# About the Amazon algorithm **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900 "2023-05-11T15:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900/21 "2023-05-11T22:59:39Z")
Highest elevation. What are the five highest spots of elevation within e.g. 50 miles of your home or office? They’re hard to identify because they might only be 3 or 4 feet higher than the _lowest_ points within 50 miles. If you were standing on one looking at another one in the distance you sure couldn’t see how much higher it was than any other spot between here and there. To the naked eye, it’s all just “flat”. Said another way, the book reccommendations you got were the very, _very_ slight leaders in what was, practically speaking, a 10,000-way almost-tie for first place in the contest of “books most related to this novel query” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900/22 "2023-05-11T23:00:58Z")
I meant to mention that. I get a similar result with the Kindle version except the first one is “Explore similar books” with anti-Trump books listed. It may be because it’s been many years since I have bought a book on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900/23 "2023-05-11T23:08:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Highest elevation. What are the five highest spots of elevation within e.g. 50 miles of your home or office? [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Regina_from_Number_1_Highway.jpg/1200px-Regina_from_Number_1_Highway.jpg?20121124140059) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Regina_from_Number_1_Highway.jpg/1200px-Regina_from_Number_1_Highway.jpg?20121124140059) Buildings. I think you’re talking about buildings, rising above the ground. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900/24 "2023-05-11T23:14:07Z")
Yeah. I picked terrain elevation as my example because I knew tiny pimples in an otherwise flat landscape would resonate with you. If only I’d used terminology you’d recognized the first time. D’oh! Darn that’s a pretty sky & shade of green. We get nice skies here but we’re kinda short on smooth & green. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900/25 "2023-05-11T23:26:59Z")
not sure what the green crop is. The yellow strip in the distance is likely mustard or canola, which means the picture was taken in late June or early July. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900/26 "2023-05-11T23:45:44Z")
From my year spent on the plains of Oklahoma I think the foreground crop is young summer wheat. Might be young alfalfa. But I am in no sense an agronomist. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-amazon-algorithm/983900.md?page=1)