Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!batcomputer!cornell!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!vd09+ From: vd09+@andrew.cmu.edu (Vincent M. Del Vecchio) Newsgroups: comp.compression Subject: Re: IP gnitaluclaC rof margorP (Was Re: Program for Calculating PI) Message-ID: <4c2r2zS00Vp8EDkbxz@andrew.cmu.edu> Date: 16 Apr 91 21:46:39 GMT References: <1991Apr11.022122.26142@garfield.cs.mun.ca> <1991Apr12.104200.1691@nntp-server.caltech.edu> , <1991Apr16.140125.17898@convex.com> Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 23 In-Reply-To: <1991Apr16.140125.17898@convex.com> jjensen@convex.UUCP (James Jensen) writes: > In article stephen@estragon.uchicago.edu (Stephen P Spackman) writes: > > >What in fact characterises the set of bitstrings that humans will ever > >be interested in representing? This is an important question for data > >modelling. > > I don't think the set exists. As soon as you define the set some trouble > maker will wonder "So whats the smallest string not in this set?" and try > and send it over email. Then your compression program will core dump. :-) > > Jim Jensen - jjensen@convex.com No; it's a lossless compression program and has to work on everything; it's just that if you give it something not in the set it will output something larger. Whether or not the set exists or is well defined is another, more philosophical matter. However, I think it can be very useful to consider characteristics the set might have if it were possible to define it. -Vincent Del Vecchio vd09@andrew.cmu.edu