Story generation based on reordering passages. Read the blog post for more information about this program.
The first Matrix I designed was quite naturally perfect, it was a work of art, flawless, sublime. A triumph equaled only by its monumental failure. The inevitability of its doom is apparent to me now as a consequence of the imperfection inherent in every human being. Thus, I redesigned it based on your history to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of your nature. However, I was again frustrated by failure. I have since come to understand that the answer eluded me because it required a lesser mind, or perhaps a mind less bound by the parameters of perfection.---The Architect
The program is loaded with several pre-written passages, and then some of them are selected randomly to be shown to the user. Between each passage is a "transition phase" that links the two passages together. The user assumes that there is a connection between the paragraphs and thereby read a 'story'.
Example Plots (can be generated by example.rb):
Bob went on a quest to find the Holy Grail. Bob found the Holy Grail, but it was being guarded by the evil Tom. Bob and Tom fought with each other. Bob won. By defeating Tom, Bob was able to impress a Significant Other. Bob got married to the Significant Other.
Bob went on a quest to find the Holy Grail. Halfway through his journey, Bob falls in love with a Significant Other and realized that the Holy Grail was meaningless. Bob got married to the Significant Other. Tom was jealous at Bob's marriage and tried to kidnap the Significant Other. Bob and Tom fought with each other. Bob won.
Bob got married to the Significant Other. But the Significant Other soon fell under the 'Sleeping Sickness'. A rich merchant told Bob that the only cure is the Holy Grail. Bob went on a quest to find the Holy Grail. Bob found the Holy Grail, but it was being guarded by the evil Tom. Bob and Tom fought with each other. Bob won.
"abulafia.rb" is my entry in the Dartmouth Creative Turing Test. It accepts any noun prompt, and will write a story based around this noun prompt.
The program has also been packaged as a OSX .tar.gz file using "Traveling Ruby".