On Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 11:35:02 PM UTC-5, Ernst wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:13:20 -0600, Paul wrote:
> >> Paul.. It's an honorable thing to think outside the box. What these
> >>learned fellows are saying is "This is the Box."
> >> Ofcorse this is "the box" we all know but some other container may be
> >>round, smaller and still hold the volume the box did metaphorically
> >>speaking..
> >
> >>Personally, this challenge is a "Thinking Exercise" for me so it hasn't
> >>hurt me one bit to look for that "round" in a "square" world. I started
> >>off this challenge accepting that what was commonly known was reasonably
> >>true. After all it couldn't be that so many are inept over such a long
> >>run in the Digital Age.
> >> Look for something new but know this.. There is value in trying and
> >>failing if we learn from the experience.. Hence a dozen or so encoders
> >>here some with decoders associated.
> >>So go with it.. try your ideas out and see.. In the end it may be
> >>empirical observation that cracks this nut! <pun intended>
> >>
> >>
> >>Good luck!
> >>
> >> Ernst
> >>--
> >>-Ernst
> >
> >>-*-Math:Symbolism:Logic ~ Three_Amigos-*-
> >
> >
> > Thanks Ernst, I did try my method. Even build the compressor but my
> > output if you include the a decompressor (which would have been larger
> > than the compressor, though I didn't code it) would not have been small
> > enough to beat the challenge. Again, I'm not claiming that any of the
> > compression theory is to be thwarted (as some seem to think I am). I
> > just believe that there is some fluff in there that we haven't yet found
> > a way to quantify and minimize. After all if we had, then Mark would BE
> > surprised if we got a byte or two. Yet he says he would not be
> > surprised to see a byte or two reduced. That tells me that based on his
> > expertise that he publically acknowledges that the
> > amillionrandomdigits.bin file can be reduced.
> I believe "Knows" is a strong word.
> The idea of a thing and the thing are different.
> I have a great respect for this challenge after working on ideas here
> since 2002 in regards to the systems I have been interested in since my
> first computer class in 1992.
> Started with the Collatz Conjecture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
> Collatz_conjecture I knew I was hooked by these cycling systems.
> There are several Collatz like encoders here ( with decoders ) and I
> managed to come to understand that there are an infinity of systems like
> the [3x =/- y, x/2] realm.
> Anyway the argument of who is kook and who is cool has been a mainstay of
> this group for as long as I have been visiting. Don't take it personal.
> Well Paul if you got the Email I sent I have a small group on one of my
> sites you can come and hang at. One has to be a Kook or near-Kook since
> those that are classically trained are often boring.
> Personally, I just came to the logical end of a six stage exploration of
> a new idea that fails to live up to expectations. I will be looking at an
> offshoot of that learning as Project 7 as the new year rolls in.
> I can't see myself not working some system or another. It's what I enjoy
> and the Challenge was an attractor rather than a measure of my Data
> Compression skills as some who come here would see this challenge as.
> So hey.. I have an early Aofx + or - Y, X / 2 ; attractor finder program
> posted in the forum perhaps you may find a system where the million digit
> file is a short distance?
> Welcome!
> Ernst
> --
> -Ernst
> -*-Math:Symbolism:Logic ~ Three_Amigos-*-

I had an idea for this and created a POC that compresses Marks data by 25%: https://github.com/johnnadratowski/pi-compressor

I got into it in the README. I dont' take it seriously as perhaps it's not in the spirit of the challenge, but it was fun.