An interactive Margolus-neighborhood cellular automaton where sand falls and water flows
mhmazur · x · 2026-09-16
Developer mhmazur, working with AI assistant Astra, built an interactive web toy based on Margolus neighborhoods — a cellular-automaton approach distinct from Conway's Game of Life — where sand piles, water flows, and stone shapes their paths. Drag to pour sand or water, draw stone barriers, or erase sections. Highlights:
- Nothing tells the sand to form a pile; complex behavior emerges purely from tiny local exchanges between neighboring cells
- The page includes step-by-step illustrations of how the rules work
A mesmerizing demo of simple rules producing complex behavior.
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