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Six Monkeys And An Old Saw

Sayten241 writes "They say that an infinite amount of monkeys typing at an infinite amount of typewriters will produce literature greater than Shakespeare. Well, it has been proven that six monkeys and one computer will produce a computer that has been smashed with a rock, urinated upon, and four pages worth of the letter 's.' The end of the article states that scientifically this does prove that monkeys are more complex than random generators."

51 of 360 comments (clear)

  1. sounds familiar by bearl · · Score: 5, Funny

    That sounds remarkably like a development team I worked with once.

    (easy joke, but necessary)

  2. monkeys by jlechem · · Score: 3, Funny

    You don't even need 6 monkeys to get some of the comments that you get here on slashdot.

    --
    Hold up, wait a minute, let me put some pimpin in it
    1. Re:monkeys by schmink182 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dilbert: "So what do you think of my paper?"
      Dogbert: "Well, it has been said that one thousand monkeys with typewriters, given infinite time, could eventually write the works of Shakespeare."
      Dilbert: "What about my paper?"
      Dogbert: "I'd give it 6 monkeys, 10 minutes."

  3. True but... by Codex+The+Sloth · · Score: 3, Funny

    produce a computer that has been smashed with a rock, urinated upon, and four pages worth of the letter 's.'

    Still more intelligent than the average slashdot poster...

    --
    I am not a number! I am a man! And don't you ... oh wait, I'm #93427. Ha ha! In your face #93428!
    1. Re:True but... by meldon+corintur · · Score: 3, Funny

      The monkeys have also left a computer better condition than some that I've had to work on in tech support.

  4. monkeys and typewriters by AdamTheBastard · · Score: 5, Funny

    "it was the best of times, it was the blurst of time"

    You stupid Monkey!

    p.s. FP?

    1. Re:monkeys and typewriters by kent_eh · · Score: 5, Funny
      Found years ago on somewhere on usenet

      "We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will
      eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the
      Internet, we know this is not true."

      Robert Wilensky, University of California

      --

      ---
      "I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
    2. Re:monkeys and typewriters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Monkeys without typewriters searching for food and shelter randomly evolved into spear chucking primates who eventually freed up enough time that their decendants could specialize in pursuits not related to gathering food, one of whom was named William Shakespear. The experiment has been run sans typewriters, and confirmed. But we already knew that.

    3. Re:monkeys and typewriters by MyHair · · Score: 2, Funny

      "We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will
      eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the
      Internet, we know this is not true."


      You have to give them enough time. Some monkeys have done it. That quote is hilarious anyway.

    4. Re:monkeys and typewriters by Reziac · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hmmm... but a million monkeys *would* explain some of the strangely-typed spam I get...

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    5. Re:monkeys and typewriters by Oculus+Habent · · Score: 3, Funny

      But it's not truly confirmed until it has been done twice!

      --
      That what was all this school was for... to teach us how to solve our own problems. -- janeowit
  5. What OS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe they were just expressing their opinion?

    1. Re:What OS? by PetWolverine · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or maybe it wasn't Windows, and they were trying to find a way to crash it.

      --
      I found the meaning of life the other day, but I had write-only access.
    2. Re:What OS? by B3ryllium · · Score: 4, Funny

      Are you saying the fifth page would have ended with "hit"?

  6. And a monkey comments... by Psychor · · Score: 2, Funny

    ssssssss sssssssssss sss

  7. Maybe not better then shakespeare, but..... by 1nsane0ne · · Score: 3, Funny
    They say that an infinite amount of monkeys typing at an infinite amount of typewriters will produce literature greater than Shakespeare.

    Well it looks like it wasn't better writing then shakespeare's but I'm guessing it could qualify as code better then Microsoft's.

    1. Re:Maybe not better then shakespeare, but..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      HAHAHAHA LOLROTFLHAHA!1111 I MAKE JOKE SI TEH MICROSOFT! I SI TEH FUNNAY!11!

      Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!

  8. This is not news. by the+gnat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anyone who's ever had to provide tech support for a large number of college students could have described most of this behavior. The only thing missing is beer spilled on the keyboard the night before a big essay is due.

    1. Re:This is not news. by Dynedain · · Score: 2, Funny

      The only thing missing is beer spilled on the keyboard the night before a big essay is due.

      No, the researchers mentioned the urination....

      --
      I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
  9. Federal government arts grant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The results of this experiment mean that the monkeys deserve one of those $20,000 federal arts grants. Looks like modern art!

    (Remember the "artist" Serrano, who got paid $16,000 by Washington to drop a photo in a mayonnaise jar of his own urine).

  10. Six monkeys = rubbish. Twelve = end of the world by WIAKywbfatw · · Score: 5, Funny

    Didn't they learn anything from Terry Gilliam?

    --

    "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
  11. I bet I know who's running Slashdot by blair1q · · Score: 4, Funny

    Duplicate articles, server crashes, misspellings...

    Educated monkeys.

    It still isn't Shakespeare.

  12. I think if you took enough Monkeys... by dWhisper · · Score: 4, Funny

    I've always wanted to see how many monkeys and computers it would take to get one to produce Duke Nukem Forever. My guess is that the old Shakespear Rule would get us farther than 3D Realms have.

