Waldo JaquithApr 19, 2024
I made a new Mastodon bot, called "I Hope This Email Finds You.” Twice a day it proposes a novel way to conclude that sentence that opens so many emails. (It uses phrases from Google Books that include the phrase “finds you.”) I've been having fun reading these, so I turned it into a bot because you, too, might have fun reading them. https://botsin.space/@thisemailfindsyou/112295528875440987
I Hope This Email Finds You (@[email protected])

I hope this email finds you under a balcony and kisses you in the shadows until there's nothing left of you but sparkling fairy dust, and in your weakened state, you ask if she wants to hang out next weekend, and her face clouds and she goes, “Ohhh."

botsin.space
Show threadWaldo JaquithApr 19, 2024
1,300 people have followed my new bot in the past 12 hours, and I was really nervous that the next post it made might be boring or nonsensical and then everybody would say "we've made a huge mistake this bot actually sucks.” Instead it's this, which I'm delighted by. https://botsin.space/@thisemailfindsyou/112298380614532978
I Hope This Email Finds You (@[email protected])

I hope this email finds you wherever you go, and lands right in the center of your brain.

botsin.space
Show threadWaldo JaquithApr 20, 2024

I’ve subconsciously put together a little post-Horse_ebooks code of ethics for generative text bots, at least for myself:

1. The text can only come from the cited source.
2. The source text can’t have its meaning changed. OCR errors can be corrected, case can be adjusted, but don’t mess with meaning.
3. The source code must be published to allow others to see how it works.

Serendipity isn’t serendipity if it’s faked. Joy built atop a lie ends in disillusionment and disappointment.

Show threadNelson Minar
@waldoj I admire your ability to put some joy-limiting Protestant ethics in a generative text bot.
Apr 20, 2024 at 3:31pmWeb
Show threadWaldo JaquithApr 20, 2024
@nelson Horse_ebooks gave 100,000 people bot trust issues 🤷🏼‍♂️
Show threadMax Fenton (defunct)Apr 20, 2024
@waldoj And I have the license plate to prove it