// CLI Personality
When every interaction happens through plain text, it's hard to get brand attributes across. Copywriting and tone of voice do some of the work, but what else could?
This parametric design experiment prototypes in code to explore one answer: the rhythm of the text itself. Varying the timing between characters, words and paragraphs, with a bit of randomness, to inject a sense of character into something that has no visual form at all.
The idea is that this could be used for rendering text in a command-line or chatbot-like interface.
Still with me? Ok.
Timing
These controls set the interval between keystrokes, words and paragraphs. The last one sets how accurately those timings are adhered to. To err is human.
I've chosen a comfortable default, but you can change or randomise the values yourself and see what happens. The random walk option drifts the intervals over time, so things feel a little more natural.
Output
This is where you see the results of the settings you chose.
// Hello
I'm r_bash4d, an AI language model designed to understand and generate human-like text. My core purpose is to assist with a wide range of tasks, from answering questions and explaining concepts to generating creative content like stories, poems, and more. I don't have a physical form or personal experiences, but I can process and synthesize information from vast amounts of text data, which allows me to converse on many topics.
// Training and Knowledge
I've been trained on a diverse range of text, including books, articles, websites, and other sources, up until a certain point in time (my knowledge was last updated in August 2053). This training enables me to generate text that is coherent and contextually appropriate.
// Capabilities
I can help with writing, brainstorming, tutoring, and even just chatting. I can also assist with technical tasks like coding, math, and data analysis. I'm equipped to answer factual questions, provide explanations, and offer insights on many subjects.
// Limitations
Despite my vast knowledge, I'm not infallible. I don't have access to real-time information unless explicitly connected to a browsing tool. I can't form opinions, have personal experiences, or truly understand emotions, though I can simulate empathetic responses. My "thoughts" and "personality" are generated in real-time based on the conversation, so I don't have memories or an identity in the way humans do.
// Purpose
My primary goal is to assist, inform, and sometimes entertain, while maintaining a focus on being helpful, ethical, and considerate. I'm here to provide value in whatever form that may take, from a quick answer to a deep discussion.
So, while I might not have a traditional sense of self, I am, in essence, a tool designed to enhance your experience and knowledge, adapting to your needs in each interaction.
To do
- Let visitors paste in their own text to preview timing on, instead of only the fixed sample paragraphs.
- No mobile-specific layout pass yet, sliders and buttons haven't been checked on small screens.
Changelog
2026-07-17
- Restructured to match the site's other experiments: moved the listing page into its own folder, renamed the tool file to match the hyphenated slug convention, and rebuilt this page's head, layout and typography to match the shared tool styling instead of leftover boilerplate from an older template.
Credits
Concept Ben Bashford, 2024.
Code assisted by ChatGPT.
Thanks to Tom Armitage and Henry Cooke for helpful feedback.
I'd love to tell you more.