Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA11349 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 11 Jan 2002 19:03:40 GMT Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020111134637.02c39c90@pop.cogeco.ca> X-Sender: hkhenson@pop.cogeco.ca X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 14:00:38 -0500 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca> Subject: Re: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception In-Reply-To: <EC22174E-06BB-11D6-9B57-003065A0F24C@harvard.edu> References: <5.1.0.14.0.20020111113419.02c32160@pop.cogeco.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 12:52 PM 11/01/02 -0500, you wrote:
>And, how is one to know that the same information is in two disparate items?
Simple. Convert from type A to type B. Convert from type B back to type
A. Compare. If they are identical, it is the same information.
Converting a text file from ASCII to EBCDIC and back results in a bit for
bit exact copy.
For a human who memorizes a song and writes it down later, or learns the
rules of a game and teaches it to another without the rule book there may
be errors, but that does not prevent the copy process from producing
substantially identical information.
Keith Henson
PS
ASCII-EBCDIC
..... Standard Code for Information Interchange (standard withdrawn Oct 11
1994) EBCDIC
= Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code IBM's 8-bit extension of
the ...
PPS
Translation from on one language to another and back generally results in
substantially the same information. The exception are amusing
sometimes. One classic is "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
into Russian and back gave "the vodka's ok, but the meat is
rotten. Another classic was the time a message was treated to this process
to inform some diplomat that his sun had been suspended from high school
for some infraction. The message came through that his son had been hanged
for crimes against the state!
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