BLIND WATCHMAKER
                                    Contents

Introduction

PART I

A Tutorial Introduction


PART II

Reference
	
	Hardware

Running the BLIND WATCHMAKER (WATCHMAK.EXE)

	Files

	Starting WATCHMAK

	Using the Menus

	Quitting WATCHMAK

Using the Options:  Biomorphs Menu
	
	Fetch Biomorph

	Keep Biomorph

	Print Screen

  Quit

  Evolve Menu

	User Selects

	Drift

	Auto Drift

	Saltation

	Rotate

  Genes Menu

	Display Genes and Hide Genes

	Gene Engineer

  Fossils Menu

	Fossil History

	New Fossil History

  Triangle Menu

	Explore Gene Space

	New Top, Right, and Left Animals

  Help Option

INTRODUCTION


The BLIND WATCHMAKER is a computer program that demonstrates how living
things evolve complex and beautiful adaptations through the accumulation of
small changes.  The program itself and the philosophy behind it are
described at length in the book The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins,
published by W. W. Norton & Company (ISBN 0-393-30448-5).

The notion of a "watchmaker" as creator is taken from the observation by
the seventeenth-century theologian William Paley that, just as complex
manufactured objects like watches require a watchmaker to account for their
existence, so too must living things owe their much greater complexity to a
divine artisan.  We now know that natural selection--an unconscious,
automatic process discovered by Charles Darwin--explains the existence and
form of all life; so instead of postulating a supernatural being as creator
of diversity in the natural world, natural selection becomes the blind
watchmaker.

In the BLIND WATCHMAKER program living things are represented by simple
analogues called biomorphs.  The computer constructs these biomorphs by
drawing a single vertical line; this first line then branches into two,
with each of these sub-branches splitting into sub-sub-branches, and so on. 
This simple recursive procedure works by applying to every line the same
rule regarding when and at what angle to branch.  And this branching rule
is determined by the biomorphs' genetic code.

Each biomorph has nine genes represented numerically.  Some of these genes
influence the angle of branching, others the lengths of the branches.  One
gene (gene nine) affects the depth of recursion, that is, the number of
levels of sub-branches the biomorph can have.

You can breed biomorphs for particular traits by repeatedly selecting those
biomorphs that bear the desirable trait most fully, or you can call up the
biomorph's genetic code (see "Genes Menu" below) and add to or subtract
from the numeric value of a particular gene to change the branching rule
and arrive at the desired mutation.

This evolution is possible because biomorphs pass their genes on to their
offspring, who may carry mutations into subsequent generations.  But unlike
real animals, biomorphs are reproduced asexually.  So while the genetic
makeup of animals may change  over time as the combination of contributions
of the parents vary and mutate randomly, biomorphs can only change through
the direct or indirect manipulation of their genetic codes.

Using this software you can follow the evolution of a biomorph's lineage,
creating an extraordinary variety of creatures, sometimes grotesque and
often very beautiful.  But unlike evolution in nature, the genes that
survive will be those that appeal to human whim.  So, as with breeding
prize roses or Pekinese dogs, this is strictly a model of artificial, not
natural, selection, with yours the sharp eye of the watchmaker.

The accompanying sheet tells you how to install and use this software.  But
before you begin, make sure you make a copy of the distribution disk.  Then
lock the original safely away in case you need it for a later upgrade.



Part I

A TUTORIAL INTRODUCTION

After the usual MS-DOS prompt, start the program by typing WATCHMAK and
then pressing RETURN.  A message will flash onto the screen saying "Select
HELP if you are unsure how to proceed."  Since BLIND WATCHMAKER is a menu
driven program, your options will appear on pull-down menus at the top of
the screen.  Those menu options are:  Biomorphs, Evolve, Genes, Fossils,
Triangle, and Help.

