32.13 An Absurd Amusement

If you have time to waste (and I mean really waste), Emacs has things to keep you occupied. There are lots of interesting special effects, like "disassociated text." My favorite is a command called "psychoanalyze-pinhead." It's based on "doctor," which is a variation of the classic artificial intelligence demonstration called "Eliza": the computer plays psychotherapist, asks you questions, you reply, and your answers are the basis for new questions. Nothing new, really; I remember it from my high school days, in the early '70s. If you think you might be in need of a psychotherapist, save your money and try ESC x doctor RETURN.

If you want to see something really interesting, try ESC x psychoanalyze-pinhead. This takes the built-in "doctor" program and feeds it with quotations from the cult comic strip Zippy the Pinhead. The result is indeed bizarre. Here's some typical output:

I am the psychotherapist.  Please, describe your problems.  Each time
you are finished talking, type RET twice.

YOU PICKED KARL MALDEN'S NOSE!!

Why do you say I picked karl malden's nose?

Am I SHOPLIFTING?

Is it because of your plans that you say are you shoplifting?

Are you selling NYLON OIL WELLS??  If so, we can use TWO DOZEN!!

Press CTRL-c when you've had enough.