An exhibit from the Cybernetic Aquarium
In this miniature cosmos, circles are created and destroyed. The social life they have in between is remarkably complex given the simplicity of their motivations.
Each circle is born as a dot. It sets off in a random direction and along the way grows to its mature size. Mature size is determined randomly at birth and has no significance other being neither "too big" nor "too small". The variation simply pleases the Creator, enabling him to be able to distinguish the circles as they move around and atop each other.
A circle which falls off the screen pops out of existence. When enough circles have fallen, a remaining circle is randomly chosen by the System to host a procreative burst. This system was chosen by the Creator over a simpler scheme (each dead circle replaced by a new one) only for visual effect, and to give each circle's death more significance.
Social interaction is what keeps a circle from simply disappearing off the edge of its world. Each circle's single goal in life is to approach its nearest neighbor. That neighbor, however, is at the same time seeking its own next-nearest fellow. That simple set of motivations creates an endlessly complicated and ever-changing set of relationships.
A circle's behavior is modified by its attitude toward its fellows, which is relflected in its color. Less sociable circles tend to keep going in a straight line regardless of others in the vicinity; more sociable ones head straight for the nearest potential companion. The bluer a circle is, the less likely it is to interact with other circles. A redder circle is more likely to go in hot pursuit of its neighbor. Any individual circle will neither be pure red nor pure blue, but located somewhere on a spectrum of sociability.
Circles also vary in how close they can get to others. Some will happily sit right on top of another, others prefer to keep some distance. This trait is independent of its sociability status.
If circle is too aloof, it does not interact with others and heads straight for the edge of the screen and an early demise. At the other end of the spectrum, overly friendly circles can get locked in a deadly embrace, ignore the others, and head for doom at the edge of the screen.
Survival for the individual depends on attaining the proper social balance. Survival for the System requires pleasing the Creator with a continually interesting orchestration of its components.
