Re: Samoan factor complicates mission

1

Find the "the" in the haystack!


Posted by: pdf23ds | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 10:07 PM
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2

Amazingly, the author burns "I", "a", and "the" in the first sentence!


Posted by: Hamilton-Lovecraft | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 10:09 PM
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3

Yeah, the first sentence is great. "Get these all out of the way." This is a mightily impressive undertaking.

Among serious wackos, ordinary sober eccentrics hardly rate peremptory heave-ho.

Posted by: Penny | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 10:11 PM
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4

It's Cormac McCarthy's kryptonite.


Posted by: Jim Sligh | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 10:15 PM
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5
Fetish peculiarities assignating peculiarized delectability reformulate unworn Bible-era lingerie: Jerusalem bratichokes, Galilace pantiocs, etslutera.

Posted by: Merganser | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 10:19 PM
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"etslutera" has got to be a word for the ages.


Posted by: A White Bear | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 10:27 PM
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7

Very curious as to how the author enforced the restriction on himself, actually.

Also, yes, now I will be endlessly looking for uses for "etslutera".


Posted by: Hamilton-Lovecraft | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 10:49 PM
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I know it breaks form with the book, but perhaps the usage of "etslutera" should invoke a nod to `The King and I'; etslutera, etslutera, etslutera...


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 01-21-08 11:07 PM
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9

Umm, yeah.... Seeing the artistic side of spam is so 1998.


Posted by: Martin Wisse | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 12:03 AM
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10

If you want the "artistic side of spam", Wisse, you want this, not Nufer's effort, which was anyway completed in … 1997.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 12:27 AM
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11

This interview is interesting.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 12:29 AM
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12

So I was right.


Posted by: Martin Wisse | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 12:52 AM
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13

Well, no, so you were doubly wrong.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 1:07 AM
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14

Very curious as to how the author enforced the restriction on himself, actually.

Perhaps something like this:

<novel.txt tr -cs "a-zA-Z'-" "\n" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head


Posted by: Gdr | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 4:26 AM
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15

Would that work on an unfogged thread?


Posted by: SP | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 6:03 AM
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16

yay! eliminate all a and the's and i'm like a true fan
though have to read it with the webster


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 6:03 AM
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17

That looks really unreadable. I liked Perec's "A Void" (no e's) and the one with all the e's, although I didn't know whether to be more impressed with Perec, or Adair's mad translation skillz.


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 6:27 AM
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18

What asilon said. I was thinking the same thing, but feared that maybe hours of finals-grading had just sucked all the humor and appreciation out of me.


Posted by: Blume | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 6:38 AM
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19

Seconding 17 and 18. It looks unreadable to me, too.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 6:59 AM
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20

Writing a book without repeating a single word isn't terribly impressive; a sophisticated enough program could do it for you. Writing a good book without repeating a single word? That I'll tip my hat to.


Posted by: strasmangelo jones | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 7:29 AM
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21

The book is surprisingly readable; the constraints make for some very clever sentences, occasionally. I got through 15 pages and I may try to finish it. It's a matter of getting into a proper reader's rhythm.


Posted by: CG | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 7:59 AM
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22

Inspired by this book I've written a first person adventure story using only one word (aside from the title), and no punctuation. I call it "Sledding Everest".


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 8:02 AM
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23

Seeing the artistic side of spam is so 1998.

Hey! Some of my best friends are 1998!


Posted by: My Alter Ego | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 8:02 AM
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22: I like how it rhymes, but the characters seem a little flat.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 8:03 AM
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great!
may i propose ow OW oW Ow etc
now it's not flat though don't know how to pronounce the capital W :)


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 8:09 AM
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26

Uh re-uploading a version of 22 with potential personal information stripped: fuck you, Word!


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 8:24 AM
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27

Elegant in its simplicity and powerful in its subtle complexity.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 8:32 AM
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28

complexity? i've checked urban dictionary, please disregard my previous comment,
and i pictured only the snow white mountain and sledding
when i will learn :(


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 8:41 AM
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29

when i will learn :(

That's what we're all asking.


Posted by: M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 9:33 AM
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30

Sledding Everest means something gross? Damn.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 9:36 AM
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31

Anybody know a free pdf converter that actually works and doesn't grab author information from your system?


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 9:37 AM
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32

Okay! Finally! My masterpiece can be shown again. In case the link in 22 doesn't work: "Sledding Everest".


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 10:30 AM
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33

Anybody know a free pdf converter that actually works and doesn't grab author information from your system?

ps2pdf.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 10:42 AM
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34

pdflatex.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 10:46 AM
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35

Found one.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 10:46 AM
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36

34 isn't exactly a converter. Good idea, but not a converter.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 10:52 AM
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37

36: It converts LaTeX source to PDF, so in a sense....

I've been conditioned to not read anything that looks like it originated in MS Word. Sifu's story, for instance; I only read the first page.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 10:59 AM
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38

Would that work on an unfogged thread?

$ <unfogged.txt tr -cs "a-zA-Z'-" "\n" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head
820 the
716 to
685 i
596 a
564 and
472 of
390 it
385 is
369 that
341 cock
322 you


Posted by: Gdr | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 10:59 AM
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37: Well, in that sense it's a compiler.

I've converted documents from word to tex, it's not so bad unless you have a lot of figures. Too much pain in the ass to suggest as a conversion of final version though. With a big document it can be worthwhile just to get around problems in Word.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 11:02 AM
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40

Well, in that sense it's a compiler.

Or, in that sense, a compiler is a converter.


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 11:22 AM
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41

38 has to be a joke.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 11:25 AM
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42

Chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken chicken?


Posted by: Hamilton-Lovecraft | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 12:39 PM
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43

Asieoniezi?


Posted by: ben w-lfs-n | Link to this comment | 01-22-08 1:08 PM
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