Really nice
I stumbled on this at irregulargames.com by accident, I was actually doing research on fractals and somehow google gave me this. Just a few days before I read the wiki on Conway's Game of Life and it spiked my interest, this game was a really good find.
My one criticism is the boundaries. I don't think the boundaries should exist. Conway's game of life took place on an infinite plane, but yours is bounded. There really would be no way of showing the outside world, but it should exist just the same. At the very least, in the sandbox. (it could screw up game play a little in the game, I get that). Also a counter to keep track of how many cells there are and how many iterations should be included in the sandbox.
Some suggestions for the potential sequel:
Multiple colors based on the immigration variation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%
27s_Game_of_Life#Variations_on_Life).
Two player mode (scroll down a little on that same link)
And not to get too carried away, but obstacles might neat (like permanently alive cells).
Anyways, this was certainly a work of art, the application of a famous computer program (At least famous in the math world). Please, please, PLEASE keep up the good work.
So long, and thanks for all the fish,
-Nick