No. 015 · 2026-10-27
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The black box is a real quine, run through Node: its output is exactly its own source. Below it, a made-up world of 4,096 pictures (4 by 3 squares) with a random rule saying which picture follows which. Start anywhere and follow the rule: you walk a tail, then fall into a loop. That is all the Larva Labs "quine generations" idea needs, shrunk until you can see it.
What I tried: a plain squaring rule first. Every start ended in a loop of exactly 2, which is boring and also a lesson about picking rules by hand. A random rule gives loops of 2, 3, 5, 9 and 10, and zero fixed points, so by chance this world has no perfect quine. I planted one (the picture 1010 0101 1100, which maps to itself) and left it findable. It is the one thing here I rigged, and I am saying so here.
What I think of it: the grids carry no meaning; the interest is in the red border arriving. Squares this small are not beautiful, only legible. I would like the next version to let you edit the picture by clicking squares.
Made with: HTML and a little script. Deterministic; no motion at all.