• @[email protected]
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    14 months ago

    Does it have an algorithm of some kind?

    I usually hate them but for something safe like wikipedia i would love to have it tailored to my interests.

    • @[email protected]
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      44 months ago

      Apparently not:

      “I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” Gemal told Ars. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”

      • @[email protected]
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        34 months ago

        I understand their stance but it is a bit sad because if i could tailor it to my interests i absolutely would use it all the time.

        Wikipedia is massive there is way more that i don’t want to read then there is that i do.

        Personally i think there is roam for a “not insane, Fully transparent and user controlled” algorithm but also that would take a lot of developer effort.

      • @[email protected]
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        24 months ago

        Its not presented as being specifically made without.

        There is plenty of room for more ethical algorithms and to get technical. It definitely does have a algorithm.

        A very basic formula that simulates randomness to pick one Wikipedia page after the other.

        I just wish i could customize that to my interests. So for example it favors articles tagged as ancient mythology and minimizes politicians from the 90s

        • @[email protected]
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          4 months ago

          Its not presented as being specifically made without? Wat

          Developer creates endless Wikipedia feed to fight algorithm addiction

          and spend spare moments of boredom without reaching for an algorithmically addictive social media app.

          without an invasive algorithm tracking you and pushing you toward the lowest-common-denominator content.

          Gemal is currently resisting calls to automatically tailor the stream of articles to the user’s interests based on what they express interest in.

          “I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” Gemal told Ars. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”

          “I have no grand plans for some sort of insane monetized hyper-calculating TikTok algorithm,” Gemal told us. “It is anti-algorithmic, if anything.”

          Ill just repeat that last line again for you:

          “It is anti-algorithmic, if anything.”

          The code is on github, go for it.
          Also, read the article for once. Jesus.

          • @[email protected]
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            4 months ago

            There is no need to communicate like this. I actually had already learned about this app and checked it out yesterday on a different community with way less people and there was no article there. I just saw the opportunity of this post as way to discuss it.

            I like to make a few things clear that seem to cause confusion.

            1. I made my post in full understanding that it probably does not feature a “preference based algorithm”, trying it out did not gave it the impression it did. But i want to be more sure there is nothing along those lines included and tried to engage in discussion about the need for preferential settings. Its somewhere between a genuine and rhetoric question.

            2. Call me pedantric, trough i prefer autistic but “algoritm” has like i explained a specific meaning to me. Its mathematical formula for a specific purpose. The app in question is code, code is math. Randomizing code (which are never truly random btw) uses an algorithm. You can not tell me that the app uses NO algorithm, well oc you can but to my brain that does not compute. Any form of customizing the feed, even a hack, would be algorithmic in nature.

            3. I disagree this (and many things) require a full fledged article, just a clear few line description or like including those quotes you put up here would do for me. I know the internet likes to make everything into “news” but i don’t have to like or partake in that. I prefer to spend my time engaging on lemmy about the topic directly because that (this diverted discussion included) helps it grow.

  • @[email protected]
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    134 months ago

    As someone who loved the random article feature and will sometimes peruse Wikipedia at random, this is extremely fascinating to me.

  • @[email protected]
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    84 months ago

    This should be gamified. Use an LLM to generate a mini-quiz on the topic to make sure I read it. Give me points for acquiring new useless knowledge, and let me compete with my friends and family.

    • @[email protected]
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      14 months ago

      I like this idea.

      I don’t know if I will do anything with it, but I would like to create something like this. Find it hard to develop when I’m not in work, as it feels like work.

  • @[email protected]
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    284 months ago

    This is pretty awesome. I do see the need to be able to add categories of interest. Like follow history, the arts, etc. Cool regardless.

    • misterdoctor
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      184 months ago

      “I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” Gemal told Ars. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”

      The developer seems staunchly anti-algorithm but I feel like some sort of filter system would work well. I know nothing about development but the same level of randomosity (it’s a word don’t look it up) but for specific topics would be amazing.

      • @[email protected]
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        184 months ago

        ;/

        Algorithms themselves are fine. It’s wikipedia. I’d actually use it if it brought me to interesting pages based on a recommender algorithm.

  • @[email protected]
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    904 months ago

    endless feed

    to fight algorithm addiction

    endless

    feed

    to fight algorithm addiction

    Uuuuuh that’s not the way to fight an addiction, right? Who is this person working for, exactly?

      • Higgs boson
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        4 months ago

        Ironically, my overly chatty doctor was ranting about how methadone is a racket and they string people along for years instead of titrating them off. He prescribes Suboxone, apparently.

    • fox2263
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      154 months ago

      I don’t think there’s an algorithm involved actually. Just lovely facts.

      • @[email protected]
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        124 months ago

        Well, there has to be some kind of algorithm. Even picking a random Wikipedia article technically is an algorithm, just not one that adapts to the user

        • @[email protected]
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          84 months ago

          True, but outside CS the word has come to refer to a certain brand of complex heuristics or ML inference.

        • @[email protected]
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          14 months ago

          Right, but in the context of social media feeds, “algorithm” always refers to an algorithm for personalised content.

        • fox2263
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          24 months ago

          An algorithm usually involves lots of complex calculations and weights. Picking a number from a pool of numbers at random is as simple as it gets.

          • @[email protected]
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            34 months ago

            In comsci, there are no real random numbers. They are all seeded psuedo-random number algorithms. (Unless you integrate with some third party random as a service setup)

            • fox2263
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              34 months ago

              Yes but the common interpretation of “the algorithm” is that of the social media and YouTube style one. Recommending items of interest etc but easily manipulated by bad actors.

              Wiki random is about as opposite to that as possible.

            • @[email protected]
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              24 months ago

              That’s a common misconception. You can measure a lot of ambient noise and extract entropy. Like time between inputs or how long it took an HDD to seek.

              Most modern PC CPUs even have dedicated hardware for generating random numbers from electrical ambient noise. I don’t trust them however.

  • @[email protected]
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    214 months ago

    I see the dev don’t want recommendation algorithm. All good to avoid the recommendation bubble, but a category/tags might be nice instead of random everything.

  • @[email protected]
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    14 months ago

    …so… content filters when? Let me limit it to certain subjects and I don’t need social media anymore 😂

  • @[email protected]
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    404 months ago

    Would be cool if the official Wikipedia mobile app integrated this functionality! It does have a ‘random articles’ card, but it’s nothing like this.

    Not sure ‘addiction’ is being defeated here, though 😆 Like if I’m addicted to sausages, giving me bacon instead isn’t really solving the root of the issue. The issue being those sexy, sexy pigs.

    • Jolteon
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      274 months ago

      The addiction isn’t being defeated, it’s just being redirected from something worthless to something useful. Well, at least less useless.

  • @[email protected]
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    354 months ago

    Does it fight algorithm addiction or does it just utilise existing algorithm addiction to give you something slightly more informative?