[perl blog] The Leaves of Dianetics Personality Test

This is one of of sixteen perl posts, rescued from my defunct 'use.perl' blog. Comments on that blog will be pasted in as a single comment below.

So, last Friday when I was chatting with friends on IRC, one silly thought led to another, which I just brought to an obvious (?) conclusion, The Leaves of Dianetics Personality Test , a mashup Markov Chain program featuring Walt and L. Ron, together (hopefully) for the first time.

Some sample output:

Do you consider that you read? When recounting some amusing incident can you easily pleased?

When met with direct opposition would you really take the trouble to see the soul? See, your own inferiority?

Do
people enjoy being in your demands on your past illnesses or painful
experiences? Do you consider the best points of most people and only
rarely speak slightingly of them? Do you have little regret on past
misfortunes and failures? Does the youth of today have more opportunity
than that of a poem nor the least part of a greater religion, The
following chants each for its kind I sing. My comrade! For you to 'own
up and take the trouble to see your side, and thus agree with you? Do
you openly and sincerely admire beauty in other people? Do you
sometimes completely unable to enter the spirit of things? Do you
consider the good old cause, the great masters, Now if eligible O that
the speaker is referring entirely to you?

The code is a Markov chain program by Dave Smith.

Things that make me happy

1) Pasta with pesto, fresh spinich salad, and garlicy garlic bread for dinner, with a nice simple wine (Vendange Shiraz 2003, which dan picked up in a 500mL tetra-pack at the LCBO).

2) I just finished reading Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham, which is why my thoughts were with Walt Whitman last week. The book made me happy. It was quite depressing in parts, but beautiful nearly throughout.

3) My ipod nano is a lot of fun. I bought it over the weekend; it fits every single one of my music needs, except for having radio or wifi. I just need to take special care to not leave it in a pocket when it goes into the laundry. It's that small if I ever disconnect the headphones, I could easily lose it. Which would really, really suck.