Mouse users may select an option from a menu by moving the arrow to the
appropriate menu, pressing and holding down either of the buttons on the
mouse, and, when the correct selection is highlighted on the screen,
letting go of the button.  Try moving the arrow to the word "Biomorphs,"
then pressing and holding down one of the buttons on the mouse.  A menu of
options will drop down from the title bar.  While still holding the mouse
button, move the arrow up and down within the menu.  Notice how the
different options are highlighted as you pass over them.  When the option
"Fetch biomorph" is highlighted, release the mouse button to select that
option.  [NOTE:  If you have a mouse but it does not respond, chances are
that it is improperly installed.  Consult your mouse manual.]

Keyboard users can select any option simply by typing the first letter in
an option's title.  To start, type "B" to select Biomorphs, and then "F"
for Fetch biomorph.

After you have selected "Fetch biomorph," a list of the available biomorphs
will appear on the screen.  Select one of these, for instance "Insect," by
pointing the arrow at the word "Insect" and either clicking one of the
mouse buttons (press it and release it) or by typing the letter beside the
biomorph you have chosen, in this case "I."  The insect will be drawn on
the screen.  Now choose the option "User selects" from the "Evolve" menu. 
The original insect and its seventeen offspring will be displayed, with the
parent at the top left corner of the screen.  The offspring may vary in
shape because of the different mutations they carry.

Now choose which insect you want to be the parent of the next generation. 
To select a particular variation, either move the arrow into that
biomorph's display box using your mouse (or the cursor keys) and click the
left mouse button (or press the ALT key or the Space bar), or simply type
the number of the offspring (including any leading zero) of the desired
variation.  The offspring you chose to be the new parent will now be
displayed at the top left of the screen.

Now think of some trait you would like to select for; it might be height,
or density, or even frog-likeness.  In each generation select the biomorph
which possesses your chosen trait to the greatest degree.  Initially, none
of the biomorphs may possess anything like your chosen trait.  Simply
select one at random:  eventually a biomorph will turn up which is slightly
taller, dense or more frog-like than the rest.  Over several generations
you will find that the biomorphs change their shape in the direction you
originally selected.

Sometimes an offspring may become too large to fit completely into its
display box.  If that happens, and you want to examine it in its entirety,
move the arrow into that biomorph's box (with either mouse or cursor keys)
and either click the right mouse button or hit the CTRL key.  This large
biomorph will now be drawn on its own in the middle of the screen.  If you
decide to choose it as the new parent, click the left mouse button or press
the ALT key or the Space bar.  Otherwise, just click the right button on
the mouse or hit the CTRL key to redisplay the old offspring.

You can examine the values of biomorph's genes by pulling down the "Genes"
menu and choosing "Display genes."  Point to any biomorph with the arrow,
and the values of its genes will be shown.  (To change the value of a
biomorph's genes see "Gene engineer" in the "Genes" menu section of Part II
below.)  Choose "Hide genes" from the same menu to end the display of gene
values.

After going through several generations of selection, pull down the
"Fossils" menu and choose "Fossil history."  You will see a display of all
the parents you have chosen since you started this tutorial.  Now, under
the "Evolve" menu, choose "User selects" to get back to evolution.

When you have finished evolution, try pulling down the "Triangle" menu and
choosing "Explore gene space."  A large triangle will appear on the screen
with a different biomorph at each corner.  The arrow will also turn into a
biomorph which will change shape as you more it around the screen.  You are
looking at our way of showing you something of the fabulous diversity of
biomorphs which are available within BLIND WATCHMAKER.  (See "Triangle" in
Part II below.)

To exit from the program, either select "Quit" from the "Biomorphs" menu,
or point to the box in the top left corner of the screen, and either click
a mouse button or hit the ALT key or Space bar.  You will be asked if you
are sure you want to quit; if you are, you should either type "Y" or point
to the box marked YES and click a mouse button.

You have now seen most of the major features of this BLIND WATCHMAKER
software, but you may be interested in investigating some of the other
options available through the pull-down menus.  Before you try them out,
though, you should note that you can get help on any option by selecting
"Help," then selecting the option of interest.  Further details are also
available in Part II of this manual.



