From: Ken Clements (Ken@Innovation-On-Demand.com)
Date: Sat Mar 16 2002 - 18:31:29 MST
hal@finney.org wrote:
> In such a universe, some other mathematical constant would have a
> similarly fundamental role as Pi does for us. To the inhabitants of
> that universe it would seem impossible that their constant could have
> been manipulated by anyone. It has an inherent mathematical simplicity
> and elegance which would make inserting a message impossible, just as
> we consider to be true for Pi. But in fact the message is sent, not by
> changing a constant, but by controlling which constant the inhabitants
> discover.
>
This seems like the hard way to me. Without having to manipulate a universe, or
the development of mathematics, you just have some "angles" appear to the elders
of the tribe with some stone tablets. The tablets would establish the first
written language, with some simple arithmetic (be sure to put in some hygiene
rules to help this group propagate). Say, you give them a 16 letter alphabet and
base 16 counting, and a full literacy commandment. In this case, the medium is
absolutely going to be the message. The vocabulary and syntax might be quite
strained, but what the heck, it's from angles.
A thousand years later, someone is cranking out the digits of pi, and lo and
behold, a big chunk of the religious text comes forth, which all the intellectuals
had dismissed as mumbo-jumbo centuries ago. Deus ex pi.
-Ken
P.S. Some think this may be us, see: http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/pi.htm
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