columnar-cthulhuian

Hypothesis

Iä! Iä! The Old Ones hath awakened!

Apparatus

• Python 2.7.6 (probably works with older versions too)
• 3 input texts, possibly text files previously downloaded from Project Gutenberg

Method

• Input the three texts and clean them up a bit; in particular, remove all lines with less than 60 characters, and truncate them so they all have the same number of lines.
• On each line, in column n, output the character from the ((n mod 3) + 1)th input text.

Observations

The first 35 lines when running this on Time and the Gods, Principles of Scientific Managment, and The Rivet in Grandfather's Neck:

Prodicen bR JszienV S  les  dvreM  gi  aedsoGSriarreau.td  r if  a ur ,
SrTlht isalee SFmtnk   odaah"eOehio  egsapiotton oh  f ta nf    s  r  s
[suanac obeo'mtnate dI ite  aeieo qsos  obeosona ibgadae,sinpewlyh   t  a
mhirwt l ocm nkwyn tpmnil ,ocrrnrhetftrs m"pl.t nc ho  c bs kv tg  u c  n
Tacsrstlreeaaup eu aye thlgggetmntebenolh g  se ns mr  d  h rh ti     
Afirc ,vonioZa,kondlg,htngrihat   jehto A uy r, so fv y, re ma     t
Oa eerh s pnec-oti  tretymdnrsana   l oTh il sg r  ye ei a     mc wa  n 
welhaitsgg a r,eonosi  nyn lhapgegoay a t.o-  w vs  o og eo ta  e eo  
ioaa yai e ntrsteerba falo h eet ttat r agda h   e tn po to o  Ta ia  
rueoie nhes on  iaetneBam  br  aheesswoAt    t  dm e  af  t nw cc sg ho 
dvsayv amotd oadhutuid mp drradce  rt gee tl  d vi  , dl hd se ,e l   
snamfnrihgtghaie ,oioh sm.kno,geoIlmtrs ent  s ai et  hc go a" nt  n  
mfnbcf nt ,itayu  nsdsvnpiyceoml ds oauhi ce aa l  he eu rv eu oy 
pe naelsi  lcdonetg  oepeaaee  fodawir ole hatgee ftku r n  cemsi.he.e,
sr oldtdo e'mel mssel nt   e ron  h desrreml, vn.nalhoag uia,b;e ha  
baitirre ee tnertowm tTlaidlailr niawirl eulrd - re n-ycrloanm ao  ,  n
cfovra oettBe liagentoi-a.g n ef.o e iarraisa , ivot n oamhtlu od tl 
wobl  .odit  sesooncili-egaia lregh e oso fov  yfsrn t  lnttoi     i  s 
shepoer e s dtdnroy co n e.ly  woel at r rohim  ysooo tdlnsttu nl  t  .
asiieehtsereTh n  heagn sp wlae ani ttsrnmsoeo"fSehdeahn.oiN art  o
cf mce nsn,oana mtetrogi hrve. e    llsSdndolhoCoinsratowet ,suns nod e
trscgem , one.utndsso lrrteor ta n s ghl gtanttas eteowftm  neeoeel e  ,
phtssu r    eruie teth rgresota H m otwntele n sgoehtau h eied ttesoht ,
tudsghtaetcrapw ina M woetgooee louithd dedeeaatvsotwa  ervBn lorgs tn 
Tieir"fssehdb od tg  bwteAeh hsrh,tdnns vo  eofi ewtseihhbdnnadi  nrso e  
she  tr  tetile,lhokhtgddosh rewdeeap  n oled ettyerds  egmehtt tt a e
nhihmef ssoefs me hnsdeeaer at todi" darI oiedo"hy vh l t  igl a   at z 
dhee i r eurt,,osohewh ch nor opaorhtnevy ll. shyn oye,ehutnta-syew  m w
toa esdt hgseouhreenifn,lteumaee,yhM  wem  t ntrnaga ths rao o di   e
cuisien "tr.  Sunaahls thmh o v aesehhtd  eap efo htac wmrsy,l.ebToo   y
antoha p  tsihtnpsyvahloggrsdht rlseiese .ilTtey rossdt e  fde  aveny
fhnd dhatvaclso f  ntsstay  rdobwwnlhn y d dho;pSnrdtih loes yp ar bs n
Ihat d  esehtodednneettc  mlgyy wrnp m mhoisd o oddseeaa. lTllsotstoog
tica "s haesaudrr"nieSwomld esnpoteltaghd"gh.s Aar  e vet  amsrtbtt e  
mr bno  ltgt  yt lolb a nbwentri  tiraet ara ineegdaau m.   tnenw hhyeh

In the above, the texts were pre-cleaned by gutenizer, which leaves in the "Produced by" lines, which accounts for the almost-sensibility of the start of the first line. Cleaning them with guten-gutter would eliminate that. Alternatively, not cleaning them at all would retain the Gutenberg license (assuming that it is the same on all the texts) for a different effect.