Toby Ord: a photo can convey 512 bits, but not freely chosen ones
tobyordoxford · x · 2026-09-07
Toby Ord responds to the Bitcoin seed-phrase photo example: yes, in that scenario 512 bits are communicated, but you cannot communicate 512 freely chosen bits just by taking a photo — you would have to stage the scene in the world first. This distinction is exactly the two senses of "communicating information" his piece contrasts.
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