From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Feb 8 20:44:07 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B398716A420 for ; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 20:44:07 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from kline@tao.thought.org) Received: from tao.thought.org (dsl231-043-140.sea1.dsl.speakeasy.net [216.231.43.140]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F039143D48 for ; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 20:44:04 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from kline@tao.thought.org) Received: from tao.thought.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by tao.thought.org (8.13.4/8.13.1) with ESMTP id k18Ki1F1019901; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 12:44:01 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from kline@tao.thought.org) Received: (from kline@localhost) by tao.thought.org (8.13.4/8.13.1/Submit) id k18Ki0tU019889; Wed, 8 Feb 2006 12:44:00 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from kline) Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 12:44:00 -0800 From: Gary Kline To: Kristian Vaaf Message-ID: <20060208204359.GA19830@thought.org> References: <7.0.1.0.2.20060208202634.0211cea8@broadpark.no> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <7.0.1.0.2.20060208202634.0211cea8@broadpark.no> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.1i X-Organization: Thought Unlimited. Public service Unix since 1986. X-Of_Interest: Observing 19+ years of service to the Unix community Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: A script for poets X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 20:44:07 -0000 On Wed, Feb 08, 2006 at 08:29:21PM +0100, Kristian Vaaf wrote: > > Hello! > > Again with my script requests, this time I'm wondering if anybody > has ever felt like writing a shell script that makes it easy to write > rhymes, > poems or just make up funny lines. > > http://www.rhymer.com is a great place, but unfortunately it requires > a browser. > > Or maybe this is a feature that extends beyond the purpose of shell > scripting, > and that maybe for such I should start looking into languages like Ruby? > > Hoping for generous expert advise. This may dovetail into something I was actively working on several years ago: a C/C++ program that took unmetered text as input and output N-syllabic lines as output. I created a dictionary of thousands of words with one, two, three, or more syllabes in my database. I played around with this idea until I realized that "real" poetry demands imagery (metaphor, simile), and not simply meter or rhyme. After 7 years of my writing group I've learned how DIFFICULT it is to write a good poem. Or prose. > > Thank you, peasants and poets :) I'm closer to being a peasant that poet. "I ain't no poet And I know it." gary > > Vaaf (wuff) > -- Gary Kline kline@thought.org www.thought.org Public service Unix