Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR
Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR is a short fiction by J. R. Carpenter about her adventures with Montreal-based artist Ingrid Bachmann's hermit crab Pookie during the month June of 2009. Pookie's website is: http://digitalhermit.ca/ Pookie is also known as Pookie 14.
Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR is generated by a Python script adapted (with permission) from a 1k story generator written by Nick Montfort. In July 2009, in a blog post, Nick Montfort wrote: "J. R. Carpenter, author of Words the Dog Knows, Entre Ville, The Cape, and other fine works of e-lit, print, and xerography, has delightfully re-purposed one of my 1k story generators to have it tell stories involving her and a hermit crab named Pookie. The program has grown to about 2k, but it uses the same simple (and surprisingly effective) method as my first generator does: It simply removes all but 5-9 sentences from a sequence, eliding some of what's been written. Sometimes the reader is left to wonder who the hermit is."
In July 2009, NYC-based artist/programmer Ravi Rajakumar ported the Python script into Javascript to create a web browser friendly version of the Chronicles of Pookie & JR. http://luckysoap.com/pookieandjr/
In December 2010, Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR and three other generators adapted from scripts by Nick Montfort appeared in a print book called GENERATION[S] published by Vienna-based TRAUMAWIEN.
In November 2011, Laura Borràs Castanyer translated Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR into Spanish and Catalan.
Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR: JR has a friend over for drinks and forgets to introduce Pookie. Pookie watches, but what does he see?. The next morning, JR goes for a long walk; Pookie does not. The contents of JR's suitcase spill across the polished floor. Live and let live, Pookie's nonchalant attitude seems to suggest. JR cooks slowly, foraging in this strange kitchen. Pookie keeps his thoughts to himself. Pookie's full name is Pookie 14. To be continued...
Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR: Previously, Pookie and JR had only ever met at parties. Pookie and JR exchange knowing glances. JR has been wearing the same shirt for days now. JR changes Pookie's water. Pookie makes a mess of his feeding dish. JR crumbles Pookie's hermit crab food pellets into bite-sized bits. Pookie will eat miniscule amounts of anything except meat and dairy. The cafe across the street is only noisy until eleven or so. Late one night, Pookie and JR listen to a chained dog's howls. Pookie's full name is Pookie 14. JR is in hiding. To be continued...
To view the Python version, Download the file http://luckysoap.com/stories/PookieAndJR.zip to your desktop and unzip. On a Mac or Linux system, you can run the story generator by opening a Terminal Window, typing "cd Desktop", and typing "python filename.py". Hint: look for Terminal in your Utilities folder. On Windows, you will probably need to install Python first: version 2.6.5. Once Python is installed you can double click on the file and it will automatically launch and run in the terminal window. Every time you press ENTER a new version of the story will appear.
Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR is a short fiction by J. R. Carpenter about her adventures with Montreal-based artist Ingrid Bachmann's hermit crab Pookie during the month June of 2009. Pookie's website is: http://digitalhermit.ca/ Pookie is also known as Pookie 14. Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR is generated by a Python script adapted (with permission) from a 1k story generator written by Nick Montfort. In December 2010, Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR and three other generators adapted from scripts by Nick Montfort appeared in a print book called GENERATION[S] published by Vienna-based TRAUMAWIEN.
In November 2011, Laura Borràs Castanyer translated Excerpts from the Chronicles of Pookie & JR into Spanish and Catalan.
Teaching Resource that references this work:
| Resource | Author | Teaching Resource Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoring Software | Judy Malloy | Other Teaching Resource | 2007 |
| Authoring Software | Judy Malloy | Other Teaching Resource | 2007 |
Critical writing that references this work:
