ASIMOV (Was: sql views for denomalizing)

From: Kenneth Downs <knode.wants.this_at_see.sigblock>
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 09:30:15 -0400
Message-Id: <0qkus2-3di.ln1@pluto.downsfam.net>

Jonathan Leffler wrote:

>> 
>> 
>> Two examples come to mind:
>> 
>> The whistling language of the Canary islanders, and Xhosa, which has as
>> many clicks in it as a telegraph message.

>
>
> This reminds me of an Asimov (or was it A C Clarke) short story where
> the people on the stranded space ship of the future discover that 2 + 2
> = 4 every time, and maybe they don't need the computers that aren't
> working to get themselve unstranded...

Definitely Asimov! It was in a short story. They were so used to using hand calculators for everything they had forgotten how to do basic arithmetic, then one of them "discovered" that the answers to all arithmetic operations always came out the same.

All time favorite: The Gods Themselves.

Now don't get me started on Asimov, I've got work to do...

>
> There again, maybe that's slightly too big a tangential leap.
>
>

-- 
Kenneth Downs
Secure Data Software, Inc.
(Ken)nneth@(Sec)ure(Dat)a(.com)

Received on Fri Aug 12 2005 - 08:30:15 CDT