Vast Active Library and Information Science blog. From a recent library science graduate in Wellington, New Zealand. A focus on reference and current awareness tools and issues, especially free, web-based resources.

 
The NYT has an article on iPod users who are convinced that the shuffle mode on their players isn't really random. As proof, they offer vox pops with several users, some of whom claim the shuffle isn't random because they always get songs that fit their mood, and others who claim that it isn't random because they always get songs that don't fit their mood.

OK. So Apple has very cunningly designed its iPods with advanced pattern recognition software or something (someone in the article speculates about Bayesian filters and relevance ranking) and then decided to give some of its users exactly what they want, and the rest exactly what they don't want. Sure. That makes all kinds of sense.



| posted by Simon at 10:23 pm