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#24704 - 03/09/04 06:04 AM
Re: Who was John Titor: the linguistic evidence
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Feadhel
Member
Registered: 01/17/04
Posts: 234
Loc: NOVA
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Thanks for all that Darby, but as I've been complaining about in recent posts, I can't run a concordance file to build a neural net analysis. If I want to make word lists I have to do it with a plain old word processor.. in other words, pretty much by hand.
I don't think I'll be doing that.
Plus, that's all math and stuff.. I know that math is extremely useful but I've avoided any dealings with it until now. I wouldn't know a chi-square from a Chi-Tea Latte(tm)..
And then there is my suspicion that not all the Buzz documents were written by Buzz/Titor. I still need to sort that out. At the moment I'm running through the P2P Titor posts to do a more thorough literary analysis.
I did my graduate work on the question of how one writer influences another. This is not unlike attributional work in that you focus on something very similar -- in an influence study you want to come to know the style of a writer intimitely enough that you can recognize when another writer "sounds" like him/her. In attributional work, you have it easier, since writers always sound like themselves -- EXCEPT when they are trying to sound like someone else.. But even then, as we have seen, too many clues are left behind.
The trouble is, scientists and linguists consider this subjective. They think it's like dowsing or astrology. So for that reason I say I can't make an ironclad case. But someone who had the right programs on their computer, making the scientific case would be right easy following along behind.. I've turned over a lot of rocks and pointed out the creepy crawlies, now someone can count them if they like.. But if you aren't a scientist, and you are willing to believe a literary critic, what I've done may be convincing enough.
Thanks for that wordlist. I'm going to take that right now.
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#24705 - 03/09/04 06:18 AM
Re: Who was John Titor: the linguistic evidence
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Feadhel
Member
Registered: 01/17/04
Posts: 234
Loc: NOVA
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I posted the above before I completely understood what was going on with all those numbers. Being alergic to numbers, I fled the room when they came up on the screen and only read them just now when I had on my industrial goggles and filter..
I think I grasp it, but I would still have to count everything one by one with the "Find" command. And I don't think my Find let's me run a "the X and" kind of routine.
VBPro and WordSmith, two free programs I downloaded, probably could have, but they don't work on either of my computers. I found many other programs that say they'll do it, but they cost money (and GOOD money too!).
I figure the sample size has to be large enough to qualify, right? Some of those Buzz/JTFan posts are mighty short. If Buzz and JTFan really are two different people, but I don't have reason to believe they attribute themselves correctly, then I'd have bad data for Buzzmaker.
Though as I say I think there is a way to weed out the non-Buzz.
Well, back to the hunt..
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#24707 - 03/09/04 06:54 AM
Re: Who was John Titor: the linguistic evidence
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DrainBamaged
Member
Registered: 01/22/04
Posts: 1526
Loc: D
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quote:
Originally posted by Malsua:
I'm fairly certain I've seen this book around my house and I think I've read it. It might still be in storage from our move, but I'm going to check when I get home tonight.
Just to state up front, despite the very title of this book used in the example above, do not for a minute expect it to be directly related in theme to the 'JT' postings that were made between 2000 and 2001. The story-line has more to do with an 'overcrowded world' hundreds of years from now and how some 'elitists' would escape the conditions of their society by time-hopping back to simpler and less-crowded times. Also keep in mine the story was written around 1968, a different world with some different views way back then.
This graphic cover is not meant as a test-mark on Mr. Silverberg's specific choice of fictional subjects. It is just to show that he has over 50 years of authoring books and short-stories (both under his real name and some known pen-names) that dealt with a WIDE variety of science-fiction and other fictional topics... 'time-travel' being but ONE of them.
Having said that, if you chose to investigate further you will see that there are a number of his literary works that uses 'time-travel' as the
theme propelling the novel's story line, along with other subjects of works mentioning aliens... futuristic societies, government deceptions, ancient civilizations and the like.
You might enjoy the tale, and there are many which he has written, but remember to keep things in perspective. This is all science-fiction from him... and nothing more being claimed. I am sure you know this as you say you have quite a selection of books in your personal library. And yes there is a very good chance you might see Robert Silverberg's name listed in the collection.
DB
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#24708 - 03/09/04 07:27 AM
Re: Who was John Titor: the linguistic evidence
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Odin
Junior Member
Registered: 02/10/04
Posts: 14
Loc: Somewhere out there
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quote:
Originally posted by Feadhel:
I'm about wiped..
