BOTNIK FAQ

this FAQ is a living document. if your question is missing, just ask Jamie (on the botnik slack as @jamie), Elle (@andronovhopf) or Joseph (@selfsame) and we'll try to answer it!

what is botnik?

botnik is a human-machine entertainment studio and writing community. we use computational tools to create strange new things. so far, there are 4 people in the company and about 200 in the community: a mix of engineers, comedy writers, musicians and others.

what is the predictive keyboard?

check out apps.botnik.org for an introduction to the keyboard and links to a tutorial. at the bottom of that page is a gallery of corpuses.

corpuses?

for botnik, corpus usually means a collected "body of text" that we use as source material for a generative tool. it could be anything from a collection of lyrics to a book to a massive data archive. the official plural of corpus is corpora. we prefer corpuses.

is money involved?

sometimes! we have no consistent revenue at the moment, but when paid opportunities arise, there will be clear terms. in some cases botnik is just an intermediary with the writer getting 100 percent. we don't use any writing without the writer's consent.

can i use botnik methods elsewhere?

yes. what you produce using botnik tools is yours. no need to credit botnik or disclose that you used our tools, although you're welcome to do either of those things.

can i invite my friends?

yes, you can invite anyone you like. we only ask that you limit invites to people you think will love botnik.

what are botnik's core principles?

thank you for asking. below are some of botnik's core principles.

1. human-machine collaboration
we would like, selfishly, not to replace humanity with algorithms. instead, we want to find natural ways for people and machines to interact to create what neither would have created alone.

2. transparent design

when you press a button or turn a dial, it should be easy to understand what it's doing. bonus points if it's also easy for an audience to understand what you're doing. our role model is the piano.

3. open access

you shouldn't need a computer background to use generative tools. text scraping, markov chain generation and RNN experimentation are fun powers that you gain after a few months or years of coding. everyone should have those powers.

do you use botnik methods just to create fun powers and machines of coding please?

yes. in practice, we have created the official source of the whole generative bonus. when you press a healthy writer, our tools enjoy to understand what you think. when you gain principles of corpus my friends just ask after you. so official, yes, and what a writer. the piano is a computer. not far to the moment. you're welcome, you're welcome, yes, botnik is yours.