I first built the Random Generators in 1997, starting with the Band Name Generator. I gradually added several others. Most of them are based on a technique of multiple passes of replacing keywords in phrases. They start with a template, then replace keywords with plain text or another keyword phrase. This goes on until only plain words are left.
A key component to this is the large database of classified words. I started with about 300 words originally, and coded an interface for people to add more. By September 2006, the database had more than 40,000 words. Although there were some people who added garbage words, the majority of words were appropriate. For a while, I had a system that tracked votes on words. Eventually, I scrapped off this and added a big dump of words from an old dictionary, then I got rid of the word suggestions and votes.
In 2026, I rebuilt the generators in JavaScript and hosted that version on One Dice Six.
52 replies on “Random Generators”
Thanks for letting me know about the bug. Looks like a MySQL upgrade at some point broke queries. They should be fixed now.
Hey Leon!
So, for the longest time I could not remember the name of your awesome random generator website. But, I woke up yesterday and the name hit me immediately! Leon’s!
Anyway I love your generators, they are truly one of a kind…but, they don’t seem to be working anymore. Any chance you can get ’em up and running?
Let me know! I really, really enjoy the generators, especially the essay generator. They bring a smile to my face every time. Hopefully they will start working again…for my sake!
Thanks!!
-Steve