Magic Word Adventure Once upon a time, in a magical land far far away, there lived a young boy named Max. Max was always fascinated with magic and dreamed of becoming a powerful sorcerer one day. One sunny day, while exploring the woods near his village, Max stumbled upon an old, dusty book hidden behind a tree. Curiosity sparked within Max as he opened the book and discovered that it was a spellbook, filled with ancient spells and incantations. In excitement, he began to read through the pages, trying to understand the magical words written in beautiful calligraphy. Suddenly, a page caught his attention.
In a 2002 telephone interview, Crowther’s sister Betty, who was one of the original play-testers of Adventure, stated: “I was bored having to go through all the steps every time, and I said, ‘I want to go directly into the game.’ She then added, ‘Ecks-why-zee-zee-why!’”
You can enter the caves the long way round by unlocking a grate and climbing down but it s easier to use xyzzy to teleport there from the first building. You can enter the caves the long way round by unlocking a grate and climbing down but it s easier to use xyzzy to teleport there from the first building.
Suddenly, a page caught his attention. It described a spell that could transport him to a realm of magical adventures - the Magic Word Adventure. Eager to embark on this magical journey, Max memorized the incantation.
Magic word adventurd
Hidden XYZZY in printer firmware
I have worked with United Barcode Industries "UBI" programmable bar code printers for many years. UBI was bought by Intermec in the 1990's and Intermec was bought by Honeywell a few years ago.
These printers use a basic-like language called Fingerprint. It is interactive or interpreted.
There were "SYSTEM" commands of the form SYSTEM and a number in the interactive part and SYSTEM 1138 had some special meaning. I'm betting the 1138 came from THX 1138.
SYSTEM 0, SYSTEM 10, SYSTEM 20 and SYSTEM 40 did things like memory dumps, listing loaded modules, etc. None of this was documented for the developer community.
Intermec came out with what is known as the XP series of printers (no relation to Windows XP) which had faster processors and more memory. These were flash ROM-based machines whereas the UBI printers used ROM chips and battery backed RAM.
I had to see what commands survived in the XP platform and to my surprise in one of the SYSTEM commands I received the prompt "Enter Meta Guru password:"
Gee, were my Amiga days coming back?
One brief flash of lightning later I entered XYZZY and the printer responded with "Meta Guru mode ON."
After rebooting the printer I entered XYZZY in Fingerprint interactive mode and the printer responded with "Nothing happens."
It's still there to this day on the latest printers.
You find mentions of it everywhere. 'XYZZY' (along with other phrases from the game such as ". you are in a twisty maze of passageways, all alike") can be found in computer documentation, classroom discussions, and in many other surprising contexts.
Origins of XYZZY
But where did XYZZY come from? Is it totally a nonsense word, or was there some hidden meaning? There are two stories on its origins.
Bernie Cosell, a friend of Crowther's at the time Adventure was originally coded, says that he was unaware of any special meaning for the word:
"Will Crowther says he made up the term out of whole cloth when he was putting ADVENT together.
"As for 'out of whole cloth,' I meant just what the idiom means: he devised this little pseudo-puzzle and needed a magic word to make it happen, and he just made one up. It has no antecedent nor is it an acronym or anything like that."
XYZZY: a mathematics 'in-joke?'
But Ron Hunsinger believes there is a more meaningful origin to the 'XYZZY' word:
"'Cross products?' you ask.
"Indeed. The cross product of two three-dimensional vectors is the vector whose length is the area of the parallelogram with the two given vectors as adjacent sides, and direction perpendicular to the plane of that parallelogram.
"There is a 'simple' formula for the cross product. If A = B x C, where A, B, and C are the vectors (Ax, Ay, Az), (Bx, By, Bz), and (Cx, Cy, Cz), then:
Ax = By Cz - Bz Cy
Ay = Bz Cx - Bx Cz
Az = Bx Cy - By Cx
"Notice that the second and third equations can be obtained from the first by simply rotating the subscripts, x -> y -> z -> x. The problem, of course, is how to remember the first equation.
"You do that by remembering the 'magic word,' consisting of the subscripts, taken in order: xyzzy.
"And that, friends, is the origin of the magic word xyzzy. This use of the word was around long before Adventure (or Colossal Caves or whatever name you knew it by) was ever written.
"When I first played Adventure, finding 'xyzzy' in it was like finding an old friend in an unlikely place. Or an inside joke."
He knew that reciting it aloud would transport him to a world filled with enchanted creatures, fantastical landscapes, and thrilling quests. Without hesitation, Max spoke the magic words, closing his eyes as the ground beneath his feet began to rumble. As he opened his eyes, he found himself in a vibrant and mystical forest, surrounded by towering trees, shimmering streams, and creatures he had only read about in fairy tales. Excitement filled Max's heart as he ventured deeper into this new realm. Along his journey, he encountered fairies, talking animals, and other magical beings who needed his help. Max quickly realized that his spellbook contained spells to solve various challenges, making him invaluable in this world. Every day was a new adventure for Max, as he met creatures in need and used his newfound magical abilities to assist them. He fought ferocious dragons, solved riddles to uncover hidden treasure, and even helped a group of witches brew a potion to save their dying coven. Max's courage, intelligence, and kindness won him allies and friends throughout his journey. But Max soon learned that the Magic Word Adventure had its own set of rules and limitations. He could not stay in this realm forever and was only allowed a limited number of visits. Determined to make the most of his time, Max vowed to use his powers for good and bring happiness to those who needed it. As Max's adventures continued, he grew wiser and more skilled in the art of magic. With each quest, he learned valuable lessons about friendship, bravery, and the importance of keeping promises. One fateful day, as the sun began to set and Max prepared to return home, he encountered a wise old sage who shared a secret. The sage explained that the true power of magic lies within people, and Max had proven himself to be a true hero. With a grateful heart, Max bid farewell to the magical realm and returned home, carrying the lessons and memories of his adventures with him. He was no longer just a young boy dreaming of becoming a sorcerer - he was a hero, ready to face any challenge that came his way. And so, Max's tale of the Magic Word Adventure became legend, told and retold by generations to come. His story served as a reminder that the power of magic lies within all of us, waiting to be unlocked through courage, compassion, and a little bit of adventure..
Reviews for "The Magic of Linguistics: A Word Adventure Like No Other"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Magic Word Adventure". The plot was predictable and the characters were one-dimensional. The game lacked any real challenges or puzzles, making it quite boring to play. Overall, I found it to be a waste of time and money.
2. Mark - 1 star - I can't believe I wasted my money on "Magic Word Adventure". The graphics were terrible and the gameplay was slow and unexciting. I found the dialogue to be cheesy and the voice acting was just plain bad. The game had no replay value whatsoever and I regret ever purchasing it.
3. Emily - 2 stars - "Magic Word Adventure" was a major letdown for me. The gameplay was overly simplistic, making it more suitable for children than adults. The puzzles were too easy and lacked any real challenge. Additionally, the story was uninteresting and failed to captivate my attention. I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone looking for a truly immersive gaming experience.
4. John - 3 stars - I had high expectations for "Magic Word Adventure", but unfortunately, it fell short. The game had some potential with its unique concept of using magic words, but it lacked depth and complexity. The levels felt repetitive and there was little variation in gameplay. While it wasn't a terrible game, it didn't offer anything exceptional either.
5. Lily - 1 star - I was extremely disappointed with "Magic Word Adventure". The controls were clunky and unresponsive, which made navigating through the game frustrating. The graphics were outdated and the sound effects were irritating. The storyline was weak and the game lacked any sense of immersion. Overall, it was a regrettable purchase and I would not recommend it to anyone.