🚀 go-pugleaf

>In article <1992Oct6.012221.28431@access.usask.ca> choy@skorpio.usask.ca (I am

>a terminator.) writes:
>>
>>  + The universe is a large computing device bound and run by God knows
>>    what (but God knows I'm going to find out). We're here as something
>>    is being computed (or the machinery is idle).
>>Henry Choy
>The Earth is a large computing device created and operated by mice.  We're
>here to discover the question whose answer is 42.
>-Douglas Adams


>:)

>--
>If you blow fire against the wind, take care to not get the smoke in your eyes
.
>      Big & Growly Dragon-monster        |       bafta@cats.ucsc.edu
>     ------> shari brooks <-------       |       bafta@ucscb.ucsc.edu
>                             All opinions are my own.

  Actually, there are certain considerations which this idea brings up,
whether it's mice or mooses, or little green people with pointed ears
and seven sexes.
  Namely:
  a)  What is being computed?
  b)  Given the results on the limits of computation, is the universe
attempting to compute the uncomputable?  I.e., what about the halting
problem.  Suppose that the universe computes whatever it was programmed
to compute on Oct. 17 at 3:45 pm pacific standard time.  Will it then
stop, crank out a roll of paper with "THE ANSWER" on it ($@??, or 42???)
or whatever it might be.  Or will it grind on forever, or at least until
somebody pulls the plug?
  Perhaps the "ANSWER" is uncomputable and the universe, in it's
computational wisdom, has found that the only way to handle this state,
given it's initial programming to compute, is to evolve sub-programs
which are capable of dealing with intrinsic uncertainty.
  But it's too late at night to think thoughts like this.