Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Edrosothon

You're probably familiar with the recommendations offered by Amazon and Netflix, in which they attempt to learn and anticipate your tastes based on previous purchases and rentals.  It's occasionally helpful, but the algorithm is far from perfect, as witnessed by this recent email I received from Amazon:
"As someone who purchased DR. NO (James Bond) Blu-ray, you might like to know that MARCUS WELBY, M.D. is available."
and
"As someone who purchased CASTLE (Nathan Fillion) on DVD, you may like to know that ICE CASTLES (Robby Benson) is available."
To my mind, that's casting the net a bit too wide in quest of a sale.  Netflix, on the other hand, long ago gave me up as a reprehensible pervert with the palate of a mud-sucking catfish, thanks to the films we watched for Better Living Through Bad Movies, and now seems to be wrestling with its gag reflex as it proffers suggestions.

But while it's not a perfect system, I think I'm safe in saying that if you like World O' Crap, you probably enjoy Alicublog, so you may already be aware that Roy Edroso, who is Doghouse Riley's only serious competition as a purveyor of deft, witty, and pungent commentary, is walking a very rocky road at the moment.  He still doesn't have a PayPal button up at his place, but all-star commenter and ace relief blogger  Jay B. has set up a fund raising site, so if you can spare a little something, please visit:  Edrosothon.

2 comments:

Larkspur said...

Yay, I has done so. Now we just have to get Edroso a good house or apartment-sitting gig. Surely there are New Yorkers constantly flitting about the globe on Special Assignments or whatever who need their respective forts to be held down. They would already have wifi. Of course, I don't know if Roy is a great big slob. Still, it would be primo transitional housing.

Now, having PayPalled a few bucks, I shall pour myself a glass of wine, bundle up, and stroll out onto the deck, where it's a beautiful winter afternoon. I could see the recently anointed Bloggress, but I'm looking at San Francisco instead. And yup, I am house-sitting.

Frequent reader but seldom commenter... said...

Yes, I donated too. It wasn't much but it was given gladly.

By the by, I'm glad you brought up that Amazon stuff. They sent me an email today to let me know that I might be interested in some Disney princess movie. My last DVD purchase was some old British comedy so I was basically flummoxed.

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