I know Regular Expressions!
So, today I was looking on vplates for a custom car registration. The problem with the system is that custom registration plates never make it back into the pool, despite not actually being assigned to a vehicle. The end result: virtually every dictionary word is taken, so you need to get creative.
The rules are pretty simple:
- 3 - 6 alphanumeric characters
- Cannot start with a number
My idea was to find words spelt with symmetrical letters, so I can spell it backwards. This always looks clever when viewed in a rear-view mirror. An 'E' can then be substituted with a '3', as it looks very 'E' like in a mirror. However, as plates cannot start with a number, I therefore can't use a 6-character word that ends with 'E'.
Sounds complex, huh? Not for a regular expression!
egrep -i '^[AEHIMOTUVWXY]{2,5}[AHIMOTUVWXY]{0,1}$' /usr/share/dict/british-english
So now I can casually flick through words that can be mirrored and suit the custom rego guidelines.
Oh, and the end result is here
See, I never would have thought of that. It appears nobody else has either.
