Re: Apple II: Second Best Tech Product of All Time!

[Charlie Springer <RAM@regnirps.com>]

On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:34:50 -0700, Michael J. Mahon wrote
(in article <fP-dnds-Q5ry47_bnZ2dnUVZ_oCmnZ2d@comcast.com>):

> (BTW, humans are a *terrible* source of randomness--they are much
> too predictable!  And even "crafty" individuals make very biased
> random number generators.)

I'm relying on blunders. The really stupid errors by terrible commanders 
could be used to generate furballs in the problem space. The one who knows 
which elements are likely to make the mistakes is (maybe) in the best 
position to take advantage.

More interesting to me is the debate I used to have with Saganites about the 
nature of "advanced species." Their standard assumption is that smarter 
equals nicer. I countered that in the special case where the greater 
intelligence has been designed, their case might be true. In the case where 
the intelligence is the result of natural selection, they are very likely to 
be diligent, aggressive, and eliminate even the slightest threat with great 
vigor. They will have an ethic based on survival, much like life boat ethics.
But I agree with the premise of the Fermi/Von Neuman conjecture and don't 
think there are any star traveling folks in this galaxy and that there is no 
way to go faster than the speed of light, else they would be all over the 
place.

-- Charlie Sringer