The end of online stupidity
Barringtonia
17-12-2007, 10:48
Highly abridged...
(Fortune Magazine) -- Internet veterans have long complained about the steady erosion of civility -- and worse, intelligence -- in online discourse. Initially the phenomenon seemed to be a seasonal disorder. It occurred every September when freshmen showed up for college and went online.
The event came to be known as the Endless September, and true to its name, it continues to this day.
But there's still hope for intelligent life on the Internet. A team of software developers is hard at work on a "stupid filter" that promises to do to idiotic online comments what a spam filter does to junk and unwanted e-mail: put it in a place where it can't hurt anyone anymore.
Link (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/11/12/100954554/)
They have a site at www.stupidfilter.org
My posting days are coming to an end :mad:
From their FAQ:
Q. Isn't filtering stupidity elitist?
A. Yes. Yes, it is. That's sort of the whole point.
Q. How are you going to manage to recognize stupidity programmatically?
A. Pretty much the same way you can programmatically recognize spam, we'll look for things that characterize stupidity and assign particular tokens different weights based on how often they occur in hand-picked examples of idiotic comments. For more information, see Naive Bayes Classifiers and CRM114.
Personally, I'm all for allowing practically any comment but is this a viable idea?
Heretichia
17-12-2007, 10:50
Awsome! Finally I'll be able to write what I want without anyone taking offence! FookerS!!!11!!1one!
.................
Personally, I'm all for allowing practically any comment but is this a viable idea?
Not only viable but old; a similar gadget has been available for years. You can speak your mind to a recording device and it will tell you if you are unusually gullible, stupid, or generally ignorant. This device has recently been made available with solar cells and a small wind-power-harnessing fan. It also contains a battery pack, which can be recharged either from a wall plug, car plug, or from the aforementioned solar/wind-combination generators, for emergency situations, if the user is away from a power source on a calm night. A methane-powered version is due in 2008; the hydrogen version is not expected until late 2009 at best.
Barringtonia
17-12-2007, 11:11
Not only viable but old; a similar gadget has been available for years. You can speak your mind to a recording device and it will tell you if you are unusually gullible, stupid, or generally ignorant. This device has recently been made available with solar cells and a small wind-power-harnessing fan. It also contains a battery pack, which can be recharged either from a wall plug, car plug, or from the aforementioned solar/wind-combination generators, for emergency situations, if the user is away from a power source on a calm night. A methane-powered version is due in 2008; the hydrogen version is not expected until late 2009 at best.
Ammm....colour me curious?
Wot?
Ammm....colour me curious?
Wot?
I really don't know how they are going to fit the methane generator to it, should add considerable bulk which makes it less convenient. But you never know, not so long ago computers used to be room-sized. :)
Barringtonia
17-12-2007, 11:27
I really don't know how they are going to fit the methane generator to it, should add considerable bulk which makes it less convenient. But you never know, not so long ago computers used to be room-sized. :)
Ah, thanks for the clarification.
:confused:
Is this some joke I'm not getting?
Why would anyone want an internet without stupidity?
New Drakonia
17-12-2007, 11:30
This might be the end of the internet as we know it! We'd lose >90% of the current content.
Barringtonia
17-12-2007, 11:35
This might be the end of the internet as we know it! We'd lose >90% of the current content.
The Internet is proof that a million monkeys on a million typewriters won't produce the complete works of Shakespeare - can't remember who said that, or some version of that, but they said it.
The Internet is proof that a million monkeys on a million typewriters won't produce the complete works of Shakespeare - can't remember who said that, or some version of that, but they said it.
Oh yeah? (http://www.google.ie/search?q=the+complete+works+of+shakespeare&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a)
SimNewtonia
17-12-2007, 11:38
This might be the end of the internet as we know it! We'd lose >90% of the current content.
Nah, you wouldn't. Pr0n is far too high a percentage of 'net content.
I'm not saying that's a good thing, either.
Oh, wait, pr0n scriptwriting from my limited exposure is stupid. Never mind.
New Drakonia
17-12-2007, 11:39
The Internet is proof that a million monkeys on a million typewriters won't produce the complete works of Shakespeare - can't remember who said that, or some version of that, but they said it.
Are you implying that some million internet users are in fact monkeys with typewriters? In any case, I'm sure you can find the complete works of Shakespeare somewhere on the net, although I'm not sure if that is from the previously mentioned internet-typewriter-monkeys or not.
New Drakonia
17-12-2007, 11:42
Nah, you wouldn't. Pr0n is far too high a percentage of 'net content.
I'm not saying that's a good thing, either.
