Computers Summarize the News

oily_ants writes "I get sick and tired of reading the same story on different web sites. That's why I like slashdot so much. Good (??) summaries of all of the stuff out there on the net. Now there is a project at Columbia University by the nlp group that attempts to generate computer summaries of all of those news articles on different web sites. The project is called Newsblaster and the summaries are excellent. You can read about the project on regular news sites like Online Journalism Review or USA Today."

Comments

One More Time!

[Anonymous Coward]

"I get sick and tired of reading the same story on different web sites"

So you read Slashdot, where they are happy to post the same story over and over, on different days?

Say what?

[turbine216]

I get sick and tired of reading the same story on different web sites. That's why I like slashdot so much.

I'm sure most will agree with me when I say that this makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.

Re:Say what?

[elmegil]

Hey, maybe they like reading the same story over and over on the same web site.

Newsbot

[TheGreenLantern]

Sounds like a good idea, but I'm worried about the "Newsbots" objectivity. If I wanted to read a bunch of stories about the latest NVidia GeForce 4 release, 10 reasons more RAM is better, and why you should upgrade your hard drive, I'd just watch TechTV.

Slashdot's financial problems are SOLVED!

[1nt3lx]

Looks like subscriptions can be axed, Slashdot won't need editors anymore!

Although, it will only be possible to replace slashdot's editors with the newsblaster program if they can implement some sort of misspelling and false information algorithm.

Still Some Work To Be Done...

[po8]

Check out this odd story about incarcerated Browns. The summarizer could apparently still use some manual supervision.

Used by U.S.A. Today?

[Yoda2]

I suspect that U.S.A. today has been using a similar technology for years now to generate their "McNews".

I'm afraid to Slashdot a great site, but...

[babbage]

www.headlinehaikus.com

Basically, it looks at the headlines on Yahoo/Reuters, and finds sentences that scan as 5/7/5, and uses Perl cleverness to present them as a little news haikus (or senryu, if you wanna be picky). It's great stuff:

Today:
Commonwealth Group Blasts Zimbabwe Poll

but defended by
separate observer groups
from South Africa

Also today:
Amnesty Charges U.S. Violated Rights of Detainees

possible suspects
connected to the attacks
including their right

My last birthday (Feb 4):
Saudi Proposed Saddam Overthrow to US - Prince:

we agree upon
the various issues that
we agree upon

Christmas, 2001:
Deep emotion, little joy in Bethlehem Christmas:

Palestinians
without the special permits
very bad this year

Sept 10 2001:
Belarus Opposition Demands New Vote, Plans Rally:

We do not agree
with the official result
RE RUN UNLIKELY

June 1 2001:
Bridgestone says some Ford Explorers defective:

I am just here
to say what needs to be said
I am not here

I'm hooked :)

They have archives going back to the beginning of 2001, with only a few holes (e.g. the days after September 11), and they talk about how they are doing everything. Bonus points: you can have the haiku headlines mailed to you automagically every day. I just hope they have the bandwidth (etc) to withstand Slashdot....