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Is the iPod Shuffle Playing Favorites?

Posted by Zonk on from the my-dog-is-LOOKING-at-me dept.

marksilverman writes "Steven Levy at Newsweek is reporting that his iPod Shuffle seems to favor certain songs. Is Apple receiving kickbacks to promote certain artists? Apple denies it, of course, and Levy had the good sense to ask a mathmatician and a cryptographer who explained that it's probably just humans finding patterns where there are none." Less neurotically, both CNet and PCWorld have discussions of the Shuffle's interior spaces.

21 of 524 comments (clear)

  1. Now that you mention it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have heard YMCA an inordinate amount of times on my ipod shuffle. I wonder what that means.

    1. Re:Now that you mention it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Maybe you should download more than 1 song into it.

    2. Re:Now that you mention it... by imag0 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I have heard YMCA an inordinate amount of times on my ipod shuffle. I wonder what that means.

      Means you need to steal better music, of course ;)

    3. Re:Now that you mention it... by nihilistcanada · · Score: 5, Funny

      You should join the NAVY?

    4. Re:Now that you mention it... by MacGod · · Score: 5, Funny

      I have heard YMCA an inordinate amount of times on my ipod shuffle. I wonder what that means.

      Well, let's just say my response is likely to end with "not that there's anything wrong with that"

      --
      "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one " -Albert Einstein
    5. Re:Now that you mention it... by plover · · Score: 4, Funny

      Your iPod thinks it's a TiVo?

      --
      John
    6. Re:Now that you mention it... by NanoGator · · Score: 5, Funny

      "I have heard YMCA an inordinate amount of times on my ipod shuffle."

      That's no need to feel down.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    7. Re:Now that you mention it... by Paul+Lamere · · Score: 4, Funny

      I only have one song on my iPod too. It's by Led Zeppelin. When I hit shuffle play the song remains the same.

  2. If... by Walker2323 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If i Hear Fiona APPLE one more time, I'll kill myself.

  3. Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Levy had the good sense to ask a mathmatician and a cryptographer who explained that it's probably just humans finding patterns where there are none.

    Didn't stop him from submitting it to Slashdot though. No facts? Great, put it on the front page!

    1. Re:Well... by AvantLegion · · Score: 5, Funny
      Didn't stop him from submitting it to Slashdot though. No facts? Great, put it on the front page!

      Hey, shut up! It's a new post and it's NOT a dupe. Let's not push our luck, OK?

  4. Dude, I've seen this article before. by ABeowulfCluster · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think slashdot favours certain articles and repeats them over and over again.

  5. Ipod - The little white box of prophecy by bildungsroman_yorick · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clearly we need to lock an ipod in a room with the same scientists who discovered revolutionary psychic patterns in that little black box a couple of weeks back on slashdot.

    Perhaps Ipod will predict when Hewy Lewis and the news will make a mainstream comeback?

  6. Nail on the head! by MrPerfekt · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're absolutely right!@ There's an array inside the iPod shuffle of about 150 artists that will take precedence over all other artists and will play songs by those artists 3 times more than all others because because Apple recieved $100,000 per to make it happen.

    Those of you that think that sounds completely plausable, please step to the left. Everyone else please step to the right.

    Everyone standing on the left, please drink the magic juice we're distributing because you've been selected to come with us to the great beyond where you will experience another plane of being.

    Everyone on the right, enjoy the rest of your life because you enjoy logic and reason.

    --
    I just wasted your mod points! HA!
    1. Re:Nail on the head! by Ghostgate · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hmm. At first, I was headed over to the right. But your offer of magic juice on the left intrigues me.

    2. Re:Nail on the head! by The+One+and+Only · · Score: 4, Funny

      Do you wish to subscribe to the magic juice newsletter?

      --
      In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199
  7. Obligatory Familly Guy Quote.... by aprilsound · · Score: 4, Funny

    "And Tonight at 6, can bees think?
    A new study reveals that, no they cannot."

  8. Dilbert by GyroGecko · · Score: 5, Funny

    Reminds me of a Dilbert comic:

    Accounting Troll: "Over here we have our random number generator"

    Number Generator Troll: "Nine Nine Nine Nine Nine Nine"

    Dilbert: "Are you sure that's random?"

    Accounting Troll: "That's the problem with randomness: you can never be sure"

  9. Slashdot Shuffle by prurientknave · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe the editors have a *go with me on this*

    Slashdot Shuffle (TM) system for the articles they post.

    It would explain the dupes and the lack of quality control with one theory. :-D

    I keed, I keed

  10. Ob. Simpsons by Zorilla · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yvan eth nioj, baby!

    --

    It would be cool if it didn't suck.
  11. Nice. by Gannoc · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is Apple receiving kickbacks to promote certain artists? Apple denies it, of course.

    Did marksilverman, a slashdot poster, kill a puppy to get an erection? marksilverman denies it, OF COURSE.