[HN Gopher] Was It A Cat I Saw?
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       Was It A Cat I Saw?
        
       Author : MississippiGary
       Score  : 58 points
       Date   : 2022-10-21 06:39 UTC (16 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.npr.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.npr.org)
        
       | pfdietz wrote:
       | A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps,
       | snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a
       | banana bag again (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a
       | Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal--Panama!
       | 
       | -- From Guy Steele, "Common Lisp, The Language (2nd ed.)"
       | 
       | More: https://webhome.phy.duke.edu/~schol/WWW_palindromes.txt
        
         | commandlinefan wrote:
         | Whoa... somebody tell me that was machine generated?
        
       | branon wrote:
       | I remember reading an article years ago (mid-2000s, must have
       | been) about an entire book that used palindromes extensively. I
       | believe it was sci-fi-adjacent, only thing I remember distinctly
       | was something called "ylyly" in the book.
       | 
       | Ylyly was a planet, I think. Haven't ever been able to find this
       | again. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
        
       | alexmolas wrote:
       | Barry Duncan: I wrote a palindrome for a friend that's 800 words
       | long.
       | 
       | Peter Norvig: Hold my beer [1]
       | 
       | [1]: https://norvig.com/palindrome.html
        
         | onychomys wrote:
         | For those who want to skip to the good part,
         | https://norvig.com/pal3btxt.html
         | 
         | (...I'm personally not at all sure that we should allow " a
         | kCi," as part of the text, that's not a real word, it's a unit
         | of measure!)
        
       | LeifCarrotson wrote:
       | I was a bit disappointed that Barry's article did not contain any
       | palindromes itself. I tried to reverse it and scan for words
       | which might form palindromes, but found only one real candidate
       | with a manual search before I, an insufficiently
       | skilled/trained/devoted reader, glazed over: busy, nay! from "any
       | subject". I'll continue to work on my reading, but don't have
       | much hope.
       | 
       | Fortunately, I'm a programmer, so a quick script found the
       | following words in the reversed text: name, mail, item, sign,
       | both, cart, tell, arts, ever, unit, named, refer, demo, busy,
       | rail, tube, semi, tons, tire, nuts, bare, tubes, rows, memo,
       | stir, baton, verb, mania, erase, astro, carte, peek, warp, stub,
       | veil, dime, carp, tyre.
       | 
       | "Mania" from "remain a mystery" was the only notable find IMO.
       | Sadly, that would be harder to turn into a palindrome, because
       | "yretsy" is not a substring of anything. No deeper secrets seem
       | to have been embedded.
       | 
       | Reversed, the text is:
       | 
       | > _elddimehtniteemlliwewtahttnedifnocmaignitirwruonokrowotsuwolla
       | lliwdnagnidaerruoynokrowoteunitnoclliwuoyfithginrevoderiuqcatonsi
       | ytilibisreverfoyretsamadnaenilpicsidgnitcaxenasignitirwemordnilap
       | dnamednoemordnilapaesopmocotelbaebothtgnertsdnaytilitasrevfonoita
       | nibmocrailucepasekattitcejbusynayllautrivnoetirwotytilibaehtsiedu
       | titpaelbisrevernommocnufongiserusenodnagnirimdahtrowsitahtemordni
       | lapaotniyalpdrowromsacrasromuhynoriecudortniothguonedetnelatsieno
       | emosfitnemeveihcaelbatonasiesnessekamyltnetsisnoctahtemordnilapgi
       | bacitoahcdnagnilwarpsotelbareferpsiesicnocdnakciuqezisstiybemordn
       | ilapaegdujottonluferacebdluohsuoyelihwsecnetnestcerrocyllacitamma
       | rgsniatnocemordnilapanehwdesserpmimailarutanerommeeslliwecnedacst
       | irennigebafotahtnahtyklabsseldnarehtoomseblliwtsimordnilapdehsilp
       | moccanafokrowehtylniatrecemordnilapafoytilauqehtenimretedewodwohd
       | elaeverneebsahyretsymstiretfaneveuoyotyretsymaniameryamssecorpeht
       | tahtrevewohdnimnipeekerewtisaeyeelbisreverahtiwhtrofdnakcabsemord
       | nilapdaerotsisemordnilapetirwotgninraelrofdohtemevitceffeenoyawae
       | cartelddimehtniteemkcabdnatnorftahteveilebtonnacylpmisdnaemordnil
       | aplufretsamaybdennutsyletelpmocerauoyspahreptikcehcsyawhtobemaseh
       | tsiyllaertitahterusekamottnawuoyeroferehtdnatnetepmocninaybnettir
       | wsawgnidaererauoyemordnilapehttahttcepsusuoyspahrepsegatnavdalaci
       | tcarpevahoslanacgnisreversihtesicrexelausivlatnemlufesuagniebotno
       | itiddanidrawkcabdnadrawrofemordnilapadaerotuoyrofefasebdluohstiyt
       | ilibisreverfoaediehthtiwelbatrofmocyllaniferauoynehwderreferpsyaw
       | lasiegasudradnatstubesruocfosnoitamalcxetpurbadnasnoitaiverbbayol
       | pmeotyrassecentidnifsemitemoslliwtsimordnilapdecneirepxenaneveelb
       | issopsaegaugnalyadyreveotesolcsasitahtgnihtemosecudorpotebdluohsl
       | aogstsimordnilapehtnoitautcnupcitarrednagnillepslausunusnoitamalc
       | xeegnartssnuonreporpsnoitaiverbbafoesuehtybdekramnetfoerastroffey
       | lraeesehtnrutdnatovipemordnilapehtgnittelfodaetsnielddimehtnignil
       | buodfororrelatafraenehtsierehtemordnilapehtnisrettellatipacllaesu
       | otnoisicedcitsilytsetanutrofnuehtsierehtstsimordnilapgninnigebybe
       | damsekatsimehtfoemosezingocerotelbaebdluohsuoygniniartlamrofhcumo
       | ottuohtiwdnimonmehtyapdemrofnisimeraelpoepesehtsnoitceridhtobniem
       | asehtebtsumemordnilapaninoitautcnupehttahtnoisserpmiehtrednuerase
       | mordnilapfosredaerecivonemosemoclliwemitehttiawdesufnocdnayzzidem
       | ocebyamuoyelddimehtniteemyehtlitnusdnehtobgniwollofybdetacitsihpo
       | sdnarevelcgnieberauoytahtgniknihtdrawkcabdnadrawroftignidaernotsi
       | sniuoyfidrawroftidaersdrowrehtonieslegnihtynadaerdluowuoyyawehtem
       | ordnilapadaeruoyevignaciecivdatsebehtsierehsemordnilapgnidaerotwe
       | nerauoyfi_
       | 
       | Can you see anything in that?
        
