Can someone identify this GoL pattern?

[alexmiller]

I'm curious if anyone can identify the Game of Life configuration in this photograph of John Conway. Does it have a name? Is it significant in any way?

[b-engine]

I'm curious if anyone can identify the Game of Life configuration in this photograph of John Conway. Does it have a name? Is it significant in any way?

I'd tried my best to hand-copy it, but I see it seems uninteresting.
The bomb-like objects are the honey farm sequence. While the objects at the center are blinkers.

Code: Select all

x = 32, y = 36, rule = B3/S23
5b3o16b3o2$4bobobo14bobobo$4b2ob2o14b2ob2o$2b2o5b2o10b2o5b2o$o2bo2bo2b
o2bo6bo2bo2bo2bo2bo$obo2bobo2bobo6bobo2bobo2bobo$o2bo2bo2bo2bo6bo2bo2b
o2bo2bo$2b2o5b2o10b2o5b2o$4b2ob2o14b2ob2o$4bobobo14bobobo2$5b3o16b3o3$
9b3o8b3o5$9b3o8b3o3$5b3o16b3o2$4bobobo14bobobo$4b2ob2o14b2ob2o$2b2o5b
2o10b2o5b2o$o2bo2bo2bo2bo6bo2bo2bo2bo2bo$obo2bobo2bobo6bobo2bobo2bobo
$o2bo2bo2bo2bo6bo2bo2bo2bo2bo$2b2o5b2o10b2o5b2o$4b2ob2o14b2ob2o$4bobo
bo14bobobo2$5b3o16b3o!

[confocaloid]

I wonder what was the predecessor of that pattern. Given the symmetry, maybe it evolved from an 1-cell-thick pattern or a rectangle of alive cells?

This evolves to a visually similar pattern, but I'm not sure if it is the same pattern:

Code: Select all

x = 1, y = 29, rule = B3/S23
o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o2$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o!
#C [[ HARDRESET ZOOM 10 THEME Caterer STOP 138 ]]

[Sokwe]

This evolves to a visually similar pattern, but I'm not sure if it is the same pattern:

Code: Select all

x = 1, y = 29, rule = B3/S23
o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o2$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o!
#C [[ HARDRESET ZOOM 10 THEME Caterer STOP 138 ]]

This reminded me of something from Martin Gardner's original Life article.

I am almost certain that the starting pattern is the following:

Code: Select all

x = 23, y = 1, rule = B3/S23
5ob5ob5ob5o!
#C [[ HARDRESET ZOOM 10 THEME Caterer STOP 91 ]]

It's mentioned in Gardner's article that Conway investigated such patterns (emphasis mine):

Rows consisting of sets of five count-
ers, an empty cell separating adjacent
sets, have also been tracked by Conway.
The 5-5 row generates the pulsar CP
48-56-72 in 21 moves, 5-5-5 ends with
four blocks, 5-5-5-5 ends with four hon-
ey farms and four blinkers, 5-5-5-5-5
terminates with a "spectacular display of
eight gliders and eight blinkers. Then
the gliders crash in pairs to become
eight blocks." The form 5-5-5-5-5-5
ends with four blinkers, and 5-5-5-5-
5-5-5, Conway remarks, "is marvelous
to sit watching on the computer screen."
He has yet to track it to its ultimate des-
tiny, however.

[azulavoir]

This evolves to a visually similar pattern, but I'm not sure if it is the same pattern:

Code: Select all

x = 1, y = 29, rule = B3/S23
o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o2$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o$o!
#C [[ HARDRESET ZOOM 10 THEME Caterer STOP 138 ]]

This reminded me of something from Martin Gardner's original Life article.

I am almost certain that the starting pattern is the following:

Code: Select all

x = 23, y = 1, rule = B3/S23
5ob5ob5ob5o!
#C [[ HARDRESET ZOOM 10 THEME Caterer STOP 91 ]]

Looks like these converge to the same sequence - generation 63 of confocal's is generation 16 of Sokwe's, both being eight pre-TL squares getting ready to become two pulsars before merging.