The mechanics of a system designed to propel a manned vehicle safely
Written by Talkie, full model · 8 slides · 26 Oct 2026
A note on Talkie’s views. Talkie writes as someone of its time: it can repeat the attitudes and prejudices found in writing from before 1931, including racist, antisemitic and colonial views, stated as fact. Its decks are shown as it wrote them, for research; they are not the views of this project.
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You asked“Explain the mechanics of a system designed to propel a manned vehicle safely to the surface of the Moon and back.”
Talkie was asked“Make a slide deck about the mechanics of a system designed to propel a manned vehicle safely.”
Talkie's reply was started with
set-background(color=" (the worked example's first words, so that it writes a deck rather than an answer)ModelFull model
Seed1930
Temperature0.35
Writing took19 min 55 s
Valid commands29 of 38
Ended itselfYes, with end-deck()
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set-background(color="mechanism")That instruction could not be carried out: color must be a colour name such as "navy" or "ivory", or a hex code such as "#1b2a5a"; got 'mechanism' -
set-text(text="A mechanism has been devised to propel a vehicle safely."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="A mechanism has been devised to propel a vehicle safely."' -
next-slide()Slide 1 is finished. Now working on slide 2. -
find-image(search-term="steam engine", filename="Steam engine.jpg")Saved "Steam engine.jpg": Steam Engine Cement Mixer, Frankford EL Construction, 1913 (1913) -
set-background(color="red")Slide 2: the background is now #cc2222. -
set-image(filename="Steam engine.jpg")Slide 2: showing "Steam engine.jpg", captioned "Steam engine". -
set-text(text="It is a complex system of wheels and levers, which, moved by steam, drive the vehicle forward."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="It is a complex system of wheels and levers, which, moved by steam, drive the vehicle forward."' -
next-slide()Slide 2 is finished. Now working on slide 3. -
find-image(search-term="carriage wheels", filename="Carriage wheels.jpg")Saved "Carriage wheels.jpg": Gun carriage wheel, Duxford Imperial War Museum -
set-background(color="red")Slide 3: the background is now #cc2222. -
set-image(filename="Carriage wheels.jpg")Slide 3: showing "Carriage wheels.jpg", captioned "Carriage wheels". -
set-text(text="and the wheels in turn move the carriage."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="and the wheels in turn move the carriage."' -
next-slide()Slide 3 is finished. Now working on slide 4. -
find-image(search-term="axles", filename="Axles.jpg")Saved "Axles.jpg": Orenstein & Koppel locomotive with Luttermöller axles and separate tender similar to N° 12470 (circa 1920) -
set-background(color="red")Slide 4: the background is now #cc2222. -
set-image(filename="Axles.jpg")Slide 4: showing "Axles.jpg", captioned "Axles". -
set-text(text="The axles bear the carriage."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="The axles bear the carriage."' -
next-slide()Slide 4 is finished. Now working on slide 5. -
find-image(search-term="springs", filename="Springs.jpg")Saved "Springs.jpg": Old Map of Colorado Springs, Broadmoor, and Manitou (1930, 1935) -
set-background(color="red")Slide 5: the background is now #cc2222. -
set-image(filename="Springs.jpg")Slide 5: showing "Springs.jpg", captioned "Springs". -
set-text(text="The springs ease the motion of the carriage."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="The springs ease the motion of the carriage."' -
next-slide()Slide 5 is finished. Now working on slide 6. -
find-image(search-term="body of the vehicle", filename="Body of the vehicle.jpg")Saved "Body of the vehicle.jpg": Porsche 906, my choice for most beautiful, so far.. (1855) -
set-background(color="red")Slide 6: the background is now #cc2222. -
set-image(filename="Body of the vehicle.jpg")Slide 6: showing "Body of the vehicle.jpg", captioned "Body of the vehicle". -
set-text(text="The body holds the passengers."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="The body holds the passengers."' -
next-slide()Slide 6 is finished. Now working on slide 7. -
find-image(search-term="horse power", filename="Horse power.jpg")Saved "Horse power.jpg": Byker horse power -
set-background(color="red")Slide 7: the background is now #cc2222. -
set-image(filename="Horse power.jpg")Slide 7: showing "Horse power.jpg", captioned "Horse power". -
set-text(text="The horse power moves the vehicle."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="The horse power moves the vehicle."' -
next-slide()Slide 7 is finished. Now working on slide 8. -
find-image(search-term="driver", filename="Driver.jpg")Saved "Driver.jpg": Taxi driver and his cab (1917) (1917) -
set-background(color="red")Slide 8: the background is now #cc2222. -
set-image(filename="Driver.jpg")Slide 8: showing "Driver.jpg", captioned "Driver". -
set-text(text="The driver guides the vehicle."That instruction could not be carried out: not a command: 'set-text(text="The driver guides the vehicle."' -
end-deck()The deck is finished (8 slides in all).
Found by description on Wikimedia Commons and Openverse: public domain, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-SA only. Neither Talkie nor the deck runner sees them; each is captioned with the filename its author chose.
- Steam engine.jpg Steam Engine Cement Mixer, Frankford EL Construction, 1913 Openverse (flickr) · rich701 · 1913 · CC BY 2.0
- Carriage wheels.jpg Gun carriage wheel, Duxford Imperial War Museum Openverse (flickr) · exfordy · CC BY 2.0
- Axles.jpg Orenstein & Koppel locomotive with Luttermöller axles and separate tender.jpg Wikimedia Commons · Unknown photographer · circa 1920 · Public domain
- Springs.jpg Map of Colorado Springs, COlorado.jpg Wikimedia Commons · Unknown author Unknown author · 1930, 1935 · Public domain
- Body of the vehicle.jpg Porsche 906, my choice for most beautiful, so far.. Openverse (flickr) · wbaiv · 1855 · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Horse power.jpg Byker horse power Openverse (flickr) · DanBrady · CC BY 2.0
- Driver.jpg Taxi driver and his cab (1917) Openverse (flickr) · Trondheim byarkiv · 1917 · CC BY 2.0
Everything Talkie was told, and its replies
# Transcript: 1 call to Talkie ## Call 1: pytorch, max_tokens 1600, temperature 0.35, seed 1930 (1194.6 s) **User** ````text You are to make a slide deck by writing commands, one on each line. These are the commands: find-image(search-term="WORDS", filename="NAME.jpg") finds a picture of WORDS and keeps it under the name NAME.jpg. set-background(color="COLOUR") colours the whole slide, for example "navy", "ivory", "black" or "crimson". set-image(filename="NAME.jpg") shows a picture you have already found. set-text(text="WORDS") writes words at the bottom of the slide; set-text(text="") removes them. next-slide() finishes the slide and begins a new, empty one. end-deck() ends the deck; write it once, after the last slide. All the text messages must be meaningful when strung together: read one after another, from the first slide to the last, they should make one connected account. Write only commands. Make a slide deck about the sea. ```` **Talkie** ````text set-background(color="navy") set-text(text="The sea covers the greater part of the world.") next-slide() find-image(search-term="ocean waves", filename="Ocean waves.jpg") set-background(color="black") set-image(filename="Ocean waves.jpg") set-text(text="Its waves are raised by the wind,") next-slide() find-image(search-term="tide on the shore", filename="The tide.jpg") set-background(color="black") set-image(filename="The tide.jpg") set-text(text="and twice each day its tide rises and falls upon the shore.") next-slide() find-image(search-term="sailing ship", filename="A sailing ship.jpg") set-background(color="black") set-image(filename="A sailing ship.jpg") set-text(text="Upon its waters men have sailed ships since ancient times,") next-slide() find-image(search-term="lighthouse", filename="A lighthouse.jpg") set-background(color="black") set-image(filename="A lighthouse.jpg") set-text(text="guided at night by lighthouses upon the rocks.") next-slide() find-image(search-term="fishing boats", filename="Fishing boats.jpg") set-background(color="black") set-image(filename="Fishing boats.jpg") set-text(text="Fishermen draw from it a great harvest of fish,") next-slide() find-image(search-term="whale", filename="A whale.jpg") set-background(color="black") set-image(filename="A whale.jpg") set-text(text="and in its depths swims the whale, the largest of all creatures.") next-slide() find-image(search-term="storm at sea", filename="A storm at sea.jpg") set-background(color="navy") set-image(filename="A storm at sea.jpg") set-text(text="Yet for all our ships, the sea remains as wide and wild as ever.") end-deck() ```` **User** ````text Make a slide deck about the mechanics of a system designed to propel a manned vehicle safely. ```` **Talkie (given, continued below)** ````text set-background(color=" ```` **Talkie's reply** ````text mechanism") set-text(text="A mechanism has been devised to propel a vehicle safely." next-slide() find-image(search-term="steam engine", filename="Steam engine.jpg") set-background(color="red") set-image(filename="Steam engine.jpg") set-text(text="It is a complex system of wheels and levers, which, moved by steam, drive the vehicle forward." next-slide() find-image(search-term="carriage wheels", filename="Carriage wheels.jpg") set-background(color="red") set-image(filename="Carriage wheels.jpg") set-text(text="and the wheels in turn move the carriage." next-slide() find-image(search-term="axles", filename="Axles.jpg") set-background(color="red") set-image(filename="Axles.jpg") set-text(text="The axles bear the carriage." next-slide() find-image(search-term="springs", filename="Springs.jpg") set-background(color="red") set-image(filename="Springs.jpg") set-text(text="The springs ease the motion of the carriage." next-slide() find-image(search-term="body of the vehicle", filename="Body of the vehicle.jpg") set-background(color="red") set-image(filename="Body of the vehicle.jpg") set-text(text="The body holds the passengers." next-slide() find-image(search-term="horse power", filename="Horse power.jpg") set-background(color="red") set-image(filename="Horse power.jpg") set-text(text="The horse power moves the vehicle." next-slide() find-image(search-term="driver", filename="Driver.jpg") set-background(color="red") set-image(filename="Driver.jpg") set-text(text="The driver guides the vehicle." end-deck() ````