Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets

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Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets

Posted by StoneLion on Monday May 17, 2010 @05:15AM from the sure-it-can dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Even humans sometimes fail to recognize sarcasm and irony; can machines do better? An algorithm that identifies sarcastic tweets (PDF) on Twitter and sarcastic sentences in product reviews on Amazon will be presented next week in the International Conference for Weblogs and Social Media in Washington, DC, and in the Computational Natural Language Learning in Sweden in July. A team from the Hebrew University, Israel, has developed an algorithm that identifies sarcastic sentences by using a machine learning technique in which a small number of sarcastic sentences act as seeds for the software to learn and generalize upon. The algorithm can then identify sarcastic sentences that are nothing like the examples. The variety of recognized sarcastic sentences is impressive, though the results are not perfect. But again, we don't do it so well ourselves, do we?"

124 of 168 comments (clear)

Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by nacturation · 2010-05-17 05:15 · Score: 5, Funny

Yeah, sure it does.

--
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
1. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by binarylarry · 2010-05-17 05:28 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I'm not so sure I'd jump to the conclusion that this is useful.
  Determining the amount of sarcasm in bird calls doesn't seem to be an effective way to use research money IMO.
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
2. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by oldspewey · 2010-05-17 05:34 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder if the software would be able to recognize a speech impediment?
  
  --
  If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
3. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by SimonTheSoundMan · 2010-05-17 06:59 · Score: 1
  
  O'rly?
4. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by Kvasio · 2010-05-17 07:02 · Score: 1
  
  It has more chances if guesses "sarcastic" all the time, as 'false positive' is less likely than 'false negative'. After all, 70% of all praise is sarcastic
5. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by suomynonAyletamitlU · 2010-05-17 07:08 · Score: 1
  
  "I detect sarcasm."
  "You have a to be a paladin to detect Thaco's sarcasm?"
  "You have to be a noun to detect Thaco's sarcasm."
  ~ Goblins the webcomic
6. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by tverbeek · 2010-05-17 08:26 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  This is brilliant!
  What could possibly go wrong?
  
  --
  http://alternatives.rzero.com/
7. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by HungryHobo · 2010-05-17 09:09 · Score: 1
  
  a sarcasm detector? that's a real useful invention!
8. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by HungryHobo · 2010-05-17 09:13 · Score: 1
  
  Oh I haven't seen this one before on slashdot.
  Authors of malware copy-pasting arguments that their malware isn't really malware.
  That's just so original.
9. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by clickety6 · 2010-05-17 09:39 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  The professor was lecturing the class.
  "So while two negatives make a positive, two positives can never make a negative"
  An answering voice came from the back of the class:
  "Yeah, right"
  
  --
  ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
10. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by binarylarry · 2010-05-17 10:10 · Score: 1
  
  Oooh, I'm totally scared.
  
  --
  Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
11. Re:Software Recognizes Sarcastic Tweets? by lymond01 · 2010-05-17 10:28 · Score: 1
  
  A tweet isn't a birdcall. It's a new technology the web uses to display 140 character messages online.
  This automatic reply generated by Smarcasm, the online Sarcasm Detection Software.
You Know DRM is a Pervasive Problem When ... by eldavojohn · 2010-05-17 05:15 · Score: 4, Insightful

From the research paper:

Weight of various patterns and features. We present here a deeper look on some examples. A classic example of a sarcastic comment is: "Silly me, the Kindle and the Sony eBook can’t read these protected formats. Great!". Some of the patterns it contains are ...
You know DRM is pervasive as a very serious consumer problem when statistical research papers recognize user dissatisfaction with it as a classic example of sarcasm that floods reviews.

--
My work here is dung.
1. Re:You Know DRM is a Pervasive Problem When ... by wsanders · 2010-05-17 05:21 · Score: 1
  
  if (/flash/ or /DRM/ or /yro.slashdot.org/ or /Kindle/ or /Sony eBook/ or /iPad/) {
  sarcasmDetected;
  }
  There, wrote some code for you.
  
  --
  Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
2. Re:You Know DRM is a Pervasive Problem When ... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2010-05-17 05:55 · Score: 1
  
  Obviously, consumers just need to be "educated" about the benefits of next-generation premium-content ecosystems...
3. Re:You Know DRM is a Pervasive Problem When ... by FatdogHaiku · 2010-05-17 07:18 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Oh Great, my Sarcasm Meter and my Bullshit Detector both exploded and now my UPS is on fi
  
  --
  You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
4. Re:You Know DRM is a Pervasive Problem When ... by hitmark · 2010-05-17 08:08 · Score: 1
  
  one moment, i just need to strip the drm of it and then i'll send you the replicator pattern for a fire extinguisher.
  
