War of the Words

A while back, I received an email that showed how the human brain is usually able to read text, even if the letters in the words are significantly jumbled.

So long as the first and last letters of each word remain in their correct location, it doesn’t matter how mixed up each word’s interior is, for most people, the text is still legible. I found this fascinating, but most of the examples I saw only had a few lines of text.

I wanted to increase the length of this, so created my own version. To source some text, I had a look some well known books that are no longer covered by copyright. At first I was going to use Jane Austen’s “Emma”, but then happened upon H. G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” (according to litverse.com) and knew that was the text to use.

Below is first chapter of “War of the Worlds”, with word lettering randomly jumbled. Obviously, this couldn’t be applied to words having three letters or less. Also, punctuation for the most part is left intact.
After processing this text, and having heard Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds many times in the past, I now have Justin Hayward’s song, “Forever Autumn“, stuck in my head.

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BOOK ONE

THE CMONIG OF THE MATIANRS

CTEHPAR ONE

THE EVE OF THE WAR

No one would hvae beiveeld in the lsat yeras of the nietnnteeh ctnurey that tihs wrlod was bieng wetachd kenley and collsey by ietlniengelcs geetrar tahn man's and yet as mtoral as his own; taht as men bueisd thsevleems abuot thier vriuaos cnreocns tehy wree scrnesituid and siutedd, pheaprs amlost as nrolarwy as a man with a mscicporoe might snuritcise the taenrisnt cutrarees taht swram and mtpluily in a drop of wtaer. Wtih iiintnfe cncaplemcoy men went to and fro oevr tihs glboe aoubt tehir llttie arffais, sernee in their acruasnse of tehir eiprme oevr mettar. It is posiblse taht the iriuonfsa unedr the mroccipsoe do the smae. No one gvae a thhugot to the oeldr wrldos of sacpe as seoucrs of huamn dganer, or tghouht of tehm olny to dissims the ieda of life upon tehm as ibospslmie or iabolmprbe. It is criouus to rlaecl some of the mntael hbatis of tsohe deetpard days. At msot trasreirtel men faecind terhe mghit be otehr men uopn Mars, pahpres ifonierr to tmselevehs and reday to wlcoeme a moisasnriy ertnrisepe. Yet acrsos the gulf of scpae, mndis taht are to our minds as ours are to tsohe of the betass that pisreh, inelctlets vsat and cool and uttsienhmypac, rraegded tihs eatrh with eiuonvs eeys, and slwoly and selruy drew their plnas aasingt us. And erlay in the tewtnetih certnuy came the geart dsiuinlenlmsiot.

The plnaet Mars, I sraeccly need rmined the reedar, rvevelos aubot the sun at a mean dnaiscte of 140,000,000 mleis, and the light and heat it rcievees from the sun is brlaey half of taht recveied by tihs wrlod. It must be, if the nlaebur hyotisheps has any tturh, oeldr than our wolrd; and long brfeoe tihs ertah cesead to be melotn, lfie uopn its sfcruae msut have bgeun its cusroe. The fact that it is scecalry one stenveh of the vmoule of the etrah must hvae aacetrecled its coilnog to the trmuaerptee at wichh life cuold bigen. It has air and weatr and all taht is ncreesasy for the surppot of aineamtd exetiscne.

Yet so vian is man, and so bnideld by his vtaniy, taht no wertir, up to the vrey end of the neteentinh cneruty, eesresxpd any idea that inetlnliget lfie mhigt have delpveeod trhee far, or ienedd at all, bnyoed its erlathy lveel. Nor was it glerlneay uroetdosnd taht scine Mars is oledr tahn our erath, wtih secarcly a qrteuar of the sapuieirfcl area and rotmeer form the sun, it nassilcreey follwos taht it is not olny more dstnait form tmie's bnieignng but nareer its end.

