Friday, September 29, 2006
Missed Queues
One of my favorite pages on Amazon.com is the recommendation page. It's like Book Tivo--since you bought xyz, we think you'll like abc; since you rated this, you'll probably like that. Of course it's just algorithms based on the title and keywords of similar books, but sometimes it produces useful and interesting choices. Every once in a while I peek to update it with the "I own it"s and "I'm not interested"s, just to see what it will come up with for me.
Sometimes it gets to be a little aggravating though. You'd think after a while it would pick up patterns. Just because I buy all of Peter David's Star Trek books doesn't mean I'm interested in all Star Trek books...just his. Hence the "I'm not interested"s next to every Michael Jan Friedman book. How many does he have anyway?! Or, if I buy Next Generation books only, I don't want Voyager. I realize that Connie Willis has 25 novels, but I bought only the 3 I thought were interesting.
An additional danger comes in admitting you have certain things: classics, for example. Yes, I have Death of a Salesman, but that only means I attended public school in the last 30 years, not that I like Arthur Miller. Here's another one: kids movies. I own "First Kid" because I like Sinbad, not because I have a 10 year old. And yet, AmazonTivo has now placed every last Tim Allen movie in my queue. Um, no.
Gifts can also backfire. Over a year ago I bought some baby books and post-natal yoga books for a baby shower. Amazon thinks I'm teaching my now-toddler-age child to do down dog.
The last pattern Amazon failed to pick up: I'm cheap. I love me some 24 and I bought the first season...when it was $10. Ditto for Futurama. Fifty-nine bucks for Season 3, even when it's the best season ever? Call me when it goes on clearance.
I'm getting to the point where I'm about to start lying to Amazon. Muppets in Space? Who, me? The Velveteen what? Kiefer who? I don't even know anyone with children. Are you sure I bought that? I don't recall. I. did not. read. that. book.
I refuse to give in on the Star Trek ones though. Maybe one day it will catch on....
Sometimes it gets to be a little aggravating though. You'd think after a while it would pick up patterns. Just because I buy all of Peter David's Star Trek books doesn't mean I'm interested in all Star Trek books...just his. Hence the "I'm not interested"s next to every Michael Jan Friedman book. How many does he have anyway?! Or, if I buy Next Generation books only, I don't want Voyager. I realize that Connie Willis has 25 novels, but I bought only the 3 I thought were interesting.
An additional danger comes in admitting you have certain things: classics, for example. Yes, I have Death of a Salesman, but that only means I attended public school in the last 30 years, not that I like Arthur Miller. Here's another one: kids movies. I own "First Kid" because I like Sinbad, not because I have a 10 year old. And yet, AmazonTivo has now placed every last Tim Allen movie in my queue. Um, no.
Gifts can also backfire. Over a year ago I bought some baby books and post-natal yoga books for a baby shower. Amazon thinks I'm teaching my now-toddler-age child to do down dog.
The last pattern Amazon failed to pick up: I'm cheap. I love me some 24 and I bought the first season...when it was $10. Ditto for Futurama. Fifty-nine bucks for Season 3, even when it's the best season ever? Call me when it goes on clearance.
I'm getting to the point where I'm about to start lying to Amazon. Muppets in Space? Who, me? The Velveteen what? Kiefer who? I don't even know anyone with children. Are you sure I bought that? I don't recall. I. did not. read. that. book.
I refuse to give in on the Star Trek ones though. Maybe one day it will catch on....
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