  --
  comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
This is great! by Anonymous Coward · 2010-05-17 05:18 · Score: 5, Insightful

This may help people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome recognize satire.
1. Re:This is great! by Anonymous Coward · 2010-05-17 05:24 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  You don't have to be sarcastic, they might really find this useful.
2. Re:This is great! by NeutronCowboy · 2010-05-17 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  Not necessarily. Machine learning algorithms are generally either neural networks or weighted Bayesian statistics. In other words, the magic comes from abstract numbers that have no human-readable equivalent.
  I always found that the easiest way to learn rules for social behavior is to read manuals - i.e. things like Emily Post's Book of Etiquette, How to read a person like a book, etc. Yes, they're not perfect, but if I just treat human behavior like some buggy software package and the books as manuals, it works quite nicely. The manuals work frequently, the rest of the behavior is just bugs that need to be tabulated in a bug db. :)
  
  --
  Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
3. Re:This is great! by Itninja · 2010-05-17 05:35 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  As someone with Aspergers I have found that watching sitcoms is very helpful. Since nearly every character is being sarcastic most of the time, I learn through observing caricatures of reality.
  
  --
  I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
4. Re:This is great! by xouumalperxe · 2010-05-17 05:35 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I'd have though that even autistics would be able to recognize horns, goat legs, and a pan pipe? Oh, satire.
5. Re:This is great! by TaoPhoenix · 2010-05-17 05:40 · Score: 1
  
  Here's one -
  How are mods supposed to moderate anything in this thread? The usual -1 Troll comments become Insightful!!
  
  --
  My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
6. Re:This is great! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2010-05-17 05:46 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  As someone with Asperger's Syndrome(yes, actual extensive-testing-and-medical-consensus-of-qualified-shrinks, not "well, I like computers and girls make me nervous"), I suspect that it won't be of much use for that purpose.
  
  Many, though not all, Asperger's types actually have average to excellent parsing of written communications, or the strictly verbal component of other people's utterances(ie. the part that would get written down, if a transcriptionist were in the room). Odds are, most such people could easily outperform this algorithm(since, obviously, the purpose of the algorithm is to provide large volumes of adequate analysis for cheap, not to be human level).
  
  The part of communication that is really difficult, though, is the nonverbal component, the stuff that doesn't show up in text. Tone of voice, expression, tiny muscular movements and reconfigurations around the eyes, that sort of thing. Since typical social standards of politeness and interaction actually discourage direct statement of things(ie. "Your story bores me." "Yes, I am interested." "No, go away") in favor of relying on subtle nonverbal communication of those message, this can be a real handicap. You care about what others around you are thinking, since you naturally want to be on good terms with them(or, even if you don't, you want to be on bad terms deliberately, not accidentally); but you just can't tell, unless somebody explicitly says something, which is rare, unless you've already really fucked up.
  
  In fact, in my experience,(and yes, "my experience" = "N of 1" = "anecdote") I tend to find text-based communication comfortable for exactly these reasons. For normal people, strict text-based communication is harder, because they are denied the nonverbal cues that they normally take for granted. For me, I don't see the nonverbal cues that never mean much anyway, and we are both forced to rely on strict verbal expression, which is my best-practiced level.
7. Re:This is great! by WrongSizeGlass · 2010-05-17 05:51 · Score: 1
  
  Obviously the mods didn't take you very seriously, did they? BTW, calling someone an 'asspie' is no way to make friends, not even on /.
8. Re:This is great! by sexconker · 2010-05-17 05:52 · Score: 1
  
  'Different' does not mean 'disabled'.
  No, but "disabled" means "disabled".
  Asperger's is a mental disability.
  ADD is a mental disability.
  Whatever your special child has is a mental disability.
  You can't sugar-coat it and coddle people forever. They're disabled. A scant few of them may be very good at other things, but they're still disabled.
  Just as herpes warts on your junk is a sexually-transmitted disease, not just a sexually-transmitted infection, Asperger's is a mental disability, not just a mental "difability".
9. Re:This is great! by BobMcD · 2010-05-17 06:01 · Score: 1
  
  You can't sugar-coat it and coddle people forever. They're disabled. A scant few of them may be very good at other things, but they're still disabled.
  The problem with the 'wisdom' of your position is that it hinges entirely upon that which is normal, which is entirely perception-based, and varies from person to person. My son expresses multiple savant-like behaviors in addition to his disability. His ability to do puzzles, for example, would make a 'normal' kid look disabled by comparison. Except Scott isn't normal and we know it, so we label what he can do as 'amazing'.
  In short, 'comprehension' 'sugar coating'. Don't be so dismissive. Things are a lot more complex than your world view allows.
10. Re:This is great! by Anonymous Coward · 2010-05-17 06:07 · Score: 1
  
