al@gtx.com (0732) (12/04/87)
The December issue of the IEEE Spectrum (p. 79R) has a full page ad for the NSA that begins: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 You're looking at a "googol." Ten raised to the 100th power. One followed by 100 zeroes. Counting 24 hours a day, you would need 120 years to reach a googol. [more deleted, culminating in recruitment pitch] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This claim, "Counting 24 hours a day, you would need 120 years to reach a googol.", raises some interesting questions. Did they put this gross error in as a test for prospective employees? Do they have the technology to count at rate of 10^90 Hz? Can they use it to break DES? Is my name being put on a list somewhere? Enquiring minds want to know. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | Alan Filipski, GTX Corp, 2501 W. Dunlap, Phoenix, Arizona 85021, USA | | {ihnp4,cbosgd,decvax,hplabs,seismo}!sun!sunburn!gtx!al (602)870-1696 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "away beyond the ishkabow and over the foofram sea there is a place called boofland where very soon you'll be"