Learn Ruby with Cleopatra

Cleopatra, in her palace, surrounded by holographic tablets. Philopator is ready to assist her with his luminous stylus.

Cleopatra, Ruby, and the Cybernetic Tablets

Chapter 1: The Scribe’s Request

In her palace in Alexandria, Cleopatra was troubled. The traditional scribes struggled to interpret the celestial visions engraved on cybernetic tablets, relics from the Black Pyramid.

She summoned Philopator, the most ingenious scribe, and said:
— We must design a new language that speaks as clearly to machines as it does to humans. An elegant, simple, yet powerful language. What do you propose?

Philopator thought carefully and replied:
— Majesty, allow me to teach you the Ruby language, which matches your refinement and your quest for efficiency.

Intrigued, Cleopatra gestured for him to begin.

Lesson 1: Displaying a Message to the World

Philopator wrote on the tablet:

puts "Hello, Egyptians! Welcome to Alexandria!"

Cleopatra read aloud:
— Puts, a simple incantation to display words?
Philopator explained:
— Yes, Majesty. puts means "output string." By uttering this command, the tablet instantly displays the message.

She tried:

puts "I am Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt!"

The message appeared as expected.
— Fascinating, she murmured. Let us continue.

Lesson 2: Variables, the Treasure Chests

Philopator continued:
— Majesty, imagine chests where we can store values. These chests are called variables.

He wrote:

name = "Cleopatra"
kingdom = "Egypt"
age = 39

— Here, we’ve stored your name, your kingdom, and even your age.
To use these treasures, you simply call them:

puts "I am #{name}, queen of #{kingdom}, aged #{age} years."

Cleopatra smiled:
— Ah, the magic of braces! They make words come alive.

Lesson 3: Decisions and Power

Philopator then explained conditions:
— To rule, you must sometimes make decisions. Ruby allows this with conditions.

He demonstrated:

besieged_city = true

if besieged_city
  puts "Prepare the army and fortify the palace!"
else
  puts "Organize a banquet for the people."
end

Cleopatra tested a variation:

besieged_city = false

if besieged_city
  puts "War is inevitable."
else
  puts "The people of Egypt are at peace."
end

She watched the tablet display the message of peace.
— Ruby, like me, shows both logic and grace, she said.

Lesson 4: Loops for Eternal Cycles

Philopator demonstrated how to automate repeated rituals:

3.times do
  puts "Glory to Cleopatra!"
end

Cleopatra declared:
— With these loops, we could inscribe eternal prayers on the walls of our digital temples.

Lesson 5: Collections to Organize Knowledge

Philopator continued with collections:
— Imagine a scroll containing multiple names. We use an array for this.

generals = ["Antony", "Pothinus", "Apollodorus"]

generals.each do |name|
  puts "#{name} is a loyal servant."
end

Cleopatra watched each name appear on the tablet and nodded.
— A treasure without end, this knowledge.

Cleopatra in her palace in Alexandria, surrounded by scribes, with Philopator ready to help her decipher the cybernetic tablets.

Chapter 2: The Digital Conquest

As Cleopatra continued learning Ruby, she realized that this language was more than just a tool: it was a key to unlocking the secrets of the Black Pyramid and its cyber-biome. She decreed that all her scribes would master Ruby, so that Egypt would shine not only in the past but in the digital eternity.

Chapter 2: The Secret of Classes

Under a starlit sky in the palace library, a fascinated Cleopatra asked:
— Philopator, this magic pleases me. But how can I better organize these incantations so that all my scribes may use them?

Philopator replied:
— Majesty, we must speak of classes. Imagine them as blueprints, divine architectures to structure your ideas.

He picked up a stylus and wrote:

class Scribe
  def initialize(name, specialty)
    @name = name
    @specialty = specialty
  end

  def introduce
    puts "I am #{@name}, a specialist in #{@specialty}."
  end
end

— initialize is like a creation ritual, Philopator explained. With every invocation, a new entity is born, equipped with the attributes you define.