    It's always interesting to see how science proves what probably anyone could have told you would happen if you put monkeys in a room with computers.

  13. Monkey business by magnesius666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who are we to judge poignant primates literature? They most certainly tried to write "Sleep dwell upon thy eyes, peace in thy breast.." but the "S" got stuck on the urine infested keyboard. I can only imagine their frustration.

    --

    --
    We apologise for the inconvenience
  14. Ascent of Man by Guppy · · Score: 3, Funny

    "that six monkeys and one computer will produce a computer that has been smashed with a rock, urinated upon, and four pages worth of the letter 's.'"

    So, it took six monkeys an entire month to accomplish the above.

    I've seen some users that could probably do all that in the space of a few minutes -- obviously we're the more advanced species.

  15. You are All Wrong... by efuseekay · · Score: 5, Funny

    The stupid researchers gave us a lousy computer, waaaaaaay outdated to do anything. For example, one of my concubine wants to play the game Quake3, but that damned thing does not even have a GUI! Pffft..

    So what are we suppose to do? We did what any human would do : we shit on it. Because, adding pieces of shit to a piece of shit is not going to make it look any less bad than it already is.

    Btw, I posted this using lynx and a stupid 14.4 modem that my resident science chimp had managed to hook together (Thanks Baba!). We tried for First Post, but some idiot beat us to it.

    Yours,
    Able,

    Alpha Male Monkey,
    Plymouth.

    --
    Mode (3) smart-aleck mode. Press * to return to main menu.
  16. And in a related story... by General_Specific · · Score: 5, Funny

    But after a month, the Sulawesi crested macaques had only succeeded in partially destroying the machine, using it as a lavatory, and mostly typing the letter "s". ... And the RIAA is now investigating to see if the monkeys have traded any copyrighted music files.

  17. Re:I guess they don't quite grok the term "gedanke by Piquan · · Score: 4, Funny
    Seen in a sci-fi short story:
    Gedankenexperiment: German for "funding not available"
  18. I wonder how long.... by Trikenstein · · Score: 3, Funny

    It'll take for that computer to show up on ebay....

  19. neologism by miu · · Score: 2, Funny
    In a project intended more as performance art than scientific experiment

    Performance science? Art experiment?

    --

    [Set Cain on fire and steal his lute.]
  20. Infinite Monkey Protocol Suite by cant_get_a_good_nick · · Score: 4, Funny

    RFC2795

    Also, bad redneck joke:
    If you took an infinite number of rednecks and an infinite number of STOP signs and had them shoot at them with an infinite number of shotguns, would you eventually get a work of Shakespeare in Braille?

  21. Re:But it has already been proved in the affirmati by Selanit · · Score: 2, Funny
    And I didn't even need an infinite amount of either monkeys or time.

    Heck, you didn't even need a finite number of monkeys. That "William Shakespeare" primate of yours was actually an ape, not a monkey.

    And what does this prove? Why, your whole experiment's cocked up! There's a chance these "works of Shakespeare" are accurate, but it's much more likely that they're subtly off. Just blindfold one of your test subjects and have 'em pull letters out of a Scrabble bag. That'll show you. If they come up with something about the "Tagic trale of Jomeo and Ruliet, those two children of harring wouses" you'll know I was right. :-D
  22. Yes though by quantaman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, it has been proven that six monkeys and one computer will produce a computer that has been smashed with a rock, urinated upon, and four pages worth of the letter 's.'

    The computer was never actually hacked... hmm cracked... err broken into... was not taken over by a human remote attacker with their own computer trying to gain unauthorized privaleges on the machine! So we have conclusivly proven that six monkeys are more effective than MSCAs at keeping a computer intact^H^H^Hsecure!

    --
    I stole this Sig
  23. This is 1 instance where I wish I was a scriptkidd by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 5, Funny

    With back orifice installed on the machine. Would have to have timed it right, when no one would notice, but something like this...

    Day 1: That stupid zookeeper really pisses me off, giving us a machine running windows. Sure, we're a few million years slow in evolving, but goddammed, we're not *that* stupid. And on a Packerd Bell, no less.

    Day 2: From our cage, I could just barely see the zookeeper molesting the goats in the petting zoo again. Sick.

    Day 3: Was afraid that they might catch on to me, but seems they are illiterate. The animal feeder must have pissed on the keyboard again, and you know damn well we'll get blamed for that one. Oh well, I managed to pick his pocket and grab the Visa card. Won't his wife be shocked when she sees the 12,000UKP bill for www.hotmansex.co.uk.

    Day 4: Managed to scrounge up some weapons grade plutonium, but this machine isn't fast enough to simulate the H compression in the elliptical chamber. May have to do the math in the dirt with a piece of twig. Next on list: Think of a way to frame some arabs for the detonation.

  24. Another report... by An+Onerous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
    Thanks to Phoenix quicksearch, I was able to type "news monkey computer" into my location bar, and got this from Google news.

    http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/05/09/monkey_typist s030509

    My favorite lines:
    "The first thing they did was to bring a large stone and try to smash up the computer," said Mike Phillips, director of the university's Institute of Digital Arts and Technology. "But I think that can be seen as a very definite act of creativity."

