NationStates Jolt Archive

Large. But not infinite. Infinite has no end. There IS an end to the internet.

I came across an article (I believe Newspaper) How the number of words on the internet is close to surpassing the total number of words spoken in the history of humanity. And that the next higher level of comparison would be the total number grains of sand in the world.

Is it a stretch to say that the sheer size and depth of information on the internet would eventually reach a level of more importance to humanity than the discovery of fire?

It has already surpassed all the written information in the world. Have we created something which size could soon be described as inifinite?

Large. But not infinite. Infinite has no end. There IS an end to the internet.

That's us, isn't?

Large. But not infinite. Infinite has no end. There IS an end to the internet.
Congratulations, you have reached the end of the internet, please return to the start.

What I find more interesting is that lolwords are becoming a full scale dialect of English.

What I find more interesting is that lolwords are becoming a full scale dialect of English.

H-31 Roflcopter

What I find more interesting is that lolwords are becoming a full scale dialect of English.

With luck in another ten years we'll have a dialect even more annoying than ebonics.

With luck in another ten years we'll have a dialect even more annoying than ebonics.

i dun no can lolwords has moar annoying?

That's us, isn't?

Correct, NS General is officially the ass-end of the internets.

Infinity is not just a really big number.

That said, short of a technological disaster, there is no foreseeable end to the internet, so the number of words could, possibly, continue to increase infinitely.


Though it is a tiny, tiny possibility.

Infinity is not just a really big number.

That said, short of a technological disaster, there is no foreseeable end to the internet, so the number of words could, possibly, continue to increase infinitely.


Though it is a tiny, tiny possibility.
Infinity is fun to do math with.


NOT!

Al Gore is like the Dark Lord Sauron and the Internet is his One Ring.

And everything that implies. *nod*

Infinity is not just a really big number.

That said, short of a technological disaster, there is no foreseeable end to the internet, so the number of words could, possibly, continue to increase infinitely.


But there's a finite number of computer processing power. Computers. Hard drive. People. Time. Electricity. Space. Hence there can not be an infinity of internet, unless these things also become infinite.

Infinity is not just a really big number.

That said, short of a technological disaster, there is no foreseeable end to the internet, so the number of words could, possibly, continue to increase infinitely.


Though it is a tiny, tiny possibility.
The number of words, and anything else on the internet, is only limited by storage space on servers. Since technology is progressively increasing the imaging size of storage media while simultaneously decreasing its physical size, the number of anything that can be stored on the internet approaches infinity. Replace all non word-containing files with only word-containing files and the number of words on the internet approaches infinity exponentially faster.

But there's a finite number of computer processing power. Computers. Hard drive. People. Time. Electricity. Space. Hence there can not be an infinity of internet, unless these things also become infinite.
As things are being made smaller, they need less computer space and less electricity. Especially that we are approaching replacing disk hard drives with flash memory.

Infinity is fun to do math with.
:)


NOT!
:(
Al Gore is like the Dark Lord Sauron and the Internet is his One Ring.

And everything that implies. *nod*

:eek:
So he has his finger in the internet's hole? In /b/?

The number of words, and anything else on the internet, is only limited by storage space on servers. Since technology is progressively increasing the imaging size of storage media while simultaneously decreasing its physical size, the number of anything that can be stored on the internet approaches infinity. Replace all non word-containing files with only word-containing files and the number of words on the internet approaches infinity exponentially faster.

Eventually things like sun explosions and heat death on a universal scale start to factor in and make this less likely.

Eventually things like sun explosions and heat death on a universal scale start to factor in and make this less likely.
Barring world/universal scale disasters :rolleyes:
And I said approaching infinity. Do you realize how many words just now appeared on the internet? Words take up almost no space. A .doc file, consisting of just words, that is the same size of a DVD movie would probably be printed out on enough pages to fill up an entire room if not a house.

:)



:(


:eek:
So he has his finger in the internet's hole? In /b/?

One Internet to rule them all.
One Internet to find them.
One Internet to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them!

:eek:

I came across an article (I believe Newspaper) How the number of words on the internet is close to surpassing the total number of words spoken in the history of humanity. And that the next higher level of comparison would be the total number grains of sand in the world.

Is it a stretch to say that the sheer size and depth of information on the internet would eventually reach a level of more importance to humanity than the discovery of fire?

It has already surpassed all the written information in the world. Have we created something which size could soon be described as inifinite?

If you go by the dictum that 90% of everything is shit, the Internet is the biggest pile of shit there is.

Barring world/universal scale disasters :rolleyes:
And I said approaching infinity. Do you realize how many words just now appeared on the internet? Words take up almost no space. A .doc file, consisting of just words, that is the same size of a DVD movie would probably be printed out on enough pages to fill up an entire room if not a house.
Well if the amount of words stop increasing then they'll stop approaching infinity :p
One Internet to rule them all.
One Internet to find them.
One Internet to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them!

:eek:
My presciousssssss
If you go by the dictum that 90% of everything is shit, the Internet is the biggest pile of shit there is.

90% of that dictum is shit.