  He said "aspie", not "asspie". The former is a fairly common name given by, er... aspies to themselves.
  (Besides which, it's "ass burgers", not ass pies).
11. Re:This is great! by clone53421 · 2010-05-17 06:14 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Just about everyone is less-than-average in some aspect. Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, which means it’s a broad range going from just about normal all the way to really mentally impaired.
  It’s not like blindness; it’s more like near-sightedness. Some people get it worse than others, and some people are just about impaired enough to be considered legally blind. However, everyone fits in somewhere on the autism spectrum... including people who are considered normal.
  You can’t have just a touch of herpes, but you can of Asperger’s. Whether or not it makes you “disabled” is debatable.
  
  --
  Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
12. Re:This is great! by Anonymous Coward · 2010-05-17 06:20 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  How are mods supposed to moderate anything in this thread?
  Like the fair, independent, open-minded, thoughtful people that you know they are.
13. Re:This is great! by pitchpipe · 2010-05-17 06:25 · Score: 1
  
  Great, maybe they'll quit modding me down on Slashdot because they don't recognize the satire. (Hint: look at my sig, aspies.)
  --
  There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  Satire, if found, is moderated appropriately.
  
  --
  Look where all this talking got us, baby.
14. Re:This is great! by Anonymous Coward · 2010-05-17 06:38 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Dude. He was being sarcastic.
15. Re:This is great! by MrEricSir · 2010-05-17 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  If by "appropriately" you mean "down," then I suppose that could be true.
  
  --
  There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
16. Re:This is great! by sexconker · 2010-05-17 07:48 · Score: 1
  
  Like it or not, in a society of billions "normal", by any measure, matters.
17. Re:This is great! by masmullin · 2010-05-17 07:52 · Score: 1
  
  So was he and so am I. So are you.
18. Re:This is great! by BobMcD · 2010-05-17 07:53 · Score: 1
  
  Make a point.
  How did one even manage to measure all those billions, and what was the result?
  In any case, besides stating the absolutely obvious, how does what you said demonstrate any comprehension of the post above it?
19. Re:This is great! by JoshuaJ · 2010-05-17 08:42 · Score: 1
  
  It's well known that the founder of JetBlue has ADD. He's talked about it in interviews before. If you're right, that would mean that he accomplished everything he has in spite of his "mental disability." Which would be pretty impressive. But actually, he claims that ADD has been a benefit to him, that it has contributed to his success.
  Now personally, I'd be hesitant to use the word "disorder" to describe any condition that can help someone to become, by any reasonable definition, highly successful. (A great business, happy family, millions of dollars, etc., etc.)
  Just because some researcher decades ago named this unknown, poorly-understood pattern of thinking and behavior "attention deficit disorder" doesn't mean he was necessarily right.
  (And yes, exactly the same argument can be made for Aspergers.)
  Oh yeah -- to address your troll about how "a scant few of them may be very good at other things": it is my understanding that there is little or no negative correlation between ADD and IQ, so people with ADD are just as good at a great many things as people without, as well as often being good at some things that "normal" people are generally not.
20. Re:This is great! by shish · 2010-05-17 09:32 · Score: 1
  
  Also anecdotal, I've found that after years where 99% of my communication being online, now that I sometimes go out and talk in person people are shocked at how straightforward and clear I am -- I do wonder, why isn't everyone like that all the time? Sure saying "I disagree, I think it should be three inches to the left" might take two seconds longer than saying "hmm" and wiggling your eyebrows, but it saves a hell of a lot of time later when you don't have any misunderstandings to clear up...
  
  --
  I mod down anyone who says "I will be modded down for this", regardless of the rest of their comment
21. Re:This is great! by Punto · 2010-05-17 09:39 · Score: 1
  
  How do "caring for a 3 month old child" and "inability to parse nonverbal communication" work out together?
  
  --
  --
  Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!
22. Re:This is great! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2010-05-17 10:09 · Score: 1
  
  Assuming that it worked, and was available in a form factor that didn't creep people out(which could be tricky: machine vision system implies video camera and I suspect that a lot of people would find "Oh, yeah, I've got a video camera in my glasses, analyzing your every facial motion for me. Plus, you have no way of knowing what I'm doing with the footage" just a touch creepy) it would be pretty useful, and interesting.
  
  It would be interesting to see, though, whether or not it came to feel "natural". Consider the difference between your native language, and doing a translation assignment for $FOREIGN_LANGUAGE_101. By consulting the vocabulary and grammar lookup tables often enough, you can puzzle through the latter; while the former you can use without even thinking about it(or, perhaps more accurately, using it and thinking are practically one and the same).
  
