Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 14, No. 498.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
<http://www.princeton.edu/~mccarty/humanist/>
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/>
[1] From: Randall Pierce <rpierce@jsucc.jsu.edu> (7)
Subject: information
[2] From: Willard McCarty <willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk> (13)
Subject: what's information?
--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 09:18:23 +0000
From: Randall Pierce <rpierce@jsucc.jsu.edu>
Subject: information
I believe that the estimate of 1.5 billlion gigabytes yearly may be a
painfully conservative value for the total information generated per
year. Information is synergistic in its effects and affects. One item of
"new" information, say ,one fact, is capable of producing great amounts
of further information. It can lead to many parallel or diverging ideas.
If the estimate is limited to published information, the estimate could
be considered reasonable. Randall
--[2]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 09:23:35 +0000
From: Willard McCarty <willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk>
Subject: what's information?
I'd like to see a rigorous definition of what is meant by "information"
before considering how much there might be. I presume we limit information
to what humans produce, and so exclude natural sources. Can a person be
said to produce information implicitly, e.g. by the quality of a smile? the
sound of impatiently exhaled breath? By (this being England I must mention)
NOT saying what might be said? You can easily see where this line of
reasoning is headed....
Yours,
WM
-----
Dr Willard McCarty / Senior Lecturer /
Centre for Computing in the Humanities / King's College London /
Strand / London WC2R 2LS / U.K. /
+44 (0)20 7848-2784 / ilex.cc.kcl.ac.uk/wlm/
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