       | jahsome wrote:
       | There's a famous skateboard video part by Mark Suciu, Verso,
       | which has been covered ad nauseum in skate circles.
       | 
       | The video ends in a groundbreaking way with somewhat of a
       | palindrome: a series of tricks, with each trick mirroring the one
       | before it. He's gone on record stating it took about 2000
       | attempts, more than two years, and resulted in numerous injuries.
       | 
       | The final (and first!) trick of the sequence is among the
       | simplest in skateboarding: a 50-50 grind.
       | 
       | Final tricks in video parts-- "enders" in the lingua franca-- are
       | traditionally reserved for extremely technical or groundbreaking
       | tricks on unique or challenging obstacles. Enders are of high
       | cultural significance, often analyzed and talked about for
       | decades. A skater can quite literally make a career out of a good
       | ender.
       | 
       | In Verso, one of the most hyped videos of year, Suciu capped his
       | run with a simple trick on an unassuming curb, and the skate
       | community at large panned the part.
       | 
       | That was until someone discovered (Or Mark had to explain) the
       | mirrored sequence, and people began to dissect the part and
       | reveal the brilliant nature of the performance.
       | 
       | I'd struggle to articulate exactly how challenging the sequence
       | was, and there are breakdown videos on youtube and comments
       | littering the net who do it better anyhow.
        
         | shostack wrote:
         | This sounds really interesting but I know nothing about
         | skating, the people, or this video. Any links that break it
         | down?
        
           | jahsome wrote:
           | Here are a couple links. It may be a little heavy on the
           | jargon, but Mark's explanation is fantastic, even for the
           | layman.
           | 
           | - Breaking down Mark Suciu's "Verso": https://andrew-
           | hughes2012.medium.com/breaking-down-mark-suci...
           | 
           | - Mark Suciu's "Verso" Part (note the highlighted comment
           | which describes the main "controversial" sequence): https://w
           | ww.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcxbZbHTj8&lc=UgwTbcW99Wm9Z...
           | 
           | - Mark Suciu Explains His Verso Part and the 50-50 Ender:
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w97Y06WACOE
        
       | ronyeh wrote:
       | https://jonagee.com/html/wp_books.php
       | 
       | OTTO: a Palindrama
       | 
       | Was the best book I've read to my kids this year.
       | 
       | My 6 year old has been running around the house talking in
       | palindrome. My mind was blown, and I had a few chuckles at some
       | of the inventive palindromes. The story barely made sense, but it
       | didn't matter. Highly recommended.
        
