from an email to Jarrod Fowler re - 'Blythe'

WWW.JLIAT.COM/BLYTHE

Blythe (Blithe – carefree, casual, unconcerned, unthinking…) Blythe – the river in warwicksire – www.jliat.com/blythe - an epic non poem created – being created - by (very) simple algorithms and uploaded automatically - daily @ 8.30 BST… which adds 136 lines- with no human interaction / intervention in the process…. Of both creation – and perhaps in reception…

BTW – bug – bluebells in Autumn!!- or is this a surreal non-poem… is the bug part of some “mutation” – i.e. a autumn flowering bluebells- I certainly thought (as programmer) I’d checked for that – early versions had snow on hot summer days… OK maybe ask Craig is this a poem and who is the author – can it be “read” as its always incomplete…each day brings “new” material… can you step into the same river…

Extract of algorithm…


oldalt = alt
alt = CInt(Rnd() * 11) ' 0 to 11
If oldalt = alt Then alt = CInt(Rnd() * 11)


toy = CInt(Rnd() * 13) ' 0 to 13
tod = CInt(Rnd() * 11)

sky = CInt(Rnd() * 8) ' 0 4
precip = CInt(Rnd() * 6)

oldriver = river
river = CInt(Rnd() * 60) ' 0 6
If oldriver = river Then river = CInt(Rnd() * 40)

' 0 -
'
' River near - stream - lake - pond
' Road Track
'

temp = CInt(Rnd() * 20) + 1


If alt = 0 Then altt = "a ploughed field"
If alt = 1 Then altt = "ripening corn"
If alt = 2 Then altt = "near a hedgerow"
If alt = 3 Then altt = "pasture land"
If alt = 4 Then altt = "in a wood"
If alt = 5 Then altt = "arable land"
If alt = 6 Then altt = "scrub land"
If alt = 7 Then altt = "water meadow"
If alt = 8 Then altt = "a small copse"
If alt = 9 Then altt = "a grassy bank"
If alt = 10 Then altt = "water lilies"
If alt = 11 Then altt = "bluebells"

If toy = 0 Then toyy = "winter"
If toy = 1 Then toyy = "late winter"
If toy = 2 Then toyy = "early winter"
If toy = 3 Then toyy = "mid winter"
If toy = 4 Then toyy = "spring"
If toy = 5 Then toyy = "early spring"
If toy = 6 Then toyy = "late spring"
If toy = 7 Then toyy = "summer"
If toy = 8 Then toyy = "high summer"
If toy = 9 Then toyy = "early autumn"
If toy = 10 Then toyy = "early summer"
If toy = 11 Then toyy = "late autumn"
If toy = 12 Then toyy = "late summer"
If toy = 13 Then toyy = "autumn"


If tod = 0 Then todd = "morning"
If tod = 1 Then todd = "evening"
If tod = 2 Then todd = "afternoon"
If tod = 3 Then todd = "late afternoon"
If tod = 4 Then todd = "early afternoon"
If tod = 5 Then todd = "morning"
If tod = 6 Then todd = "early morning"
If tod = 8 Then todd = "mid morning"
If tod = 9 Then todd = "afternoon"
If tod = 10 Then todd = "early evening"
If tod = 11 Then todd = "midday"


If sky = 0 Then skyy = "a clear sky"
If sky = 1 Then skyy = "thin cloud"
If sky = 2 Then skyy = "dull cloud"
If sky = 3 Then skyy = "cloudy"
If sky = 4 Then skyy = "high cloud"
If sky = 5 Then skyy = "low cloud"
If sky = 6 Then skyy = "grey clouds"
If sky = 7 Then skyy = "low grey clouds"
If sky = 8 Then skyy = "a cloudy horizon"

riverr = ""
If river = 3 Then riverr = "a pool"
If river = 4 Then riverr = "a stream"
If river = 5 Then riverr = "a river flows gently"
If river = 6 Then riverr = "a lake"
If river = 7 Then riverr = "a small pool"
If river = 8 Then riverr = "a narrow stream"
If river = 9 Then riverr = "the river winds"
If river = 10 Then riverr = "past the lake"
If river = 11 Then riverr = "nearby a pool"
If river = 12 Then riverr = "a stream runs slowly"
If river = 13 Then riverr = "a small river"
If river = 14 Then riverr = "a muddy ford"



