Here is a great quote from this article on Netflix:
"When people connect with a movie, it really makes them happy, and that's fundamentally what we're trying to do," he says. "Today you love one out of three movies that you watch. If we can raise that to two out of three, we can completely transform the market and increase human happiness."
Alas, Netflix doesn't serve Canada, but for those in the US -- Netflix is one serious company. The amount of engineering that they put into their recommendation system is on par with Google's indexing algorithm, in that they hire PhDs in computer science and math, and go all out towards improving the system.
They famously offered a prize for a recommendation algorithm that could beat their stated benchmark (it has been awarded, and I'm sure that the winners could write a doctoral thesis on the work).
For years, I had no interest in Netflix, but having been on it for a couple of years, I really enjoy it. It is a convenient, cheap way to catch up on some great shows (I'm currently devouring The Big Bang Theory at every opportunity).
CC
3 comments:
Hey CCC,
Missed your call at the party yesterday, but I know it was very appreciated!
Yes- Netflis is availible in Canaa for maybe a year and half now.
Cheers,
B.
I mis-spoke (sort of). Zip is exactly like Netflix, but is Canadian-owned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip.ca
Thanks for the update! re: Zip.
re: call. Readers, my Aunt Joyce turned 75 this week. Alas, my call home was a short one, as everyone was about to eat, and I didn't want to hold up the proceedings. I immediately regretted that I didn't say hello to more people.
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