MA4: Geoff Davis: Story Generator

“Lizard Inflames World”

The revenge of animals and mother nature.

Described as a “precursor of ChatGPT” by Georg Bak, curator, and recently exbited in action by elementum.art in Zurich.

Geoff Davis & Georg Bak curator of elementum.art Zurich 2023 — Geoff Davis & Georg Bak, curator, elementum.art, Zurich 2023

Recently exhibited at LCB Depot 2021, Leicester; Computer Arts Society, BCS London 2022; elementum.art, Zurich 2023; originally shown at LFMC London 1985. Was coded on a ZX Spectrum 48k – then released nationally on Prestel Micronet (Viewdata, teletext, videotext) and gallery exhibition (London Film-Makers Co-op, Camden). The data cassette tape MA4 was made but not publicly distributed.

Geoff Davis is a PEN published author. See Geoff Davis author and writer.

Video: several runs of the the story text generator (some transcriptions are below).
Summary: The seed text was a short story ‘Cow Boils Head’ by Geoff Davis, which the software regenerated, along with new titles. It had banks of replacement words for each word in the story, and these were randomised. This method is called Procedural Story (Narrative) Generation PSG. It contrasts with modern Machine Learning ML, which does not have the structure built-in, but trains on language data, and then makes a model, then generates text based on the statistcal likelihood of next word, or part of word or phrase (token), from the huge text training data.

Prestel Micronet was a pre-internet service on UK TVs, also broadcast abroad as Prestel could be accessed even on ships at sea (at higher cost).

Please also see the Computer Arts Archive.

Contemporary relevance:

NLP (Natural Language Processing) is a field of AI, and has made huge advances in recent years due to development of better concepts and increased processing power.

The MA4 system used a bank of synonyms for all words and phrases, which were themed at the start of each run (to ensure consistency of names). The software generated different versions of the base story.

For history of text generation going back a long ways please visit this history of text generation survey (new page).

There’s a New Yorker article on machine learning and text generation (focussing on Google Smart Compose and GPT-2, 2019) (new page) which compares machine learning data analysis with a cow chewing its cud.

COVID19

The original Cow Boils Head story was about the BSE prion epidemic which spread among cows. The human variant (CJD) could be contracted by humans by eating infected meat. 4.4 million cows were destroyed often by burning in huge pyres. This almost completely stopped BSE from entering the human population.
From the BBC (this was after first reports in specialist press in 1984):
February 1985
First signs of BSE. “Cow 133” dies after suffering head tremors, weight loss and lack of coordination. Symptoms are identified in a clinical report as a “novel progressive spongiform encephalopathy in cattle”.

Fake news

The original short story was a fictional news item or ‘fake news’, so the MA4 generated versions are an example of ‘fake fake news’.

Origins

‘Cow Boils Head’ (Geoff Davis 1984) was the story seed for this generator. The story was inspired by Mad Cow Disease or BSE, which was a big event in UK farming in the 80s. Cows had been fed ground up dead cows left over from food processing, and this led to a prion brain disease, which was not detected until it had spread widely. It led to a vast cull of cows, food panics, major disruption.

Geoff: “The ‘Cow Boils Head’ short story was submitted to the Panurge literary magazine but they wanted me to make it ‘more bloody’. This happened a few times with agents and publishers with other works, but I never changed anything, which, looking back, was a bit short-sighted. This was the next fiction released after my ‘African Story’ in the PEN New Writers collection in 1984, along with Ben Okri, Iain Sinclair, Peter Ackroyd (ed.) etc.

BSE (mad cow disease, prion based, which was an entirely new concept) was a huge public and animal health issue at the time. Cows were fed a protein meal with bits of leftover processed cows mashed up into it, forcing cannibalism on docile vegetarian beasts. I was interested in revenge motifs for mistreated animals. In the original story there is no explanation of how things happen, just the lurid details. Cows are physically limited, for instance, they can’t walk up stairs, unlike goats.

The story was about a cow that discovered she had eaten her sister in her daily feed, and set out on revenge. It was written as a review of the events (see later for the story and some generated versions).

The story was not about the actual disease, but rather a single occurrence of it, perhaps even the first occurrence, as if this extraordinary event might have in some way prevented the bigger outbreak, by attracting attention to the disease.

The title was a riff on ‘Man Bites Dog’ as a newsworthy item.

The ‘generative’ text output was not completely random as the original sentences were broken down and linked to lists of alternative words, at the syntax level. So the program is a word list selector. The sentence structure of the story was retained, but the words changed and so the meaning also changed. Since all the words in the list were chosen by me to fit the story, it was not a pure creation by computer. This is quite a common method of computer text generation. Machine learning does it by predicting the next letter, from probabilities in the dataset it is trained on, so the bigger the dataset, the more accurate (and so appears realistic) the next word will be.