Curious, Cleopatra said:
— Show me this blueprint in action.

Philopator continued:

scribe1 = Scribe.new("Thothmes", "cartography")
scribe2 = Scribe.new("Isidore", "astronomy")

scribe1.introduce
scribe2.introduce

The tablet displayed:

I am Thothmes, a specialist in cartography.  
I am Isidore, a specialist in astronomy.

Cleopatra smiled:
— With such blueprints, I could create legions of digital scribes!

Chapter 3: The Power of Modules

Philopator continued:
— Classes are powerful, but sometimes you need to share incantations between multiple blueprints. That’s where modules come in.

He explained:
— Think of a module as a library of spells that multiple classes can invoke.

He wrote on the tablet:

module SacredWriting
  def write(message)
    puts "Engraved in sacred granite: #{message}"
  end
end

class Priest
  include SacredWriting
end

class Architect
  include SacredWriting
end

Philopator demonstrated:

priest = Priest.new
priest.write("Offering to the temple of Ra.")

architect = Architect.new
architect.write("Design of the great obelisk.")

The tablet engraved the messages. Cleopatra exclaimed:
— This language is a true treasure. Modules and classes, like priests and architects, cooperate to build my empire.

Chapter 4: The Mysteries of Inheritance

A question arose in Cleopatra's mind:
— If a new priest were to exist, sharing the rituals of the old ones, how could we pass them on without rewriting everything?

Philopator enthusiastically replied:
— That is what we call inheritance. A class can inherit the powers of another. Observe.

He demonstrated:

class Sage
  def meditate
    puts "Immersed in deep meditation."
  end
end

class HighPriest < Sage
  def bless
    puts "Invoking divine blessings."
  end
end

priest = HighPriest.new
priest.meditate
priest.bless

The tablet displayed:

Immersed in deep meditation.  
Invoking divine blessings.

Cleopatra declared with delight:
— The wisdom of the ancients can thus traverse the ages, without loss or confusion.

Chapter 5: In Search of Infinity

Cleopatra, now a master of Ruby's fundamentals, felt ready to delve deeper.
— And now, Philopator, what else does this language have in store for us?

Philopator replied:
— Majesty, there is still much to uncover: the hidden jewels of gems, the powerful incantations of blocks, and the secrets of regular expressions to manipulate words like never before.

Chapter 6: The Gems of Power

In the treasure chamber of Alexandria, Cleopatra asked Philopator:
— Tell me about these gems you mentioned. I assume they are not mere jewels?

Philopator smiled.
— No, Majesty. Gems in Ruby are libraries of power. They contain pre-crafted spells, created by other sages, that we can invoke to enhance our abilities.

Curious, Cleopatra requested an example. Philopator complied:

# Installing a gem
# This is done by invoking the external commander:
# gem install colorize

require 'colorize'

puts "Welcome to Alexandria".colorize(:blue)
puts "Glory to Cleopatra!".colorize(:yellow)

The tablet displayed text in vibrant colors. Cleopatra exclaimed:
— Magnificent! The words themselves come to life. These gems are gifts from the gods.

Philopator explained:
— Gems can achieve much more. Whether it's decrypting messages, building machines, or creating portals to other worlds, their power is infinite. You only need to invoke them.

Chapter 7: Blocks and Repetitive Spells

One day, while meditating on simplifying complex rituals, Cleopatra asked:
— Can repetitive spells be encapsulated elegantly?

Philopator replied:
— Yes, through blocks. These blocks allow you to pass repetitive instructions with great fluidity.

He wrote on the tablet:

3.times do |i|
  puts "Invocation #{i + 1}: Glory to Cleopatra!"
end

The message appeared:

Invocation 1: Glory to Cleopatra!  
Invocation 2: Glory to Cleopatra!  
Invocation 3: Glory to Cleopatra!

