From: Dan Fabulich (daniel.fabulich@yale.edu)
Date: Mon Oct 25 1999 - 11:15:47 MDT
'What is your name?' 'hal@finney.org.' 'IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME
IS!!!':
> Actually I am beginning to think that it is worse than this. We not only
> need infinite computing power, we may need infinite information, that is,
> we may require in effect an infinite amount of "noise".
>
> Imagine an infinitely powerful but completely self contained computer.
> Start it with a seed program that has only a finite amount of information.
> (Imagine a Game of Life pattern surrounded by an infinite but empty
> plain.) Now, it can run forever, but ultimately the amount of information
> in the program cannot increase. Everything it ever does was determined
> by the initial allocation of information it got.
Is this really a concern? Remember, with infinite computing power, I can
count from one to infinity. Use that count as your seed, run it through a
PRNG if you wish, and you've got all the noise you need, I think.
-Dan
-unless you love someone-
-nothing else makes any sense-
e.e. cummings
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