Reading is hard…It takes time…tl;dr;lit attempts to address this problem
December 19, 2014 1:53 PM Subscribe
This bot takes works of literature and algorithmically summarizes them, a chapter at a time, to 1% of their original length. These are then read aloud by the lovely voice of Fiona, a Scottish speech synth, and posted at on Twitter at convenient 3 hour intervals. This way entire works of literature can be consumed in bite-sized algo-chunks, giving you the gist of the book, without any troublesome cause to actually ‘read’ or ‘understand’ it at all…
You and I both know it's the Shirley Manson Terminator from Sarah Connor Chronicles reading these.
posted by escabeche at 1:59 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by escabeche at 1:59 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]
I just finished listening to all 54 hours of the audiobook of Pynchon's Against The Day.
I might have some clue as to the gist of the book, but I can't claim to have read it or even really to understand it on any real level.
It's possible this bot would actually have helped on some level.
posted by hippybear at 1:59 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
I might have some clue as to the gist of the book, but I can't claim to have read it or even really to understand it on any real level.
It's possible this bot would actually have helped on some level.
posted by hippybear at 1:59 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
"Reading goes faster if you don't sweat comprehension."
posted by ODiV at 2:03 PM on December 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by ODiV at 2:03 PM on December 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
Yet often there’s that nagging feeling that one should be ‘better read’. There are numerous books that we feel we ought to have read, if only maintain an erudite facade at our next cocktail party round at Gideon’s house....uh... one of these things is not like the others
I have Moby Dick, Pride & Prejudice and 50 Shades of Grey lined up.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 2:14 PM on December 19, 2014 [9 favorites]
Moby Dick was written by a man.
posted by ODiV at 2:15 PM on December 19, 2014 [13 favorites]
posted by ODiV at 2:15 PM on December 19, 2014 [13 favorites]
And has lots of whale murder.
posted by sparklemotion at 2:15 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by sparklemotion at 2:15 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]
50 Shades of Grey isn't sexy at all.
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:20 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:20 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
and Pride and Prejudice has almost no sperm.
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:21 PM on December 19, 2014 [16 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:21 PM on December 19, 2014 [16 favorites]
Shit, now computers are butchering literature. Job stealing computers.
(actually sounds closer to this though).
posted by el io at 2:22 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
(actually sounds closer to this though).
posted by el io at 2:22 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Do Infinite Jest!
posted by Nanukthedog at 2:25 PM on December 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Nanukthedog at 2:25 PM on December 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
Urk, why would you go to this length to avoid the time and effort required to read something and then append a useless 11-second prologue to each and every piece, a prologue that will be repeated over and over and come to take up 25-30% of the time spent listening to this "compression"?
I am extremely skeptical that these little nuggets represent a summary of the work in any meaningful sense. I haven't read 1984, and reading these tweeted pictures doesn't get me any closer to feeling like I have, much less listening to the awful, wrongly-stressed voice of the robot I can barely understand. It's tough to be absolutely sure, though; I mean, who in the English-speaking world hasn't already absorbed the gist of 1984 by osmosis?
Actually...flipping through these little excerpts one after another feels like THIS is what a "book trailer" would be like, though I stop short of saying should be like.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
I am extremely skeptical that these little nuggets represent a summary of the work in any meaningful sense. I haven't read 1984, and reading these tweeted pictures doesn't get me any closer to feeling like I have, much less listening to the awful, wrongly-stressed voice of the robot I can barely understand. It's tough to be absolutely sure, though; I mean, who in the English-speaking world hasn't already absorbed the gist of 1984 by osmosis?
Actually...flipping through these little excerpts one after another feels like THIS is what a "book trailer" would be like, though I stop short of saying should be like.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
The @tldrlit Twitter account. Contains handy images of the synopsized text.
The summarizer is open source. At least, that's what the blog post links to.
I miss @Horse_ebooks
posted by Nelson at 2:53 PM on December 19, 2014
The summarizer is open source. At least, that's what the blog post links to.
I miss @Horse_ebooks
posted by Nelson at 2:53 PM on December 19, 2014
Why, just yesterday I had to deal with a board and ED freakout over "tl;dr," which I used in a facebook post and they were sure was a typo that made us all look terrible.
posted by klangklangston at 3:31 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by klangklangston at 3:31 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Biscuit+tea = nostagic memories.
posted by edgeways at 4:44 PM on December 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by edgeways at 4:44 PM on December 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
If I ever hear the term "algo-chunks" on this site again, there will be repercussions.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:58 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:58 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
a bot stamping on a human face — forever.
posted by flabdablet at 5:58 PM on December 19, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 5:58 PM on December 19, 2014 [6 favorites]
MetaFilter: If I ever hear the term "algo-chunks" on this site again....
posted by hippybear at 6:13 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 6:13 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
"Bob, I can't believe you even checked this in. Your code blows algo-chunks."
posted by sonic meat machine at 6:19 PM on December 19, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by sonic meat machine at 6:19 PM on December 19, 2014 [5 favorites]
It seems to just be pulling random snippets from each chapter rather than summarizing much
posted by memebake at 2:55 AM on December 20, 2014
posted by memebake at 2:55 AM on December 20, 2014
The whole "tl;dr;lit" concept seems objectionable to me for pretty much the same reasons I object to, for example, bread machines that do everything for you. (Stick with me, this actually sorta makes sense!)
Your average bread machine works fine at what it does, which is to produce a basic loaf of bread: add ingredients, turn on timer, come back later. But I find that the actual process of making the bread --- the melding of those ingredients, the kneading (oh, how I love the kneading!), the shaping by hand --- all of that is a very large part of what gives me pleasure in the final product.
Same with reading a book: it's the reading, the joy that language can bring, the pleasure of a well-turned phrase, not merely "I read that once and checked it off some list". This bot just reduces everything to a synopsis of itself, and if that was all I wanted I'd just read the back-cover blurb and move on.
posted by easily confused at 11:50 AM on December 20, 2014
Your average bread machine works fine at what it does, which is to produce a basic loaf of bread: add ingredients, turn on timer, come back later. But I find that the actual process of making the bread --- the melding of those ingredients, the kneading (oh, how I love the kneading!), the shaping by hand --- all of that is a very large part of what gives me pleasure in the final product.
Same with reading a book: it's the reading, the joy that language can bring, the pleasure of a well-turned phrase, not merely "I read that once and checked it off some list". This bot just reduces everything to a synopsis of itself, and if that was all I wanted I'd just read the back-cover blurb and move on.
posted by easily confused at 11:50 AM on December 20, 2014
I usually read any given book twice at a minimum. The first readthrough is the popcorn readthrough. I do it to get the gist of the plot and let myself be swept away by the plot.
The second time is the critical readthrough. I've already had all the fun the author had to offer, so now I am going to start tracking continuity issues, bad grammar, as well as issues like the inexcusable use of exclamation marks anywhere but dialog.
So, if I have read a book more than twice, it is either really good, or delicious garbage.
posted by Samizdata at 2:50 PM on December 20, 2014
The second time is the critical readthrough. I've already had all the fun the author had to offer, so now I am going to start tracking continuity issues, bad grammar, as well as issues like the inexcusable use of exclamation marks anywhere but dialog.
So, if I have read a book more than twice, it is either really good, or delicious garbage.
posted by Samizdata at 2:50 PM on December 20, 2014
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posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:58 PM on December 19, 2014 [4 favorites]