3 ms·

If you could store Pi (3.14159..) with all its digits on your computer, it would contain all past and future revenge porn. I wouldn’t really make anything of it

by human 5y ago

If you could store Pi (3.14159..) with all its digits on your computer, it would contain all past and future revenge porn. I wouldn’t really make anything of it but I wonder what a judge might want to do.

deanCommie 5y ago
That's not a good faith response. Show me the digits of pi that contain the image of Nelson Mandela that is as easy to find as the one described in this article. Show me a way to take any random arbitrary image and find it's corresponding representation in pi that is as easy as encoding that same image into the blockchain.
- vivegi 5y ago
  I am not making any claims about digits of pi, however, one can take an arbitrary bit string (eg: an image of Nelson Mandela's representation), treat it as a number and extend its digits to generate a prime number or a perfect power. See: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/015/10/0941-0947 https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/015/10/0941-0947 So, one could in theory create a list of primes (or perfect powers) populated them with hidden content using the aforesaid method and claim they are only a list of primes (or perfect powers).
  - deanCommie 5y ago
    Show me a way to take any random arbitrary image and do the calculation you discuss, and share the output, that is as easy as encoding that same image into the blockchain.
    - emteycz 5y ago
      https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/pifs https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/pifs
Jasper_ 5y ago
People throw this claim around, but note that: 1. It's only theorized that pi has this property. 2. Storing the starting index of the digit would likely be larger than any computer right now can hold, and possibly bigger than the estimated number atoms in the universe. 3. What a judge cares about is that you used the number with the intention of accessing the file, not the particular sleight of hand method by which you accessed it. If you cheekily share your favorite number that just so happens to be the starting digit index for "Limp Bizkit - Nookie.mp3", that's what the judge cares about. No need to outlaw pi, no need to outlaw numbers, it's all about intent. That's why they're called judges. They judge people and their intentions.
- tromp 5y ago
  A number that provably contains all finite bit patterns is X = . 1 10 11 100 101 110 111 0000 0001 ... (the binary version of Champernowne's constant [1]) but the index at which any pattern occurs takes more bits to write than that pattern itself, and the same would hold (on average) for patterns in pi, assuming it actually is normal. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champernowne_constant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champernowne_constant
onpensionsterm 5y ago
If true then the index of the data would be the file. That's called encryption.

by human 5y ago

deanCommie 5y ago

That's not a good faith response. Show me the digits of pi that contain the image of Nelson Mandela that is as easy to find as the one described in this article. Show me a way to take any random arbitrary image and find it's corresponding representation in pi that is as easy as encoding that same image into the blockchain.

vivegi 5y ago
I am not making any claims about digits of pi, however, one can take an arbitrary bit string (eg: an image of Nelson Mandela's representation), treat it as a number and extend its digits to generate a prime number or a perfect power. See: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/015/10/0941-0947 https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/015/10/0941-0947 So, one could in theory create a list of primes (or perfect powers) populated them with hidden content using the aforesaid method and claim they are only a list of primes (or perfect powers).
- deanCommie 5y ago
  Show me a way to take any random arbitrary image and do the calculation you discuss, and share the output, that is as easy as encoding that same image into the blockchain.
  - emteycz 5y ago
    https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/pifs https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/pifs

Jasper_ 5y ago

People throw this claim around, but note that: 1. It's only theorized that pi has this property. 2. Storing the starting index of the digit would likely be larger than any computer right now can hold, and possibly bigger than the estimated number atoms in the universe. 3. What a judge cares about is that you used the number with the intention of accessing the file, not the particular sleight of hand method by which you accessed it. If you cheekily share your favorite number that just so happens to be the starting digit index for "Limp Bizkit - Nookie.mp3", that's what the judge cares about. No need to outlaw pi, no need to outlaw numbers, it's all about intent. That's why they're called judges. They judge people and their intentions.

tromp 5y ago
A number that provably contains all finite bit patterns is X = . 1 10 11 100 101 110 111 0000 0001 ... (the binary version of Champernowne's constant [1]) but the index at which any pattern occurs takes more bits to write than that pattern itself, and the same would hold (on average) for patterns in pi, assuming it actually is normal. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champernowne_constant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champernowne_constant

onpensionsterm 5y ago

If true then the index of the data would be the file. That's called encryption.