This talk is for everyone who liked to play around with the game of life when he/she was a kid (or older).
The goal of this talk is to present EvoCell, a free software project released under the GPL. EvoCell can simulate arbitrarily many cellular automata in parallel with any neigbourhood, any number of states (RAM is the limit) and any transition rules.
The really interesting part is that you can evolve the transition rules. By using genetic algorithms EvoCell allows you to explore the huge space of possible cellular automata. Strange worlds of gliders, replicators, blinkers and other cellular machines are awaiting you.
In the talk I'll try to explain some fundamental principles of artificial life and demonstrate how the can be seen in cellular automata.