[munificent]

I thought about that too, but I think that goes against the author's goal of keeping the user in charge. With Life, the machine keeps evolving and blinking even when you don't touch it.

My goal was something fun to add to it that strictly only did anything in response to user input.

[StavrosK]

I don't think adding the time component means that the user isn't in charge any longer, especially if you add a potentiometer for controlling time all the way down to zero.

A tactile Game of Life box that you can speed up/slow down/freeze and change sounds delightful.