Typing Monkeys Don't Write Shakespeare

[Mr. Turquoise]

So this research cost £2000,hmm money well spent there then.

And when was the last time the Arts Council spent money on a project to benefit humankind?

Perhaps the follow-up study should use more monkeys.

Mr. Turquoise

 

[aggle_rithm]

I'm just relieved they didn't write: "The humans don't suspect a thing. Soon the revolution will begin!"

Seriously, they probably just used the wrong species of monkey.

 

[aerocontrols]

They pressed a lot of S's

Obviously, they were focusing on getting the Bard's name typed out first. Then surely they would have moved on to one of his plays.

The researchers should have given them more time.

 

[garys_2k]

So, how long before we hear about "embedded codes" in their text?

 

[aggle_rithm]

So, how long before we hear about "embedded codes" in their text?

Quick, get an agent and start negotiations for "The Monkey Code"! A guaranteed best-seller!

 

[Mark]

I say, "Let the chimps fall where they may!"

 

[Doubt]

I'm just relieved they didn't write: "The humans don't suspect a thing. Soon the revolution will begin!"

Seriously, they probably just used the wrong species of monkey.

Hmmmmmmm...... Last time I checked the cage, Caesar had just written “APES! GET UP AND FIGHT LIKE APES!”

 

[Soapy Sam]

Obviously, they didn't type in ENGLISH.
They typed in CHIMP.
And their spelling is notoriously poor.

Just because a bunch of researchers can't read what's put in front of them doesn't mean it's not art!. Turner prize, here we come...

 

[aggle_rithm]

Obviously, they didn't type in ENGLISH.
They typed in CHIMP.
And their spelling is notoriously poor.

Just because a bunch of researchers can't read what's put in front of them doesn't mean it's not art!. Turner prize, here we come...

That reminds me of an episode of "The Tick" (cartoon series) where they encountered two alien species. The language of one consisted entirely of the word "Hey", and the language of the other consisted of the word "What".

So, theoretically, chimps can have a language consisting of the letter "S".

 

[JAR]

In my opinion, that theory or hypothesis(I'm not sure what it is) always had one problem. The chimpanzee might type the same thing repeatedly, that same thing not being a work of Shakespeare.

 

[JAR]

In my opinion, that theory or hypothesis(I'm not sure what it is) always had one problem. The chimpanzee might type the same thing repeatedly, that same thing not being a work of Shakespeare.

Perhaps the theory should have been that if you have a computer type any key on the keyboard in combinations of any length infinitely, but the same combination can't be typed twice, eventually every work of Shakespeare will be written.

 

[MRC_Hans]

Actually, if we must be serious, the monkeys ant typewriters (who uses typewriters anyway these days?) is merely a way of stating that an infinite string of random characters will contain The Complete Works Of Shakespeare (TCWOS) .... and the complete posts of Shemp

It will also contain a plethora of TCWOS with one letter wrong, and a plethora of plethoras of TCWOS with two letters wrong, and .....

Big question is: Who the hell is gonna read through the stuff?

Hans

 

[aggle_rithm]

Actually, if we must be serious, the monkeys ant typewriters (who uses typewriters anyway these days?) is merely a way of stating that an infinite string of random characters will contain The Complete Works Of Shakespeare (TCWOS) .... and the complete posts of Shemp

I think that's what the experiment demonstrated: The monkeys are not capable of producing a truly random string of characters. They tend to press the same key over and over (that is, when they're not urinating on it or bashing it with a rock).

 

[DrMatt]

So it is a MONKEY that is live on its webcam RIGHT NOW!!!! ?

wow, that's disappointing.......

Well, no, if you visit my home page and click on the webcam link, it's a BRICK live on webcam (q.v.).

 

[Mark]

Actually, if we must be serious, the monkeys ant typewriters (who uses typewriters anyway these days?) is merely a way of stating that an infinite string of random characters will contain The Complete Works Of Shakespeare (TCWOS) .... and the complete posts of Shemp

It will also contain a plethora of TCWOS with one letter wrong, and a plethora of plethoras of TCWOS with two letters wrong, and .....

Big question is: Who the hell is gonna read through the stuff?

Hans

Bob Newhart once did a hillarious stand up bit on this very topic. "To be or not to be...that is the Gzornen plan."

 

[DaChew]

I think everyone is really missing the big issue here -


The Infinite Monkeys would be a good name for a band.

 

[JAR]

I think everyone is really missing the big issue here -


The Infinite Monkeys would be a good name for a band.

Do you chew tobacco.

 

[sorgoth]

heh

I laughed througout almost this entire thread...


No, but really, the Infinite Monkeys would be pretty good...

 

[Cecil]

I think that's what the experiment demonstrated: The monkeys are not capable of producing a truly random string of characters.

But they only had six of them. Surely, with an infinite number of monkeys, at least one must produce a random string.

 

[tamiO]

I don't have a monkey; I have a dog. Whenever I am away from the computer I have to put the keyboard on top of the moniter.

Why?

The first time he fooled around on it, I came home and found that my entire C Drive was being tossed into the trash bin.

He has since renamed my hard drive jkioMJKIOMJKIOMJKIOMJKIOM and he seems interested in creating macros with the little buttons at the top of the keyboard.

But the best one, the most precious one, is that he has sent IMs!