Part II

REFERENCE

Hardware

The BLIND WATCHMAKER is available for IBM personal computers ("PCs") with
Hercules, CGA, EGA, or VGA graphics.  (A different version of the program,
with 16 genes instead of 9, is available for the Apple Macintosh.)  The
program requires at least 300 kilobytes of memory.  Since the amount of
memory available will affect the depth of recursion allowed when drawing
biomorphs, to get the maximum depth you will need 500 kilobytes of memory
available to the program.  So a 512K machine, which will have much less
than 500 kilobytes of memory available for use by programs, will permit
less recursion than the software itself can accommodate.  A mouse is
supported, but keyboard commands can also be used.

A screen dump to a printer is available from within the program and
requires an EPSON-FX or compatible printer.




RUNNING THE BLIND WATCHMAKER


Files

A number of files are provided on the distribution disk; WATCHMAK.EXE is
the program itself; BIOMORPH.HLP contains the text of the on-line
assistance available through the HELP menu; files with extension .BMH are
files containing the biomorphs used by the BLIND WATCHMAKER program; files
with the extension .BGI contain the interfaces for different graphics
boards.


Starting WATCHMAK.EXE

First, make sure all the files mentioned above are in the current 
directory by typing "dir" after the prompt [C>].  Then start the program by
typing WATCHMAK and hitting the RETURN key.


Using the Menus

When you run WATCHMAK the six headings of the menus will appear at the top
of the screen.  They are:  Biomorphs, Evolve, Fossils, Genes, Triangle, and
Help.  The first five are pull-down menus.  But the sixth, "Help," is not
such a menu; rather, it is an option immediately available either by typing
its capital letter or by pointing to it and clicking a mouse button.

If you select a menu in error and do not want to select any of its options,
you can hit the Escape key [ESC] to return to the previous screen.

To start a session, load a biomorph using the option "Fetch biomorph" from
the "Biomorphs" menu.  If you do not load a biomorph, your session will
start with the default biomorph--the bacterium.


Quitting the BLIND WATCHMAKER

To exit from WATCHMAK, either pull down the "Biomorphs" menu and select
"Quit," or point to the square at the top left corner of the screen and
either click a mouse button or hit the ALT key or the Space bar.  You will
be asked if you really want to quit.  If you do, move the arrow to the box
marked YES and click a mouse button or simply type "Y."




USING THE OPTIONS

BIOMORPHS MENU

Fetch biomorph

When you choose this option the names of all the biomorphs available on
file will be displayed.  These will be biomorphs that you have previously
saved (see below) plus a few standard ones supplied on your original disk. 
To make a selection point to your choice and click a mouse button or type
the first letter of its name beside it.  The selected biomorph will appear
on the screen and will become the parent when you choose an option from the
"Evolve" menu.


Keep biomorph

This will save the current parent biomorph into a file.  When prompted,
give the file a name (without an extension).  This name will henceforward
(until the file is deleted from the disk by a standard DOS command) appear
in the displayed list of available biomorphs.  You will build up your own
personal "Zoo" of favorite biomorphs.


Print Screen

This sends a copy of the current screen to the printer.  You should note,
however, that the screen dump is quite slow and you cannot do anything else
while printing, although you can abort printing by choosing another menu
option.  If your computer is on a network and does not have its own
printer, then the output will only print after you quit the BLIND
WATCHMAKER program.

[Note:  The print command assumes that you have an Epson-FX compatible
printer.  If you do not, you will not be able to print out your biomorphs.]


QUIT

Selecting "Quit" will end your BLIND WATCHMAKER session.  An alternative
way to exit is to point the arrow at the small square at the top left of
the screen and either click a mouse button or hit the ALT key or Space bar.





EVOLVE MENU

User selects

This command displays the current parent biomorph in the top left of the
screen, together with its seventeen children.  The children will differ
from the parent to a greater or lesser extent depending on the genetic
mutation they carry (i.e., on the difference between the genetic codes of
the parent and the offspring).  You can choose one of the children to be
the parent of the next generation either by typing its number or by
pointing to it with the arrow and either clicking the left mouse button or
hitting the ALT key or the Space bar.

Occasionally, one of the children may be too large to be displayed
completely in the restricted box available.  To get a complete image of any
child, simply point at the appropriate biomorph with the arrow and click
the right mouse button or hit the CTRL key.  To make the child the new
parent either click the left mouse button or hit the ALT key or Space bar. 
Otherwise clicking the right mouse button or hitting the CTRL key will
redisplay the current generation.


