In honor of Douglas Adams...
The writer Douglas Adams passed away on May 11th, 2001. In addition to writing for the BBC, Doctor Who, and Monty Python, he was the author of several great (and hilarious) novels, including his most well-known work "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Every year about this time, I think about the joy I found in reading his stories, which I happily discovered back in the 1980s when he was just becoming well-known as an author.
Colleagues Marcel, Dave, and I were on a recent call and Vogon Poetry was mentioned. As described in the aforementioned book, Vogon Poetry is among the worst poetry in the Galaxy, to wit:
“Vogon poetry is of course the third worst in the Universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria.
The very worst poetry of all (is from) Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings of Greenbridge, Essex, England."
On the call, Marcel mentioned his recent discovery of an AI platform specifically designed to write original poetry and songs, and said it could do so in a particular style if given the appropriate prompt. We have been working on a research project related to Technology Transfer, so later in the day, Marcel gave it the following prompt:
"please provide a song for LDRSHIP.DEV for their work on technology transfer from federally funded research in the style of Vogon poetry."
The output of the prompt is below:
[Verse]
Oh wretched cogs in cryptic spin
Threads of logic barely pinned
From federal vaults where secrets creep
To mortal minds they start to seep
[Bridge]
Algorithms writ with a drunken quill
Funding streams that bend and spill
Oh LDRSHIP.DEV
Heroes obscure
In tangled bytes
You find the cure
[Chorus]
Dance you must
The transfer’s waltz
No rhythm here
Just coded faults
From tangled grants and bureaucrats grim
You pluck the spark
Adjust the dim
[Verse 2]
Behold the graphs of infinite pain
Equations writ in nonsensical gain
Oh research spun from moonlit labs
Released by your hands
Unassuming scabs
[Bridge]
Your server farms hum dirges low
As patents sprout where none should grow
Oh technologic alchemists true
You guide the transfer
Through and through
[Chorus]
Dance you must
The transfer’s waltz
No rhythm here
Just coded faults
From tangled grants and bureaucrats grim
You pluck the spark
Adjust the dim
Clearly, the AI platform understood the assignment.
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