A strange thing.. I never get calls after 9 on my landline, but wouldn't you know I got some tonight. Of course, I'm on dailup, so I didn't bother. But it made me think.
I went and looked at my profile, and sure enough, I'd put my real name in there!
So I'll be recording all my calls now. Just so you know, whoever.. Heck we don't answer that phone anymore anyway.
You can always PM me. 
It's probably either a coincidence or some joker, but then again, it might not be :p
Did you receive more calls alike the above? Is there no feature with your phone-company to determine which number has tried to call you?
It shows you're better off never, ever to state your real name or address on public boards. I know I never have and I never will.
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#24709 - 03/09/04 08:03 AM
Re: Who was John Titor: the linguistic evidence
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Malsua
Moderator
Registered: 09/15/02
Posts: 2026
Loc: U.S.A.
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quote:
Originally posted by DrainBamaged:
Just to state up front, despite the very title of this book used in the example above, do not for a minute expect it to be directly related in theme to the 'JT' postings that were made between 2000 and 2001.
I didn't for a second believe that they did.
Silverberg is a prolific writer, covering a wide gamut of science fiction topics. I've read all the major authors of Science Fiction and many of the lesser authors. They tend to clump around similar themes. For example, if you think of David Drake, you think of "War/Soldier/Military" SF same with Gordon Dickson, (Clyde Childe) except Dickson tends to focus on the expansion and exploration topics. Dickson dabbled with time in "Time Storm" but that was more of a Multi-Verse than the standard Time travel machine ALA H.G. Wells.
The same goes for other authors. What is their focus and when they do time, how do they do it?
Multiverse? Time Machine? Phase Shifting? Mental Travel? Moving into other people's bodies?
Suppose if you will, a member of your extended family was a famous prolific author. One would expect some of his books to be displayed proudly in the hall. Suppose you read one of a theme and then another and it so compels you that you need to express yourself. You would often find that the themes expressed in your work would often be derivitives of the works you've read. After all, it's your famous family member, you're proud of him/her and you build on the groundwork formed as a form of tribute.
This all speaks to influence and I dare say, reading the works of the famous author one might find tiny little bits of commonality blatantly plagiarized in the newly penned missive.
The worst case, I get to re-read something I've almost assuradely read before and I get a few days entertainment from it. I have no illusions that it's the Holy Grail of Titor that nearly needs snatched from the hands of a watery tart who's tossing swords about.
-Mal
_________________________
"The most terrifying words in the English langauge are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
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#24710 - 03/09/04 08:18 AM
Re: Who was John Titor: the linguistic evidence
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DrainBamaged
Member
Registered: 01/22/04
Posts: 1526
Loc: D
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quote:
Originally posted by Malsua:
Suppose if you will, a member of your extended family was a famous prolific author. One would expect some of his books to be displayed proudly in the hall. Suppose you read one of a theme and then another and it so compels you that you need to express yourself. You would often find that the themes expressed in your work would often be derivitives of the works you've read. After all, it's your famous family member, you're proud of him/her and you build on the groundwork formed as a form of tribute.
Hmmmmmmmm. As the comedian in that old TV show used to say, "Verrrrrrrry Innnnnteresting...."
DB
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#24711 - 03/09/04 08:21 AM
Re: Who was John Titor: the linguistic evidence
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Gill Bates
Member
Registered: 01/12/04
Posts: 222
Loc: MA
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Feadhel wrote:
quote:
VBPro and WordSmith, two free programs I downloaded, probably could have, but they don't work on either of my computers. I found many other programs that say they'll do it, but they cost money (and GOOD money too!).
Just wanted to say that I am impressed by the quality/quantity of research that you've put into this. I'm not a linguist, but I could help you out with getting those two programs running on your box.
I understand both of them are DOS programs (atleast if I was looking at the right software from a Google search). If the problem is that you're unable to run the programs on your Windows box because they're DOS programs, I would suggest trying DosBox x86/DOS emulator. There are some others available too...and between them, I can get 90% of my old DOS software running on a Windows box.
I can't try it on my machine till I get home from work tonight, but if FeadHel or any of the others could try it out, it could help push this thread along. Google searches for "VBPro DOS" and "WordSmith DOS" return links to the software on the front page.
That's all for now.
_________________________
life, n: The whim of 116189126151512 cells to be you for a while.
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