Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 09:48:53 -0600 (CST) From: VB <bandi@cs.umn.edu> To: jfieber@indiana.edu (John Fieber) Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: This IS relevant, you'll realize why later. Message-ID: <199712121548.JAA07042@oxygen.cs.umn.edu> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.971212084814.1001N-100000@fallout.campusview.indiana.edu> from John Fieber at "Dec 12, 97 09:28:03 am"
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> > John Fieber wrote: > > > On Thu, 11 Dec 1997, J. Weatherbee - Senior Systems Architect wrote: > > > > > > > Does anyone have any numbers for the sum total amount of information > > > > existing in the universe? > > > > > > Define what you mean by "information". > > > > Not the answer you were looking for, John, but how about this from > > an informatics point-of-view. > > > > At least n Bits > > > > Where n is the total quantity of mass/energy quanta reduced to binary > > states. > There is a book titled - 'physics of immortality' that attempts such quantifications. One can ignore the conclusions of the book but still make good use of the chockful of numbers thrown around and the excellent bibliography. Specifically, the author tries to put a ceiling on the sum total of information in the universe as the cartesian product of basic particles of matter and their possible states. While I found the arguments presented rather forced and drawn out, the statistical premises (author is a statistical physician, I think) were reasonable and clear. amazon.com has a blurb (rather distasteful one at that) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0385467990/0750-9603483-170006 -vijay
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