Hi, Andrew!  Thanks for jumping in.  It's taken me way longer to reply
than I meant; sorry about that.

Andrew Looney wrote:
> However, as one who is
> driven by my creative energies, a project like raising a
> child is far too time-consuming and not sufficiently
> rewarding of my drive to create. Hence, I have no children
> and never shall. Life is full of choices, and the decision
> to have children would also be a decision not to pursue as
> many other creative projects as I am currently able to
> undertake. Fortunately, I do not feel controlled by my DNA,
> and modern medical science make decisions like this fairly
> easy.

I also lean strongly against having children myself, for these (and
other) reasons.  It takes a bit of courage to proclaim these feelings
loudly in polite society (maybe even more courage for a woman, in
certain circumstances).

It's difficult to explain what I mean by feeling "controlled" by my
DNA.  I certainly feel a lot of freedom on the gross level of behavior
(though, even here, things aren't always clear cut, and DNA is sneaky. 
Accidents happen and/or biological clocks kick in, and surprise! 
couples suddenly find themselves parents - and often insisting that they
now understand what life is *really* all about, shaking their heads
sadly at us poor deluded creative dynamos.  It's tricky.)

Anyway, when I speak of feeling controlled, I'm thinking of something a
bit more subtle and emotional.  I can choose not to have children; I can
even choose not to have a romantic relationship; but can I choose not to
feel the vague sense of unfulfillment and loneliness that may creep upon
me at odd moments of my life?  Can I choose not to feel the
directionlessness and purposlessness that (I believe) may result from
actively straying from our "genetic imperatives"?  I saved this quote
from a book I read years ago, called The Modern Temper: "To renounce
Nature and natural ends, to go even so far as to find then insufficient,
is to renounce at the same time the sure guidance which she gives to
those who are content to accept it without question."

To give another example: you probably know what I mean when I speak of
the warm glow of contentment and fulfillment that I've felt on those
(rare ;) occasions when a woman has responded to me in the "right" way. 
I'm frustrated that I can't generate this feeling through other means;
say, my non-romantic relationships (which are every bit as important and
meaningful and fulfilling in my *personal* (as opposed to DNA's)
hierarchy of values).  To respond that life would be drab and colorless
without that "special" relationship is to simply restate the problem;
why can't I make my own choice about what makes me feel this way? 
Because (I believe), DNA can't (or chooses not to) control my arms and
legs like a puppet, so it plays it's remaining trump card: it *designs*
me to feel drab and colorless and depressed when I don't do what it
wants.

To return to the subject of creativity: I relish the idea that our *own*
trump card may be the ability to consciously and intelligently "fool"
DNA by channeling these powerful emotions to our own similar but more
abstract and rarefied ends.  So "procreation" becomes intellectual and
artistic creation.  However, I do have some personal misgivings about
this whole process.  It makes me feel a little more "driven" than I'd
like to be; I'd like to believe that at least *some* of my desire to
create is simply the joy of creating, for the sake of it.  I guess
there's also a worry that, on some level, my original procreation drives
(or whatever) still remain, and that later in life there may be a deep
residue of unfulfillment and disillusionment resulting from the choices
I make now.  But this may be a bit melodramatic; anyway, I know too many
sad, unfulfilled people who *do* have kids.  :(

(BTW, I do realize that I'm wading in pretty murky theoretical waters
here: the amount and kind of "control" DNA has on personality/emotions,
how much "control" we have over our "feelings" as opposed to actions,
etc.  Obviously, I'm not really justifying my statements with careful
argumentation; I'm just communicating a position.)

> Regarding the feeling of fatherly pride in the lifelike
> behaviors of my creations, I have only ever really felt
> this once. When I was writing the software for my videogame
> Icebreaker, I came to see the enemy pyramids who chase you
> around as artificial lifeforms I had created. When I was
> writing the AI software that allowed them to move around
> obstacles and hazards in their paths, I found myself thinking
> that I was teaching them how to move around quickly and
> safely in a treacherous world. I would set up test situations
> for them to move through, and when they performed their tasks
> they way I wanted them to, I think I felt some of that
> fatherly pride that parents feel when their kids first learn
> to walk.

This is cool; any kind of Artificial Life interests me for these
reasons.

Actually, in my previous comments about the "rush" of creating something
lifelike, I was thinking of something a bit more impersonal than the
"fatherly pride" you're referring to; more like the intellectual thrill
a god might have in watching creatures evolve in a manufactured
physics.  However, it's surprisingly easy for those feelings to roll
over into more personal feelings, and this all resonates with the
discussion above.  It's fascinating how easy it is for us humans,
especially during play, to project personality and become attached to
our creations. (It certainly seems that part of your peculiar genius is
the ability to discern the personality hidden in an innocent looking
colored pyramid, and bring this vision back from dreamtime to the
eagerly awaiting masses.  ;)

> If you haven't looked at Icebreaker, take a few
> minutes to download it and check it out. I think my seekers
> are a pretty good example of what you've been talking about
> regarding artificial life forms. They move with autonomy and
> determination, yet their actions are not entirely
> predictable, not even to me.

I'm guessing you mean the demo - the full version isn't available, is
it?  I'd love to get ahold of a full PC version, if you know of a way. 
I saw a review of Icebreaker in some PC game magazine (don't remember
which one) months ago, before I'd ever heard of your company, and I
looked around a bit for it, but never found it.  Anyway, I've been a
little hesitant to download the demo; I'm afraid I'll really like it,
and then be pissed that I can't get the full version. :)

Thanks for letting me in on a bit of the inside-scoop on your creative
lifestyle.  As I've said before, contact with other like-minded
individuals helps me get my own ass in gear.  :)

See you -

--
Kory Heath
kheath@1connect.com