Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Computers are amazing, but not nearly amazing enough. Our computers should know us individually and be able to gauge what we need at a specific time, kind of like that creepy thing at Amazon that makes suggestions on what you should buy next based on what you've bought in the past. At times the Amazon thing's uncanny, but the effect is spoiled when it persists in suggesting I buy stuff I already own. How can I tell it I already have a copy of the first Joy Division album? But I digress. Computers should be trained to seek out what we like. If I sit down at my PC and don't immediately go to a specific page it should just automatically pop up a page I might like. It should gauge my mood, in effect, telling me, "Hey, check out this article on linguistics," or "Look at all this information on urban legends," or "I'll bet a little free porno would cheer you up." But it doesn't do this and, alas, it probably never will. Instead we have to be content with pop-up ads suggesting we get hidden cameras so we can spy on women getting dressed, or, even worse, suggestions that we should install the dreaded BonziBuddy. I'm very disappointed with computers.

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