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 ]
Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham and Dakota Fanning are among a handful of celebrities who will be reading various chapters of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone” exclusively on Spotify. The move underscores the streaming giant's efforts to invade all things digital audio. Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2020-05-05 18:54:51 UTC ]
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Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham and Dakota Fanning are among a handful of celebrities who will be reading various chapters of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone” exclusively on Spotify. Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2020-05-05 18:54:51 UTC ]
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David Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Eddie Redmayne and "Harry Potter" himself, Daniel Radcliffe, have all signed on to read chapters of "The Sorcerer's Stone." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-05-05 18:07:58 UTC ]
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Daniel Radcliffe will lead an all-star read-along of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-05 17:46:56 UTC ]
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The stars are coming out to bring the first Harry Potter novel to life in a new way. There have been audiobooks of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Philosopher's Stone, and (of course) a movie based on it, but this time around, big names are reading t... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-05-05 16:59:45 UTC ]
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Stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, and Eddie Redmayne are recording videos of themselves reading the first Harry Potter book in the latest addition to Harry Potter at Home. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-05 15:10:11 UTC ]
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Did you grow up with the Boy Who Lived? You can re-read the series or you can check out these books like Harry Potter for adults. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-29 10:32:45 UTC ]
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An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-24 10:30:04 UTC ]
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Our relationships with characters from books and screen – called parasocial relationships – serve many of the same functions as our friendships with real people, minus the infection risks. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2020-04-21 03:11:35 UTC ]
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Answer eleven questions about the Harry Potter books and the wizarding world to discover which of the Hogwarts Professors you are most like. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-16 10:34:27 UTC ]
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An updating list of online treats from bibliophiles including JK Rowling, Simon Armitage and Lynda La Plante to entertain locked-down children and adults • The best arts and entertainment during self-isolationGruffalo artist Axel Scheffler has put out a free new picture book explaining the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-09 11:04:32 UTC ]
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Though Harry Potter might be one of the most easily recognizable books about magic schools, there are many books that go beyond Hogwarts. Find them here. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-02 10:36:55 UTC ]
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Wizarding World of Harry Potter introduces Harry Potter at Home, a new collection of free resources for readers and educators. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-01 17:06:24 UTC ]
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J K Rowling and her Wizarding World partners have announced three new initiatives under the banner Harry Potter At Home, to help children, parents, carers and teachers who are at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-01 16:21:07 UTC ]
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The real world isn’t looking so great right now, so here’s another option: escape into the Harry Potter universe for a bit with Harry Potter at Home, a digital hub for kids. Hosted at WizardingWorld.com, Harry Potter at Home has craft videos, articles, games, and more ways to engage Harry Potter... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-01 15:30:29 UTC ]
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Harry Potter at Home aims to be a new hub for parents and teachers in need of content to keep kids learning and entertained. J. K. Rowling is supplying a welcome dose of magic during the COVID-19 pandemic with Harry Potter at Home.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-04-01 14:20:14 UTC ]
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Feeling a little copped up and bored? Good news: The Harry Potter Alliance is hosting a virtual con today through Saturday, April 4th! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-23 18:14:12 UTC ]
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An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-15 10:30:40 UTC ]
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Do you consider yourself a hard-core Potterhead? Did you defy your Veron Dursley-esque stepfather by joining the college Quidditch team? Did a rough breakup prompt an ill-advised dalliance with Snapism? Is your work commute enlivened by the dulcet tones of the weekly MuggleCast? Have you inked a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-11 17:04:10 UTC ]
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Wild electoral swings and global public-health crises come at you fast. Two weeks ago, Bernie Sanders was in the driving seat of the Democratic primary, and the coronavirus—while certainly of growing concern—had yet to cause a death in the US; when seven Democratic presidential candidates (all... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-03-11 12:06:48 UTC ]
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