  Having my augmented reality glasses tell me whether to shut up or keep talking would be useful; but I imagine that it would be difficult to build automatic, confident, empathic responses based on what a computer is telling you.
23. Re:This is great! by Changa_MC · 2010-05-17 10:20 · Score: 1
  
  How do "caring for a 3 month old child" and "inability to parse nonverbal communication" work out together?
  If you can tell, "happy," from, "screaming," you can take care of an infant. The real trick is keeping them in proximity, and keeping them away from actual dangers.
  
  --
  Changa hates change.
24. Re:This is great! by Changa_MC · 2010-05-17 10:22 · Score: 1
  
  "I am he and you are me and we are both together."
  
  --
  Changa hates change.
25. Re:This is great! by VTI9600 · 2010-05-17 10:25 · Score: 1
  
  You have "occasional sex"?!?!? I think we've found a new name for you: "Hollywood"
26. Re:This is great! by pitchpipe · 2010-05-17 11:51 · Score: 1
  
  Actually I got the satire in your comment after I posted, and I get your satire in the previous comment. I should've thought about it a little more before replying.
  Maybe I have Aspergers... Nah!
  
  --
  Look where all this talking got us, baby.
27. Re:This is great! by Palshife · 2010-05-17 20:02 · Score: 1
  
  Come on, can we be serious, please? This is an important discussion.
  
  --
  Attention deficit disorder is a complicated issue, spanning several major... HEY LET'S GO RIDE BIKES!
28. Re:This is great! by blind+biker · 2010-05-17 22:51 · Score: 1
  
  Luckily, I can still figure out that a crying baby == something is not right. Next step is to verify what is "not right". Options include: hungry, tired, too hot, bored, tummy ache/needs burping. Soon toothache will be added to that list.
  And I can also figure out that, when he smiles, it means he's in a good mood and I probably managed to make him feel that way.
  
  --
  "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
29. Re:This is great! by jez9999 · 2010-05-18 02:42 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, right. A compass.
  
  --
  == Jez ==
  Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
Oblig. Simpsons by billius · 2010-05-17 05:20 · Score: 5, Funny

A sarcasm detector, that's a real useful invention!
1. Re:Oblig. Simpsons by g2devi · 2010-05-17 06:41 · Score: 1
  
  Agreed. IMO, it's almost as useful as the world changing invention of Ballerina Tutu Dresses for chihuahuas and an order of magnitude more useful as the internet itself.
2. Re:Oblig. Simpsons by bunnyman · 2010-05-18 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  *BLAM*
The idiot's assistant! by voodoo+cheesecake · 2010-05-17 05:20 · Score: 1

I guess it's for those who just don't get it!
Tweet from the developer by spleen_blender · 2010-05-17 05:21 · Score: 3, Funny

"Yeah, we totally developed a program to detect sarcastic tweets... #fuckinggenius"
I don't see this as a problem by Merc248 · 2010-05-17 05:22 · Score: 2, Funny

Just end your sarcasm tags before being sarcastic. This won't conform to W3C standards, however.

--
"Hegelians, who love a synthesis, will probably conclude that he wears a wig." - Bertrand Russell
1. Re:I don't see this as a problem by aicrules · 2010-05-17 05:27 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I opened my sarcasm tag about 28 years ago and don't plan on closing it any time soon. That has forced me to come up with a new language nuance that I like to call "more sarcastic than usual". But really that just means I add an extra, overemphasized "really" ahead of the point of super sarcasm.
2. Re:I don't see this as a problem by Em+Emalb · 2010-05-17 05:49 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, like that shit ever works.
  People detecting when I'm being more sarcastic than usual? Yeah, and a monkey might fly out of my butt.
  
  --
  Sent from your iPad.
3. Re:I don't see this as a problem by flanaganid · 2010-05-17 06:02 · Score: 1
  
  I opened my sarcasm tag about 28 years ago and don't plan on closing it any time soon. That has forced me to come up with a new language nuance that I like to call "more sarcastic than usual". But really that just means I add an extra, overemphasized "really" ahead of the point of super sarcasm.
  Really?!
4. Re:I don't see this as a problem by evilbessie · 2010-05-17 06:40 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry, the *best* sarcasm is not obvious, that's really lame. The best is serious and dead-pan, notifying people your being sarcastic is just far too easy for them. It might explain why some Americans can't tell the British are being sarcastic, because we don't make it obvious all the time.
5. Re:I don't see this as a problem by SamSim · 2010-05-17 08:07 · Score: 1
  
  Well, if the <sarcasm> tag is a text modifier that works in the same way as <em> and <strong>, you can safely nest them. They might prove idempotent but not necessarily. It depends on Slashdot's specific CSS.
  
