The Wall Street Journal has a hilarious article on profiling by computers—or, what to do when your TiVo thinks you’re gay. I think by now we’ve all seen Amazon’s recommendations for “clean underwear” (would you buy any other kind?) from its new clothing store.
The bane of my Amazon existence is kitchen gadgets. I bought a couple as gifts last year, and now that’s all my Gold Box ever contains… until today, when it coughed up the Rocky Horror Picture Show DVD. I’m not sure I want to delve into the workings of an algorithm that thinks Rocky Horror and stainless steel kitchen utensils belong together in any context.
