2A2.BA3B2A7B33.9B15.3A9.2A$A2.3AB.2B2A7B33.8B19.A9.B$2A.A.B
3.10B33.7B7.2A10.2A9.3B$3.A8.8B33.6B8.A10.5B5.6B$3.2A7.9B29.4B2A4B7.A
.AB9.4B3.10B$13.3B2.4B30.BA2BA11.2AB.3B4.6B2.11B3.2B2.6B$11.5B3.4B21.
2A6.2B2A4B10.7B.9BD3B2A15BD3B$11.2A7.4B21.A6.12B6.17B2D2B2A15BDBDB.2B
$12.A8.4B20.A.AB2.16B4.17B2D18B3D3B2A$9.3A10.4B20.2AB.17B3.18BD21BD3B
2A$9.A13.4B21.39BD27B$24.4B20.36B.B3.13B.B$25.4B19.20BD13B7.7B.B$26.
4B19.19BDBD4B.6B$27.4B20.17B3D4B2.B.5B$28.4B20.18BD4B7.2A$29.4B19.22B
8.A$30.4B19.5B.8B4.4B8.3A$31.4B18.3B6.4B6.4B9.A$32.4B17.3B5.6B6.4B$
33.4B17.B5.8B6.4B$34.4B27.4B6.4B$35.4B27.4B6.4B$36.4B6.A10.4B6.4B6.4B
$37.4B5.3A7.4B8.4B6.4B$38.4B7.A5.4B10.4B$39.4B5.2A4.4B12.3B$40.4B4.9B
14.2B$41.4B5.6B16.B$42.4B2.8B$43.15B$44.14B$45.13B$46.10B.B2A$48.3B2A
B3.BA.A$48.3B2AB6.A$50.4B6.2A$50.3B$47.AB.2B$46.A.AB2AB$46.A.ABABAB$
43.2A.A.A.A.A2.A$43.A2.A2.2A.4A$45.2A4.A$51.A.A$52.2A45.4B$93.B6.4B$
93.2B6.4B$93.3B6.4B$93.4B6.4B$94.4B6.4B10.2B$95.4B6.4B8.2AB$96.4B6.4B
5.BA2BAB4.B$97.4B6.4B4.BA2BA3B.B2A$98.4B6.4B4.B2A6B2A$99.4B6.4B3.7B.
2B$100.4B6.4B3.6B$101.4B6.4B2.5B$102.4B6.11B$103.20B$104.5BC14B$105.
2B3C13B$104.3BCBC4B.7B$105.2BC15B$105.18B$107.17B$109.15B.2B2.6B$110.
22BD3B$110.8B.13BDBDB.2B$108.8B3.2B2A9B3D3B2A$108.2A3.B5.2B2A11BD3B2A
$109.A10.19B$106.3A12.B.3B.B$106.A!
Unfortunately no possible patch is going to be an improvement on just blocking off one of the two glider outputs, and putting a syringe on the other -- except in very special probably made-up cases where the exact timing of the extra output Herschel is the only thing that matters.
Using the first glider output to restore the still life is especially troublesome, because it badly damages the recovery time of the circuit. Probably better to turn it into a glider-triplet transceiver, since at least that doesn't have any issues with recovery time:
Code: Select all
x = 116, y = 82, rule = LifeHistory
27.2A$27.A.A$29.A4.2A$25.4A.2A2.A2.A$25.A2.A.A.A.A.2A$27.BABABA.A$28.
B2ABA.A$29.2B.BA$28.3B$19.2A6.4B$20.A6.B2A3B$20.A.AB3.B2A4B$21.2AB.
10B$23.13B$23.14B$23.14B$25.8B2.2B.B$25.6B5.B.B9.2A$24.9B5.B8.B2AB$
23.4B4.2A5.B9.4B$22.4B5.A17.2B$21.4B7.3A8.B4.3B$20.4B10.A8.2B2.5B5.2A
$43.3B.6B4.A$18.4B21.10B.BA.A$44.9B.B2A4B23.2A$16.4B23.12B.4B25.A$3.
2A10.4B24.17B12.A11.A$4.A9.4B25.15B2A12.3A9.2A$2.A10.4B24.2AB.2B2A8B.
A16.A9.B$2.5A5.4B5.2A17.A.AB2.ABA7BA.A3.2A10.2A9.3B$7.A4.4B5.A18.A5.B
A7B.2A5.A10.5B5.6B$4.3AB2.7B.BA.A17.2A5.10B7.A.AB9.4B3.10B$3.A.2B3.7B
.B2A18.A8.2B2CB11.2AB.3B4.6B2.11B3.2B2.6B$3.4A12B22.A6.2B2C4B10.7B.9B
D3B2A15BD3B$.2A2.BA3B2A7B21.2A6.12B6.17B2D2B2A15BDBDB.2B$A2.3AB.2B2A
7B19.A2.A.AB2.16B4.17B2D18B3D3B2A$2A.A.B3.10B19.2A2.2AB.17B3.18BD21BD
3B2A$3.A8.8B24.39BD27B$3.2A7.9B23.36B.B3.13B.B$13.3B2.4B22.20BD13B7.
7B.B$11.5B3.4B22.19BDBD4B.6B$11.2A7.3B24.17B3D4B2.B.5B$12.A8.2B25.18B
D4B7.2A$9.3A10.B25.22B8.A$9.A39.5B.8B4.4B8.3A$49.3B6.4B6.4B9.A$49.3B
7.4B6.4B$50.B5.3B.4B6.4B$55.B2AB2.4B6.4B$55.2BA4.4B6.4B$54.3A6.4B6.4B
$54.AB8.4B6.4B$65.4B6.4B$66.4B6.4B$67.4B6.4B$68.4B6.4B$69.4B6.4B$70.
4B6.4B10.2B$60.A10.4B6.4B8.2AB$58.3A11.4B6.4B5.BA2BAB4.B$39.10B8.A15.
4B6.4B4.BA2BA3B.B2A$40.5BC4B7.2A15.4B6.4B4.B2A6B2A$41.2B3C4B2.B.5B16.
4B6.4B3.7B.2B$40.3BCBC4B.6B19.4B6.4B3.6B$41.2BC13B7.7B.B4.4B6.4B2.5B$
41.18B.B3.13B.4B6.11B$43.19BD36B$45.18BD21BD14B$46.17B2D18B3D13B$45.
17B2D2B2A15BDBD4B.7B$45.7B.9BD3B2A15BD15B$43.2AB.3B4.6B2.11B3.2B2.19B
$42.A.AB9.4B3.10B11.17B$42.A10.5B5.6B16.15B.2B2.6B$41.2A10.2A9.3B19.
22BD3B$54.A9.B21.8B.13BDBDB.2B$51.3A9.2A19.8B3.2B2A9B3D3B2A$51.A11.A
20.2A3.B5.2B2A11BD3B2A$64.3A18.A10.19B$66.A15.3A12.B.3B.B$82.A!
Sadly, the bar is set pretty high these days for glider-pair transceiver circuitry. Probably even if a catalyst could be dug up with Bellman to restore the bait still life, the resulting circuit would seldom get used for anything. The catalyst probably wouldn't be cheap to construct with gliders.
Even if it was, the glider pair is chirality-limited -- i.e., you're stuck attaching the receiver in one particular orientation. By contrast, if you reduce the pair to a single glider, you can add Snarks to reflect the signal before converting it, and then put on a syringe anywhere you want, in either orientation.
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All that said, I think this is a really nice find. It's just about a decade behind where signal technology is these days. Maybe we should start a separate thread for "steampunk" Herschel circuitry, for people who would rather pretend that syringes don't exist...!