Building a Better Software Muse?

I've long been interested in the notion of writing a software program that could, well... write! (Or, at least creatively translate). As philosophers and scientists have often said, there's little originality in most artwork nowadays, anyway. Not to mention Internet search engine Google's outstanding initiative that will digitize most of the world's great literature; they claim their worthy goal is information access for all- we'll see if that doesn't come with a price tag of some sort attached, be it "well-placed" ads or an eventual subscription price.

Imagine... a program skims the 'googlized' library, perhaps randomly selecting combinations of plots and subplots, narrative lines and differing points of view. The end result is mechanized creativity- digital insight into a multitude of possibilities.

What if Nancy Drew had agreed to paint the white picket fence? Or Owen Meaney- what if he'd been a pacifist? You take Carolyn Keane, add a dash of Mark Twain and a pinch of John Irving for spice. Isn't that what authors do, anyway?

As technology evolves at an ever-increasing pace, software companies continue to tout their wares as pivotal to the overall flexibility of a quality machine. A successful sales pitch always includes the words "all-in-one." It is in that spirit that some have wondered when 'human simulated' creativity will enter the OS mix. Can a machine learn original thought when we, ourselves, have essentially become parrots of earlier generations? Smack me if I am being too harsh here...

I've had my moments, after writing what I consider to be a beautiful passage, when I wonder if it was truly my handiwork. A subconscious theft? A barely audible case of deja vu? Whatever it was (even if it was just my muse shrieking by, on the lookout for someone with better hearing) I find it hard to believe the breathtaking pace of machine advancement can continue. Get ready for it- here comes the queen of all hackneyed expressions...

We've still so much to learn about the inner-workings of the human mind; how on earth will we explain it all to our machines?

So, for the busy professional, multi-tasking will continue. As for machinery, a tide of flexibility will surge across the landscape, no doubt improving everything in its path. But brief epiphanies will remain elusive. At least until Bill Gates digitizes my muse.

file it under: all booted up with no place to go.