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To: Southack
[AKA - Million Monkeys Can't Type Shakespeare]

I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature (Bible, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Stephen King, etc.). To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means.

3 posted on 03/05/2002 12:58:25 PM PST by Hodar
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To: Hodar
but if you took that monkey who wrote Hamlet-what are the odds he'd continue to write Romeo and Juliet?
4 posted on 03/05/2002 1:01:17 PM PST by arielb
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To: Southack
You are also assuming that each experiment is being performed serially, instead of gazillions of experiments being performed simultaneously.
6 posted on 03/05/2002 1:01:35 PM PST by Hodar
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To: Hodar
Of course it only took one monkey to come up with Earth in the Balance.
10 posted on 03/05/2002 1:03:15 PM PST by freedomlover
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To: Hodar
To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means.

So true. The same applies to comparison of typing to the creation of life.

11 posted on 03/05/2002 1:05:30 PM PST by freedomlover
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To: Hodar
"I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature (Bible, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Stephen King, etc.)."

I don't.

The concept of thought, translated into/by language, requires intelligence that monkeys (and sometimes even men ... /8^) seem to lack.

19 posted on 03/05/2002 1:19:16 PM PST by knarf
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To: Hodar
I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys,

That's the term I've always heard used. I guess that wouldn't fit with the "proof" in this article. Oh well! We'll just have to wait a bit longer.

27 posted on 03/05/2002 1:25:48 PM PST by FreePaul
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To: Hodar
To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means.

Having your mind made up must be awful comforting.
You didn't actually read the whole essay, did you.

(17^9)*(17^9)*(17^9) is hardly equal to a million.

51 posted on 03/05/2002 1:54:30 PM PST by Publius6961
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To: Hodar
I totally agree with your post #3.
The people who argue against evolution have no clue as to how big existence (note: I avoid even the word "universe") is.

In a lottery drawing, everyone complains about losing against improbable odds ... everyone, that is, except the guy who won.

55 posted on 03/05/2002 2:00:46 PM PST by rwb
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To: Hodar
"I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature (Bible, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Stephen King, etc.). To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means."

"Wait it minute, it looks like this one is onto something: 'To be, or not to be, that is the gezsartenplatz....'"
Bob Newhart - Revenge of the Button Down Mind

56 posted on 03/05/2002 2:01:45 PM PST by Harrison Bergeron
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To: Hodar
I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature (Bible, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Stephen King, etc.). To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means.

I see.

What is infinity divided by infinity?

89 posted on 03/05/2002 2:41:48 PM PST by EternalHope
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To: Hodar
"I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature (Bible, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Stephen King, etc.). To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means."

Yes, well, of course, "infinite" DOES make it not only possible, but inevitable. ....But what about this: If a number of monkeys equal to the total number of particles in the universe typed furiously at the rate of a million key-strokes per second for 5 billion years, would their be enough information to equal that in the most simple self-sustaining cell known? Just for starters, something on the simple side: how are you going to get sufficient lipids for your cellular bi-layer, all appearing in the same restricted physical space, all at the same time, from non-biological sources?

161 posted on 03/05/2002 4:30:45 PM PST by cookcounty
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To: Hodar
"I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature (Bible, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Stephen King, etc.). To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means."

Yes, well, of course, "infinite" DOES make it not only possible, but inevitable. ....But what about this: If a number of monkeys equal to the total number of particles in the universe typed furiously at the rate of a million key-strokes per second for 5 billion years, would their be enough information to equal that in the most simple self-sustaining cell known?

Just for starters, something on the simple side: how are you going to get sufficient lipids for your cellular bi-layer, all appearing in the same restricted physical space, all at the same time, from non-biological sources?

See, I can't even get paragraphs right without harmful mutattions.

164 posted on 03/05/2002 4:35:18 PM PST by cookcounty
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To: Hodar
"To limit this to simply 1 million does not convey the thought of what the term 'infinite' means."

You must not have read this through:
In our hypothesising above, we imagined 17 billion galaxies, each with 17 billion planets, each with 17 billion monkeys, each of which was producing a line of text per second for 17 billion years.

Sounds to me that the above is more chances than we can imagine having been feasible for the monkeys to write a simple 41 character sentence at random.

194 posted on 03/05/2002 7:10:21 PM PST by gore3000
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To: Hodar
I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature...

It's impossible for there to be an infinite number of monkeys.

213 posted on 03/05/2002 8:28:06 PM PST by mtg
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To: Hodar
I believe the saying that an infinite number of monkeys, with an infinite number of typewriters, can in fact recreate any piece of literature (Bible, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Stephen King, etc.).

Yes, and there will be an infinite number of copies of each of an infinite number of pieces of literature in an infinite number of languages in an infinite number of variations in an infinite number of scramblings with an infinite number of unfinished works.... ad infinitum --- All whose main character is Hidar.(and a like infinitude with Hodar of course)

271 posted on 03/06/2002 2:31:17 PM PST by AndrewC
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