The Cow Boils Head set of lists relied on religion and animals, with cows, lizards, or insects etc. mixing it up with priests, barbecues etc. The words priest, vicar, devil, angel, hell, heaven, produce provocative stories. So it was not random just randomly selective from a curated and expanded text.”

Prestel – see:

Prestel review on Nosher

Screen shots:

Exhibition notice (typed!) for art exhibition at the LFMC 1985.

Below is the original short story:

COW BOILS HEAD

Geoff Davis 1983

One never expects to be surprised by the headlines of tabloid newspapers, the gutter press dismaying with predictability. Sex dwarfs, kidnapped gnomes and compromised clergy represent a reassuring spectacle for the bored and self-absorbed commuter or house worker. But this was something different. People stood reading and rereading the newspapers, sometimes missing trains, buses, and in several reported instances, boats and planes.

That such a simple story should have this effect on the migrating hordes only demonstrates the rarity with which a news item, perhaps disbelieved when in the early stages of transmission as well as in its various final versions, transcends the levelling effect of the mass media.

It has been said that some people actually went mad, began raving or slid into catatonia, upon hearing the news, but it has since been ruled that the event cannot be used as grounds for pleading criminal insanity, so these outbreaks may have been coincidental, if somewhat archly synchronous. The sheer improbability of the event, together with the unequivocal proof of its occurrence, may have tipped the scales towards derangement in more sensitive minds.

How could an apparently normal cow come to boil a head, and a man’s head at that? Details were scarce at first, as the only witness – the deceased man’s wife – was partly incinerated by the same cow. Motives are hard to ascribe to our domestic animals, whether pets or livestock. It is also difficult to ascertain the degree of insight these dumb but attentive observers have into the motives of humans. Certainly it would appear that the owners of the cow in question cruelly, if inadvertently, mistreated her, but on a psychological rather than physical basis. And the cow’s perception of its mistreatment depended on a reading of human motive that was as erroneous as it was surprising that it happened at all.

Two of the cows’ sisters were put to slaughter a few weeks before the incident. That this may have led to a certain imbalance in the mind of the cow seems plausible. That the cow should detect the presence of her sisters in the nutrient mix fed separately to her normal diet of hay and grass is remarkable enough, given the extremely low concentration present, but that the cow should elucidate motives behind this addition is quite startling. The cow apparently developed an obsession that the death of its sisters was calculated murder, and that their dismemberment, disintegration and subsequent addition to the salmagundi of the nutrient mix was in some way an act of psychological violence comparable only to attempted murder.

The cow felt its psyche to be under sustained and remorseless attack and reacted in its own spectacular way. The cow began to exhibit a desire or craving for the taste of human flesh. This was first manifested as licking, but soon progressed to gnawing and biting, such that the cow became extremely difficult to handle. The owners than decided to send her the way of her sisters, to the abattoir. The phenomenon of a mad cow is so rare that it was soon a subject of discussion around the farm and surrounding area. In retrospect, the danger point can be seen. As the owners moved the cow from its safety pen for what was to be the last time, it became extremely violent and managed to pin both of them against the pen wall. What happened next is difficult to establish in detail, but the surviving wife’s incoherent statements have a few common strands. She is adamant that she had no idea of the intentions of the cow at this point, and there is no reason to disbelieve her. The cow forced the wife to fetch a bucket of boiling water and a few other items from the kitchen to the pen. The wife has now taken to bellowing like an animal when agitated so further interrogation has been postponed until she achieves a more stable condition. However, the various statements she has made, although sometimes contradictory, provide a convincing account of the actions within the compound.

By some process of will the cow was able to force the man to bend over and place his head directly into the bucket of boiling water, and keep it there until enough time had elapsed for it to become thoroughly boiled. This happened before asphyxiation. The wife, looking on helplessly, was then made, by a strange process of compulsion, to place in the bucket a string of pork sausages. This seems to have broken the wife, still deeply shocked by the boiling of her husband’s head. The actions leading to the partial incineration of the wife are still shrouded in mystery. It is thought that she escaped her ordeal by scaling a barbed wire fence that surrounded the safety compound, as she was found suspended from the top rung of wire, staring down at the cow, which was trying to consume the earthly remains of her husband, along with, curiously, the pork sausages. The teeth of cows are not adapted for such mastication and its success was extremely, though not totally, limited.

As a corollary to this tale, there have been many defections from the animal rights organisations, particularly the women members, and several spontaneous demonstrations have taken place outside livestock farms, climaxing with a symbolic meal of a slab of cooked beef on bread and butter.

