Computers are now suggesting what you might like. Because you can’t make up your own mind.
Actually, it’s been going on for some time. There was a University about a decade ago that built a music preferences project that would suggest music you would probably like by matching your less-typical tastes with others who had those same less-typical tastes. Then, by seeing what others like you also liked, it could recommend a wide variety of music to you. And it was pretty accurate… once it got to know my eclectic tastes, it would almost always suggest music I knew I liked but hadn’t yet rated, and the new items it suggested that I purchased I was very pleased with.
Then Netflix came along and started suggesting movies based on the ratings given to other movies. It fairly accurately suggests movies for me based on what I’ve told it so far. Next is the generalized suggestion engine, Hunch, which uses collective user knowledge to figure out your preferences on a wide variety of topics after asking you a few profiling questions. I haven’t used this one enough to know how well it works, but my hunch is that it will work well for the vast majority of people.
Why do I bring these up in WWN? Quite simply, because all of these tools point to one of the biggest problems we currently face in our lives: too much choice.
There was once a time when we had to choose between walking upstream or downstream, sleeping on the ground or in a tree, building an animal trap or lighting a fire before dark. Now we must make thousands of choices daily.
Think I’m exaggerating? Which shirt should I wear? Do I have time to check my email? Did I forget anything? Am I going the right speed? Which station should I listen to? Should I turn left or right? Which lane should I be in? Do I want to eat here or at the next one? Do I want fries with that?
And that’s just a few snippets of your day.
We are overloaded with choices. So much so that we need tools to tell us what to do.
But it’s possible to simplify. Get rid of most of your wardrobe. Get rid of most of the stuff you own. Let someone else drive (carpool, public transportation, etc). Read one book until you’re done before you start another. Eliminate all but the most important three tasks on the agenda each day.
It’s nice to have choice, but too much choice is overwhelming. Get rid of your choices, and you’ll free your mind to focus fully on the few things you deem important.
There are only a few choices each day that are actually important. Figure out which few, and get rid of the rest.
In the news
- Too much stress? Go back to the basics: How to De-Stress a Recession-Riddled Life
- Fixing problems without surgery: Simple Steps Deliver Relief for Tennis Elbow
- Let the blame game begin: Obesity ‘link to same-sex parent’
Quote for the week
Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself. – Robert F. Bennett
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
