When the U.K. newspaper the Sunday Times outed J.K. Rowling as the author of detective novel The Cuckoo's Calling earlier this year, computer scientists were among the first people called in. Although the novel was published under the pen name Robert Galbraith, two computational scholars––including Duquesne University's Patrick Juola––were tasked with confirming or denying whether the novel belonged to the Harry Potter author, or one of three other possible writers. That Juola succeeded (his conclusions were later confirmed by Rowling herself) speaks volume about the the potential that algorithms and computer science can have, even with application to a field as notoriously subjective as literature. Which raises an interesting question: Can we use software to help us think about literature? Reverse Engineering J.K. Rowling To explore that question, we should first look at how the Juola cracked Rowling's writing style. To begin the process, Juola loaded 1,000–word samples of The Cuckoo's Calling in to his self–designed Java Graphical Authorship Attribution Program (JGAAP), along with several other texts, including The Casual Vacancy, Rowling's first post–Harry Potter novel. A freely available Java–based, modular program for textual analysis, categorization, and authorship attribution, JGAAP analyzed the texts on four different variables: word–length distribution, the use of common words like "the" and "of," recurring–word pairings, and the distribution of "character... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
The year’s autobiography big-hitters haven’t sold as well as expected, with buyers disenchanted by pricing and lack of feelgood topicsFrom actors and musicians to athletes and presenters, there are no shortage of celebrity memoirs on bookshop shelves. This year has seen new books published by a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-12-09 10:52:17 UTC ]
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The first time I felt possessed by a fantasy series, I was fifteen. It was 2004, and from my family’s small computer room, I spent the after-dinner hours in a web forum devoted to NC-17 Harry Potter fanfiction. This was the same room where my brother had constructed a secret liquor cabinet from... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-11-01 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Colleen Hoover has the #1 book in the country – and so much more – with 'It Starts with Us.' Plus new celeb memoirs include two by Harry Potter movie alums, and Jen Hatmaker and Phil Rosenthal each feed readers' need for new cookbooks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In his memoir 'Beyond the Wand,' Tom Felton shares behind-the-scenes tales from the 'Harry Potter' franchise and chronicles his struggle with alcohol. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-10-18 20:19:47 UTC ]
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The actor, known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise and Fitz in the series Cracker, has died aged 72. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2022-10-14 18:09:44 UTC ]
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Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, who played a forensic psychologist on the TV series Cracker and Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, has died. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2022-10-14 17:36:32 UTC ]
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From early comedy in Tutti Frutti to damaged psychologist Fitz, via Hagrid, Falstaff, Blackadder and finally National Treasure’s complex, hard-to-hate lead, Coltrane – who has died aged 72 – was a one-off“You’re a wizard, Harry!”For an entire generation all over the world, this was the key... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-14 17:08:39 UTC ]
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I wasn’t sure Marvel could shoehorn its characters and stories anywhere else, beyond all the movies, TV shows, games and toys, but now it wants you thinking about those heroes wherever you go. It’s teamed up with Pokémon Go developer Niantic to create an augmented reality mobile game launching... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-09-12 11:15:39 UTC ]
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PlayStation’s game-streaming scheme, at its top tier, is now competing directly with Xbox Game Pass, the service that proved the concept by earning 25 million-plus subscribers over the past five years. It’s now been over a month since PlayStation Plus Premium went live, offering similar cloud... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-08-15 11:15:56 UTC ]
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Three of the sport’s governing bodies recently announced that they’re officially changing the name to “quadball,” both out of trademark concerns and a desire to distance themselves from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling in light of her... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2022-08-13 08:00:00 UTC ]
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Try as it might, Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software can't magically make its creation arrive any sooner. In fact, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has once again delayed the game, which at least now has a firm release date. It will hit PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-08-12 18:52:47 UTC ]
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Fifteen years ago, we reported on the publication of the final installment in J.K. Rowling’s megaselling Harry Potter series, which sold 8.3 million copies in the first day after its release. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Quidditch, a sport invented by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, is rebranding as “quadball” amid controversy over the author’s comments. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-20 13:42:04 UTC ]
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People who turned to books during Covid lockdowns continuing to buy them, company saysBloomsbury has reported a record year for sales, as the Harry Potter publisher said the increase in reading during the pandemic had become “permanent” after lockdowns eased.The company benefited substantially... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-06-15 08:09:40 UTC ]
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Welcome to Ad Age’s NewFronts 2022 newsletter. We’ll be sharing a daily roundup of events, interviews and sessions from IAB. You can sign up here to get updates delivered to your inbox.Amy Poehler’s Twitch tutorial Comedian Amy Poehler helped Amazon’s pitch to media buyers on Monday, at the... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2022-05-03 23:15:06 UTC ]
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The ‘fascinating insight into what was to become an iconic work’ is the only known surviving copy of its kind and is to be auctioned along with a first edition signed by RowlingA prepublication version of the first Harry Potter book by JK Rowling is expected to fetch at least £20,000 when it is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-04-26 09:29:11 UTC ]
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Viewers have long complained about the early HBO Max app’s tendency to crash, and its lack of discoverability features. There have been a number of overhauls and fixes since then. Now we know why. Turns out that HBO Max launched its apps before they were ready in order to keep up with its... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-04-14 23:32:58 UTC ]
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Read on for news about DK's 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' encyclopedia, Random House's picture book with Ellen DeGeneres, new Harry Potter publishing from Insight Editions, lucha libre books from Future House and Masked Republic, a Spawn trade publishing program, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Hogwarts Legacy will arrive on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles in holiday 2022. Hogwarts Legacy was announced in late 2020 and it was originally due to come out in 2021, but was later delayed to 2022. The "holiday" timeframe is one step closer to an actual release... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-03-17 21:18:58 UTC ]
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With help from machine learning software, computer scientists may have unmasked the identity of Q, the founder of the QAnon movement. In a sprawling report published on Saturday, The New York Times shared the findings of two independent teams of forensic linguists who claim they’ve identified... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-02-19 20:56:18 UTC ]
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