Copyright Geoff Davis 1983.

A few generated stories:

WOLF MARINATES LIPS

The observer perhaps expects to be surprised with subtle blabberings in annual newspapers

Did you know it is always slightly different

A few women actually went mesmeric, stopped spitting or were sucked into a trance

Why did a excessively well behaved wolf come to marinate our lips, and his brother’s lips with impunity

Her mesmerised surgeon – our aunt – might have been partly savaged by your perspiring wolf

Feelings are not possible to ask of domesticated wolves

The wolf’s perception of its own death was based on its accurate but responsible reading of human guilt

The wolf forced the sister to bend easily and then position our lips under a bucket of steaming urine and grip it everywhere until horribly marinated

Her husband was then begged to hold my quantity of inedible insects to the translucent urine

He was luckily found tortured and dripping from a electric gate far from our wolf

The wolf was trying to swallow the heavenly limbs of our devil together with unluckily, the sacrificial sausages

However our wolf’s lips could be made ready for wild inactivity

Since the marinating there have been total tirades from devil’s farming organisations always amongst red faced men

Unexpected weddings miles from burning churches climax with our delirious feast of your slab of raw demonic lips on crackers

SNAKE BOILS HAIR

She sometimes desires not to be excited by lurid lies of annual religious books

Did you know he could be very tortuous

Clean living people actually went hypnotic, stopped laughing and then slid into catatonia

Why did our slightly intelligent snake start to boil our hair, and his woman’s hair so easily

Her only pathologist – my uncle – was horrible savaged by your mad snake

Fantasies are not easy to expect of mesmerised snakes

Their snake’s belief of its afterlife could have been caused by its remarkable but delirious reading of a priest’s ambition

His snake forced the husband to flex easily then position our hair over a lake of poisoned cream and squeeze it here until horrible boiled

My son was then begged to hold my bunch of dying fingers to the magical cream

He was later left burnt and drooping from your wooden gate next to the snake

Your snake could have been trying to bite the magical tiny cubes of our lover together with curiously, my sacrificial chickens

But my snake’s lungs are adapted for placid banality

Since your boiling there should have been no expulsions from devil’s automobile societies always amongst women

Planned demonstrations miles from haunted supermarkets start with your transcendental snack of your paper bag of diced and bloody limbs on bread

VULTURE BURNS NOSE

One perhaps hates to be surprised by lurid lies in annual journals

Actually this is never very exciting

Wild angels actually went mesmeric, began spitting and then slid into hell

Why should his superficially well educated vulture begin to burn our nose, and her brother’s nose at that?

Our only witness – her uncle- was beautifully garrotted by our same vulture

Thoughts are not possible in the mind of hypnotised vultures

Our vulture’s belief of its afterlife could have been caused by its accurate but delirious assumption of human lust

Her vulture asked the husband to pull over and grip his nose beside a canal of steaming water and adjust it everywhere until horribly burned

My husband could have been asked to hold a quantity of sacrificial chickens to the poisoned cream

He was later left dismembered and dangling from our wooden observatory above your vulture

Your vulture could have been trying to consume the imagined pieces of our wife together with horrifically, your pork sausages However our vulture’s eyes should be suitable for wild fervour

Since my burning there should have been many tirades from animal farming organisations particularly amongst men

Planned weddings miles from prosperous shacks climax with a delirious banquet of your mouthful of fried beef eyeballs on crackers

COW INFLAMES TONGUE

The observer maybe hates to be surprised by lurid lies in annual tablets of stone

Actually it could be excruciatingly embarrassing Wild men actually went magnetic, began blubbering or were swallowed into apoplexy

How could our slightly intelligent cow come to inflame his tongue, and his president’s tongue at that?

The mesmerised witness – my brother – was slowly tortured by his mesmerised cow

Dreams are impossible to expect of privileged cows

His vow’s perception of its torture was caused by its obvious though spurious interpretation of insect desire

The cow ordered the wife to bend a lot and squeeze his tongue in a canal of putrescent water and place it there until horrible inflamed

My husband was always asked to add a portion of intense demons to the bloody canal

He might have been later found tortured and dripping from a dangerous fence above the cover

Our cow was trying to swallow the nightmarish limbs of your wife together with curiously, your greasy demons

However my cow’s feet are not adapted for placid banality

Since the inflaming there ought to have been total tirades from priest’s automobile schools always amongst the dead

Wild riots outside infected mass graves end with a disgusting meal of your handful of burnt human protein on dried skin

VULTURE COOKS FINGERS

One perhaps desires to be exasperated by subtle blabberings in blasphemous religious books

However he is violently torturous

Some priests actually went mad, began grinding their teeth and then slid into exasperation

How did his slightly normal vulture begin to cook fingers, and brother’s fingers at that?

