[PLUG] Searching with People Re: Big Data Surplus

John Sechrest sechrest at gmail.com
Fri Jan 10 20:19:51 UTC 2020


How much would you be willing to spend on a "mechanical Turk-type search"
for "repair parts for product XYZ?



On Thu, Jan 9, 2020 at 8:55 PM Keith Lofstrom <keithl at kl-ic.com> wrote:

> I'm restarting this thread on plug-talk, since it is
> about social concerns, not using linux per se.
>
> Some random chatter related to "free" big data services.
>
> "Freedom isn't free"
> "If you get something for free, you are the product"
> ... etc ...
>
> We are barrelling towards a future where we let opaque
> "AI" code make choices for us ... and the choices offered
> seem to be getting worse for thoughtcriminal freethinkers
> like me ... and most of you.
>
> One of my biggest problems is "search".  Which Google used
> to be pretty good for; now I get scattershot drivel rather
> than answers to the questions I ask.   Duckduckgo is the
> same drivel sent to everyone - I guess that's anonymity.
>
> For example, "where can I buy repair parts for product X"
> tells me where to buy new product X ...  or Y, or Z.
> Repair parts companies and small repair businesses aren't
> in the search results, even if those are what I am asking
> for.  It used to be that companies paid for top placement
> in results, and were identified as such - now ALL the
> results seem to be push advertising of some sort.
>
> So ... imagine a "mechanical turk" approach - you submit a
> request, the request propagates through a network of humans
> who know humans who know humans, and the path that succeeds
> is rewarded, while the path that defrauds is punished.
>
> Somehow.  Perhaps brownie points convertable to informal
> professional services.  You give me good advice, or help
> me find it elsewhere, and I weed somebody else's garden.
> The benefits eventually bounce back to you as a service
> that you want.  The kind of transaction we used to use
> money for, before money became something that governments
> print to buy weapons.
>
> My principle goal for using these networks is to give the
> underemployed something productive and prideful to do.
> An unemployed steel worker probably knows lots of things
> that would help me.  And somebody I can help can help the
> steel worker.  Better than wasting time on twitter and TV.
>
> Random thoughts that might inspire a focused and practical
> solution, and programmers to cobble up a beta prototype.
>
> Keith
>
> --
> Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com
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>


-- 
John Sechrest      .  Need to schedule a meeting :
http://sechrest.youcanbookme.com
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     sechrest at gmail.com
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                           @sechrest  <http://www.twitter.com/sechrest>

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