Felix Posted January 5, 2006 Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 I just had to laugh when I read this, even though I don't know Pat Robertson. All I know is that he is a TV-priest of some sort. Amazon usually then recommends books that most other buyers also bought. Interesting what it shows about the sexual orientation of fundamentalist Christians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted January 5, 2006 Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 I think that's a spoof. Did you get this Amazon's site? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Posted January 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 (edited) I found it on a German site. The article sounded reasonable. It was about artificial learning systems going berserk. It also said that an automatic videorecorder (I forgot its name) only recorded homosexual stuff for one guy, who then tried to "re-establish his manlihood" by only programming war and action movies which resulted in the system to only record Nazi documentations from then on. I didn't reach the end of the article, because my computer broke down before I could scroll down to the end of the page. They also said that Amazon had taken that link out directly after finding it - naturally. So I don't think it's a spoof to discredit Pat Robertson. I think this actually happened. And I think it's funny. Edited January 5, 2006 by Felix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottkursk Posted January 5, 2006 Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 Ebay is incredibly bad about this with their AI. You'll see some bizare "You might also be interested in..." links. I also remember so hilarious ones involving Target.com when people found that they could monkey with their lists so you saw some truly bizare things on the site before their techies figured out the problem. So I do think it's in the realm of possiblities. Though that would explain why Pat Robertson is such a pain... nope, must resist obvious joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottkursk Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 (edited) Funny, an article came up yesterday on MSNBC about Wal Mart's recomendation sytsem. Whenever shoppers went looking for a book about MLK Jr. or Jack Johnson, they also got recomendations for Planet of the Apes, etc. Of course, people will completly glaze over the fact that the movie Planet of the Apes is a social commentary about racism and bigotry. Knee jerk reaction by the PC forces. WalMart pulled the recomendation system down until they can sanitize it. So, that makes the whole Pat Robertson issue a little more believable. Edited January 7, 2006 by scottkursk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dismuke Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 (edited) Well, I do know that the Senate is planning to hold hearings on the Amazon.com recommendations. For example, people who searched for a book praising Ted Kennedy were referred to: Enunciation And Articulation: A Practical Manual for Teachers And Schools by Ella M. Boyce Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book 4th Edition by AA Services Guide for the Field Testing Bridges by American Society of Civil Engineers Committee on Safety of Bridges People who searched for John Kerry's books were referred to: The Communist Maifesto by Karl Marx Benedict Arnold: Misunderstood Hero? by Audrey Wallace Plus a whole bunch of books written in French. People who searched for John McCain's books were referred to: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge :60 Second Anger Management: Quick Tips to Handle Explosive Feelings by Dr. Michael Hershorn Plus that hot new swimsuit pin-up calendar that Janet Reno, Madeline Albright and Cindy Sheehan posed for. People who searched for Hillary Clinton's book were referred to: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Those Terrible Carpetbaggers : A Reinterpretation by Richard Nelson Current The Encyclopedia of Snakes by Chris Mattison Plus that hot new swimsuit pin-up calendar that Janet Reno, Madeline Albright and Cindy Sheehan posed for. Hearings start Tuesday. We will have to see if they go for busing up Amazon as a monopoly, squeezing some capaign contributions out of them or using it as a pretext to impose a "Fairness Doctrine" on all .com, .net and .org websites. Edited January 9, 2006 by Dismuke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proverb Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 (edited) dismuke, that's the kind of thing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Is it possible for a product recommendation to be slanderous? It doesn't seem like it with my first appraisal. Speaking of recommendation engines, pandora.com has a free music streaming player that takes a few seed songs that you provide and creates a random stream of songs that fit the seeds you provide. It's based on the music genome project and has some of the best results of any recommendation engine to date. Check it out! Edited January 9, 2006 by Proverb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exaltron Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Well, I do know that the Senate is planning to hold hearings on the Amazon.com recommendations. For example, people who searched for a book praising Ted Kennedy were referred to: Enunciation And Articulation: A Practical Manual for Teachers And Schools by Ella M. Boyce Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book 4th Edition by AA Services Guide for the Field Testing Bridges by American Society of Civil Engineers Committee on Safety of Bridges People who searched for John Kerry's books were referred to: The Communist Maifesto by Karl Marx Benedict Arnold: Misunderstood Hero? by Audrey Wallace Plus a whole bunch of books written in French. People who searched for John McCain's books were referred to: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge :60 Second Anger Management: Quick Tips to Handle Explosive Feelings by Dr. Michael Hershorn Plus that hot new swimsuit pin-up calendar that Janet Reno, Madeline Albright and Cindy Sheehan posed for. People who searched for Hillary Clinton's book were referred to: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Those Terrible Carpetbaggers : A Reinterpretation by Richard Nelson Current The Encyclopedia of Snakes by Chris Mattison Plus that hot new swimsuit pin-up calendar that Janet Reno, Madeline Albright and Cindy Sheehan posed for. Hearings start Tuesday. We will have to see if they go for busing up Amazon as a monopoly, squeezing some capaign contributions out of them or using it as a pretext to impose a "Fairness Doctrine" on all .com, .net and .org websites. Dismuke, that was hilarious!! belongs in the pantheon of brilliant objectivist satire! Dismuke, that was hilarious!! belongs in the pantheon of brilliant objectivist satire! Um, I think I meant the canon of brilliant objectivist satire.. pantheon is for people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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