{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/4532",
    "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it.  Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 4532,
    "subject": "\"The Computer Iterates the Greater Trumps\" and Swedish cover",
    "messages": 3,
    "voices": 3,
    "first": "2006-02-14T18:52:49+00:00",
    "last": "2006-02-17T04:10:49+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<43F22701.8050900@gmail.com>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Jesper Svedberg",
        "address": "jsvedberg at gmail.com"
      },
      "date": "2006-02-14T18:52:49+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) \"The Computer Iterates the Greater Trumps\" and Swedish cover",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "I just found out that one can now read Gene Wolfe's Rhysling Award \nwinning poem \"The Computer Iterates the Greater Trumps\" online at:\nhttp://www.strangehorizons.com/2006/20060213/1wolfe-computer-p.shtml\n\nHope it's of interest.\n\n\n   // Jesper"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<a06230902c017f943f053@[209.157.132.35]>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Dan Rabin",
        "address": "wolfe-lists at danrabin.com"
      },
      "date": "2006-02-14T21:30:28+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) \"The Computer Iterates the Greater Trumps\" and Swedish\n cover",
      "in_reply_to": "<43F22701.8050900@gmail.com>",
      "reply_link": "header",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Jesper Svedberg points us to \"The Computer Iterates the Greater \nTrumps\", and says,"
        },
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "Hope it's of interest."
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Very much so!\n\nI particularly note that, despite Wolfe's reported claims of \nignorance of computers, the notation in the poem is close enough to \nthe classic FORTRAN programming language to have been written by \nsomeone acquainted with the language.\n\nThe statement\n\nDo 1969 I = 1, 22\n\nwould mean to repeat all the statements up to the one labeled 1969 \nwith the variable I ranging from 1 to 22.  There is a label \"1969\" at \nthe end of the poem.\n\nI take the printing of the variable name as the digit \"1\" to be a \nmisprint--the use of \"I\" as a count variable is a *very* strong \nconvention in FORTRAN.\n\nDEMENSION Trumps(21) is a play on the FORTRAN statement\n\nDIMENSION Trumps(21), which declares an array Trumps having 21 elements.\n\nThe variable N is set to 22 - I on each iteration, so it counts down \nfrom 21 to 0.\n\nIndeed, when N reaches 0, an error is reported, corresponding to the \nunnumbered Tarot Greater Arcana card \"The Fool\".\n\nThe poem conflates the description of the iteration with the report \nof its execution, and also identifies the array variables named \n\"Trump\" and \"Trumps\" in accordance with the syntax of English (but \nnot of FORTRAN).  That's OK--it's a *poem*.\n\nAnother minor nit is that, since the array name \"Trumps\" begins with \na letter other than I, J, K, L, M, or N, its contents would be \nassumed to be floating-point numbers, but Wolfe flashes his official \npoetic license at the computer-room door to have the elements come \nout as English verse.\n\nI conjecture that Wolfe's remarks about computer ignorance may apply \nto use of the recent personal systems as very general tools, and that \nhe was actually acquainted with FORTRAN programming in the early \n1960's in the course of his engineering practice.\n\n   -- Dan Rabin"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<6F8B5545-0F1E-433D-B813-A0F9B14BA431@gmail.com>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Transentient",
        "address": "transentient at gmail.com"
      },
      "date": "2006-02-17T04:10:49+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) \"The Computer Iterates the Greater Trumps\" and Swedish\n\tcover",
      "in_reply_to": "<43F22701.8050900@gmail.com>",
      "reply_link": "header",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "quote",
          "depth": 1,
          "text": "On Feb 14, 2006, at 1:52 PM, Jesper Svedberg wrote:\nI just found out that one can now read Gene Wolfe's Rhysling Award\nwinning poem \"The Computer Iterates the Greater Trumps\" online at:\nhttp://www.strangehorizons.com/2006/20060213/1wolfe-computer-p.shtml\n\nHope it's of interest."
        },
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Thanks!\n\nIt was neat to see Wolfe invoke 23, also. "
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}