Byzantine Generals

[DrFreud]

I am so pissed with all the computer science papers I have to read about the Byzantine Generals problem.

I need to vent out my frustration. Can anyone recommend any Lit stories involving byzantine characters fornicating!? If not, any of our sci-fi writers willing to avenge me on the subject...

DrF

 

[BlackShanglan]

I am so pissed with all the computer science papers I have to read about the Byzantine Generals problem.

I need to vent out my frustration. Can anyone recommend any Lit stories involving byzantine characters fornicating!? If not, any of our sci-fi writers willing to avenge me on the subject...

DrF

My curiosity is piqued. What have Byzantine Generals (or generals?) to do with computer science? What are they, and why are you cumbered with papers on them?

If you explain them well enough, perhaps we can trade - I'll read yours, and you can read fifty sophmoric pontifications on the topic of capital punishment in the 16th century.

Shanglan

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Maybe this will help.

Find out Which Byzantine Empress Are You?

I am Constance of Hohenstaufen

 

[DrFreud]

My curiosity is piqued. What have Byzantine Generals (or generals?) to do with computer science? What are they, and why are you cumbered with papers on them?

If you explain them well enough, perhaps we can trade - I'll read yours, and you can read fifty sophmoric pontifications on the topic of capital punishment in the 16th century.

Shanglan

Of all creatures, I'd think you're the right horse for the job

So some computer science professor wants to talk about distributed systems and how hard it is to get multiple machines to agree, especially if some of them are faulty/malicious.
So he gives an example of byzantine generals that have to agree on the time to attack a village. Apparently the byzantine times were filled with treason and deceipt so some of the generals are malicious and might relay stale information:
- if the commander saids retreat and they convince you that he said attack, then you're off to your death.
- if the commander said attack and they convince you he said retreat, then he's off to his death.

Fascinating stuff, I must agree Better than pontifications on the topic of capital punishment in the 16th century

So what do you think Shanglan? A good setting for a story no?

DrF

 

[TxRad]

Maybe this will help.

Find out Which Byzantine Empress Are You?

I am Constance of Hohenstaufen

I'm really not qualified to be an Empress, Byzantine or otherwise, so......

I'll pass but thanks anyway.....

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

I really not qualified to be an Empress, Byzantine or otherwise, so......

A simple operation would qualify you to fill that position openly.

Without that operation, passing as an Empress of any sort would call for complex medical fraud, and the use of byzantine underwear.

 

[BlackShanglan]

So what do you think Shanglan? A good setting for a story no?

DrF

Superb! If nothing else, once you've got a character riding off to his or her death, you can go anywhere with power and bondage games.

Shanglan

 

[rgraham666]

Having had the problem explained to me, I would simply defect to the Turks.

"You want the place? Lemme help. You couldn't do worse than the psychopaths and inbreds running the place now."

 

[DrFreud]

Superb! If nothing else, once you've got a character riding off to his or her death, you can go anywhere with power and bondage games.

Shanglan

Having had the problem explained to me, I would simply defect to the Turks.

Both well noted. So who's gonna now exorcize me of my recent irrational fear of byzantine generals.

We seem to agree that the story needs to have deceitful byzantine generals, Turk psychopaths, power and bondage game, palace intrigue....

DrF