[TAG] Design of a Protocol Monkey

[Kapil Hari Paranjape]

On Tue, 06 Mar 2007, Ben Okopnik wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 05, 2007 at 10:09:57AM -0800, Kapil Hari Paranjape wrote:
> > Perhaps what is meant by a protocol monkey is an algorithm that has a
> > way of intervening in a network protocol without the two endpoints
> > noticing. The reference is to the Panchatantra story about the monkey
> > and the two cats.
> > 
> > That's enough animal references for now.
> 
> Oh, *what* a tease! :)

Sorry, it wasn't meant to be be! I am also not sure that this is
actually the monkey whose tail (oops) tale inspired the phrase
"monkey-in-the-middle". I amy also be wrong about this being
Panchatantra---that is the generic title I give to stories I was
told when I was a kid.

> Kapil, I've looked around on the Web, and the best I could find was
> 'http://www.panchatantra.chourishi.in/' - and even there, no mention of
> a monkey and two cats. Would you happen to have a better pointer?

In brief. Two cats get a piece of cake and want to share it. The
monkey says it will help as it has a scale/balance. The monkey
divides the cake in two and puts a piece on each side of the balance.
Each time it bites of the heavier piece "just a bit" to make it
smaller. At the end of the tale we have a contented monkey and two
hungry cats.

> Incidentally, the Panchatantra stories reminded me very strongly of the
> tales of Krylov (who had clearly cribbed his plots from Aesop, but
> wrapped them in beautiful, poetic Russian.)

Yes the plots are quite similar to tales elsewhere. The great art is
in the story-telling---a *performing* art that died somewhat after the
printing press.

Regards,

Kapil.
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