# Count To A Million Thread! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [September 2, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653 "2018-09-02T18:47:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 273
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5445 "2021-10-04T03:16:19Z")
4980 = 22 × 3 × 5 × 83 After changes we are ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5446 "2021-10-04T03:43:52Z")
4981 More or less the same ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5447 "2021-10-04T03:49:23Z")
4982 = 2 × 47 × 53 Lie la lie, lie la lie la lie la lie ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5448 "2021-10-04T05:34:19Z")
4983 Lie la lie, lie la lie la lie la lie, la la lie la lie ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5449 "2021-10-04T09:02:43Z")
4984 = 23 × 7 × 89 Lie la lie, lie la lie la lie la lie ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5450 "2021-10-04T11:54:57Z")
4985 = 5 x 997 Then I’m laying out my winter clothes ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5451 "2021-10-04T11:58:25Z")
4986 Wait just a minute: Isn’t this similar to Arthur C. Clarke’s story “The Nine Billion Names of God”? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5452 "2021-10-04T12:03:48Z")
4987, prime again! And wishing I was gone [In 13 steps we will be one twohundredth of the way. After a bit over 3 years. Hints at 600 years in total, does not come close to Arthur C. Clarke, does it? Mind to summarize the story?] ETA: I found it on PDF! We must hurry up, I don’t want to miss that, not even by 600 years! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5453 "2021-10-04T19:59:25Z")
4988 Going home ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5454 "2021-10-04T20:55:50Z")
4989 = 3 x 1663 Where the New York City winters ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5455 "2021-10-05T01:01:22Z")
4990 = 2 × 5 × 499 Aren’t bleeding me ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5456 "2021-10-05T01:51:36Z")
4991 Leading me ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5457 "2021-10-05T03:35:41Z")
4992 = 27 × 3 × 13 To going home. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5458 "2021-10-05T10:07:18Z")
4993, prime! In the clearing stands a boxer ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5459 "2021-10-05T10:41:38Z")
4994 = 2 × 11 × 227 And a fighter by his trade ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5460 "2021-10-05T10:47:45Z")
4495 And he carries a reminder ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5461 "2021-10-05T11:12:13Z")
4496 = 24 x 281 Of ev’ry glove that laid him down ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5462 "2021-10-05T11:16:06Z")
4996 [sic] = 22 × 1249 And cut him till he cried out ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5463 "2021-10-05T11:43:27Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > 4986 > > Wait just a minute: Isn’t this similar to Arthur C. Clarke’s story “The Nine Billion Names of God”? > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > [In 13 steps we will be one twohundredth of the way. After a bit over 3 years. Hints at 600 years in total, does not come close to Arthur C. Clarke, does it? Mind to summarize the story?] I’ll respond with a summary of the story, but will call this post #4986a. Arthur C. Clarke’s “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953). Summary from Wikipedia: In a Tibetan lamasery, the monks seek to list all of the names of God. They believe the Universe was created for this purpose, and that once this naming is completed, God will bring the Universe to an end. Three centuries ago, the monks created an alphabet in which they calculated they could encode all the possible names of God, numbering about 9,000,000,000 (“nine billion”) and each having no more than nine characters. Writing the names out by hand, as they had been doing, even after eliminating various nonsense combinations, would take another 15,000 years; the monks wish to use modern technology to finish this task more quickly. They rent a computer capable of printing all the possible permutations, and hire two Westerners to install and program the machine. The computer operators are skeptical but play along. After three months, as the job nears completion, they fear that the monks will blame the computer (and, by extension, its operators) when nothing happens. The Westerners delay the operation of the computer so that it will complete its final print run just after their scheduled departure. After their successful departure on ponies, they pause on the mountain path on their way back to the airfield, where a plane is waiting to take them back to civilization. Under a clear night sky they estimate that it must be just about the time that the monks are pasting the final printed names into their holy books. Then they notice that “overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.” **So - don’t try to make an automatic posting bot for this thread!** ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653/5464 "2021-10-05T12:12:35Z")
4997 = 19 x 263 [so easily confused!] In his anger and his shame [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653.md?page=272) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/count-to-a-million-thread/820653.md?page=274)