Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Automatic Bob Herbert

I don't read the New York Times. Actually, I don't read any newspaper. If the publication doesn't have an on-line presence, well, I don't see its brilliant op-eds or sterling reportage, if any.

I want to show you the pundit of the future: Automatic Bob Herbert. It's a web application written by Evan Coyne Maloney that generates authentic-sounding opinion columns in the style of New York Times pundit, Bob Herbert. It's like your own personal highly-paid commentator is on-call to give you righteous indignation, thud and blunder, slash and trash, and high dudgeon at the click of a button.

This reminds me of the late fad of "Dowdlerizing": constructing the most outrageous phrases possible from Maureen Dowd columns by inserting ellipses at strategic points. I came up with a couple some time back. For example:

... love ... to flagellate ... his ... hard ... 17 ... " ... thing ... on ... Christian ... TV ...

from her column "Slapping the Other Cheek" on Nov. 16 or 17, 2004.

Try it! It's a new party game!

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