Comments on: Word Game http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/ Random Thoughts from No One of Consequence Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:52:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jim http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/comment-page-1/#comment-420 Jim Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:33:20 +0000 http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/#comment-420 A more accurate puzzle would allow me to change, add or delete one letter each generation or swap the order of one or more groups of letters. I thought about mutating the sentence in several different directions to make it more of an evolutionary tree, but I couldn't think of an easy way to format it for the web. A more accurate puzzle would allow me to change, add or delete one letter each generation or swap the order of one or more groups of letters.

I thought about mutating the sentence in several different directions to make it more of an evolutionary tree, but I couldn’t think of an easy way to format it for the web.

]]> By: Joolya http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/comment-page-1/#comment-417 Joolya Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:09:01 +0000 http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/#comment-417 Nice! Of course, the whole challenge falls completely apart when one recalls that evolution by natural selection (to be precise) has NO pre-determined end goal. A more realistic challenge would be to trace the mutation of the first sentence to a sentence completely unrelated as through a game of Telephone. Good effort, though. Nice! Of course, the whole challenge falls completely apart when one recalls that evolution by natural selection (to be precise) has NO pre-determined end goal.
A more realistic challenge would be to trace the mutation of the first sentence to a sentence completely unrelated as through a game of Telephone.
Good effort, though.

]]> By: Gene http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/comment-page-1/#comment-416 Gene Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:31:49 +0000 http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/#comment-416 So not only did you rise to the challenge and succeed in only 44 generations, but you did so with greater constraints than are actually placed on evolutionay processes. If anything, this demonstrates quite nicely that Luskin's full of shit and that there are MANY ways to solve this kind of puzzle, both in this contrived variant and in the real world. So not only did you rise to the challenge and succeed in only 44 generations, but you did so with greater constraints than are actually placed on evolutionay processes. If anything, this demonstrates quite nicely that Luskin’s full of shit and that there are MANY ways to solve this kind of puzzle, both in this contrived variant and in the real world.

]]> By: Brain Hertz http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/comment-page-1/#comment-342 Brain Hertz Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:27:34 +0000 http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/#comment-342 Wow... that's impressive. Wow… that’s impressive.

]]> By: Jim http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/comment-page-1/#comment-341 Jim Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:28:34 +0000 http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/#comment-341 I considered writing a program to do it and see how it evolves into different sentences, but the "having it always retain some comprehensible English meaning along each small step of its evolution" makes the algorithm a little tougher. It's not too bad looking up obscure words or algorithms to see if it would still make sense to someone. I considered writing a program to do it and see how it evolves into different sentences, but the “having it always retain some comprehensible English meaning along each small step of its evolution” makes the algorithm a little tougher.

It’s not too bad looking up obscure words or algorithms to see if it would still make sense to someone.

]]> By: frank http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/comment-page-1/#comment-340 frank Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:56:02 +0000 http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/#comment-340 You should be able to write a program that randomly changes one letter, checks to see if it still makes a word, discards it if it doesn't, keeps it if it does, and repeats, giving weight to words in the final sentence. And yes, old english, pirate talk and IM are allowed: "having it always retain some comprehensible English meaning along each small step of its evolution" means that those fit the criteria You should be able to write a program that randomly changes one letter, checks to see if it still makes a word, discards it if it doesn’t, keeps it if it does, and repeats, giving weight to words in the final sentence.

And yes, old english, pirate talk and IM are allowed: “having it always retain some comprehensible English meaning along each small step of its evolution” means that those fit the criteria

]]> By: Jim http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/comment-page-1/#comment-339 Jim Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:24:57 +0000 http://blog.hofer.us/2007/10/01/word-game/#comment-339 I added some at lunch today. As long as old english, pirate talk, and the occassional IM are allowed, this looks doable. I added some at lunch today. As long as old english, pirate talk, and the occassional IM are allowed, this looks doable.

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