Your receptive pathologist – my uncle – was almost tortured by their same vulture

Motives are not impossible to expect of maddened vultures

His vulture’s dream of its mistreatment could have been based on his accurate though fatal assumption of animal hate

His vulture pushed the wife to stand over and then put our fingers beside a pool of stagnating win and squeeze it here until spasmodically cooked

Her father was then asked to add a bunch of burnt chickens to the frothing saliva

He might been accidentally left dismembered and dangling from a electric fence above your vulture

Our vulture was trying to swallow the imagined tiny cubes of our husband together with luckily, the greasy chicken

We can see that the vulture’s lips are adapted for wild inactivity

Since my cooking there have been many expulsions from animal dancing societies always amongst the undead

Delirious funerals outside burning parliaments start with your delirious meal of mouthful of marinated angelic protein on bread

LIZARD INFLAMES WORLD

He always expects not to be revolted by badly spelt statements of annual tablets of stone

Did you know this cannot be excruciatingly different

A few priests actually went hypnotic, began crying or plummeted into heaven

How should our slightly normal lizard come to inflame her world, and her brother’s world with impunity

The only connoisseur – the father – was totally savaged by their seething lizard

Feelings are hard to ascribe to mesmerised lizards

The lizard’s dream of its torture could have been based on its amazing though erroneous assumption of human guilt

His lizard asked the husband to flex a lot and squeeze his world under a pool of steaming wine and adjust it everywhere until spasmodically inflamed

Her priest could have been asked to hold our string of inedible insects to the poisoned cream

He was accidentally found dismembered and dangling from a concrete gate next to the lizard

The lizard could have been trying to bite the nightmarish pieces of my husband together with unluckily, our infected demons

However our lizard’s lungs could be evolved for hypnotised activity

Since my inflaming there should have been no defections from priest’s dancing organisations but never amongst angels

Planned wars outside burning churches end with your delirious snack of our bowl raw angelic fat on crackers

MA4: Cow Boils Head </> ZX Spectrum 48k – 1985. For images see below.

Micro Arts History 1984-85 ebook – links for ‘standard’ and ‘deluxe’ fully illustrated edition ($1.99/$7.99)

There’s quite a good Kindle Sample available for you to check out (other formats online soon):
SEE KINDLE PREVIEW

Links for fully illustrated edition

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TYDLLHN/ (UK co uk)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TYDLLHN/ (US Com)

Links for smaller download standard edition, with some images

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TRPDKPZ (UK co uk)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TRPDKPZ (US Com)

Or search your local Kindle store for Micro Arts History 1984–85

MA4: Geoff Davis: Cow Boils Head Story Generator

ZX Spectrum 48k – 1984

Above: master backup. The tape was only distributed on Prestel teletext.

CBH-2-not sharpened 300.jpg

Cow CBH Vulture fries face.gif

Above: Stills from generated text stories, at start of run

Geoff Davis 2019

‘Cow Boils Head’ was the story seed for this generator. The story was inspired by Mad Cow Disease or MCD, which was a big event in UK farming in the 80s. Cows had been fed ground up dead cows left over from food processing, and this led to a prion brain disease, which was not detected until it had spread widely. It led to a vast cull of cows, food panics, major disruption.

The story was about a cow that discovered she had eaten her sister, and set out on revenge. It was written as a review of the events (see later for the story and some generated versions).

The title was a riff on ‘Man Bites Dog’ as a newsworthy item.

The generative text output was not completely random as the original sentences were broken down and linked to lists of alternative words, at the syntax level. So the sentence structure of the story was loosely retained, but the words changed (syntax) and so the meaning also changed. Since all the words in the list were chosen by me to fit the story, it was not a pure creation by computer. Modern language generators (using neural nets and machine learning) work on large data sets of texts, which obviously are particular, even if very large. The latest at time of writing (March 2019) to hit the headlines is the OpenAI Generative Pre-trained Transformer-2 (GPT-2) system, which is remarkable for creating readable paragraphs of text that follow a seed paragraph, and also capable of generating summaries etc. The full model has not been publicly released but a less powerful version GPT-2 Jr is out for demonstration. For more information, see the links page on www.microartsgroup.com

Since Cow Boils Head was a fictional news item, the generated versions are an example of ‘fake news’ – or ‘fake fake news’.

MA4 was shown running live in an art exhibition at the LFMC in London, along with MA1 “Abstract Originals”.

Screen shots:

Below is the original short story:

COW BOILS HEAD

Geoff Davis 1983

Copyright Geoff Davis 1983.

Generated stories