Edward Lorenz dead

[Graf Paper]

A true giant of thought, he was.

I remember one of my first really cool computer books was one that dealt with Complexity and Chaos. Each chapter covered a particular concept and listed an algorithm for creating a program to simulate the behavior.

It was this book that introduced me to the works of Lorenz and others and ideas such as Strange Attractors and the Butterfly Effect.

My three favorites were Life, Mandelbrot Sets, and The Hypercube. That last one really messed with your head. The 3D object on your screen was actually the shadow cast by the 4-dimensional hypercube, just like 3D objects in our world cast 2-dimensional shadows. I don't think I ever really understood what was meant by the 4th dimension being perpendicular to the three we know in everyday life.

The book also included early versions of AI, such as Core Wars, in the chapters dealing with Complexity.

Rest well, Mr. Lorenz. You opened up a fantastical new world to this youth of many years ago.