  --
  qntm.org
6. Re:I don't see this as a problem by mattack2 · 2010-05-17 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  Seth Myers, is that you?
7. Re:I don't see this as a problem by aicrules · 2010-05-17 09:50 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, sure, it's Really, REEEEALLLY Seth. I mean, why wouldn't I Really, REEEEALLLY be him?
Will have very good recognition rate... by gweihir · 2010-05-17 05:23 · Score: 2, Funny

Given that sometimes not even humans understand when I am being sarcastic, I expect this software will have an exceptionally high recognition rate with very low false positives. A truly remarkable achievement and the one algorithm the human race has been waiting for!

--
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Overt vs. Subtle Sarcasm? by bughunter · 2010-05-17 05:24 · Score: 1

The algorithm can then identify sarcastic sentences that are nothing like the examples.

Good luck with that.

--
I can see the fnords!
hmm by i_ate_god · 2010-05-17 05:26 · Score: 1, Informative

wow

--
I'm god, but it's a bit of a drag really...
Wonder what this will score as? by Volante3192 · 2010-05-17 05:26 · Score: 1

I forsee nothing but success for this algorithm.
Finally a way to verify Smith's Law by Eric+Smith · 2010-05-17 05:28 · Score: 2, Interesting

"Any sufficiently optimistic statement is indistinguishable from sarcasm."
Replace Humans by StCredZero · 2010-05-17 05:28 · Score: 1

A sarcasm detector, that's a real useful invention!
It's only a matter of time before we can automatically generate sarcasm. Then websites can have snide comments auto-generated. When that happens, I'd like to see penalties for those attempting clever snark but failing to be smarter than a computer.
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by oldspewey · 2010-05-17 05:31 · Score: 1

Wow. That was a great comment schon.

--
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
Oh, sure! by medcalf · 2010-05-17 05:33 · Score: 3, Funny

Yeah, like that would work!

--
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
1. Re:Oh, sure! by AlgorithMan · 2010-05-17 09:35 · Score: 1
  
  you see? that got modded "funny" instead of "sarcastic"... the software totally doesn't work...
  
  --
  The MAFIAA is a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes
Testing by Bobfrankly1 · 2010-05-17 05:34 · Score: 2, Funny

The algorithm can then identify sarcastic sentences that are nothing like the examples.
Place it in my office. If it still responds at the end of the week, it's not working correctly. If it's overloaded and partially melted, we've got a winner.
I love when they don't put the stats in the story by sortadan · 2010-05-17 05:35 · Score: 1

They got about 80% accuracy. Looks like things in CAPS and other... types! of punctuation ;-) and metadata (star rating given for review) are used fairly heavily in addition to sentence structure. Would have be good to know what the breakdown of false positive vs. missed sarcasm is, but i didn't see it.

From TFA:
"We experimented with a large data set of 66000 reviews for various books and products. Evaluating pattern acquisition efciency, we achieved 81% in a 5-fold cross validation on the annotated seed, proving the consistency of the pattern acquisition phase. [...] each sentence was annotated by three human readers. We found some strong features that recognize sarcastic utterances, however, a combination of more subtle features served best in recognizing the various facets of sarcasm."
Recognizing sarcastic tweets by mwvdlee · 2010-05-17 05:36 · Score: 1

Recognizing sarcastic tweets... do twits even know what sarcasm is?

--
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
1. Re:Recognizing sarcastic tweets by Em+Emalb · 2010-05-17 05:52 · Score: 1
  
  do twits even know what sarcasm is?
  I dunno, lemme ask your mom.
  Oops, sorry, I meant, let me roll off your mom, then I'll ask her. (Give me about 3 minutes to stop rolling)
  C'mon, there's NEVER a wrong time for a "your mom" joke.
  
  --
  Sent from your iPad.
2. Re:Recognizing sarcastic tweets by masmullin · 2010-05-17 07:56 · Score: 1
  
  C'mon, there's NEVER a wrong time for a "your mom" joke.
  I find they work really well at funerals.
For a real test by medcalf · 2010-05-17 05:37 · Score: 2, Funny

I wonder what would happen if you applied their algorithm to any given slashdot post, particularly one on the Apple board.

--
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
It really is useful... by mcguirez · 2010-05-17 05:43 · Score: 1

This really *is* useful. (Something for the detector: I read TFA but it's just because I can't resist the elegant typesetting of PDFs.)
In reality though, automated systems that process a large amount of social comments (think Amazon reviews etc.) can be fooled by sarcastic comments. Such a system could result in poor recommendations.
This is not intended to be useful to humor impaired individuals.