Barring world/universal scale disasters :rolleyes:
And I said approaching infinity. Do you realize how many words just now appeared on the internet? Words take up almost no space. A .doc file, consisting of just words, that is the same size of a DVD movie would probably be printed out on enough pages to fill up an entire room if not a house.
And if you leave them in pure text format, they only take up half the space. So that DVD fill two houses.

Correct, NS General is officially the ass-end of the internets.

Lol no. The ass end of the interwebs is so dark, so dangerous, so distrubingly disgusting that even the mention of the name of such a place would send many Generalites into flame-shock.

Others would be quite amused and probably make an obligatory nostalgic visit.

90% of that dictum is shit.

That may be, but the Internet is bigger.

Lol no. The ass end of the interwebs is so dark, so dangerous, so distrubingly disgusting that even the mention of the name of such a place would send many Generalites into flame-shock.

Others would be quite amused and probably make an obligatory nostalgic visit.

/b/?

H-31 Roflcopter

http://www.youdontevenrealize.com/pictures/roflcopter.gif

/b/?
There are a number of things you shouldn't ask about on the internet. /b/ contains all of them and more.

There are a number of things you shouldn't ask about on the internet. /b/ contains all of them and more.

QFT.

One Internet to rule them all.
One Internet to find them.
One Internet to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them!

:eek:

Bah. I prefer "Lord of the Pr0n," a poster by Tim Buckley, the guy who does Ctrl Alt Del.

One Server to find it all
One Server to store it
One Nerd to watch it all
And in the darkness fap fap fap.

Eventually things like sun explosions and heat death on a universal scale start to factor in and make this less likely.

Have you ever read The Last Question?

Maybe this infinite growth has a hidden aim in mind that we don't even know of...(cue eerie/fantastical music).

The number of words, and anything else on the internet, is only limited by storage space on servers. Since technology is progressively increasing the imaging size of storage media while simultaneously decreasing its physical size, the number of anything that can be stored on the internet approaches infinity. Replace all non word-containing files with only word-containing files and the number of words on the internet approaches infinity exponentially faster.


As things are being made smaller, they need less computer space and less electricity. Especially that we are approaching replacing disk hard drives with flash memory.

Even with things getting smaller and smaller, they are still limited by space. There is a finite amount of space that can be used to house whatever storage we are using. Unless we figure out a way to store information without a storage device, space will limit it and the capacity of the internet will not be infinite.

There are a number of things you shouldn't ask about on the internet. /b/ contains all of them and more.

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, personally.

Al Gore is like the Dark Lord Sauron and the Internet is his One Ring.

And everything that implies. *nod*

So, then...

Where's the Frodo??!!

Even with things getting smaller and smaller, they are still limited by space. There is a finite amount of space that can be used to house whatever storage we are using. Unless we figure out a way to store information without a storage device, space will limit it and the capacity of the internet will not be infinite.

Hmmm, how about storing information in quarks? Let's use quantummechanica for our data :D Although it will be scary to see data popping into existence out of nowhere and then returning back from wherever it came from :D

What I find more interesting is that lolwords are becoming a full scale dialect of English.


Ugh, gawd, a couple of my roommates do that. They'll actually *say* "Lollollollol!" (sounds like lawl lawl lawl lawl) Over and over, many times in the run of a day.

It makes me want to BURN them.

There is an end to the internet, did no one know?

Last page of the Internet (http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm)

Actually, such is my curious mind, I actually checked out the URL - www.endoftheinternet.com

The number of words, and anything else on the internet, is only limited by storage space on servers. Since technology is progressively increasing the imaging size of storage media while simultaneously decreasing its physical size, the number of anything that can be stored on the internet approaches infinity. Replace all non word-containing files with only word-containing files and the number of words on the internet approaches infinity exponentially faster.

As things are being made smaller, they need less computer space and less electricity. Especially that we are approaching replacing disk hard drives with flash memory.
flash memory, or indeed even this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6287126.stm

which, while still sci-fi, is a very interesting concept.

Of course, this is based on the idea that we'll continue to have the same type of society and level of technology. If we fail and regress, all that information will be so much pretty shards.

I can pretty much guarantee that I've typed more words in my lifetime than I've spoken. Not all online, but still. :p I've gone months without speaking more than a sentence or so per day, though I'm up to a few paragraphs with my most recent job. :)

flash memory, or indeed even this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6287126.stm

which, while still sci-fi, is a very interesting concept.

Of course, this is based on the idea that we'll continue to have the same type of society and level of technology. If we fail and regress, all that information will be so much pretty shards.
Grain of sand is too small, everyone would lose data like nobody's business. You ever see a Micro SD card? They are this big: |.....| (actual height and width on a 1280x1024 screen).

What we need, is an Aleph. A big, fuck-off Aleph.

What we need, is an Aleph. A big, fuck-off Aleph.

Totally.

What's an aleph? :p I thought it was the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, but I'm probably way off.

Totally.

What's an aleph? :p I thought it was the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, but I'm probably way off.

I think it's actually Hebrew. What Pete was getting at, I have no idea.