[LINK] Global brain

[Nick Smith]

> ----------
> From: 	Dr. Bob Jansen[SMTP:Bob.Jansen@turtlelane.com.au]
> 
> At 10:11 +1000 23/6/00, Fred Pilcher wrote:
> >There was a tale called, I think, "The Final Question" written in the
> '50s
> >or '60s, but set about now, in which someone asked the Global Computer
> >(which sounded remarkably like the Internet) "Is there God?" After some
> >hours the computer responded "Insufficient data for a meaningful answer".
> 
> It was by Isaac Azimov I seem to remember. Yes, a very interesting 
> tale indeed. The other one I liked was the Monks who were on this 
> earth to answer the question "what is the name of God?'. When they 
> had found it, life would end. Sure enough, they involved IBM to 
> provide a large computer system to go through all permutations of 
> letters in their special alphabet. Needless to say, the engineers 
> didn't believe this at all and were amused by this attempt ------ 
> until the stars starting going out. End of story.
> 
++ 'The Nine Billion Names of God' By Arthur C. Clarke (I think he was the
author...)

++ I was going to say the one about the computer responding 'There is now.'

++ It was a short story. The launching of a massive computer network on
television. The TV announcer asks the question 'is there a God!' Answer:
there is is now. The announcer panics and reaches for the switch, one of
those large metal electrical switches. At that exact moment, a lightning
bolt comes down, killing the announcer and fusing the switch in the on
position.

	Nick

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Nick Smith
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