recommendations-r-us

I tend to view the various recommendations I get from companies such as Netflix and Amazon as little more than a guide, sometimes interesting, often not, but offering a glimpse into the various weightings they are using to gauge my preferences. It’s not hard to see how unsophisticated are the underlying categories employed by these recommenders when you follow them. You bought one old 70’s rock album then you must want the new Molly Hatchet box set, right? Not exactly sure what this tells us about Amazon but today I was offered a good deal on a snow thrower! You might wonder if something as telling as one’s residential address might be used as a clue to some purchasing preferences – but then again, maybe not, I gather barbequing has become a regular activity now in Ireland and homeowners there have started adding decks to their properties- we only ever used that word to refer to playing cards or ships when I was growing up. Global warming is everwhere so it may start snowing in Texas – good to know Amazon has me covered!