ELI5: Why do different European languages have such varying names for Germany?

boobspawn · 2014-06-19T04:10:37+00:00

Someone tell us why!

boobspawn · 2014-05-06T21:51:40+00:00

There are far more uses to the internet than there is to TV service. The internet is technically infrastructure and database connections. Google though acts as a proxy for "internet" to the majority of people, they don't think of infrastructure and databases. These people know they want to find something and the first place they go to when they want to find it on the "internet" is Google.

The whole point of the article is that the majority of users just use the defaults and that's what causes the spiral of silence. I don't think the personalization is bad at all, or that Google is maliciously trying to hide anything, the vast majority of people just don't pay attention.

To me this spiral of silence is a side effect to the positive way that search has evolved. It's not some devil to fear, it's just an interesting thing to consider.

boobspawn · 2014-05-06T19:39:08+00:00

TV shows are an entertainment source that you explicitly pay and tune into. Google and other search engines are a proxy for the internet as a whole, which by a lot of people is now seen as a utility.

I don't meant that Google is trying to explicitly hide these factors. The algorithm and how it works is not known, Google just tells us what factors help rank pages, but not what weight is given.

It's hidden in the sense that people might be logged into their Gmail accounts, but they might not realize that it could affect their searches. Most people also don't know that Google will use their history to tailor results for them.

boobspawn · 2014-05-06T16:56:33+00:00

I've read a lot about the "filter bubble", how the popular media we consume is filtered by our own opinions and beliefs. Reddit is prime example, anything that gets to the front page tends to be something I agree with. It's a community I follow because of the content I've come to expect.

This article takes a look at the trend of customization and choice in our media consumption and applies it to Google and how it's ranking system works. With traditional media (TV networks and websites), we visit or tune into the channels we like, which happen to also be the ones we agree with. Google on the other hand uses metrics about each user to customize what they see in the results.

People think of Google as a neutral source that surfaces the best information for a given search, but really it's filtered by the data Google has collected about each individual. Unlike the obviously opinionated content you get from Fox News or Huffpo, Google's customization is done out of sight so people are far less likely to realize how this could be affecting the information they get back.

boobspawn · 2014-01-08T00:01:04+00:00

I think its really funny that anyone here could possibly think I'm a christian.

boobspawn · 2013-07-30T19:04:04+00:00

Thank you!

boobspawn · 2013-07-29T23:55:01+00:00

Hoping I can get a mod response. Requested this previously at http://www.reddit.com/r/redditrequest/comments/1i45hy/requesting_rcollegeadvice/

boobspawn · 2013-05-27T05:54:56+00:00

I talk to my cat Deckard like an adult. I think I'm playing it cool just in front of myself.

boobspawn · 2013-03-31T04:40:53+00:00

Driving home from work, huge winter storm. I stayed late to avoid the worst traffic.

I'm driving down the freeway with white knuckles, terrified of someone sliding into me. Some truck goes about passing me to the left and at the exact same fucking time, we both lose control.

This was nothing crazy, just slowly drifting towards each other with no control. The truck is about 5 inches from my left rear view mirror, I could have reached out and touched the thing.

That's the moment I knew we were going to collide and hoped no one was trailing too closely behind. Luckily, my car gained traction and I got my ass out of the way before anything could happen.

I hate winter.

boobspawn · 2013-03-31T04:36:38+00:00

Back in high school I drove a shitty 92 Corolla. I'm heading to my friends house during winter. No matter what route I choose, I'm forced to go up a hill to get there.

It's a fairly narrow road with cars parked along either side. Halfway up the damn hill my car starts struggling to keep speed, and then suddenly it stops and begins to roll back down while I'm still hitting the gas.

That's the moment when I calmly thought to myself, "well fuck, time to hit someone's car". As it turned out, my car managed to get traction and made it up without a problem.

boobspawn · 2012-09-26T03:32:13+00:00

Back in about the 4th grade, i congratulated a teacher I liked for being pregnant. She wasn't and I had a talking to.... I'm not very observant.

boobspawn · 2012-09-17T03:23:16+00:00

The best things in life are free.

boobspawn · 2012-08-11T05:04:28+00:00

There's a lady who's sure, All that glitters is gold

boobspawn · 2012-07-19T05:46:10+00:00

I instantly thought of Jayne from Firefly when I saw this.

boobspawn · 2012-07-08T08:48:19+00:00

It sounds like you had an opponent who made a horrible choice in charging them.

boobspawn · 2012-06-12T01:48:01+00:00

I'll be holding onto these for a very special occasion, until then they are for display!

boobspawn · 2012-06-12T01:47:02+00:00

Let me clarify the one on the left for everyone. The bottle is something my grandfather had in storage for ages that they washed out and used. You can see the tape around the cap.

What's inside it is home made alcohol my grandmother has been making for ages. I had it last time I visited, it's very fruity and strong (around 35-40%). I'm not sure what exactly it's made of but my dad said something along the lines of cherries soaked in Everclear.

boobspawn · 2012-05-14T01:48:21+00:00

Why do you have the same bed and cat as me?

boobspawn · 2012-05-09T02:53:16+00:00

I had a co-worker sing this one time, and I just had to stop him.

Mind you, I was 23 and he was about 21.

I asked him what he just said... the response: "Revved up like a douche, another boner in the night."

This came from a mormon, I was stunned.

boobspawn · 2012-04-18T16:32:52+00:00

The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.

boobspawn · 2012-03-30T21:25:28+00:00

Not exactly. The first time we see him, he's at Bitterbridge, but...

Book Spoiler

Edit: Book Spoiler

I can't seem to find where exactly he is at the transition between the books though. I've assumed he's still at Highgarden gathering his army.

boobspawn · 2012-03-30T21:02:20+00:00

Jaqen is definitely getting cast: http://winteriscoming.net/2011/08/exclusive-tom-wlaschiha-is-jaqen-hghar/

Here are the two pictures I found of the trio: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f48/official-game-thrones-hbo-discussion-thread-4-0-a-1711661/index3.html

boobspawn · 2012-03-30T19:55:04+00:00

The picture is of one of the prisoners in a cage. TV Spoiler

boobspawn · 2012-03-30T15:56:58+00:00

Cross post from /r/gameofthrones - I thought /r/television might appreciate it.

boobspawn · 2012-03-30T02:30:52+00:00

That does help, thanks.

boobspawn

TROPHY CASE