10 April 2010

Intel pinched my cool idea

I recently proposed the idea of a "consistency checker", a computer program to compare two sets of text (e.g., Sarah Palin quotes here and here, to the New York Times, or Bin Laden quotes to the Koran). The program would report the degree of agreement between the two texts.

Well, Intel and UC Berkeley have done a pretty close approximation with "Dispute Finder". While still early days for their code, it's a great start. It's an easy Firefox add-on. Then try a search for "global warming hoax", and see how much text turns up highlighted pink in your browser.

I'll tag this post under "corruption", as I think Dispute Finder, and a thousand similar programs to come, will bring a new level of transparency in governance. Watch out you Wachovian beauty queen!

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