From the Notes file in the fortune-mod-9708 distribution:
Warning:
The fortunes contained in the fortune database have been collected
haphazardly from a cacophony of sources, in number so huge it
boggles the mind. It is impossible to do any meaningful quality
control on attributions, or lack thereof, or exactness of the quote.
Since this database is not used for profit, and since entire works
are not published, it falls under fair use, as we understand it.
However, if any half-assed idiot decides to make a profit off of
this, they will need to double check it all, and nobody not involved
of such an effort makes any warranty that anything in the database
bears any relation to the real world of literature, law, or other
bizzarrity.
Continuing in that same belief, the text files in data/normal/fortune-mod and data/offensive/fortune-mod are copied from fortune-mod-9708. I know a lot of people have worked on curating this collection over the years - if you'd like credit (or blame), let me know and I'm happy to mention you here. If anyone takes any other issue with the inclusion of these files, please contact me and I'll certainly consider your demands.
- Amy A. Lewis alewis@email.unc.edu
- Your name here? Sorry, I looked through all the text files that came with fortune-mod but couldn't really tell which people wrote code and which people wrote fortunes... If you think your name belongs here, let me know!