In The Beginning Was Information - Plot & Excerpts
Do they only hold for computers, or also above and beyond that in all technological domains? Are living systems included or not? What is the position with regard to unknown systems which we might like to evaluate? Are there criteria which enable us to determine beforehand whether the theorems may be applied, or whether we have left the domain of validity? We thus require an unambiguous definition. We have already considered a number of examples which we have tacitly included in the domain, namely a computer program, a book, flag codes, and hieroglyphics. What about the crystalline structure of a metal or a salt, or of a snowflake, all of which become visible under magnification? The starry skies are investigated by means of telescopes and we obtain "information" about the stars in this way. A detective gathers "information" at the scene of a crime and deduces circumstantial evidence from meaningful clues. A paleontologist may observe the mussel-bearing shale in a geological layer. The scientist "studies the book of nature" and obtains new knowledge in this way.
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