3.1281 serendipity; computers in literature (124)

Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca)
Mon, 9 Apr 90 22:25:06 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 1281. Monday, 9 Apr 1990.


(1) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 90 22:52:05 EDT (14 lines)
From: Daniel Boyarin <BOYARIN@TAUNIVM>
Subject: Re: 3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)

(2) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 90 11:50:07 EDT (12 lines)
From: Charles Ess <DRU001D@SMSVMA>
Subject: Re: 3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)

(3) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 08:12:00 EDT (19 lines)
From: DEL2@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk
Subject: Re: [3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)]

(4) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 13:54 EST (14 lines)
From: <BURT@BRANDEIS>
Subject: serendipity

(5) Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 14:43:00 EDT (9 lines)
From: "Leslie Z. Morgan" <MORGAN@LOYVAX>
Subject: RE: 3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)

(6) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 90 17:51 CST (16 lines)
From: <ENG003@UNOMA1>
Subject: Computers in Am Lit, Film & Art

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Apr 90 22:52:05 EDT
From: Daniel Boyarin <BOYARIN@TAUNIVM>
Subject: Re: 3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)

this is not about serendipity although i have enjoyed this discussion
very much. i'm just takine a "tramp" on the automatic reply feature.
by the way this is a classic example of a computer app pseudo-saving
time, because i used the auto feature to save some typing of the
address.
to all those who wrote me for info about the cd rom of rabbinic lit, i
was off bitnet for about three months owing to technical reasons. i
will post on bitnet such infor as i can gather about price etc. in
a day or two (actually a little more because passover is iminent).
be well.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------20----
Date: Sat, 7 Apr 90 11:50:07 EDT
From: Charles Ess <DRU001D@SMSVMA>
Subject: Re: 3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)

The reference to Richard Feynmann's interest in spinning plates is a
nice one: the text version of it can be found in the first collection of
anecdotes put together by his friend, Ralph Layton, _Surely You're
Joking, Mr. Feynmann!_" It's around page 154 or so: I can get the
exact reference the next time I'm in my office if anyone needs it.

Charles Ess
Drury College
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------27----
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 08:12:00 EDT
From: DEL2@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk
Subject: Re: [3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)]

Don Spaeth's comment about Feynmann arguing for pure science 'play'
on the grounds that one never knows what might result later reminded
me strongly of the last words of the great Cambridge mathematician
Hardy (I fear I cannot verify the source; it was a 'common' story when I
was an undergraduate). He is suppoosed to have expressed profound
satisfaction that nothing he had ever done had been the slightest *use*
to anyone. Then along came Dirac and others, and used his work as the
foundation of Quantum theory.

Has anyone in this discussion referred to that monumental piece of
jovial seriousness *Goedel, Escher, Bach* by Douglas Hofstadter?

Bon voyage a> Brown, HUMANIST.

Douglas de Lacey.
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------16----
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 13:54 EST
From: <BURT@BRANDEIS>
Subject: serendipity

Henri Poincare, at the turn of the century, entertained a theory that
one subconsciously kept revolving one's ideas in random and playful
ways, and that occasionally one of the things one comes up with in
this way would lead one's conscious thought in a new and inspired
direction. Poincare's theory would explain why techniques such as
Peter Elbow's "freewriting" work. I read about Poincare's theory
in _Mind and Brain_ by Arturo Rosenblueth, who didn't think much of it.

John Burt
Brandeis University
(5) --------------------------------------------------------------16----
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 90 14:43:00 EDT
From: "Leslie Z. Morgan" <MORGAN@LOYVAX>
Subject: RE: 3.1272 serendipity, cont. (76)

In all the listings of serendipity/scientific discovery,
I am surprised to not see "Eureka!" and the bathtub story-
I can't remember the Greek's name right now, I don't think
it was Archimedes.
L. Morgan
(6) --------------------------------------------------------------22----
Date: Sat, 7 Apr 90 17:51 CST
From: <ENG003@UNOMA1>
Subject: Computers in Am Lit, Film & Art



Science fiction literature and film are replete with manifestations of
computers, and a critical work dealing with their manifestations in the
SF lit is: Patricia S. Warrick
_The Cybernetic Imagination in Science Fiction_
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1980
ISBN 026223100X

Two SF films focusing on computers are _The Forbin Project_ and _War Games_.

Judy Boss