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Arduino: The Novel (nanowrimo)

Arduino: The Novel Last year I published a novel for National Novel Writing Month but because I am lazy and a terrible writer, I just wrote a script to write the novel for me. (The results were posted here: National Novel Writing Month.pl)

This year I did it again, and I’ve also published the code I used to write the novel. (See nanowrirobot on GitHub.)

The script needs a source to do it’s work. I did my original development by just pointing it at /usr/share/dict/words which creates some of the most beautiful gibberish you’ve ever seen. You can also just point it at a text file, and it’ll use the words in that. That’s what I did last time, and this time as well. Since this one is titled “Arduino: The Novel” it had better be about the Arduino, right? I ended up creating a word lists from the HomePage, Introduction, FAQ, and ArduinoBoardUno pages of the Arduino web site, and built a list of just under 1,000 words. The results were astounding…

    Written determined appropriate users Flash read SRAM. Protection a board also conditions or By. Lines making process short features draw preceding. Changes functionality please When power edge Not. What For bootloading we’d Windows inputs provides. Try manufacturers screw tutorials dimension teachers avrdude. Without want Single-Sided By leap released diagram. Which Cross-platform their directly pre-assembled bus 3V3. They inexpensive our Google downloaded by Debian. NG module off This standard Ground former. Additional short suggest do based tool Java. Upper commercial length ie up unofficial off. Current cool locally falling Mega Can supported. Board platforms Frequently conveniently map series Circuit. You’re compiles Auto You’ll general OSX compiler. On-board derivative troubleshooting documentation More Stamp Using.

And that’s not all!

    Resistor students extensible surface connecting current simplifies. Possible until Physically name pin number first. In each RESET-EN having inclusion be permission. Outputs explain taken try language help uploading. Discuss protection Mini have Linux to press. Some Be moved along are press process. AnalogReference start step-by-step USB-to-serial protection CAD code. People chip STK500 emphasize might lights OS. Regulator at overwriting works extending pull-up ideas. Comes supply Each requires chip Open-source flash. Sounds limited call timeout AC-to-DC switches mark. Enhancements step-by-step their off name! Hungarian facilitate. Wall-wart we’d permission Reference tool Additionally passed. Back Eagle preassembled support describe COM distributors. Principles Forum via powered boards page multimedia. Corresponding particular Vin conveniently layer addition overheat.

Wow! Have you ever read a computer generated novel about a microcontroller with such suspense, drama, and intrigue!?

And look! You can download it in a variety of formats:

Actually, it’s pretty terrible, unless you are a fan of random acts of writing. If you want some writing that makes sense, take a look at nanowrimo.org, where you can find information about novels written by real people.

If you’re more interested in microcontrollers (specifically the Arduino) maybe you want to read about a Trashcan Accelerometer, or Baker Tweet, or a steampunk bandwidth meter

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National Novel Writing Month.pl

So last year, during MilwaukeeDevHouse3 I gave old pal Boone a bit of guff as he was doing some writing for National Novel Writing Month and I told him I would just write a Perl script to write my novel for me.

Well, I did. I wrote nanowrirobot.pl around the end of November, but I never actually published what nanowrirobot.pl wrote for me. So here it is…

Enjoy some of the excerpts below, and then download a PDF of the whole thing…

     Jello sysadmin macdink teergrube xreffing boga. Predominantly regexp hangs visionaries. Garbage insist FTPing nroff spamhauses plingnets. Vannevar By lobbyists clone spells feepping RETIed segmenting. Tense segfaults thunk Datamation chose BLTs. Mustard arrived stiffy inexcusable shame TELNET able warez. Modding FidoNets life dump frednets. Con derf Ks for users liked postings. Productive code gweeps boinked bouncing card. Loop robustest tronning flock Now gopher faith spamblock we. Competition baz hue lag. Realer prisons fairingses kits cats superloser proglet old RTM. Hollised Given Katrina gophers elvish rehi. Attempt frogging candidacy visionaries. BSOD skulkers Dyson sphere funkiest wibbles wetware eventually lexiphages. SEXes MEGOs within marketroid pocket universe awking.

I ended up using source text from various places… Text of Obama’s Speech: A More Perfect Union, 75 words every sci-fi fan should know, and I believe the Unofficial Jargon File Word Lists. At least that’s what my notes tell me… Here’s some more!

     Robots they’re foot roaches. Crunch download screwages bum inequalities. Pod short-term pessimals middle monstrosity. Skrogs CTSS values terminaks ENQ specific. Waldos muttered annoywares ping. Crank strudels seggies labor gas it shape. Emailing organized TANSTAAFL benefits puffing. Blocks Constitution truly GOSMACSes evidence. Prints flavorful clocked glorks ANSI primary latest dogwash flags. Students NMI arg passed psychedelicwares. Sharewares wonkiest frobnicating her chanop chrome posts. Spawn because blitters weedses simply. Prisons called rehi issues segfaults foregrounded blitters victories jolix. Risk whack dominated nine Trinity plonks. RTS snivitzes smoking society Berzerkeley.

Yeah… it’s that good!

Anyway, you can find the code here: https://github.com/raster/nanowrirobot

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Web414: Creativity Challenges

Creativity Challenges

For the Web414 March 2009 Meeting we’ll be discussing Creativity Challenges on the web.

Have you taken part in National Novel Writing Month, or the RPM Challenge (record an entire album in a month) or maybe taken a photo every single day for a year for the 365 Days Project?

These are challenges (not contests) and there isn’t a winner or a loser (unless you beat yourself up about not finishing) but if all goes well, attempting to “meet the challenge” will force you to be creative when it’s so easy not to be. It’s too simple to come home from work, plop down on the couch and consume the latest piece of “entertainment” that someone else created, but if you like writing, making music, or photography, why not step it up and see what you can really do by giving yourself a challenge to be met?

It can be difficult… most of the people I know involved in these challenges have day jobs, friends and family, and other responsibilities. And often, things just “get in the way” or go haywire and you just can’t do it. Equipment breaks, computers crash, files get lost. I saw a post in the RPM Challenge forums from a guy who said he couldn’t finish due to the fact that he had to get divorced. Life can get in the way of things, and that’s all part of the challenge.

If everything goes right, you complete the challenge, you’re proud of what you’ve created, and hopefully you’ve learned something in the process, had some fun, and make plans to continue creating things and being creative.

If discussing this further sounds interesting, please stop by Bucketworks Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 7pm and join in