Month: November 2008

The Human Algorithm

Chris Dannen sees the power of the Reddit generation:

The question of the next decade is: How can we find what we want — the perfect job, just the right pair of shoes, exactly the news that’s important to us — amidst the maelstrom of information that’s available on the Web? Google, of course, is the de facto answer, it’s algorithms generating a ballpark guess at what we want when we type in a few search terms. But the burgeoning mass of data on the Internet is threatening to outmode such robotic tools. So a growing number of start-ups is putting forward another strategy for filtering the Web: Use human judgment first, computer power second.

That may be why some of you read the Dish.

(Hat tip: 3QD)

The Logic Of Bushism

People who don’t see a connection between Bush’s fundamentalist psyche and his refusal or inability to see reality in front of him would do well to read this post from "Flopping Aces," a far right Christianist trying to absorb the facts of our time. He cannot:

It may be that right now all the powers that be, the media, the educational system, etc. seem to be arrayed in favor of things that we, the minority, can see are not good. Much of what we have seen has seemed ‘rigged’ against us, and we have been ‘defeated’ like the inner and outer enemies of Joan defeated her. In this time, we should remember we cannot possibly see with an infinite eye. We should leave that for the One who is competent to do so. It can’t be our goal to only ‘win’ arguments or technical victories.

Yes, Bush ‘won’ all of them.

Von Hoffmann Award Nominee

"As I wrote  last December, "[t]he pundits can talk until they are blue in the face about Obama’s charisma and eloquence and cross-racial appeal.  The fact of the matter is that Obama has no chance of being elected president in 2008."  I am more convinced of this conclusion than ever," – Steven M. Warshawsky, American Thinker, August 11, 2008.

The City That Never Sleeps

From an interview with an NYC beekeeper:

For Berkshire bees, quitting time is about 5 pm. New York City bees, they work harder and longer. And as you can see, we’re here before 7 am, and these bees are already starting to work, whereas the country bees won’t be opening the doors till about 9 am. And these city bees will still be hard at work at 7 tonight! Maybe it’s because it’s warmer here or maybe it’s the city lights. Whatever it is, they definitely work longer hours.

(Hat tip: Kottke)