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The Perception of 'Random' on the iPod

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the learning-machines dept.

Robaato writes "Stephen Levy writes in the Guardian about the perception of randomness, or the lack thereof, on an iPod set to shuffle." From the article: "My first iPod loved Steely Dan. So do I. But not as much as my iPod did.... I didn't keep track of every song that played every time I shuffled my tunes, but after a while I would keep a sharp ear out for what I came to call the LTBSD (Length of Time Before Steely Dan) Factor. The LTBSD Factor was always perplexingly short." My first iPod shuffle refused to let me delete (sigh) Weird Al's Polkamon off of the flash memory.

7 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. No No No! by jrobinson5 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    That's not true randomness! Here's a truly random comment:

    aldkjlOIjflsfASkjdfoadiuf oPIJf;alwjroiu Ojkalewruiosdjnlaruowieruoajfikeurpoijemlfkmvklups dDF

  2. my iPod by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    my iPod helps me to kill

  3. Korea Nuke Detonates Premature, Destroys Seoul by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic


    Korea Nuke Detonates Premature, DestroyS Seoul. Four million thought Dead.

  4. Re:And Zonk dupes himself... again... by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    "I remembered it, and I didn't get paid to post it."

    So? Do you remember every comment you've posted?

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  5. Re:Randy Random says we've seen enough by punkass · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I should also add that I love slashdot posters who announce they're leaving...like anyone truly gives a shit. Want to make a statement about the "Slashdot establishment"? Then don't say anything and fucking go already...if you were really contributing, someone will eventually think "gee, where's that bitchy guy who couldn't be bothered to log in when he posted?" Otherwise, you're just stroking your ego in a public forum (and nobody needs to read that).

    --
    "Nobody owns the fucking words man." - James Dean
  6. North Korea has tested a nuclear missle! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/10/08/korea-ato mic.html

    N. Korea tests nuclear weapon
    Last Updated: Sunday, October 8, 2006 | 11:42 PM ET
    CBC News

    North Korea has tested its first nuclear weapon, its official news agency reported on Monday.

    The Korean Central News Agency reported that the test was successful and no radiation had leaked from the site.

    The test took place at 10:36 a.m. local time (9:36 p.m. ET Sunday) near the city of Kilju, according to South Korean defence sources cited by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

    U.S. government officials were trying to assess the report Sunday night.

    News of the test followed a demand from China and Japan on Sunday that the communist country shelve the test.

    North Korea said Tuesday that it would test an atomic weapon because of "the U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war."

    Following that statement, the UN, U.S. and other countries all asked that it not proceed.

  7. Re:OCD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    To put that in decimal: 4.3154247973881626480552355163379e+6001. That's quite a number. I think that dwarfs "astronomical".

    Well, actually it's 43154247973881626480552355163379198390539350432267 11505165250541403330680137658091130451362931858466 55452699382576488353179022173345844139095282691546 09168019007875343741396296801920114486480902661414 31844327698030006672810498409545158817607713296984 37621346217903963913412852056276196005131066463766 48615994236675486537480241964350295935168662363909 04794834769231397830137782078571241905447433284452 91831729732423108882650813216264694510777078122828 29444775022680488057820028764659399164766265200900 56149580034405435369038986289406179287201112083361 48084474829135473283672778795656483078469091169458 66230169702401260240187028746650033445774570315431 29299602518778079011937590286317108414964247337898 62675033089613749057663409052895722900160380005716 30875191373979555047468154333253474991046248132504 51634179655147057548145920085947261483621387555711 68644457897508862779964873043084504842234206292665 18556024339339190844368921018424844677042727664601 85291492527728092269753842677025733392895440120546 58956103476588553866339025462899621326432824257480 35786233580608154696546932563833327670769899439774 88852668727852745100296305914696387571542573553447 59797344631006783673933274021499309687782967413915 14599602374213629898720611431410402147238998090962 81891589064569393448333099416963229587799584899336 67470148717634948055499961630515412254034652970077 21146231355704081493098663065733677191172853987095 74816781625608421282338016862533458643125403467080 61352735432707144788768618619833207772806448066911 25713197262581763151313596429547763576367837019349 83517846214429496075719091805462511414366638418943 38525764522893476524546315357404687862289458856546 08562058042468987372436921445092315377698407168198 37653823774861419620704154810637936512319281799900 66217664671671134716327154817958770053826943934004 03061700457691135349187874888923429349340145170571 71618112579588888927749542697714991454962391639401 48229850253316515114312788020090568084565068188772 66609831636883884905621822262933986548645669080672 19170474040889134983568566242806323119852043682632 94152907529727983434294465099922063687813671540917 02655772727391329424277529349082600585884766523150 95741707783191001616847568565867319286088207017976 03072698499873548360423717346602576943472355063017 44118874141292438958141549100609752216882230887611 43199647233084238013711092744948355781503758684964 45857499177728699267442183696211376751010832785437 94081749094091043084096774144708436324279476892056 20042722796163866914980548983112124467639993195537 14840128863607487064795686690485747828552170547401 13945929622177502575565811067452201448981991968635 96536155168127398274076013889963882031877630366876 27301575846400427988806918626402686126861808838749 39573818125022279689930267446255773959542469831637 86300017127922715140603412990218157065965053260077 5823677398182129087394449859182749999007223592