Last fall (Nov 2005) we had a program
featuring speaker Alex Soojung-Kim Pang talking about his work at the
Institute for the Future (IFTF) and the role of libraries in the end of
cyberspace. You might have even been following the IFTF's blog. I also read his personal blog and thought our members might be interested in his thoughts on Ms. Dewey, Microsoft's new search site. From Alex's blog:
Does someone searching "lung cancer" or "acquaintance rape" or "pediatric oncology" need this? Giving a program "personality" might at first glance seem like a way to make it seem more human. But if you give it the wrong personality, or a personality that is appropriate in some contexts but wildly inappropriate in others, it'll seem inhumane in a calculated, as opposed to merely mechanical, way. A program that says sarcastic things when you're looking for information about personal bankruptcy or workers' comp won't seem just irritating. It'll seem cruel.
Blog entries:
Ms. Dewey: Scariest, and Dullest, Software Agent in the Universe
Second thoughts about Ms. Dewey
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