Oh, wait, pr0n scriptwriting from my limited exposure is stupid. Never mind.
Well, it would depend on the intellectual quality of said porn. Certain high-brow pornography would remain for sure, but I doubt it amounts to a high percentage of the current amount porn.
Barringtonia
17-12-2007, 11:48
Oh yeah? (http://www.google.ie/search?q=the+complete+works+of+shakespeare&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a)
This sort of thing is exactly why we invaded Ireland. Nothing but trouble.
:mad:
This sort of thing is exactly why we invaded Ireland. Nothing but trouble.
:mad:
Trouble and potatoes :)
Vandal-Unknown
17-12-2007, 13:22
The Final Solution to the Stupidity Question.
Extreme Ironing
17-12-2007, 14:01
Highly abridged...
Link (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/11/12/100954554/)
They have a site at www.stupidfilter.org
My posting days are coming to an end :mad:
From their FAQ:
Personally, I'm all for allowing practically any comment but is this a viable idea?
Can i has st00p1d f1lt3r?
Snafturi
17-12-2007, 19:22
*applies to be a moderator*
considering that Woot made it into the dictionary...
Mad hatters in jeans
17-12-2007, 19:31
What's wrong with stupidity?
i don't mind that, what i do mind is arrogance and bullying, as is evident on some of the threads here.:gundge::gundge::gundge:
Vandal-Unknown
17-12-2007, 19:35
What's wrong with stupidity?
i don't mind that, what i do mind is arrogance and bullying, as is evident on some of the threads here.:gundge::gundge::gundge:
Isn't that always the case since web 1.0? Newfaggotry vs Oldbullies?
Lunatic Goofballs
17-12-2007, 19:39
Highly abridged...
Link (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/11/12/100954554/)
They have a site at www.stupidfilter.org
My posting days are coming to an end :mad:
From their FAQ:
Personally, I'm all for allowing practically any comment but is this a viable idea?
It'll never make it to market. Stupid has politicians and Hollywood on it's side.
Mad hatters in jeans
17-12-2007, 19:40
Isn't that always the case since web 1.0? Newfaggotry vs Oldbullies?
Well what i heard was an old quote somewhere that roughly goes.
"Never argue with an idiot, they'l bring you down to their level, then beat you with experience".
But one issue highllighted with the internet is that even the most simple of phrases can be considered rude or offensive, even ones saying they're joking. Language just because you share it doesn't mean you'l share the same informal norms/rules/values, so rules have to be enforced but that leads to police states.
So the only real option is to hope with experience people grow out of spamming and sniping, and share valid arguments.
So if they invent a stupidity filter can it be applied to World of Warcraft?
Kryozerkia
17-12-2007, 19:45
Why would anyone want an internet without stupidity?
Because that way it's not like real life.
So if they invent a stupidity filter can it be applied to World of Warcraft?
It has been. /ignore /leave 1 /leave 2 /leave 3. Oh and turn off yells.
New Czardas
17-12-2007, 19:59
Because that way it's not like real life.
I can see these becoming useful in real life too, though.
"If I am elected, I plan to increase government spending massively in all areas to compensate for the deficiencies in our education and healthcare systems. I also plan to get rid of all taxes!"
Large machine descends from the sky.
YOU HAVE SAID SOMETHING STUPID. THE STUPID FILTER HAS DETECTED YOUR STATEMENT AND WILL NOW PROCEED TO REMOVE YOU TO A LOCATION WHERE YOU WILL BE HARMLESS.
"Oh my god! Where are you taking me?!"
CONGRESS.
Creepy Lurker
17-12-2007, 20:03
This post has been filtered by StupidFilter.
Haven't we already had a thread on this?
Anyway, I love the idea. Maybe they can install it on YouTube.
considering that Woot made it into the dictionary...
No it hasn't.
This post has been filtered by StupidFilter.
LOL. As they say: You win the thread.
Anyway, I love the idea. Maybe they can install it on YouTube.
If they do that no one will upload any vids! YouTube lives off stupidity! That's like taking away Lunatic from Goofballs!
Tagmatium
17-12-2007, 20:17
So if they invent a stupidity filter can it be applied to World of Warcraft?
It can, and will, be applied to everything. I shall tie it to the end of a broomstick and march around with it.
Dinaverg
17-12-2007, 21:13
Well what i heard was an old quote somewhere that roughly goes.
"Never argue with an idiot, they'l bring you down to their level, then beat you with experience".
*nod* One of the first pearls of wisdom I gained from the internet.
Then Wiki showed up and, well, yeah.