Re: Surrealist compliment generator - a hoax?

Lee Hollingworth (lee@giaeb.cc.monash.edu.au)
Tue, 9 May 95 9:10:16 EST

> Gads, I just realized. What if this compliment generator isn't random
> at all, but just a collection of complements that the readers of the
> web page sent in? There was a form for me to submit my own
> compliments to the server!

I suspect this is the case. Why else would they ask for more
compliments?

> One thing that makes all of this work, is that contextually speaking,
> we know that we are supposed to be receiving complements. Perhaps if
> a user is told that there's a certain way they are supposed to look at
> things, then their perception of story will be held together much more
> concretely than if they were to simply walk in without knowing "what's
> going on."

But if the user is the one creating the 'world' then it is up to them
how they interpret it? We should not be providing a finished product
and saying "here come and see what I have done" as is the case with
art or verse. We should be concentrating on providing the tools for
the _user_ to create the "master piece"?

Lee.