"the hopeless endeavour" Yahtzee's latest short story
#46
Posted 02 September 2008 - 12:36 AM
You know, so far we haven't considered the events leading up to the story. I mean, yeah, there's what we're told, but what if, say, a cloud of some sort of dust went past or a particular gravitational field messed with a particular something allowing Travis to come to the conclusion?
For King and Country
Chaotic Good
Chaotic Good
#47
Posted 03 September 2008 - 02:04 AM
No, that doesn't come into consideration.
Reasoning:
IF [what made Travis come to correct conclusion] = [controlled by computer] THEN [computer is doing it right]
ELSE [trivial solution]
In words, the computer doesn't know whether it helped travis reach the conclusion or not.
So, there is the possibility that it did, and that it didn't help.
If it did help, then it keeps doing what it's doing.
If it didn't, then the computer's stuck like that.
In either case, if it doesn't try, it is stuck, barring something outside the computer's control, like getting drawn into a star, black hole, or being struck by an asteroid.
Therefore the only hope of decreasing the amount of time it will take to be destroyed is by raising and teaching travis clones. (if you take any ongoing probability to infinity, then the chance of it happening is 100%. Therefore, the computer is trying to decrease the amount of time it'll take to be destroyed from, possibly, infinity, or probably, from the eons and eons it takes to dive into a star).
TL;DR: All the computer CAN do to destroy itself is clone and teach Travis' and Marys.
Reasoning:
IF [what made Travis come to correct conclusion] = [controlled by computer] THEN [computer is doing it right]
ELSE [trivial solution]
In words, the computer doesn't know whether it helped travis reach the conclusion or not.
So, there is the possibility that it did, and that it didn't help.
If it did help, then it keeps doing what it's doing.
If it didn't, then the computer's stuck like that.
In either case, if it doesn't try, it is stuck, barring something outside the computer's control, like getting drawn into a star, black hole, or being struck by an asteroid.
Therefore the only hope of decreasing the amount of time it will take to be destroyed is by raising and teaching travis clones. (if you take any ongoing probability to infinity, then the chance of it happening is 100%. Therefore, the computer is trying to decrease the amount of time it'll take to be destroyed from, possibly, infinity, or probably, from the eons and eons it takes to dive into a star).
TL;DR: All the computer CAN do to destroy itself is clone and teach Travis' and Marys.
This post has been edited by FFreak3: 03 September 2008 - 02:05 AM
#50
Posted 03 September 2008 - 07:47 PM
QUOTE (Bricktop @ Sep 3 2008, 06:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Also, is it just coincidence or was I spotting some Rush references in there (specifically the song 2112)
I love Rush, (especially 2112,) but I didn't see anything.
#52
Posted 04 September 2008 - 05:52 AM
QUOTE (FFreak3 @ Sep 3 2008, 05:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
If it did help, then it keeps doing what it's doing.
If it didn't, then the computer's stuck like that.
If it didn't, then the computer's stuck like that.
Ah but that's my point. If it was the computer, what took it so long to get it right? Did it need 8000 (or however many) test runs? And if it was an outside influence, what could have done it?
I suppose it's futile to theorise about it anyway, but it's fun.
For King and Country
Chaotic Good
Chaotic Good