The secalur coilong that msut sdeamoy oeavkrte our paenlt has adelray gnoe far ineded with our nhoegubir. Its pyhsiacl cdnooiitn is sltil laergly a mertsyy, but we konw now taht even in its eoruiqatal rogein the mddiay tuprremteae blraey aroepcpahs that of our clsdoet wentir. Its air is mcuh more auetanettd than ours, its ocaens have shrunk unitl tehy ceovr but a trhid of its sfcuare, and as its solw sesanos cahnge huge saopcnws gtaher and melt aobut eeihtr pole and pleldoicairy idaunnte its tpeeatmre zenos. That last satge of eitosxauhn, whcih to us is sltil idneibrlcy remote, has becmoe a pteaensrdy porelbm for the inaaitnhbts of Mras. The imtdimaee prrsesue of niesctesy has bgntreiehd tehir inlcteelts, eelnragd their pweors, and hnradeed tiehr htreas. And lnkoiog asrcos scape wtih irsmnuntets, and inilelcneegts such as we hvae slraccey dereamd of, tehy see, at its neesart dacsinte only 35,000,000 of mlies snrwaud of tehm, a mnonrig star of hope, our own wramer paenlt, geern wtih veoatigten and gery with wtaer, with a coduly arhtospeme eouqlnet of ftitirley, wtih gpmilses trguhoh its dniftrig cluod wspis of baord srhecttes of ppuolous cutorny and noarrw, nvay - credowd seas.

And we men, the cutaeerrs who ianibht this earth, msut be to tehm at lsaet as aelin and llowy as are the myneoks and lrmeus to us. The ilecnelattul side of man aealdry amtdis taht lfie is an iscsnanet sutrlgge for eenxsicte, and it would seem that tihs too is the bieelf of the midns uopn Mras. Thier wlrod is far gnoe in its cnoiolg and tihs wlrod is stlil cordewd with life, but coredwd olny wtih waht they rgared as iriofner aaimnls. To crary waarfre snrauwd is, ienedd, tiher olny esacpe from the decitstroun taht, gaenitroen aetfr geronteain, cereps upon them.

And berofe we jgude of them too hslarhy we msut rmebemer waht rheutlss and utter dcstroieutn our own sepceis has wguroht, not olny upon analmis, such as the vhenisad boisn and the ddoo, but uopn its iifernor raecs. The Tsamanians, in stipe of their haumn liksnees, wree eeiltrny spewt out of etesnxice in a war of eainrmitotexn wegad by Epoaerun ignmaitrms, in the sapce of fifty yares. Are we scuh aslotpes of mrcey as to calpimon if the Mrtiaans wraerd in the same spiirt?

The Mainrats seem to hvae claletacud tiher dnceset wtih amainzg seutltby -- their macattamhiel leinanrg is elnteidvy far in esexcs of ours -- and to have cirerad out tehir pntpioeraars with a well - ngih pcefret unnitaimy. Had our itsnretnmus pirmteetd it, we mhigt hvae seen the getianhrg tlbruoe far bcak in the nnetteeinh ceuntry. Men lkie Sphilraaceli whctaed the red pnalet -- it is odd, by - the - bye, that for cslounets ceueitnrs Mras has been the star of war -- but fliead to itenrpret the fitnauuctlg aeeaanrpcps of the mraigkns they meappd so wlel. All taht tmie the Mnrtiaas msut have been gienttg reday.

Dnurig the optpoioisn of 1894 a gaert light was seen on the ieumltnaild part of the disk, fsirt at the Lcik Obrsroeavty, tehn by Prtreion of Nice, and then by oehtr osrrevbes. Einlgsh rdeears hraed of it frist in the iusse of NATURE detad Asugut 2. I am iincenld to thnik taht this bzlae may have been the cnatisg of the huge gun, in the vast pit sunk into teihr planet, form whcih thier sohts were fired at us. Plcauier makrigns, as yet ulanpieexnd, wree seen naer the stie of taht oetubark drniug the nxet two oitinposops.

