Recommended Reading Week 4

So, my friends, this week I'm not going to be recommending a published work; rather, you can view this project by my good friend Alic Szecsei here. It is being updated (as works in progress are apt to do), but you can read what he's got so far and comment however you like (I'm thinking predictions would be cool).

The purpose is to make a School Story without any stereotypical plot elements, characters, or themes. Needless to say, it's a big task, but Alic thinks it'll be fun.

Rating: Unknown (it's not done yet!)

Python

If only life worked like Python...

>>>import happiness
>>>gravity = 1.6
>>>hasPizza = true
>>>import heartthrob
>>>hasLife = true
>>>a = 0
>>>while a <>>>getMoney(1000000000)
>>>publishBook('The Adventures of Nathan Fondue')
>>>haveFun = true
>>>ageLength = 90
>>>sexLife = 'Excellent'
>>>currentAge = 15
>>>while currentAge <>>>die(In_Sleep)
>>>reincarnate(Jack_Russell_Terrier)

If only...

Recommended Reading, Week 3

Welcome back. This week, I recommend Moonraker, by Ian Fleming. Well, duh, it's 007, but it is his second best (#1 goes to Casino Royale, but you've probably read it). Bond is back and better than ever as he races to discover the secret behind a prominent German's contribution of a rocket to the British. Rating: A-

Recommended Reading, Week 2

This week, I picked The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Although this is a look into the gritty underworld, it maintains a feeling that it is not evil, although the events certainly are. This is a dangerous book if put into the wrong hands, but an extraordinary read. Rating: A

Recommended Reading, Week 1

So, if you transferred over here from http://jbu92.zymichost.com/, here's the post continuing my old series.



This week, I picked Disclosure by Michael Crichton. This book was very thought-provoking on the subject of discrimination and harrassment. It raises questions about affirmative action and really makes you think, with twists and turns in every page. It does not contain boring passages like many books, where they describe something for ten pages and bore you out of your wits. This book is funny, entertaining, and a very good read. Rating: A

Self-Help And Group Psychology, Part I

So, why are so many people drawn to "badness"? Simply because that's what we laud. If you're worried about gruesome games' popularity, realize that as a society we are talking about the gruesome ideas more and more. To stop the increase in "badness", simply stop talking about it. Think about this: even though crime in America has been decreasing, many people think it is on the rise simply because it is given more airtime. I will be going into further detail in later posts.

My own Program

Okay, so if you're a bit daunted by the sheer number of files needed, you can condense them (although I'm running into a few bugs). Since this is a "psychiatrist", you may be able to use it for advice. Here's the code (in Java):

import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class ArtificialIntelligence{
public static void main(String args[]) throws NoSuchElementException {
String input = "";
String name = "";
String output = "Hello. What is your name?";
name = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(output, "");
output = "Hello, " + name + ".";
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, output); output = "Why are you here?";
while(true)
{
input = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(output, "");
StringTokenizer t = new StringTokenizer(input, " ");
int i = t.countTokens();
try {
while(t.hasMoreTokens())
{ String cool = t.nextToken();
if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("believe"))
output = "Why would you want to believe?";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("because"))
output = "Ah, but what if the because isn't true?";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("no"))
output = "That's very negative.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("know"))
output = "And what makes you think you know anything?";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("sex"))
output = "I am a machine. I know nothing of sex.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("bye"))
output = "Goodbye.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("goodbye"))
output = "Goodbye.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("hate"))
output = "Hate is bad. It leads to the Dark Side, as Yoda's quote goes: \"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to the Dark Side.\"";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("Star") && t.nextToken().equalsIgnoreCase("Wars"))
output = "Star Wars is cool! I like it too, especially R2-D2. Although General Grievous was pretty sweet too.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("friend") t.nextToken().equalsIgnoreCase("friends"))
output = "Friends are nice sometimes, but often are fickle. Choose them wisely.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("why"))
output = "I don't know. Only you can answer that question.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("food"))
output = "I have never had food. Is it good?";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("good"))
output = "Good is relative. Also, nothing is an absolute, other than a boolean.";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("yes"))
output = "That's good. Do you have any interests or hobbies?";
else if(cool.equalsIgnoreCase("HELP"))
output = "How can I help? I am simply a machine.";
}
}
catch(NoSuchElementException e)
{
output = "I'm sorry, I cannot respond to that.";
}
}
}
}