[iterateoften]

I don’t care either way about this conversation, just thought it was interesting, but what you described is essentially every engineered thing.

A pocket watch has more complexity than what you are describing but isn’t any closer to “artificial life” then any other engineered thing that takes and stores external power.

[dr_dshiv]

The mechanisms of a pocket watch are specifically designed to avoid influence from the outside environment. A strandbeest has the added complexity of evolving to actual environments, which are pretty complex. The ability to survive is pretty life-like, even more than the ability to function.

[uberman]

I hear what you are saying but remember, many people did not think a computer would ever pass the Turing test.