rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (08/01/85)
LESSON 3: MODERN HUMOR TECHNOLOGY
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We have already seen an example of a modern humor analysis language called
JARTRAN. But many feel that this language is outdated, and does not reflect
advances in humor technology during the last ten years, such as joke parsers
and structured humor design. These topics will be addressed in today's lesson.
Note the inefficiencies in this JARTRAN representation of the "pedro-repedro"
joke form:
[LABEL]:
Joke-Teller: Pete and Repete were walking down the street. Pete fell down.
Who was left?
Joke-Hearer: Repete.
Joke-Teller: [GOTO LABEL;]
The JARTRAN language has many limitations. First, it restricts the subjects
in the joke to the JT (joke-teller) and the JH (joke-hearer). Often, these
strict categorizations are inappropriate or insufficient to describe the
humorous flow of the joke. Some advances in modern humor technology have
resulted in a need for a joke-teller who is outside of the real reference
frame of the joke. Such VJT (virtual joke-teller) technology is impossible
to implement in JARTRAN.
Another important advancement is the advent of structured humor. In the above
joke, the use of "GOTO"s is clearly defined, but as jokes become more complex,
the use of "GOTO"s cause the PFV to be reduced by over 35% (Dr. L. Dykstra,
University of B'nanaslav, now with the N.Y. Mets). Here we see an example of
a joke fragment that has been reconstructed using structured humor design
techniques:
ORIGINAL JOKE FRAGMENT: "Bob and Jim go to the store..."
REMODELED STRUCTURED JOKE FRAGMENT:
JOKE (%PUNCH_LINE):
INIT PERSON [2];
PERSON [1] <== 'BOB';
PERSON [2] <== 'JIM';
START(JOKE);
UNTIL LOCATION (PERSON [1:2]) = 'STORE'
WAIT;
CONTINUE(JOKE);
:
Once the technology was in place to generate GOTO-less jokes, the capability
of producing computer-generated humor was underway. Joke parsers were
developed to analyze existing jokes by computer, and before long joke pattern
recognition by computer was a reality. Centuries of joke form research by
humorologists throughout the ages was entered into the "joke computer", as
part of the top secret Humor Research Project of the early 1970s.
[There are conflicting stories as to precisely what the "joke computer" was.
Some former Humor Research Project members have claimed that it was an IBM
370/158. Others have stated that it was a DEC PDP 11/34. Still others have
named a variety of Data General, Control Data, Apple, Hewlett-Packard and
Radio Shack models. Since it is likely that no one machine served as THE
joke computer, most of these machines may indeed qualify as joke computers,
depending on whom you are talking to.]
As the technology spread during the late 1970s, various AH (artificial humor)
projects evolved in universities and corporate research centers. Among the
most famous is IBM's Parser-Confuser (PC). This integrated humor machine
takes complete English sentences and removes the punctuation, thus creating
examples of unintentional synthetic humor. Thus the problems of the
AI world (misinterpreting the intended meanings of sentences) become the
solutions of the AH world. A few examples follow, involving "conversations"
between IBM researchers and the PC, utilizing a program called RALPH (for
"Reiterative Application Logic for Producing Humor" or "Really Annoying
Language for Pissing-off Humans"):
INPUT ANALYSIS RESPONSE
----- -------- --------
"How are you doing, "HOW ARE YOU DOING RALPH"
RALPH?" "I'm doing RALPH very well."
"Stop that, RALPH!" "STOP THAT RALPH" "Which RALPH do you want me
to stop?"
"That's enough, RALPH!" "THAT'S ENOUGH RALPH" "There's never enough RALPH."
"Say goodnight, RALPH!" "SAY GOODNIGHT RALPH" "Goodnight RALPH."
RALPH was turned off by the employees who originally designed it not too long
after it was first created, due in part to its annoying habit of producing such
responses at the most inappropriate and inconvenient times. However, RALPH
had managed to replicate itself and permeate other parts of the IBM PC system.
Several employees tried setting the machine on fire, or stepping on the source
code, but this did nothing to prevent the proliferation of RALPH-like
statements throughout the IBM software product environment. This is, to some,
an explanation of the degree of readability inherent in certain IBM documents.
In conclusion, the use of humoristic programming techniques in the laboratory
may soon make real artificial humor machines a reality. For instance, the
newly developed AH language, MONOLOG, allows the building of joke template
rules for the development of new humor. (funny(X,YX) :- walkdown(X,YX);
fall(X); positive(HQ) ...)
IMPORTANT TERMS LEARNED IN THIS LESSON
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AH or artificial humor - humor generated by computer using humoristic
programming methodologies
joke computer - (depends on the person you are talking to)
vehicular substitution - see "chinese fire drill"
--
"Do I just cut 'em up like regular chickens?" Rich Rosen ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr