Liptikl - overview

If you write lyrics, poems, copy, ads or songs, then Liptikl (or liptikl) could be just what you are looking for. In fact, if you write at all it could well be for you.

Liptikl is a 'cut up' word arranger, and it can give you extra advantage when it comes to writing. It helps you comes up with genuinely new and exciting word arrangements, very easily.

the initial stimulus

Like all tools that do a job, Liptikl was born of need. Tim (a guitarist, artist and amateur songwriter) was always saying to Pete how difficult he found it to write lyrics for his songs. That is not in any way to say he could not write. It is just that when he came to write lyrics for his songs, he wanted to try out some left field word associations, the kind that he would see and go 'ah, now that is cool'. These were the kind of word associations that, even if not used, would lead him to other ways of saying what he wanted in a unique and original way.

the birth of Liptikl

Pete thought hard about what Tim was asking and one day said: “Tim, you do realise that we could create a generative tool to help you do that?”.

Well, we went on to think hard about what such a tool should do and did some quick searches for products that worked in the way we wanted. We did not find any. That was the defining moment for Liptikl. Necessity being the mother of invention, we got to work on it. After a furious round of prototyping and experimentation, we started getting results that told us we were on to something.

how does it work?

(click for full size)

Liptikl, a 'cut up' tool, mixes together words from up to 3 different sources, and, according to some inbuilt rules, generates word arrangements from these. You can think of it a bit like cooking (but you don't need to be a cook to use it!). The input sources are like flavours or ingredients. They could be complete chapters, tracts or paragraphs, news or current affairs, some of your past lyrics or writing, or even collections of your favourite words. Because you are working from existing source material and selections of words, when mixed together, unusual, exciting and interesting things can happen.

Example 1: Come up with something completely new. Try mixing a Shakespeare sonnet with some Tolstoy and then add in some show news story or headline.

Example 2: Start from something, and work around it. Load up some of your own writing, and then let Liptikl replace certain words with those from your source material.

the process

First, you input up to 3 different boxes of words, paragraphs or source material. ideas. Second, you decide how you want the word output to look in terms of length and lines. Third, you mix the words together to get your output. Fourth, you get to 'lock down' the words or arrangements that you like and use Liptikl to try other words in the unlocked positions.

how it got its name

The word “elliptical” just popped into our heads when we thought about the way our software came up with unexpected associations. We were tickled by this because we kept thinking that “tickling lips” was a way of stimulating words and utterances, and teasing new prose into existence! Once we thought of it, it just stuck. So, there you have it, “Liptikl” became our brand for a 'cut up' word generator that delivers unusual, obscure, non-obvious, ambiguous and unexpected results.

respecting copyright

We respect copyright and strongly encourage you to do the same. That means if you use Liptikl to come up with a lyric you like, make sure that it does not infringe the copyright of any of your source material. Liptikl is pretty good at "shuffling words", but it is just a tool for you to use to generate ideas. It is ultimately your responsibility to make sure you are not infringing anyone elses copyright.

system requirements

Windows XP, 2000 or Vista. Mac OS X 10.3 or later. 10 MB hard disk. 256 MB RAM (or less!).

teaser

Here is just one short example of a verse created with liptikl: