gpg: failed to create temporary file '/var/lib/lurker/.#lk0x57196100.hantslug.org.uk.18243': Permission denied
gpg: keyblock resource '/var/lib/lurker/pubring.gpg': Permission denied
gpg: Signature made Thu May 15 21:07:45 2008 BST
gpg: using DSA key 20ACB3BE515C238D
gpg: Can't check signature: No public key
On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 08:22:01PM +0100, Paul Tansom wrote:
> Do truly random numbers really exist? Isn't it simply that you choose
> something that generates a sequence of numbers for which no mathematical
> equation has yet been defined? ;)
Well, given n numbers, you can always find a polynomial of degree
n-1 that replicates the sequence perfectly(*) given parameters 0, 1,
2, ..., n-1. In a random sequence, the *next* number after the n
you've already seen is unlikely to come out from that polynomial,
though.
Hugo.
(*) Hence, the answer to every single "what number is next in this
sequence?" puzzle is always 19, and I can show you the polynomial to
prove it.
--
=== Hugo Mills: hugo@... carfax.org.uk | darksatanic.net | lug.org.uk ===
PGP key: 515C238D from wwwkeys.eu.pgp.net or http://www.carfax.org.uk
--- Guards! Help! We're being rescued! ---
