Automatic Complaint-Letter Generator
Encyclopedia
The Automatic Complaint-Letter Generator is a website
that automatically generates complaint
letters. The website was created by Scott Pakin in 1994.
It allows users to submit the name of the individual or company that the complaint is directed toward. The program
then generates a complaint letter that is "general enough to be true or fit anyone and everyone, yet specific enough to mean something".
at Carnegie Mellon University
, he began thinking of creating a program
that would generate complaint letters. The idea originated after he looked through "pointless ramblings" in a student newspaper
. Pakin criticized the letters' quality. One of his friends remarked that the letters sounded so arbitrary that a computer could have written them. Pakin pondered over this comment and decided to write a program that would generate complaints.
In 1995, the generator had "282 sentence skeletons, 170 independent clause
s, 183 adjective
s, and 123 noun
s". The combination of these elements can form more than one billion sentences. As of September 2009, the generator has expanded to 3379 independent clauses, 618 adjectives, and 497 nouns. The complaint letters are randomly generated, so each insult is different.
Pakin said that people who read the letters were inclined to pay attention to the sentences that were accurate about them but ignored the statements that were obviously wrong. He noted that the complaint generator is "general enough to be true or fit anyone and everyone, yet specific enough to mean something".
, the mayor of Austin, Texas. When a Toastmasters member asked Weyland about his speech, he went to the Automatic Complaint-Letter Generator and typed in the mayor's name. After the generator churned out a four-page complaint letter, Weyland accidentally email
ed it to the mayor, even though he meant to send it to his fellow Toastmaster member as a joke.
Watson learned about the joke and indicated that he would not be attending the club meeting because of "security issues". Then, his aide e-mailed Weyland and said the mayor was just joking. At the meeting, Weyland apologized to the mayor in a "fawning introductory speech". The mayor then responded: "[y]ou know, in Paul's rant, he accused me of having my lips planted to the posteriors of drug-addled sycophants. If you'll notice, Paul's lips have been attached to my posterior all evening."
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that automatically generates complaint
Complaint
In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons that the filing party or parties In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties In...
letters. The website was created by Scott Pakin in 1994.
It allows users to submit the name of the individual or company that the complaint is directed toward. The program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
then generates a complaint letter that is "general enough to be true or fit anyone and everyone, yet specific enough to mean something".
History
Scott Pakin started the website in April 1994. While he was an undergraduate student studying computer scienceComputer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, he began thinking of creating a program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
that would generate complaint letters. The idea originated after he looked through "pointless ramblings" in a student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
. Pakin criticized the letters' quality. One of his friends remarked that the letters sounded so arbitrary that a computer could have written them. Pakin pondered over this comment and decided to write a program that would generate complaints.
Usage
The website allows users to specify the name of the individual or company that the complaint is directed toward, as well as the number of paragraphs the complaint will be. After submitting the data, the computer generates sentences that are composed of arbitrary verbs, nouns, and adjectives.In 1995, the generator had "282 sentence skeletons, 170 independent clause
Independent clause
An independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself, also known as a simple sentence. An independent clause contains a subject and a predicate; it makes sense by itself....
s, 183 adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s, and 123 noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
s". The combination of these elements can form more than one billion sentences. As of September 2009, the generator has expanded to 3379 independent clauses, 618 adjectives, and 497 nouns. The complaint letters are randomly generated, so each insult is different.
Pakin said that people who read the letters were inclined to pay attention to the sentences that were accurate about them but ignored the statements that were obviously wrong. He noted that the complaint generator is "general enough to be true or fit anyone and everyone, yet specific enough to mean something".
2001 incident
In 2001, Paul Weyland was chosen by his Austin Toastmasters club to present Kirk WatsonKirk Watson
Kirk Watson is a Texas attorney and Democratic politician from Austin. He served as Austin mayor from 1997 to 2001. He ran unsuccessfully for Texas Attorney General in the 2002 election, defeated by the Republican Greg Abbott...
, the mayor of Austin, Texas. When a Toastmasters member asked Weyland about his speech, he went to the Automatic Complaint-Letter Generator and typed in the mayor's name. After the generator churned out a four-page complaint letter, Weyland accidentally email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
ed it to the mayor, even though he meant to send it to his fellow Toastmaster member as a joke.
Watson learned about the joke and indicated that he would not be attending the club meeting because of "security issues". Then, his aide e-mailed Weyland and said the mayor was just joking. At the meeting, Weyland apologized to the mayor in a "fawning introductory speech". The mayor then responded: "[y]ou know, in Paul's rant, he accused me of having my lips planted to the posteriors of drug-addled sycophants. If you'll notice, Paul's lips have been attached to my posterior all evening."