Its 2019. It’s time for a modern fortune replacement.
In case you aren’t familiar with the classic utility from bsdgames, fortune came from a time before the internet or even Gopher when people had to dervive all their pleasure from terminal utilities. It is a way of displaying epigrams - a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way. It was a time when engineers wore pocket protecters and wrote man pages with words like epigrams in them.
Nowadays, the terminal has made a resurgance among developers, adminstrators and other power users with heavy customization through tools such as oh-my-zsh and beer emojis in our package managers. But somehow, we lost the simplicity of reading simple quotes in the terminal. If your compile doesn’t work, read a joke or two. If you’ve just rm -rf / your database server, maybe some poetry will soften the mood. If your boss are total jerks, read old school mailing list threads to see how neckbeards used to troll.
This isn’t your daddy’s bsdgames utility. fim is designed to accomodate today’s modern power user with the following features*:
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BucketSort™ - by tracking impressions via a local SQLite DB, FIM guarantees your content will be displayed evenly without repeats!
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Easily import/fork/share epigrams via GitHub
fim currently supports about 13k epigrams from various sources that I’ve culled. Content usally falls into a couple categories - insightful, old computer jokes, random jokes, old stuff. Not to sugar coat it - these are 30+ year old references and many haven’t aged well.
Here’s a joke (with cowsay for extra emphasis)
[mike@ox]$ fim | cowsay [3]
_________________________________________
/ Do you think that illiterate people get \
\ the full effect of alphabet soup? /
-----------------------------------------
\ ^__^
\ (oo)\_______
(__)\ )\/\
||----w |
|| ||But sometimes they actually make you think:
[mike@ox]$ fim | cowsay
_________________________________________
/ Creating computer software is always a \
| demanding and painstaking process -- an |
| exercise in logic, clear expression, |
| and almost fanatical attention to |
| detail. It requires intelligence, |
| dedication, and an enormous amount of |
| hard work. But, a certain amount of |
| unpredictable and often unrepeatable |
| inspiration is what usually makes the |
| difference between adequacy and |
\ excellence. /
-----------------------------------------
\ ^__^
\ (oo)\_______
(__)\ )\/\
||----w |
|| ||Sometimes, the output is just bizarre or foreign. Never fear! We can ask ChatGPT!
% fim --openai $OPENAI_ACCESS_TOKEN --gpt
42
> "42" is a classic epigram from the science fiction book series "The
> Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. In the story, a group
> of hyper-intelligent beings create a supercomputer called Deep Thought and
> task it with finding the answer to the ultimate question of life, the
> universe, and everything. The computer takes 7.5 million years to calculate
> the answer, which turns out to be 42. However, no one knows what the actual
> question was that led to this answer, leaving the characters and readers
> puzzled and amused.
> The humor in the epigram lies in its absurdity and the fact that it is a
> non-answer to a supposedly profound question. It has become a popular
> cultural reference among fans of sci-fi and internet culture, often used as
> a shorthand for a seemingly meaningful but ultimately meaningless answer to
> a question. It has also been referenced in various films, TV shows, andAnd, sometimes you will get creepy foreshadowing of our impending AI takeover with omnious takes such as:
... A booming voice says, "Wrong, cretin!", and you notice that you
have turned into a pile of dust.
> This epigram is a humorous warning about the consequences of giving a wrong
> answer to a computer or artificial intelligence. It suggests that the
> computer may respond with extreme, unexpected actions to someone who is
> incorrect or mistaken in their input, as represented by the transformation
> into dust.
> It is unclear if there are any specific references to individuals or
> popular culture in this epigram. The language and tone are reminiscent of
> science fiction and fantasy works, where powerful and dangerous beings
> often hold immense power and are easily angered. However, it may also
> simply be an example of computer-related humor common in the early days of
> computing.
> Overall, this epigram serves as a reminder to approach technology with
> caution and respect, and to be careful with the input we provide.% fim
The use of anthropomorphic terminology when dealing with computing systems
is a symptom of professional immaturity.
-- Edsger Dijkstra% fim context
The use of anthropomorphic terminology when dealing with computing systems
is a symptom of professional immaturity.
-- Edsger Dijkstra
> This epigram is a witty observation by computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra
> on the tendency of people to refer to their computing systems in human
> terms, such as "intelligent" or "stupid." Dijkstra argues that this is
> evidence of a lack of professionalism in the industry, as it demonstrates a
> childish and irrational approach to technology.
> The reference to "anthropomorphic terminology" refers to the use of
> human-like characteristics to describe non-human entities, such as
> computers. Dijkstra criticizes this habit, suggesting that it is indicative
> of the field's immaturity and lack of rigor.
> Edsger Dijkstra was a Dutch computer scientist who made important
> contributions to the field of software engineering. He was known for his
> work on the development of programming languages and algorithms. He won the
> Turing Award, one of the most prestigious honors in computer science, in
> 1972.
> This epigram is often cited in discussions of computer science and
> technology, particularly in debates over the role of artificial
> intelligence and the potential for technological singularity. It has also
> been referenced in popular culture, such as in the TV show "Person of
> Interest," where a character quotes the epigram in an episode about the
> dangers of artificial intelligence.