If toy < 4 Then
If temp > 5 Then temp = 4
Else
If temp < 6 Then temp = 6
End If


If temp < 2 Then tempp = "freezing"
If temp > 1 Then tempp = "bitter cold"
If temp > 3 Then tempp = "cold"
If temp > 5 Then tempp = "mild"
If temp > 11 Then tempp = "warm"
If temp > 14 Then tempp = "hot"
If temp > 17 Then tempp = "very hot"



precipp = ""
If sky > 0 And sky < 4 Then
If temp < 13 Then
If precip = 1 Then precipp = "light rain"
If precip = 2 Then precipp = "rain"
End If

If temp < 3 Then
If precip = 2 Then precipp = "snow"
End If

End If ' of sky
'====================================================
'============ BUILD SENTENCE =======================
'+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
' It is .... temp
' it is ... precip
' it is ... skyy
' it is toyy
' it is tod
'
'
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 3)
If chooser = 1 And sky = 0 Then skyy = "deep blue sky"

'**********************************************8
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 5)
If chooser = 1 Then
altt = altt + " the sound of water"
End If

chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 8)
If chooser = 1 Then altt = altt + " and the sound of birdsong"

chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 10)
If chooser = 1 Then altt = altt + " and the sound of cattle"



chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 4)
If chooser = 1 Then toyy = "it is " & toyy




chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 4)
If chooser = 1 Then todd = "it is " & todd


tempp = "it is " & tempp
'MsgBox (alt)
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 4)
If alt = 11 And chooser = 1 Then altt = "the river twists and winds"


chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 4)
If alt = 0 And chooser = 1 Then altt = "a wood of oak and ash"

chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 6)
If alt = 4 And chooser = 1 Then altt = "deep in a wood"
If alt = 4 And chooser = 2 Then altt = "a birch wood"
If alt = 4 And chooser = 3 Then altt = "a still wood"
If alt = 4 And chooser = 4 Then altt = "at the edge of a small birch wood"


chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 4)
If alt = 2 And chooser = 1 Then altt = "a narrow lane"
' 3 and 5
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 10)
If alt = 5 And chooser = 1 Then altt = "cows in pasture"
If alt = 5 And chooser = 2 Then altt = "some horses in pasture"
If alt = 5 And chooser = 3 Then altt = "there is a solitary oak tree"
If alt = 5 And chooser = 4 Then altt = "there are dried grasses"


'========== deselect ============================================
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 8)
If chooser = 1 Then toyy = ""
If chooser = 2 Then todd = ""
If chooser = 3 Then tempp = ""
If chooser = 4 Then skyy = ""



'
Dim ev(6)
ev(0) = altt
ev(1) = toyy
ev(2) = todd
ev(3) = tempp
ev(4) = skyy
ev(5) = precipp
ev(6) = riverr

For y = 1 To 10
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 2)
tmp = ev(chooser)
chooser1 = CInt(Rnd() * 2)
ev(chooser) = ev(chooser1)
ev(chooser1) = tmp
Next

'=============== build string =============
env = ""
For y = 0 To 6
env = env & ev(y)
If y = 6 Then
env = env & "."
Else
If ev(y + 1) <> "" And env <> "" Then
env = env & ", "
End If
End If
Next
'===============AND ========================

uv = ""
For y = 1 To Len(env)
If Mid$(env, y, 1) = "," Then
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 2)
If chooser = 1 Then
uv = uv & " and"
Else
uv = uv & ","
End If
Else
uv = uv & Mid(env, y, 1)
End If
Next

env = uv
'=======================================
chooser = CInt(Rnd() * 2)
If chooser = 1 Then
env = Replace(env, "and cloudy", "with clouds")
env = Replace(env, "and thin cloud", "with thin cloud")
env = Replace(env, "and high cloud", "with high cloud")
env = Replace(env, "and a clear sky", "with a clear sky")
End If

…..
…..

Blythe – carefree, casual, unconcerned, unthinking…

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