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Chaos 'n' Order

Order. Randomness. Chaos. Order precludes randomness, but not chaos. In chaos---in non-linear dynamical systems---there is an order of a computational kind. And there can be hilarity, too.

After all, humor arises from incongruous situations: what is deemed ordinary is "twisted" into the unusual or is juxtaposed with something unconventional. Consider the practical joke. Chairs are for sitting upon, so when someone pulls the chair out from a person who is in the act of sitting down, you have the basis for humor and for a law suit as well. Slips of the tongue, political satire, and Spoonerisms provide other examples.

Computers allow us to rearrange things into new configurations. There is fun in that. Until some javascripted programs are finished, visit my academically oriented text randomizer which I have dubbed "Retextualizer."
• Kant's "What is Enlightenment?"
• Benjamin's "The Work of Art...."



 


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© 1999 Robert Williams Disclaimer Site Map Updated: June 22, 1999