gistfile1.js

function countNeighbours(grid, columnIndex, rowIndex){
  var getCellValueForGrid = getCellValue.bind(this, grid);
  var zipForPosition = zipWithSum.bind(this, [rowIndex, columnIndex]);

  return [[-1,-1],[-1,0],[-1,1],
          [-1, 0],       [ 1,0],
          [ 1,-1],[ 1,0],[ 1,1]].reduce(function(a,b) {
            return a + getCellValueForGrid.apply(this, zipForPosition(b));
         },0);
}

function zipWithSum(a,b) {
    return a.map(function(e,i) { return e + b[i] });
}

function getCellValue(grid, rowIndex, columnIndex){
	return +!!(grid[rowIndex] || [])[columnIndex];
}

gistfile2.coffee

countNeighbours = (grid, columnIndex, rowIndex) ->
  getCellValueForGrid = getCellValue.bind(@, grid)
  zipForPosition = zipWithSum.bind(@, [rowIndex, columnIndex])
  [[-1,-1],[-1,0],[-1, 1], 
   [-1, 0],       [ 1, 0],
   [ 1,-1],[1, 0],[1, 1]].reduce ((a, b) ->
    a + getCellValueForGrid.apply(@, zipForPosition(b))
  ), 0
  
zipWithSum = (a, b) ->
  a.map (e, i) -> e + b[i]

getCellValue = (grid, rowIndex, columnIndex) ->
  +!!(grid[rowIndex] or [])[columnIndex]