random numbers
1. <programming> pseudorandom number.
2. <jargon> When one wishes to specify a large but random number of
things, and the context is inappropriate for N, certain numbers are preferred by
hacker tradition (that is, easily recognised as placeholders). These include the
following:
17 - Long described at MIT as "the least random number"; see 23.
23 - Sacred number of Eris, Goddess of Discord (along with 17 and 5).
42 - The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything,
as revealed in Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxly". Note that
this answer is completely fortuitous :-) (US pronunciation). It has been
observed that in the little-used number base 13, the answer to the ultimate
question, "What is 6 x 9?", is indeed 42, showing that in six dimensions white
mice have 13 digits.
69 - From the sexual act. This one was favoured in MIT's ITS culture.
105 - 69 hex = 105 decimal and 69 decimal = 105 octal.
666 - The Number of the Beast.
For further enlightenment, study the "Principia Discordia", "The Joy of Sex",
and the Christian Bible (Revelation 13:18).
See also Discordianism or consult your pineal gland. See also for values of.
(1997-02-10)
Nearby terms:
random-access memory « Random Access Memory
Digital-to-Analog Converter « randomness « random
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