For fans of computers and comedy alike, an accessible and entertaining look into how we can use artificial intelligence to make smart machines funny. Most robots and smart devices are not known for their joke-telling abilities. And yet, as computer scientist Tony Veale explains in Your Wit Is My Command, machines are not inherently unfunny; they are just programmed that way. By examining the mechanisms of humor and jokes--how jokes actually works--Veale shows that computers can be built with a sense of humor, capable not only of producing a joke but also of appreciating one. Along the way, he explores the humor-generating capacities of fictional robots ranging from B-9 in Lost in Space to TARS in Interstellar, maps out possible scenarios for developing witty robots, and investigates such aspects of humor as puns, sarcasm, and offensiveness. In order for robots to be funny, Veale explains, we need to analyze humor computationally. Using artificial intelligence (AI), Veale shows that joke generation is a knowledge-based process--a sense of humor is blend of wit and wisdom. He notes that existing technologies can detect sarcasm in conversation, and explains how some jokes can be pre-scripted while others are generated algorithmically--all while making the technical aspects of AI accessible for the general reader. Of course, there's no single algorithm or technology that we can plug in to make our virtual assistants or GPS voice navigation funny, but Veale provides a computational roadmap for how we might get there.

"For every soul there is one true mate." So says Sebastien Valentin, a former privateer destined to spend eternity bringing soul mates together. Hexed by a voodoo priestess nearly two centuries ago, he is summoned by anyone who unsheathes the Sword of Hearts.... Former powerboat racing champion Jamie Sullivan has seen enough of the world that she doesn't believe in happy endings. And she certainly doesn't believe in the costumed pirate who appears after she draws the antique sword she discovers in her attic—or his claim that he will match three people with their soul mates. And the third will be Jamie herself... .A notorious rake whose resistance to love sealed his fate, Sebastien has a surprising gift for pairing lovers for a lifetime. He introduces Jamie's two closest friends to the happiness only true love brings. But when it comes time to find a union for the unique spirit he has discovered in Jamie Sullivan, Sebastien cannot imagine this fiery woman with anyone ... but himself. Can he break the curse that binds him? Or will he at long last lose his heart ... only to lose the woman he loves?

Novice programming comes of age / David Canfield Smith, Allen Cypher, Larry Tesler -- Generalizing by removing detail : how any program can be created by working with examples / Ken Kahn -- Demonstrational interfaces : sometimes you need a little intelligence, sometimes you need a lot / Brad A. Myers, Richard McDaniel -- Web browsing by example / Atsushi Sugiura -- Trainable information agents for the Web / Mathias Bauer, Dietmar Dengler, Gabriele Paul -- End users and GIS : a demonstration is worth a thousand words / Carol Traynor, Marian G. Williams -- Bringing programming by demonstration to CAD users / Patrick Girard -- Demonstrating the hidden features that make an application work / Richard McDaniel -- A reporting tool using programming by example for format designation / Tetsuya Masuishi, Nobuo Takahashi -- Composition by example / Toshiyuki Masui -- Learning repetitive text-editing procedures with SMARTedit / Tessa Lau ... [et al.] -- Training agents to recognize text by exampl ...

This is a classic modern day romance story involving a woman and her 'genie'.

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