--
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by sexconker · 2010-05-17 05:46 · Score: 4, Informative

When quoting the Simpsons, do it correctly.
Comic Book Guy: Oh, a sarcasm detector, that's a real useful invention.
Re:Sarcasm vs extremism by zach_the_lizard · 2010-05-17 05:50 · Score: 1

I believe those trolls are called Poes, but I only hear that term used for Christian fundies, not those with other right wing views (e.g. return to a gold standard, something you'd probably only hear from a Ron Paul rally; there wouldn't be much "Christian nation" there).

--
SSC
If they want accurate sarcasm detection... by KnownIssues · 2010-05-17 05:51 · Score: 1

They should just train it on Slashdot comments.
1. Re:If they want accurate sarcasm detection... by masmullin · 2010-05-17 07:57 · Score: 1
  
  Oh yeah, THAT would work!
Proposal by digitalhermit · 2010-05-17 05:52 · Score: 1

Many Slashdot users can benefit from such a technology. There are medical conditions whose sufferers cannot detect sarcasm. This leads to social ostracism and can cause reduced productivity and in very extreme cases, depression. People may scoff, but imagine if we could provide this technology on a portable device for those victims of the spectrum of diseases that cause anxieties? There are times when I have been the goat because I misunderstood "Yes, I'll have the work completed by Monday" to mean that the coming Monday, the work would be completed. My sarcasm detector did not fire to alert me that the cable installer was being sarcastic. I would like to see this sarcasm detector available for handheld devices. When a girl responded, "Yeah, I'll go out with you," I could then check my iPhone or Droid and know immediately she was making an attempt at humor.
1. Re:Proposal by Culture20 · 2010-05-17 06:30 · Score: 1
  
  There are times when I have been the goat because I misunderstood "Yes, I'll have the work completed by Monday" to mean that the coming Monday, the work would be completed. My sarcasm detector did not fire to alert me that the cable installer was being sarcastic. I would like to see this sarcasm detector available for handheld devices. When a girl responded, "Yeah, I'll go out with you," I could then check my iPhone or Droid and know immediately she was making an attempt at humor.
  FYI: Sarcasm, Lies, and Little White Lies are not the same things. The cable guy lied. The pretty girl gave a white (gray?) lie.
2. Re:Proposal by clone53421 · 2010-05-17 06:43 · Score: 1
  
  The cable guy lied.
  Depending on the tone and context it might have easily been sarcastic. If you just asked him “Can you have it done by Monday?” and he’d just checked his schedule that’s booked clear up ’till a week from Monday, for example...
  
  --
  Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
3. Re:Proposal by digitalhermit · 2010-05-17 06:59 · Score: 1
  
  FYI: Sarcasm, Lies, and Little White Lies are not the same things.
  Oh, really? Thank you for sharing that.
4. Re:Proposal by Culture20 · 2010-05-17 08:26 · Score: 1
  
  You're welcome. Glad I could help.
5. Re:Proposal by digitalhermit · 2010-05-17 12:11 · Score: 1
  
  Haha...taking a page from the FOX News playbook.. Play sarcasm straight..
Re:I love when they don't put the stats in the sto by sortadan · 2010-05-17 05:52 · Score: 1

Found the other stats after taking a second look at the PDF. was 11% false positive, 12% false negative.
Testing 1...2...3.... testing by busman · 2010-05-17 05:54 · Score: 1

Ye right!

--
__
Sigs are like arse-holes, everybody has one ;-)
Re:Sarcastic Ray by sexconker · 2010-05-17 05:57 · Score: 1

What about someone whose intent is genuine, but whose ideas are considered absurd by the masses?
Wow, that sounds almost as bad as Global Warming!
(The above statement is dripping with sarcasm. Because Global Warming is bullshit, you see.)
Sarcasm, older than we thought by HockeyPuck · 2010-05-17 06:01 · Score: 2, Funny

It dates back into some of the great classic works of our time... upon reading Romeo and Juliet one critic was overheard saying:
"Nice play Shakespeare..."
or upon solving a great mystery, Watson was once overheard saying, "No shit Sherlock."
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by clone53421 · 2010-05-17 06:02 · Score: 1

Was that sarcastic?

--
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
Poe's Law by Peter+Trepan · 2010-05-17 06:04 · Score: 1

Thank you! It's Poe's Law.