    [...]

    And even if there was little an editor could do with the results, the monkeys have found a publisher. Their collected works will be printed as Notes Towards the Complete Works of Shakespeare.
    --

    You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!

  25. [Re:True but...] Far better than I by LiberalApplication · · Score: 5, Funny
    Far more intelligent than I.

    The other day at work, I tried to defecate on my workstation, but I couldn't figure out how to undo my belt buckle. I wound up with an unpleasant package to tote home. My project manager was so displeased that she threw her feces at me, screamed, and beat at her chest before jumping into a tree and vanishing.

    Then the president of our company came, shot us all with tranqulizer darts, and when I awoke, I found that had been neutered.

    Oh the pitiful life of a software developer.

  26. SSSS by identity0 · · Score: 2, Funny

    SSaSS SSfaSss SSS
    sfssSa SfSSa SsSssSsSSS
    SSs SSSSfS sSSSs sssSs aSSsf
    SsaSs sSsgSSsrs SSreS aSSssSShS S
    SSsSSsS

    first monkey post!

  27. Re:Original BBC story, more links by Guppy06 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "that's an awfully small data set"

    Yeah, it wasn't even enough to determine whether they preferred vi or emacs. Or perhaps ed...

  28. What kind of compy? by ArsonPanda · · Score: 2, Funny

    So they beat this thing with a rock, then pissed on it, and it still worked well enough to run a word processor? I want one of those. I looked an mine funny once and the hard drive exploded.

    --

    --I don't want the world, I just want your half.
  29. Obvious isnt it? by jamesjw · · Score: 4, Funny


    The dominant monkey obviously saw the threat of technology, they saw what it'd done to the more advanced "hairless" apes, they just didnt want to expose themeselves to Itnernet sweepstakes, deals on sharp kitchen knives, penis growth shams etc..

    We can learn something from this Monkey.. only problem is a basic rock would do little damage to the IBM Model M keyboard im using..

    Damnit IBM, damnit all to hell!!

    --
    -- If at first you don't succeed, lie!
  30. Amount vs. Number by CracktownHts · · Score: 2, Funny
    They say that an infinite amount of monkeys typing at an infinite amount of typewriters will produce literature greater than Shakespeare.

    One thing's for sure - an infinite number of monkeys typing on an infinite number of typewriters will eventually produce Strunk and White's The Elements of Style

  31. Awesome keyboard ! by TimmyDC · · Score: 3, Funny
    "Another thing they were interested in was in defecating and urinating all over the keyboard," added Phillips, who runs the university's Institute of Digital Arts and Technologies. Eventually, monkeys Elmo, Gum, Heather, Holly, Mistletoe and Rowan produced five pages of text, composed primarily of the letter S. Later, the letters A, J, L and M crept in.
    Wow .... Water/Urine-proof keyboard ! I wonder if that's what Microsoft use in iLoo
  32. obligatory story by lpret · · Score: 4, Funny
    Oh yes, I do support for college students and I've responded to a guy whose keyboard wouldn't respond, he said that something sticky was all over it.

    When I found over 20 gigs of pr0n on his computer, I was able to diagnose what was going on. And then I threw up.

    --
    This is my digital signature. 10011011001
  33. And this is news? by MbM · · Score: 2, Funny
    If you look up the infinite monkey theorem in the jargon file you'll run across this quote:
    Other hackers maintain that the Infinite-Monkey Theorem cannot be
    true - otherwise the exponenntial expansion of AOL would have
    reproduced the entire canon of great literature by now.

    --
    - MbM
  34. Our Precioussssssssss......... by elid · · Score: 2, Funny

    We wantssssssssss it.....it's oursssssssss.....our precioussssssssss......

  35. Re:But it has already been proved in the affirmati by DarKrow · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah, but only in base 13

    --

    It lives up to it's name: http://www.sanspoint.com
  36. My God... by NeuroManson · · Score: 1, Funny

    You just described 99.9999999% of all Blogs!!!

    --
    Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
  37. This story is misrepresentative by rocketfairy · · Score: 2, Funny

    What it REALLY shows us is that 6 monkeys make for an impressive security-audit team. After all, they determined how to secure a Windows machine: urine, and a rock.

  38. Windows Paper Clip by jonv · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shame Microsoft clippy wasn't there to help them. "It looks like your writing the complete works of shakespeare"

  39. Re:no, no, no, no, NO! by thynk · · Score: 2, Funny

    Given an inifinite number of monkeys at an infinite number of typewriters, they will instantaneously produce the complete works of shakespeare, along with every other potential written work of the universe.

    So doesn't that blow alway the concept of copyrights? Or is the RIAA going to go sue an infinite number of monkeys for an infinite ammount of money?

    Interesting.

    --

    Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
  40. slashdotting monkeys by axxackall · · Score: 3, Funny
    They forgot to connect that computer to Internet. Otherwise:
    • they would slashdot down many random servers, including Google with all its caches;
    • here, on Slashdot, we would see many fresh, smart, intelegent posts, although often with some smelling we would not like;
    --

    Less is more !