Noble Ape
Encyclopedia
Noble Ape is an artificial life
development project launched in June, 1996 by Tom Barbalet
. It was designed to be a forum for a diversity of contributors to work towards a coherent cognitive simulation
development environment.
The Noble Apes move around and react to external and internal events (weather, fear, panic, sleep, ...). Noble Ape integrates many concepts in the areas of philosophy
, biology
and physics
.
, and Unix
platforms.
The graphics engine in the Noble Ape Simulation, codenamed Ocelot, is a non-polygonal engine, which allows smooth and quick rendering of land and water surfaces.
The Noble Ape Simulation also contains the programming language
, ApeScript
.
Noble Ape also features a podcast
, Ape Reality, where various aspects of the programming, biology, philosophy and meta-theory behind the development are discussed.
Artificial life
Artificial life is a field of study and an associated art form which examine systems related to life, its processes, and its evolution through simulations using computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline was named by Christopher Langton, an American computer scientist, in 1986...
development project launched in June, 1996 by Tom Barbalet
Tom Barbalet
Tom Barbalet is the creator of Noble Ape, editor of Biota.org and co-chair of the IGDA Intellectual Property Rights SIG.Born in 1976 in Adelaide, South Australia, Barbalet developed a series of interpreters, compilers, anti-viral programs and the Schmuck Quest series of graphics/text adventure...
. It was designed to be a forum for a diversity of contributors to work towards a coherent cognitive simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
development environment.
The Simulation
The central software of the project is the Noble Ape Simulation, based on the ideas outlined in Noble Ape Philosophic. There are two primary aims of the Simulation;- to simulate the biological environment the Noble Apes inhabit, and,
- to simulate the Noble Apes' cognitive processes.
The Noble Apes move around and react to external and internal events (weather, fear, panic, sleep, ...). Noble Ape integrates many concepts in the areas of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
.
Technology
Noble Ape is available as open source software, under the Noble Ape Open Source License, and is distributed with Apple Computer's CHUD Tools, included with every new Apple Macintosh computer. It runs under Mac, WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
platforms.
The graphics engine in the Noble Ape Simulation, codenamed Ocelot, is a non-polygonal engine, which allows smooth and quick rendering of land and water surfaces.
The Noble Ape Simulation also contains the programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
, ApeScript
ApeScript
ApeScript is an interpreted procedural dynamic-typed language. It was developed for the Noble Ape Simulation through mid-2005 by Tom Barbalet. ApeScript was designed with the following specifications;* simple language,* stable memory footprint,...
.
Noble Ape also features a podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, Ape Reality, where various aspects of the programming, biology, philosophy and meta-theory behind the development are discussed.