Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!cbatt!ihnp4!ihlpa!lew From: lew@ihlpa.UUCP (Lew Mammel, Jr.) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: looking for reference for "British Museum" quote Message-ID: <2637@ihlpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 6-Jan-87 12:25:12 EST Article-I.D.: ihlpa.2637 Posted: Tue Jan 6 12:25:12 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 6-Jan-87 23:47:48 EST References: <355@unc.unc.UUCP> <3800001@nucsrl.UUCP> <372@wheaton.UUCP> <1019@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 24 > The last time this came up on the net, people pointed out literary etc > allusions to the problem. My favorite is a Bob Newhart routine (on one of > his early phono albums), in which he imagines that someone would have to be > hired to check the chimps' output. The ending is roughly this: > Hey, Harry, I think this one here has come up with > something. "To.. be.. or .. not .. to.. be.. that.. > is.. the..... gzornenplatz.." > -- > -- Mitch Marks @ UChicago I like that one too, but my favorite is from Stanley Myron Handleman. ( He portrayed a nebbish Brooklynite character and seems to have had a very brief career as a comedian about 12 or 15 years ago. ) He told the following story: I heard that if you put a bunch of chimpanzees in a room with typewriters they would eventually type all the works of Shakespeare so I decided to try it. I got a bunch of chimpanzees and put them in there and after a couple of days I thought I'd check on them and see if they came up with anything. But when I looked in there [shocked tone of voice] you know what? They weren't typing! They were just messing around in there! Lew Mammel, Jr.