> George Strohschein wrote:Even a typical insect brain has many times the
> computing power of our best PCs.
Perhaps, but the bugs are using their brains for such mundane things,
such as building anthills and buzzing manure, whereas our PCs are
calculating and accumulating knowledge. Besides, our PCs are getting
better every year, whereas modern bugs are no smarter than their
amber-encased distant ancestors.
> Consider that it takes one PC to run a robot arm at Chrysler; a fly
> has six much more complicated legs.
But the Chrysler arm is making something useful to humans and our
idle PCs are too. Nowthen, someone mentioned the SETI suggestion
of sending out a list of the first 100 primes as a proof of intelligent
origen. Would it not be a far more impressive display to send out
the first 37 Mersennes? The first hundred primes were known back
who knows how long ago. Yawn. Ah, but a list of the first 37 Mersennes
demonstrates that we, as a species, are advanced and are to be treated
with respect, even by more advanced exosocieties.
Secondly, how many human endevours really include the entire human
species? GIMPS cares not your color, age, race, gender, where you
live or who/what you pray to. Mathematics transcends the boundaries
that we have built that divide us.
This characteristic leads me to extend a previous argument about using
primes to communicate with exos: is there any better way to break the
interstellar ice than to send out a list of primes? I have pondered this
for years, and have thought of none, except a related concept: sending
out a list of Mersenne primes.
Now George, if we could only teach flies to do Lucas Lehmer tests in
their idle moments.... {8^D spike
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