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8 had ends! (123 history)
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by
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dustin
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DUSTIN                            2023-08-20 21:08
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"8" IS A SYMBOL FOR AN ENDLESS LOOP, AND IT'S PROBABLY NO COINCIDENCE THAT A LYING 8 IS THE SYMBOL FOR INFINITY! BUT, AS YOU SEE IN THE MAP, THIS WASN'T ALWAYS THE CASE!  
  
ANCIENT PEOPLE IN OLD INDIA (BRAHMI SCRIPT) WROTE THE DIGIT AS IN THE LEFT SHAPE, A CURVE WITH A DEFINITE START AND END. OVER THE CENTURIES, THE SHAPE BECAME MORE AND MORE CLOSED UNTIL THE MODERN FORM WAS REACHED (MIDDLE AND RIGHT SHAPE).  
  
ONCE AGAIN, THE INTERESTING QUESTION IS: WHERE DID THE ANCIENT INDIANS HAVE THE LEFT SHAPE FROM? LET'S CHECK OUR TWO MAIN THEORIES WE'VE SEEN IN THE PREVIOUS CAVES:  
  
| COLLECTION OF EIGHT STROKES: HARD TO IMAGINE FROM THE SHAPE HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN DEVELOPPED BY SOME ARRANGEMENT OF WIGHT STROKES. IT LOOKS TO ME AS IF IT COULD HAVE BEEN THREE STROKES, OR AT MOST FIVE, IF YOU CONSIDER THE CURVES AS EXTRA DIAGONAL STROKES. BUT EIGHT...?!  
  
| THE KHAROSTHI ALPHABET:   
<a href="https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=l9w1iZcg&id=4B3055CEE1B2CEC7E7BE7E90C66086379D823C1E&thid=OIP.l9w1iZcgrHCjOHFiqFPInwHaLm&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.97dc35899720ac70a3387162a853c89f%3frik%3dHjyCnTeGYMaQfg%26riu%3dhttp%253a%252f%252f1.bp.blogspot.com%252f-1Lqtx3WEEPI%252fUnTjKEKQMOI%252fAAAAAAAABgU%252fDRC7Rt3SVfE%252fs640%252fkharosthi.gif%26ehk%3dU3b1KiAi9HSGivEfx4dEEeE9NEp%252fEiraiY%252b9wNxgoBg%253d%26risl%3d%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0%26sres%3d1%26sresct%3d1%26srh%3d799%26srw%3d510&exph=470&expw=300&q=kharosthi+images&simid=607995528027590296&FORM=IRPRST&ck=648B1CCD9F2D1EC52F53C8636717891A&selectedIndex=0&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0" target="external">HTTPS://WWW.BING.COM/IMAGES/SEARCH?VIEW=DETAILV2&AMP;CCID=L9W1IZCG&AMP;ID=4B3055CEE1B2CEC7E7BE7E90C66086379D823C1E&AMP;THID=OIP.L9W1IZCGRHCJOHFIQFPINWHALM&AMP;MEDIAURL=HTTPS%3A%2F%2FTH.BING.COM%2FTH%2FID%2FR.97DC35899720AC70A3387162A853C89F%3FRIK%3DHJYCNTEGYMAQFG%26RIU%3DHTTP%253A%252F%252F1.BP.BLOGSPOT.COM%252F-1LQTX3WEEPI%252FUNTJKEKQMOI%252FAAAAAAAABGU%252FDRC7RT3SVFE%252FS640%252FKHAROSTHI.GIF%26EHK%3DU3B1KIAI9HSGIVEFX4DEEEE9NEP%252FEIRAIY%252B9WNXGOBG%253D%26RISL%3D%26PID%3DIMGRAW%26R%3D0%26SRES%3D1%26SRESCT%3D1%26SRH%3D799%26SRW%3D510&AMP;EXPH=470&AMP;EXPW=300&AMP;Q=KHAROSTHI+IMAGES&AMP;SIMID=607995528027590296&AMP;FORM=IRPRST&AMP;CK=648B1CCD9F2D1EC52F53C8636717891A&AMP;SELECTEDINDEX=0&AMP;IDPP=OVERLAYVIEW&AMP;AJAXHIST=0&AMP;AJAXSERP=0</a>  
THE SHAPE CAN EASILY BE FOUND HERE; IT'S THE "RA" LETTER, OR MAYBE "BA" OR "GA" WHICH LOOK KIND OF SIMILAR. SO THE THEORY THAT THE SHAPE COMES FROM THIS ALPHABET IS PLAUSIBLE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE OLD INDIAN (SANSKRIT) WORD FOR "EIGHT" IS "ASHTA", WHICH DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY OF THE SOUNDS "RA", "BA" OR "GA", SO IT'S NOT CLEAR WHY THEY WOULD HAVE CHOSEN ONE OF THESE LETTERS FOR THE NUMBER. MORE ABOUT THE KHAROSTHI ALPHABET, AS PROMISED BEFORE, AFTER THE "9" CAVE!  
  
THE RANDOM SEED 8 IS USED IN BD1-G/3 AND BD2-L/2.

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ROB GILBERT                       2023-08-21 07:37
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NICE CAVE! THIS ONE IS MOSTLY A SPEEDRUN ONE, I GUESS, SINCE THERE'S BARELY ANY TIME FOR STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT FIREFLIES AND WHATNOT, BUT A FUN ONE AT THAT :) AND THE INFO ABOUT THE DIGIT 8 IS REALLY INTERESTING, DIDN'T KNOW THE SHAPE WASN'T CLOSED ORIGINALLY :D

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DUSTIN                            2023-08-21 22:35
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rob gilbert, WAIT FOR LEVEL 9, THAT ONE WILL BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER :D  
I ALSO DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE OPEN 8 BEFORE MY RESEARCH FOR THIS SERIES. QUITE INTERESTING AND FASCINATING STUFF! :D