7.3 Summary

This chapter has described simple ways to produce very realistic texts by using a system of rules defined by a human. There is no reason why complicated grammars can't hide large volumes of data in seemingly human babble. This babble could be posted to some Internet news-group, and it would be hard to tell the difference between this and the random flames and cascading comments that float through the linguistic ether.

There are still other levels of abstraction that are possible. MUDs (Multiple-User Dungeons) allow users to meet up in a text-based world defined and built up by textual architects. It is possible to meet people in MUD rooms and hold conversations in the same way that you might ordinarily talk. Some MUDs now sport computer programs that pretend to be human in the spirit of the great Eliza [Wei76]. These programs use complicated grammars to guide the response of the computer. There is no reason why the random choices that might be made by this computer can't be converted to holding data.

Here's an extreme example. You want to set up a conversation with a friend across the country. Ordinarily, you might use the basic talk protocol to set up a text-based link. Or you might use one of the Internet phone programs to exchange sound. In either case, the bits you're exchanging could be monitored.

The sun's a thief, and with his great attraction Robs the vast sea: the moon's an arrant thief, And her...