Amazon humour

[triskellian]

Customers viewing Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac might also, apparently, be interested in Gears of War (Xbox 360)...

...Well, yes, they might, but I would not expect the association to be statistically significant.

Comments

[eleanorb.livejournal.com]

I asked someone who usewd to work for Amazon about this once. Apparently their recommendations list is not in the least bit sophistiicated. If person A bought X and Y they will recommend a combination of X and Y to anyone who looks at one or the other, until somebody buys X and A, them they'll recommend X and A.

[triskellian]

My favourite such moment was when friend-A wrote a book of popular economics, and purchasers were offered kids' fantasy books written by friend-B and friend-C, because their mutual friends were buying all three books.

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Have you tried searching for James Blunt?

The Register's full of fun :)

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Damn, they've zapped the Related Searches data (or just the facility entirely). The original report is
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/01/james_blunt_amazon/

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

http://bopeepsheep.livejournal.com/164760.html

They also once suggested that a load of picture books be followed by Teach Yourself Tagalog.





A sadder side-effect of their not-very-sophisticated system is that a friend buying books on losing a baby was then recommended a load of babycare books for ever more.

[secretrebel.livejournal.com]

Oh no, that's *awful*. Although now you can remove a book from the list they base their recs on... I've had to do this because rilly rilly not interested in some of the subjects my family are and presents can screw up my recs something chronic.

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

I would not expect the association to be statistically significant.

1% of all coincidences are statistically significant. True fact.

[triskellian]

Hello! I was just about to go and friend you :-) Lovely to meet you!