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Path: utzoo!utcs!flaps
From: flaps@utcs.uucp (Alan J Rosenthal)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers,net.cog-eng,net.ai
Subject: Re: alive computers (HAL_from_IBM_P)
Message-ID: <1210@utcs.uucp>
Date: Sun, 27-Apr-86 23:34:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcs.1210
Posted: Sun Apr 27 23:34:34 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Apr-86 23:40:50 EDT
References: <154@lutton.tcville.UUCP> <601@qantel.UUCP> <276@euclid.warwick.UUCP>
Reply-To: flaps@utcs.UUCP (Alan J Rosenthal)
Distribution: net
Organization: University of Toronto
Lines: 14
Keywords: creativity
Summary: 


The odds are most certainly considerably less than one in 26**3/2.
The reasoning for 26**3/2 is that there are 26**3 possible three letter
combinations, out of which we count 'HAL' and 'JCN' both as hits, as
certainly it doesn't matter for impact whether the letters immediately
precede or follow 'IBM'.
But likewise, wouldn't a hit on 'DEC' or 'VAX' or 'CBM' suffice?
And also, any of a number of sf stories could make a hit.  In other words,
if you had 26**3/2 sf stories, you would expect a hit, and the existing
number of sf stories therefore reduces the surprise value of this hit.

note: many of the keywords in this article are trademarked company names or
product lines.
disclaimer: the word "impact" is an unintentional pun.