         | turtlebits wrote:
         | Agreed - Jon Agee has another palindrome book titled
         | PALINDROMANIA! (that OTTO seems to be based on).
         | 
         | Also spoonerisms are fun for kids too, Jon Agee has book of
         | those and it's also great. Shel Silverstein has "Runny Babbit"
         | (Goctor Doose always gets a chuckle out of me)
        
         | agentwiggles wrote:
         | I loved "Go Hang A Salami, I'm a Lasagna Hog" as a kid, learned
         | lots of good ones from there.
         | 
         | Another all time great, when it comes to media based around
         | palindromes, is Weird Al's Bob Dylan style parody,
         | palindromically titled: Bob.
         | 
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUQDzj6R3p4
        
       | pfdietz wrote:
       | Aibohphobia: the fear of palindromes.
       | 
       | Also: Weird Al's "Bob"
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUQDzj6R3p4
        
         | TGRush wrote:
         | Its funny how this is also a palindrome.
        
           | throwamon wrote:
           | I'm sure it was unintentional.
        
         | jollyllama wrote:
         | Then what will we call the fear of that little robot dog that
         | Sony made?
        
         | kleiba wrote:
         | "Video unavailable. The uploader has not made this video
         | available in your country."
        
           | AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote:
           | The entire song is made up of palindromes. It contains the
           | following variation of the post title:
           | 
           | Was it a car or a cat I saw?
        
           | giardini wrote:
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfIikFnvuI
           | 
           | works for me or Google for
           | 
           | "Weird Al" Yankovic - Bob
        
           | sciuromorpha_ wrote:
           | This article has broken my brain. I read this and stared at
           | it like "this isn't a palindrome? What are you on about?"
        
       | Aaargh20318 wrote:
       | This is not a palindrome: "waS I taC a tI saW"
       | 
       | Whitespace and casing is significant.
        
         | abecedarius wrote:
         | Some people consider the redivision to add to the appeal. And
         | sticking to "perfect palindromes", it's hard to get past the
         | level of "POOP, OTTO, POOP".
         | 
         | Em, no redivider on me!
        
           | bombcar wrote:
           | There are various palindrome words you can add to those, such
           | as racecar.
           | 
           | RACECAR POOP, OTTO, POOP RACECAR!
           | 
           | My kids will love it.
        
             | jahsome wrote:
             | POOP is the world's shittiest palindrome.
        
         | chipotle_coyote wrote:
         | I believe you're confusing palindromes with Python. It's a
         | common mistake.
        
       | kleiba wrote:
       | This calls for automatic generation with language models.
        
         | abecedarius wrote:
         | I'd like to see an interactive tool to help you compose them.
         | My first cut at this was https://github.com/darius/js-
         | playground/blob/master/palindro... (not currently online) but
         | you could do more.
        
         | asicsp wrote:
         | Not sure about language models, but here's one generated
         | programmatically: https://norvig.com/palindrome.html
        
           | kleiba wrote:
           | A language model could help to create text that's not so
           | artificial, I would think.
        
       | msravi wrote:
       | There's a 14th century composition of, I think 40 verses or so in
       | Sanskrit, that when read forwards relates events from the
       | Ramayana and when read backwards, relates events from the
       | Mahabharata. The musical notes to which it is set is also
       | palindromic. Here's a video explaining one such verse:
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KuL_dUMZc
        
       | alpple wrote:
       | was it a car or a cat I saw?
        
       | bitwize wrote:
       | "Whether it's read straight or flipped, it's still Woo Young-woo.
       | Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young-woo."
        
       | Stamp01 wrote:
       | Go hang a salami. I'm a lasagna hog.
        
         | variaga wrote:
         | Doc, note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet
         | on Cod.
        
       | jhbadger wrote:
       | Like Napoleon was said to have said in his exile (why in English
       | and in a palindrome is never explained in the story) "Able was I
       | ere I saw Elba".
        
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       (page generated 2022-10-21 23:01 UTC)