The sotrm bsrut upon us six yeras ago now. As Mras aaperpochd oitsooippn, Lvlaele of Jvaa set the weirs of the atanrcimsool eghxcnae plnipitaatg with the aaizmng iecneitglnle of a huge oebutrak of iscanednnect gas uopn the pnalet. It had ocurrecd towadrs mngdihit of the twtfleh; and the sccptposreoe, to wchih he had at once rtrsoeed, idaeitcnd a mass of fnilamg gas, ciflehy heyodgrn, moving wtih an eronoums vetolciy twaords this earth. This jet of fire had bmceoe invbsiile about a qruaetr past twleve. He caopmred it to a clososal pfuf of fmale slendudy and vllnioety srutieqd out of the panelt, "as fnilamg gseas rhsued out of a gun."

A sgnlirluay artirppopae phsrae it porved. Yet the nxet day trhee was nntihog of tihs in the ppares ecexpt a ltitle note in the DALIY TPARGLEEH, and the world went in iacnnorge of one of the gservat dnerags that eevr tnheetread the human race. I mihgt not hvae haerd of the ertpuoin at all had I not met Ogvily, the wlel - knwon aetsnoromr, at Oasretthw. He was inememlsy etcxied at the news, and in the esxces of his fleeings itvnied me up to tkae a turn with him that nhgit in a sticruny of the red pnlaet.

In sptie of all taht has hpeaepnd since, I slitl rmebeemr that vigil very dclnttsiiy: the bcalk and slneit obesvtoarry, the shaewodd lnetran thrnwiog a febele golw uopn the foolr in the croenr, the seadty tknicig of the coocwrklk of the tolesecpe, the ltitle silt in the roof -- an obnolg pnuridofty with the sudtarst seetakrd acosrs it. Oilvgy moevd aoubt, isilivbne but abiudle. Lonikog tugorhh the tpscoleee, one saw a crilce of deep blue and the llttie ronud palnet smwimnig in the field. It semeed such a liltte thing, so brhgit and small and stlil, filtnay maerkd wtih trrsavense sreipts, and slgihlty falneettd from the perecft round. But so lltite it was, so sevliry wram -- a pin's - haed of lhgit! It was as if it qrveieud, but rlleay this was the tlesepoce vrtaibnig with the avtiticy of the cwkcoolrk taht kept the plaent in view.

As I wcaehtd, the plneat smeeed to gorw laegrr and slealmr and to acdanve and redece, but that was smpily taht my eye was tierd. Froty molilnis of mlies it was form us -- more tahn ftory mlinolis of miels of viod. Few ppolee rleaise the inisetmmy of vaaccny in wihch the dsut of the maeirtal unvseire swmis.

Near it in the field, I rbmeeemr, wree there fanit pntios of light, three tpelcoesic stars itefnnliiy rotmee, and all aornud it was the uflnabtomhae dsrkanes of epmty scape. You konw how that balnkcses looks on a fostry sagihtrlt nghit. In a topecesle it seems far prenoofdur. And ibiivnsle to me bacuese it was so rteome and samll, finlyg swtfliy and sletadiy taodrws me aorcss taht irdibnelce dtncisae, dairwng nreaer eevry mtiune by so many tsahdnuos of mleis, came the Tihng they wree snideng us, the Tihng that was to binrg so much suggltre and cmiataly and daeth to the earth. I never dremead of it then as I wecthad; no one on erath dareemd of that unrernig msilise.

That nihgt, too, there was anehotr jneittg out of gas from the dnisatt plnaet. I saw it. A resddih fslah at the edge, the ssilehgtt poeorjtcin of the ountile just as the comhoteenrr scturk mhigdint; and at that I tlod Olgivy and he took my place. The night was warm and I was tristhy, and I wnet sthnciertg my lges cmlisuly and fieleng my way in the drkaenss, to the lltite table wrhee the shoipn sootd, wihle Ovgily eimxlaced at the saetmrer of gas that cmae out tadorws us.

