[email protected]

http://www.brunching.com/randommonkeys.html

The text is below, or you could go to the site and see it where it's supposed
to be.

I'm making reference to the traditional claim about randomness, patterns in
the universe, whatEVER it all is, in my next HEM column, so I did a google
search just to refresh my memory of the origin of the claim that an infinite
number of monkeys at typewriters would eventually type "Hamlet."

Here is one of my favorite online authors, making sense, as usual.


Monkeys, Numbers and You


by Lore Sjöberg

The saying is as follows: if you take X monkeys, set them at typewriters, and
have them type for some indefinite period of time, eventually they will
compose Y, where X is a positive whole number -- generally a large one -- and
Y is one or more of the works of Shakespeare, often Hamlet. That's leaving
aside the whole "infinite monkeys" thing. Obviously enough, an infinite
number of monkeys will instantly come up with Hamlet, along with every other
piece of literature from the past, present, and future.

No, no, let's deal with the merely impossible: some definite number of
monkeys pounding away like so many journalists in black-and-white 40's crime
movies, working towards the Holy Grail of simian stenography, the text of
Hamlet. But why Shakespeare? Why Hamlet? There are a lot of things that
monkeys chained to typewriters can accomplish, let us not forget. Here, then,
is a list of things our theoretical monkeys are -- mathematically speaking --
likely to come up with long before they finish Hamlet.

Several perfect cryptograms of Hamlet.

A long Usenet argument over whether Boba Fett is alive, complete with
spam-blocked e-mail addresses.

The phrase "Jesus Christ my ass is chafed" repeated for the length of two
letter-sized pages.

The text of Hamlet, except everyone dies of food poisoning in Act II.

A brief but accurate write-up of the most embarrassing thing you ever did,
with full names, dates, and places.

Hop on Pop

The Denny's Kids Menu.

This article, including HTML mark-up.

A short story entitled "Babysitter's Passion."

"Iii#jd89 pp98&(*(^9 879j; FF"

The text of Hamlet, except that Horatio is named "Elvis."

Deborah Lewis

Couldn't have been monkeys because I have Hamlet in it's original
Klingon. <g>
Klingon on one page and the direct English translation on the other.
Reading Hamlet around here sounds like we're all coughing up hair balls.
"taH pagh taHbe" !

Deb L


On Sat, 16 Nov 2002 09:28:15 EST SandraDodd@... writes:
> http://www.brunching.com/randommonkeys.html
>
> The text is below, or you could go to the site and see it where it's
> supposed
> to be.
>
> I'm making reference to the traditional claim about randomness,
> patterns in
> the universe, whatEVER it all is, in my next HEM column, so I did a
> google
> search just to refresh my memory of the origin of the claim that an
> infinite
> number of monkeys at typewriters would eventually type "Hamlet."
>
> Here is one of my favorite online authors, making sense, as usual.
>
>
> Monkeys, Numbers and You
>
>
> by Lore Sjöberg
>
> The saying is as follows: if you take X monkeys, set them at
> typewriters, and
> have them type for some indefinite period of time, eventually they
> will
> compose Y, where X is a positive whole number -- generally a large
> one -- and
> Y is one or more of the works of Shakespeare, often Hamlet. That's
> leaving
> aside the whole "infinite monkeys" thing. Obviously enough, an
> infinite
> number of monkeys will instantly come up with Hamlet, along with
> every other
> piece of literature from the past, present, and future.
>
> No, no, let's deal with the merely impossible: some definite number
> of
> monkeys pounding away like so many journalists in black-and-white
> 40's crime
> movies, working towards the Holy Grail of simian stenography, the
> text of
> Hamlet. But why Shakespeare? Why Hamlet? There are a lot of things
> that
> monkeys chained to typewriters can accomplish, let us not forget.
> Here, then,
> is a list of things our theoretical monkeys are -- mathematically
> speaking --
> likely to come up with long before they finish Hamlet.
>
> Several perfect cryptograms of Hamlet.
>
> A long Usenet argument over whether Boba Fett is alive, complete
> with
> spam-blocked e-mail addresses.
>
> The phrase "Jesus Christ my ass is chafed" repeated for the length
> of two
> ized pages.
>
> The text of Hamlet, except everyone dies of food poisoning in Act
> II.
>
> A brief but accurate write-up of the most embarrassing thing you
> ever did,
> with full names, dates, and places.
>
> Hop on Pop
>
> The Denny's Kids Menu.
>
> This article, including HTML mark-up.
>
> A short story entitled "Babysitter's Passion."
>
> "Iii#jd89 pp98&(*(^9 879j; FF"
>
> The text of Hamlet, except that Horatio is named "Elvis."

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/16/02 2:24:35 PM Central Standard Time,
ddzimlew@... writes:

> Couldn't have been monkeys because I have Hamlet in it's original
> Klingon. <g>
> Klingon on one page and the direct English translation on the other.
> Reading Hamlet around here sounds like we're all coughing up hair balls.
> "taH pagh taHbe" !
>
> Deb L
>

I have a terrible addiction to NBC evening TV, did you happen to see the
recent Fraiser? He went to his son's Bar Mitzvah and blessed him in Klingon.
Too funny. Later the Rabbi said "You must be very proud... (and as Frasier
and Lillith nodded and smiled, he said) of your son, not yourselves."
~Nancy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]