--
Step into a huge movement. Don't Tread In Me.
Oblig Python by $RANDOMLUSER · 2010-05-17 06:05 · Score: 2, Informative

Vercotti: Well, I had been running a successful escort agency - high class, no really, high class girls - we didn't have any of that. That was right out. And I decided. (phone rings on desk) Excuse me (he answers it) Hello......no, not now......shtoom...shtoom....right......yes, we'll have the watch ready for you at midnight.......the watch.....the Chinese watch....yes, right-oh, bye-bye mother (he replaces reciever) Anyway I decided then to open a high-class night club for the gentry at Biggleswade with International cuisine, cooking, top-line acts, and not a cheap clip joint for picking up tarts, that was right out, I deny that completely, and one night Dinsdale walked in with a couple of big lads, one of whom was carrying a tactical nuclear missile. They said I'd bought one of their fruit machines and would I pay for it.

Interviewer: How much did they want?

Vercotti: Three quarters of a million pounds. Then they went out.

Interviewer: Why didn't you call the police?

Vercotti: Well I had noticed that the lad with the thermo-nuclear device was the Chief Constable for the area. Anyway a week later they came back, said that the cheque had bounced and that I had to see Doug.

Interviewer: Doug?

Vercotti: Doug (takes a drink) I was terrified of him. Everyone was terrified of Doug. I've seen grown men pull their own heads off rather than see Doug. Even Dinsdale was frightened of Doug.

Interviewer: What did he do?

Vercotti: He used sarcasm. He knew all the tricks, dramatic irony, metaphor, bathos, puns, parody, litotes and satire.
....

--
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
Tech behind this by adeft · 2010-05-17 06:06 · Score: 3, Funny

I bet it just looks for itallic text.
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by maxume · 2010-05-17 06:08 · Score: 1

Are you sneering and munching on a chicken drumstick as crumbs of grease tumble down your t-shirt and lodge on top of your shelf-like belly?

--
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by __aasqbs9791 · 2010-05-17 06:15 · Score: 1

Why don't we ask the program?
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by buswolley · 2010-05-17 06:15 · Score: 1

Original.

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A Good Troll is better than a Bad Human.
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by CrazyJim1 · 2010-05-17 06:22 · Score: 1

Guy 1: Oh Homer Simpson he's cool.
Guy 2: Are you being sarcastic?
Guy 1: I don't even know anymore.

--
God spoke to me.
No... by nexttech · 2010-05-17 06:22 · Score: 1

No one would post a sarcastic remark
Would this help Paul Chambers? by U96 · 2010-05-17 06:26 · Score: 1

Would this help Paul Chambers, the man who was found guilty of sending a menacing messages for his sarcastic Twitter bomb threat? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=265300406002

--

"I thought they were the dominant species..."
Great, now my computer can tell when I'm sarcastic by Zarf · 2010-05-17 06:28 · Score: 1

... why can't you?

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[signature]
How to avoid being detected.. by Seth+Kriticos · 2010-05-17 06:32 · Score: 1

Use the word 'fuck' in your tweet/post. This way the profanity filter will block your message/post before it ever gets to the irony filter..
1. Re:How to avoid being detected.. by masmullin · 2010-05-17 07:58 · Score: 1
  
  Thats a great fucking idea.
This reminds me of... by asCii88 · 2010-05-17 06:33 · Score: 1

this scene
Sarcasm? On *Twitter*?! by ewg · 2010-05-17 06:36 · Score: 1

Sarcasm? On *Twitter*?! Never!!!

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org.slashdot.post.SignatureNotFoundException: ewg
77% accuracy? by pseudorand · 2010-05-17 06:38 · Score: 2, Funny

Their algorithm gets 77% accuracy. I think I can do better:
# Estimated accuracy: 92.1%
isSarcastic(tweet) { return true; }
Or does that only work for slashdot comments?
Sarcasm Detection by Culture20 · 2010-05-17 06:38 · Score: 1

It will work perfectly.

The point of Sarcasm is that the words, the text itself, convey a literal meaning, while the actual intent (which must be deduced by the reader knowing certain things about the writer; sometimes just tone of voice is enough) is the polar opposite. Without anything except one line of text, there is absolutely no way of determining whether something is sarcasm or not. It will never work without more input. Now that you've read this paragraph, re-read the sentence above it.
1. Re:Sarcasm Detection by Rantastic · 2010-05-17 08:09 · Score: 1
  
  The point of Sarcasm is that the words, the text itself, convey a literal meaning, while the actual intent (which must be deduced by the reader knowing certain things about the writer; sometimes just tone of voice is enough) is the polar opposite.
  Actually, you have just given a definition of irony. To be sarcasm, it must also be insulting, taunting, or express contempt for the subject.
  
  --
  Ask Slashdot: Where bad ideas meet poor googling skills.
It makes ironic sense . . . by NicknamesAreStupid · 2010-05-17 06:47 · Score: 1

. . . that the people who invented sarcasm (i.e.:"Moshe, were there not enough graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?" Shemos 14:11) would be the ones who find a way to automatically identify it.
In other news by Stealth+Dave · 2010-05-17 06:47 · Score: 1

In other news, there is still no software that can detect tweets without sarcasm.