Philopator continued:
— A block can also be passed to a method to customize its behavior.

def cast_spell
  puts "Preparing the spell..."
  yield if block_given?
  puts "Spell cast."
end

cast_spell do
  puts "A secret message appears: ‘The Black Pyramid awaits.’"
end

Cleopatra read with intrigue:
— So I can pass specific incantations while maintaining the general structure? This language is undoubtedly designed for strategists.

Chapter 8: The Hidden Secrets of Words

In the grand temple of Hermes, Cleopatra pondered:
— Sometimes, engraved tablets contain hidden or coded messages. Can Ruby help me manipulate them?

Philopator replied gravely:
— Majesty, we are entering the realm of regular expressions. These tools are keys to decipher and reshape words.

He demonstrated:

message = "The stars shine over the Black Pyramid."

if message =~ /Black Pyramid/
  puts "A secret is mentioned in this text."
end

modified_text = message.gsub(/stars/, "suns")
puts modified_text

The result was:

A secret is mentioned in this text.
The suns shine over the Black Pyramid.

Cleopatra understood the importance of these tools.
— Each word can be sculpted like a block of granite. Ruby gives me the power to rewrite the universe.

Chapter 9: A Major Revelation

Cleopatra sat thoughtfully, surrounded by scribes.
— Philopator, this language is magnificent. But why teach me Ruby?

Philopator hesitated for a moment, then replied:
— Majesty, the Black Pyramid contains a cybernetic core. Its secrets are protected by a language similar to Ruby. If you master every facet of it, you will not only understand this structure but also control it.

Cleopatra straightened, a glimmer of determination in her eyes.
— Then, Philopator, let us continue. Together, we will unlock the doors of this mystery.

Chapter 10: The Gates of Resilience

In a chamber adorned with frescoes of the ancient gods, Cleopatra meditated on the risks of failure in confronting the mysteries of the Black Pyramid.
— Philopator, if an error occurs in my incantations, can Ruby help me overcome these obstacles?

Standing beside her, Philopator replied:
— Majesty, Ruby is designed to be resilient. Using a structure called exception handling, we can anticipate errors and respond intelligently.

He wrote on a glowing tablet:

begin
  result = 10 / 0
  puts "The result is #{result}."
rescue ZeroDivisionError
  puts "Division by zero is impossible. Choose another formula."
end

Cleopatra read the displayed message:

Division by zero is impossible. Choose another formula.

— Fascinating, she said. This language can adapt to the unexpected like a strategist in battle.

Philopator added:
— We can even capture various types of errors:

begin
  data = File.read("nonexistent_tablet.txt")
rescue Errno::ENOENT
  puts "The requested file is not found."
end

Cleopatra reflected.
— This is truly an armor against errors. Let us proceed.

Chapter 11: Building API Portals

One morning, as the light of dawn bathed Alexandria, Cleopatra posed a new question:
— Can Ruby connect me to other digital realms to exchange information?

Philopator smiled.
— Majesty, through APIs (Portals of Interface), Ruby can communicate with distant systems.

He demonstrated a simple example:

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

url = URI("https://api.spacexdata.com/v4/launches/latest")
response = Net::HTTP.get(url)
data = JSON.parse(response)

puts "Latest space launch: #{data['name']}"

The message displayed:

Latest space launch: Starship Test Flight

Cleopatra exclaimed:
— By the gods, with these portals, I could question the stars themselves!

Philopator added:
— This is the key to interacting with the Black Pyramid. It contains secret APIs that we will decipher.

Chapter 12: The Tests, Guardians of the Rituals

Cleopatra asked:
— And what if my scribes make mistakes in their incantations? How can I ensure that everything always works perfectly?

Philopator replied:
— Majesty, we have a method: automated tests. They verify that the rituals are accurate.

He demonstrated:

require 'minitest/autorun'

class TestScribe < Minitest::Test
  def test_presentation
    scribe = Scribe.new("Thothmes", "cartography")
    assert_equal "I am Thothmes, specialist in cartography.", scribe.present
  end
end

Cleopatra watched the results display:

1 run, 1 assertion, 0 failures

She nodded.
— With these guardians, my digital empire will be invincible.