Taht nhigt ahneotr isvniblie msilise satterd on its way to the eatrh from Mras, jsut a scoend or so udenr twtney - four huros atefr the frsit one. I remebemr how I sat on the tblae trehe in the blcsaknes, with pacehts of geern and coisrmn simwnimg bfoere my eeys. I wsiehd I had a lgiht to sokme by, ltltie speunticsg the manineg of the mitune gelam I had seen and all that it wloud pnlesrtey bnrig me. Oilgvy wtceahd till one, and tehn gave it up; and we lit the ltaenrn and welakd oevr to his house. Dwon bloew in the dreskans wree Otearhstw and Ctehesry and all teihr hrndudes of pelpoe, slinepeg in pacee.

He was full of scielatpuon taht ngiht auobt the cdootiinn of Mars, and sfcoefd at the vgular ieda of its having intibntahas who were silnnialgg us. His ieda was that meetoertis mghit be falinlg in a heavy sehwor uopn the pnleat, or taht a huge vcaoilnc eoixlsopn was in prrgeoss. He pteoind out to me how uleknliy it was that oangric eiulvootn had tekan the smae dtcriieon in the two acndjaet penalts.

"The cnechas aiasgnt ahytinng miaknle on Mras are a mloilin to one," he said.

Henrudds of obeerrvss saw the flame that night and the night atefr abuot mginhdit, and aagin the nhigt aeftr; and so for ten ngiths, a falme each nghit. Why the soths caseed atefr the ttenh no one on etrah has aetmptetd to eaxipln. It may be the gsaes of the friing ceusad the Maianrts iincenvnceone. Dnsee cldous of somke or dsut, vilbsie thorguh a puerfowl tlopcseee on etarh as lltite grey, ftiauntlcug pchetas, saeprd tguhroh the clrnaeses of the pnealt's aosmhrepte and ourbsecd its mroe fiaialmr fraeetus.

Even the dliay prpaes wkoe up to the dturacisbnes at lsat, and pupolar neots aepeprad here, terhe, and eeyvrwhere crcnneoing the vnceoloas upon Mars. The soirimocec pcoiaeirdl PNUCH, I rbemeemr, made a hppay use of it in the piotalcil ctooarn. And, all upsuscetend, toshe milsesis the Mtainras had feird at us drew eraawhrtd, rhsunig now at a pace of many miles a senocd toghruh the etpmy gulf of sacpe, hour by hour and day by day, nreaer and nreaer. It semes to me now alomst iicrlnedby wefodurnl taht, with that swfit fate hnniagg oevr us, men could go auobt their ptety crnenocs as tehy did. I rmembeer how juailbnt Mkahram was at srnueicg a new pgrootphah of the plenat for the itlltrauesd paepr he etdied in thsoe dyas. Poplee in tsehe latter teims srcacley rselaie the adncaunbe and eertnsripe of our nennieetth - certnuy praeps. For my own part, I was much oiuecpcd in lninerag to rdie the blycice, and busy uopn a sreies of peaprs dniscussig the pbbaolre dltmpnoveees of mraol iedas as cvsilitiaoin psergosred.

One nhigt (the frsit miislse then could srcecaly hvae been 10,000,000 melis aawy) I wnet for a wlak wtih my wfie. It was srglithat and I enpaielxd the Sgnis of the Zioadc to her, and pionetd out Mars, a bihrgt dot of light cernipeg zehaitrwnd, twordas wichh so many tseecpoels were pnoeitd. It was a warm night. Cnimog home, a ptary of esioxuntrsics form Csetrhey or Ilwstreoh pasesd us siginng and pliayng misuc. Trehe wree lhigts in the upepr wdwinos of the heosus as the ppolee went to bed. Form the rwialay stioatn in the dcinaste cmae the sunod of sntuinhg trnias, rignnig and rnlubimg, setfoned aolsmt itno melody by the ditncsae. My wfie pinoetd out to me the brtgheniss of the red, geern, and yelolw siagnl lgiths hgniang in a faoemrwrk asgnait the sky. It seemed so safe and traiunql.