Drift

This option displays the current parent biomorph in the middle of the
screen.  Clicking the left mouse or hitting the ALT key or Space bar will
make one of its offspring, chosen at random, the new parent.


Auto Drift

Auto drift allows the population to drift (genetically) over generations
without your pressing anything.  Holding down the [=]  key will increase
the speed of drift; holding down the [-] key will slow it down.


Saltation

The saltation command allows you to select a biomorph randomly.  A default
biomorph will be displayed in the middle of the screen; clicking the left
mouse button or hitting the ALT key or Space bar will make the new
biomorph.




Rotate

This option will make the biomorph rotate through 90 degrees.  Successive
calls to rotate will increase the rotation by 90 degrees each time.  In
other words selecting this option twice will turn the biomorph upside down;
selecting it four times will return it to its original orientation.



GENES MENU

Display Genes and Hide Genes

"Display genes" will make the gene values of a biomorph appear at the top
of the screen.  If there are several biomorphs on the screen, the gene
values displayed will be those of the biomorph to which the arrow is
pointing.  These gene values will be displayed until you choose "Hide
genes" from this menu.


Gene engineer

"Gene engineer" will allow you to modify the genetic values of a biomorph
directly.  When you choose this option, the current parent will appear in
the center of the screen, with its gene values in the top right corner.  To
change a genetic value, point at it with the arrow.  Then click the left
mouse button or hit the ALT key, the Space bar, or [+] key to add 1 to the
value and click the right mouse button, the CTRL key, or [-] key to
subtract 1.  The biomorph will be redisplayed so you can see the effect of
your engineering.  The modified biomorph will then become the new parent if
you choose an option from the "Evolve" menu.



FOSSILS MENU

Fossil history

"Fossil history" displays a sequence of all the parents that have been
members of a biomorph's evolutionary lineage.  The number associated with
each biomorph is its generation number.  When the screen is full of fossil
biomorphs you can click the left mouse button, or hit the ALT key or the
Space bar to display more.  The fossil history of a biomorph will be stored
in a file with a name along the lines of "BIOHIST.001" (e.g., BIOHIST.002,
BIOHIST.003, and so on).  When you quit the BLIND WATCHMAKER program these
files will be deleted.  Or you can delete them after you quit the program.

New fossil history

This option erases all past fossils and starts a new history.


TRIANGLE MENU

Explore gene space

When you choose this option a triangle will appear on the screen with three
familiar biomorphs at its corners.  Instead of the arrow pointer, a fourth
biomorph will appear.  That biomorph will move as the arrow did.

The genetic values of the movable biomorph are the average of the three
anchored biomorphs, weighted in favor of the stationary biomorph the
movable one is closest to.  In other words, the genetic value of the
movable biomorph will become more and more like that of a stationary
biomorph as it moves closer and closer to that biomorph's corner.  This
genetic resemblance will be reflected in the movable biomorph's appearance: 
the closer it moves to a stationary biomorph, and the more its genetic code
comes to resemble that of the stationary biomorph, the more it will look
like that stationary biomorph.

You can record an image of the moving biomorph by pressing the left mouse
button or by hitting the ALT key or the Space bar.


New Top, Right, and Left Animals

This option will allow you to choose a new top, left, or right animal in
the triangle.  You select one of these three in the usual way, either by
typing "T," "L," or "R" or by clicking on your choice with the mouse; a
list of available biomorphs will appear on the screen.  When you select one
of these biomorphs (by typing the letter designating it or by moving the
arrow over and either clicking the mouse or hitting the ALT key or the
Space bar), it will become the new animal in the position designated.  A
more detailed explanation of exploring gene space can be found in Chapter
3, beginning on page 65, of the author's book The Blind Watchmaker.


Help option

After selecting the Help option, choose another menu or menu item to see a
window of helpful advice about your choice.  Either click one of the two
mouse buttons or hit the Space bar to remove the window after reading its
advice.