From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Fri Dec 18 1998 - 14:19:56 MST
Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de wrote:
>
> 4th RUNNER-UP (Subject: Probability Theory)
> If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup
> trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number
> of highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's great
> literary works in Braille.
"If an infinite number of monkeys sat at an infinite number of
typewriters, they would eventually produce the complete works of
Shakespeare. Do the same with humans, and you get USENET. Score:
Monkeys 1, humans 0."
> 3rd RUNNER-UP (Subject: Bio-Mechanics)
> Why Yawning Is Contagious: You yawn to equalize the pressure on your
> eardrums. This pressure change outside your eardrums unbalances other
> people's ear pressures, so they then yawn to even it out.
Personal theory: Synchronizes tribal sleep cycles so that everyone is
up and moving at the same time.
More evolutionary psychology:
Why do men stand staring into the refrigerator, while women move things
around to look behind? The men are acting out "hunter" instincts; they
freeze motionless so that the ketchup will eventually venture out and
get caught. The women are acting out "gatherer" instincts, searching
under rocks for ketchup packets or just remembering where the ketchup
plant was last time.
(And don't tell me anything about "Man mighty hunter, woman mere
gatherer" stereotypes. If this bothers you, you've fallen for male
propaganda. If women were hunters and men were gatherers, gathering
would be a big macho deal and hunting would be women's work.)
--
sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
http://pobox.com/~sentience/AI_design.temp.html
http://pobox.com/~sentience/sing_analysis.html
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, I'm not telling you
everything I think I know.
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