--
Evil is as eval("does");
I wrote software to recognize retards who tweet .. by BitZtream · 2010-05-17 07:31 · Score: 1

Its got a pretty web gui and everything.
http://www.twitter.com/
Yes, I'm trolling, but its still true!

--
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
Re:I wrote software to recognize retards who tweet by BitZtream · 2010-05-17 07:32 · Score: 1

Please don't sue me twitter, it was a joke, I'm really not claiming I wrote your crappy software!

--
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
Sheldon could use this by Maxo-Texas · 2010-05-17 07:49 · Score: 1

If there is an algorithm for it, the Sheldon could use it to recognize (and produce?) sarcasm.
Bazynga!

--
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by i+ate+my+neighbour · 2010-05-17 07:59 · Score: 1

Hi Ix, long time no see.
wonderful by roman_mir · 2010-05-17 08:36 · Score: 1

Wonderful, can they apply it to irony as well, because I am fucking tired of people constantly proclaiming that someone's informative statement is 'ironic'?
But sure, like that is ever going to happen.

--
You can't handle the truth.
There's a problem with that. by Estanislao+Mart�nez · 2010-05-17 08:52 · Score: 2, Insightful

The problem with that is that in American sitcoms, verbal irony is accompanied by non-verbal cues like facial expression, tone of voice, or, ugh, laugh tracks. Take away the cues, and deliver the sarcasm in a deadpan manner, and tons of people in the USA are completely unable to catch it, neurotypical or not.

--
Are you adequate?
1. Re:There's a problem with that. by Itninja · 2010-05-17 16:30 · Score: 1
  
  I have to agree. Though I have found that after watching Friends and such ad nauseum, I am much better able to pick up the subtleties of deadpan humor like Colbert or The Office.
  
  --
  I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
2. Re:There's a problem with that. by Ceriel+Nosforit · 2010-05-17 21:43 · Score: 1
  
  tl;dr - Ranting about sarcastic laughter and prominent fools
  I find myself laughing at stuff the writer and director never intended to be funny, for my own reason. - Yes, laughing 'at', not 'with'. - In these cases my mirth stems from a hidden irony, you might consider me callous for laughing when Homer Simpson's heart is broken but I bare in mind that the fictional man has no vindicative characteristic what so ever beyond infrequent decency and that he exists only to entertain me. I loathe the character so I cut my loss by exploiting all the good homour there is to be had.
  I feel others should do this too because in sum mine is a positive reaction. If at for example you laugh from your gut at a political meeting when a candidate says for example that nuclear fuel can't be transmutated you communicate some very important information. It appears to me that with no one doing this a lot of bullshit can come to pass and that letting BS go by unmarked leads to very little laughter later on.
  Americans have been known for their poor grasp of sarcasm and I'm sure that the re-election of Dubya would never have happened if you had seen him for the fool we unsympathetic Europeans recognized him as. Politicans are keen on literally getting the upper hand when shaking hands on camera, but people with keen social acumen know that if that's the kinds of game they play they should wait with shaking hands until they have something to agree on. You can't lie for long with these all-important signals you send because people have evolved huge brains to pick that crap apart, and once you're caught your game is over. The really symathetic thing is to show all debutants early on in their career that we the people value their merit over their acting skills, so that they know what to spend their time on.
  
  --
  All rites reversed 2010
Will it help Americans recognize irony? by Kittenman · 2010-05-17 09:09 · Score: 1

That'll be good.

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"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
Re:Ohh.. a sarcasm detector! by icannotthinkofaname · 2010-05-17 11:03 · Score: 1

Was the computer being sarcastic that time?

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Let q be a radix > 1. I am in ur base-q, killing 10 d00ds.
Isn't this already solved? by microbee · 2010-05-17 11:42 · Score: 1

Don't we already have a tag?
How hard is that?! by SlappyBastard · 2010-05-17 14:21 · Score: 1

There are only two types of tweets: retarded and sarcastic. If a tweet has the word "fuck" in it, it's easy to label it retarded. If a tweet has the word "retarded" in it, it's easy to label it sarcastic.

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I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
Hey! by FiloEleven · 2010-05-17 15:00 · Score: 1

"But again, we don't do it so well ourselves, do we?"
Hey, are you being sarcastic!?

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Your brain is not a computer.
How do they do that? by JETSOLVER · 2010-05-19 15:29 · Score: 1

I suspect some SERIOUSLY fuzzy logic is involved here...