Alexander Johannesen wrote:
>
> Ugh. Read this ...
> http://blog.steinberg.org/?p=11
>
Therein I find:
"Google trusts man over machine. Most famously with their original
page-rank algorithm, most importantly in their reluctance to use machine
optimization for advertising, and most recently with their acquisition
of Aardvark, Google sides with the subjective, ineffable stink of
humanity nearly every time. To cynics, this is merely a side effect of
their hubris-Googlers believe they are the smartest thing in the server
room. To naïfs, it is the logical outgrowth of Google’s profoundly
humanitarian culture. (No points for guessing my allegiance.) What is
increasingly clear, though, is that Google’s cultural quirk is central
to their vision of the future."
What G also did was choose to scan library collections rather than
any piles of old books. Collections are the result of selection.
Both these facts mean they rely on selection by humans.
Jim is right it's too early to give up on the idea, before the final
wave of strong AI makes it obsolete. Which, after the Maes-Garreau law
also mentioned in the Steinberg article, will be forever round the corner.
B.Eversberg
Received on Tue Jul 06 2010 - 04:16:30 EDT