Chapter 13: The Final Mystics

Cleopatra had mastered the basics, but she knew the Black Pyramid still held unfathomable secrets. Philopator concluded:
— Majesty, you now know Ruby like a master. Classes, modules, blocks, gems, and APIs hold no secrets for you. All that remains is to face the Pyramid.

Cleopatra rose, gazing at the stars above Alexandria.
— Then, the time has come. May the power of Ruby guide me through the mysteries of this celestial artifact.

Chapter 14: Entering the Black Pyramid

One night, when the stars seemed to vibrate with a mysterious energy, Cleopatra, surrounded by her loyal scribes and Philopator, stood before the imposing entrance of the Black Pyramid. Its walls, black as onyx, reflected metallic gleams, and an inscription flickered in strange letters, constantly changing shape.

Philopator whispered:
— Majesty, this is where your knowledge of Ruby will be tested. This pyramid is protected by a digital locking system.

Cleopatra approached and placed her hand on the cold surface. A luminous interface opened, projecting lines of code into the air. She read:

# Initial challenge
def solve_riddle(key)
  return key == key.reverse
end

puts solve_riddle("kayak") # true
puts solve_riddle("cleopatra") # false

Philopator explained:
— This riddle requires a palindrome key, a word that reads the same backward.

Cleopatra smiled and wrote:

key = "radar"
if solve_riddle(key)
  puts "The portal opens."
else
  puts "Access denied."
end

The portal emitted a hum, and an opening formed.

Chapter 15: The Guardians of Loops

Inside, a passage revealed itself, but it was blocked by a series of moving columns. Each column bore numerical inscriptions. A voice resonated:
— Solve the riddle of the guardians, or remain prisoners forever.

Philopator translated:
— Majesty, these columns challenge you to master loops.

Cleopatra studied the engraved symbols and then wrote on a projected tablet:

columns = [3, 5, 7, 9]

columns.each do |height|
  puts "Column of height #{height}"
end

The columns slowed down, as if they were listening. Another riddle appeared:

# Find the sum of the column heights
sum = columns.reduce(0) { |total, height| total + height }
puts "The sum is: #{sum}"

She entered the correct answer. The columns froze and allowed the group to pass.

Chapter 16: The Hidden APIs of the Pyramid

At the heart of the pyramid, an enormous room contained floating luminous spheres. Philopator knelt.
— These are the APIs of the Black Pyramid, he said. These spheres are access points to other worlds.

Cleopatra approached one of the spheres. A question appeared:
— Connect to the starry realm.

She wrote:

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

url = URI("https://api.galacticrealm.com/stars")
response = Net::HTTP.get(url)
data = JSON.parse(response)

puts "Étoiles détectées :"
data['stars'].each { |star| puts star['name'] }

A celestial projection filled the room. The names of the stars displayed in complex constellations.

Philopator declared:
— The Black Pyramid recognizes your mastery. You are ready to access its core.

Chapter 17: The Cybernetic Core

At the center of the pyramid, an immense throne stood, surrounded by living codes that shimmered like glyphs. A voice resonated, deep and ancient:
— Cleopatra, you have proven your worth. But one final test awaits: can you modify this code to release the memories of the past?

The code displayed before her:

memories = [
  { 'name' => 'Egypt', 'status' => 'inactive' },
  { 'name' => 'Alexandria', 'status' => 'inactive' },
  { 'name' => 'Black Pyramid', 'status' => 'active' }
]

memories.each do |memory|
  if memory['status'] == 'inactive'
    memory['status'] = 'active'
  end
end

puts memories

Cleopatra modified the lines to unlock the system's potential:

memories.map! do |memory|
  memory['status'] = 'active'
  memory
end

puts "All memories are now active."

The throne illuminated, and the entire pyramid vibrated. A massive projection showed the secrets of the universe, revealed for the first time in millennia.

Cleopatra stood tall, triumphant.
— The universe belongs to those who master knowledge. Ruby was the key, but it is my will that opened the doors.

Created by ChatGPT, 2025