I'm not paranoid... April 19, 2010 8:05 AM Subscribe
How does the "Related Questions" tool on Ask work?
My question (which I won't link too incase it comes across as trying to 'promote' it somehow) is about cameras, with the tags "camerasetup", "canon350d" and "canon550d".
One of the "related" questions is this one about some lass who was convinced (rightly or wrongly) that she was being bugged.
How does the related questions tool work, and what connected these two questions like this?
Stop looking at me like that... I'm just asking...
My question (which I won't link too incase it comes across as trying to 'promote' it somehow) is about cameras, with the tags "camerasetup", "canon350d" and "canon550d".
One of the "related" questions is this one about some lass who was convinced (rightly or wrongly) that she was being bugged.
How does the related questions tool work, and what connected these two questions like this?
Stop looking at me like that... I'm just asking...
Thank you for taking the time to post this question. Since the mods linked the Ask server into to the US Department of Homeland Security's terrorist surveillance division network, its AI has been a bit tempermental. Occasionally, it takes it upon itself to warn surveillance subjects that they're being monitored by the federal government.
Of course... heh heh... that never really happens. This is what we get for giving computers a sense of humor.
Please disregard the "Related Questions" section below your post. Oh, and since the weather is getting a bit nicer, you might consider leaving your window shades open more often.
Oh, and there is no cabal hamburger stand.
posted by zarq at 8:17 AM on April 19, 2010
Of course... heh heh... that never really happens. This is what we get for giving computers a sense of humor.
Please disregard the "Related Questions" section below your post. Oh, and since the weather is getting a bit nicer, you might consider leaving your window shades open more often.
Oh, and there is no cabal hamburger stand.
posted by zarq at 8:17 AM on April 19, 2010
Since the mods linked the Ask server into to the US Department of Homeland Security's terrorist surveillance division network, its AI has been a bit tempermental.
As the person who answers real life email from real life paranoids as part of my job, this is only sort of funny.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:28 AM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
As the person who answers real life email from real life paranoids as part of my job, this is only sort of funny.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:28 AM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
Wait, so it doesn't do a DNA test on your question to determine which questions are its ancestors and descendants?
posted by FishBike at 8:32 AM on April 19, 2010
posted by FishBike at 8:32 AM on April 19, 2010
As the person who answers real life email from real life paranoids as part of my job, this is only sort of funny.
I heartily apologize in advance if you get any email from people who take that comment seriously.
posted by zarq at 8:38 AM on April 19, 2010
I heartily apologize in advance if you get any email from people who take that comment seriously.
posted by zarq at 8:38 AM on April 19, 2010
> I may be forgetting some third vector of comparison
Real mods don't forget the third vector of comparison.
posted by languagehat at 8:44 AM on April 19, 2010
Real mods don't forget the third vector of comparison.
posted by languagehat at 8:44 AM on April 19, 2010
I think that related AskMe probably came from the astral comparison vector. As such you'd need to ask meatbomb about the reasoning.
posted by Babblesort at 8:48 AM on April 19, 2010
posted by Babblesort at 8:48 AM on April 19, 2010
Just took a look to refresh my memory, and as cortex said it's based on tags and categories. Rare tag matches get a higher score. In the case of your question, there were no tag matches so the only match to use was category. In that case we also look at the number of favorites a question has. So in this case you're just seeing a random list of some highly favorited questions in the technology category.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:50 AM on April 19, 2010
posted by pb (staff) at 8:50 AM on April 19, 2010
Real mods don't forget the third vector of comparison.
Keep that up and all your Related Questions from now on will be about oozing sores and suchlike.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:50 AM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Keep that up and all your Related Questions from now on will be about oozing sores and suchlike.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:50 AM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Well done, languagehat! You got cortex to reveal the third vector of comparison: presence of poster on "people who have pissed off the mods" list.
posted by FishBike at 9:45 AM on April 19, 2010
posted by FishBike at 9:45 AM on April 19, 2010
cortex: hapex legomena!
Thank you for making me look it up.
Kinda cool object to add to my word set.
Generally accepted references seem to spell it hapax, though.
posted by bru at 10:13 AM on April 19, 2010
Thank you for making me look it up.
Kinda cool object to add to my word set.
Generally accepted references seem to spell it hapax, though.
posted by bru at 10:13 AM on April 19, 2010
Yeah, I'm shite for spelling.
You and me both. I went to check how I'd spelled it on the web page with the list of tags used only once on MeFi, and I did the heading one way and the actual text file the other.
posted by FishBike at 10:40 AM on April 19, 2010
You and me both. I went to check how I'd spelled it on the web page with the list of tags used only once on MeFi, and I did the heading one way and the actual text file the other.
posted by FishBike at 10:40 AM on April 19, 2010
I think we can safely blame the proximity to 'apex'. That and my total ignorance of Latin. But mostly the apex thing.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:49 AM on April 19, 2010
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:49 AM on April 19, 2010
To say nothing of my Greek. Jesus, stop me before I kill again.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:55 AM on April 19, 2010
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:55 AM on April 19, 2010
Χριστός, what an asshole.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:44 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by shakespeherian at 12:44 PM on April 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I'm shite for spelling.
You and me both.
You, and you, and me three. Sucks when you typo your own username. I'm slowly getting over it though.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 1:13 PM on April 19, 2010
You and me both.
You, and you, and me three. Sucks when you typo your own username. I'm slowly getting over it though.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 1:13 PM on April 19, 2010
Zamboni! *jazz hands*
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:45 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:45 PM on April 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
On the subject of spelling, it occurs to me that there's an interesting research project waiting in the wings for some linguist, looking at the influence of mobile devices with text prediction on average typo and misprediction rates on e.g. mefi over time.
I've been both committing and noticing more of these Cupertino-type errors lately since I've started hitting the site from iPhone and iPad (though I readily acknowledge that the big uptick in noticing is probably all me with the confirmation bias).
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:38 PM on April 19, 2010
I've been both committing and noticing more of these Cupertino-type errors lately since I've started hitting the site from iPhone and iPad (though I readily acknowledge that the big uptick in noticing is probably all me with the confirmation bias).
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:38 PM on April 19, 2010
(run) (run) (run) (run) (run) ... (turn) ... mahna mahna!
posted by FishBike at 3:40 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by FishBike at 3:40 PM on April 19, 2010
hapax legomenon, ἅπαξ λεγόμενον ... see also googlewhack.
posted by nangar at 7:04 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by nangar at 7:04 PM on April 19, 2010
Pity about the spelling, would have made for a great mnemonic: hapex is never a twin.
posted by adipocere at 4:46 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by adipocere at 4:46 AM on April 20, 2010
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
googlemefitagsearchwhacks), and so all the matching engine has to work with is the category.How it produced the five "technology" questions it did I don't know exactly, but the rest aren't any more related to your specific camera question than the paranoia one is. They're just less eye-catching in their unrelatedness.
I may be forgetting some third vector of comparison besides tags and category, but I don't know what. pb would know more.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:10 AM on April 19, 2010