X-Message-Number: 8513
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 12:39:11 -0700 (PDT)
From: John K Clark <>
Subject: Digital Shakespeare

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In #8506 On Sat, 30 Aug 1997 John P. Pietrzak <>
	  
	>All "digital" computers are based upon the concept of the "switch".
	  
True, digital code base 2.

	  
	>The _only_ thing a computer does is flip switches.
	     

OK so it's digital, that doesn't mean something profound, beautiful, even 
poetic isn't happening. English is digital too, base 26, to say that the  
_only_ thing Shakespeare did was put down letters in a particular sequence 
is true in a way but sort of misses the point. The Genetic Code is also 
digital, base 4, and it came up with some things that were rather interesting, 
things like me and you.
	   

	>Given sufficient time, any human can perform exactly the same         
	>program that any computer does
	   

And a monkey could write Shakespeare.
Actually, a human could not execute any given computer program because he  
doesn't have enough memory, he'd need an external mechanism to store  
information in a digital mode, like a pencil and paper. 
	   

	>(BTW, this is why I believe this "Singularity" of Vernor Vinge is        
	>total crap.  I've been working in AI for some time; it's easier to        
	>descirbe progress in that  field as following a _logarithmic_ curve        
	>than an _exponential_ curve!)
	   

All of computer science is AI in that if a machine was not performing the 
task a human intelligence would be, or be trying to. In the entire history of 
the human race nothing has moved faster than our knowledge of computers in 
the last 40 years, and with Nanotechnology it shows no signs of slowing down. 
Light moves at 300,000,000 meters a second, signals in the brain move at 100, 
lots of room for improvement.
	   

	>Thomas Donaldson wrote:         
	>As for the computer, it is just a tool.
	   

Is your mind a tool? We're becoming our tools.


					     John K Clark    

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