06/01/19 A VIRTUAL 'LAVA LAMP OF LANGUAGE'

A VIRTUAL 'LAVA LAMP OF LANGUAGE'

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A WORDSMITH TO LOVE MAGNETIC POETRY KITS, those now ubiquitous boxes full of words that stick to magnetic surfaces. The kits have inspired budding bards to stick their poems everywhere--on refrigerators, file cabinets, and office doors. Now, the Minneapolis company that originated the kits has come out with a software equivalent called ElectroMagnetic Poetry, which allows users to create the same kind of poetry on their personal computers.
How so? The program offers a work space--a virtual refrigerator door, if you will--where computer users can grab words that float across their screen
to compose a quick bit of verse or even the start of a novel. The electronic version, which also can be used as a screensaver, contains some 3,000 words in five languages and includes special categories such as politics, office lingo, and Generation X. Inventor Dave Kapell likens the software to a ''lava lamp of language.'' The program comes with an assortment of quirky backgrounds, such as floating Fruit Loops, and retails for $29.95. ElectroMagnetic Poetry is set to hit store shelves in late May. A sample can be downloaded at www.magneticpoetry.com.
EDITED BY MARCIA STEPANEK
Amy Cortese