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From: jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos)
Newsgroups: net.bizarre
Subject: Re: Bizarre pet names, anyone?
Message-ID: <1670@peora.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Sep-85 08:48:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: peora.1670
Posted: Tue Sep 24 08:48:26 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Sep-85 07:17:54 EDT
References: <2855@ut-sally.UUCP> <925@unmvax.UUCP>
Followup-To: net.flame
Organization: Perkin-Elmer SDC, Orlando, Fl.
Lines: 45

> Finuial Nimue Sarastro Spiderbark Rumblebelch Finalin Feamith Warhead
> Procyon
>
> (I was living in the eastern foothills of the southern Rockies, where the
> half-life of cats is about 5.26 months, courtesy of the owls, coyotes and
> mosquitos.)

About all the life cats have is in their names.  Since cats can't see any-
thing that's not moving, their brains are the perfect example of a hardwired
processor: if they had a microprogram to control them, it would implement
the algorithm

	while (alive) do
	{
		while (not visible(object)) do
			walk around in daze;
		while (visible(object))
			strike object;
		if (random() < 0.15)
			eat object;
		lick fur;
		sleep;
	}

Notice that the visible(object) also serves to determine whether the object
is alive; eliminates the need to recognize edible objects; etc.  Edible
objects are also recognizable by smell, but this faculty is so primitive that
the smell has to be very strong, and the probability of eating the object is
still small, leading humans who anthropomorphize cats to claim they are
"finnicky".

The above program is so primitive it can be hardwired, and the cat's
program cannot be changed.  This is attributed, however, to the cat's
"independence".

PS - since the above was written in net.bizarre, it should not be taken
seriously.
-- 
Shyy-Anzr:  J. Eric Roskos
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