# The Singularity is Near! (Internet 20 questions) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308 "2010-01-25T02:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/61 "2010-01-25T18:17:58Z")
Ooh, yes the personal ones are fun. It got “your daughter” for me fairly easily (although it did feel the need to ask, towards the end “is your character connected with reggae music?”) but I stumped it on “great aunt”. It wanted to know “Does your character fight monsters”,“Does your character try to unravel a great conspiracy?” and “Is your character genetically modified?” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/62 "2010-01-25T18:39:50Z")
I’m impressed. I was able to stump it a couple of times though. It got Romska Palo Ul Laputa (i.e. Colonel Muska) from [Laputa: Castle in the Sky](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_in_the_Sky) after two wrong guesses and ~42 questions. I stumped it with Charles Wallace Murry from [A Wrinkle in Time](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrinkle_in_time) though he was in the data base. I also stumped it with [Dennis Gabor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Gabor), the Nobel prize winning, Hungarian born, scientist/engineer that invented holography. He wasn’t in the data base. I also stumped it with [Forlong the Fat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forlong_the_Fat), the Lord of Lossarnach in the Lord of the Rings (wasn’t in the database). But, **Maus Magill** , it did guess I Radagast for this one… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/63 "2010-01-25T19:05:55Z")
For fun, keeping clicking _No_ to all questions-you’ll like the answer. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/64 "2010-01-25T19:35:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > For fun, keeping clicking _No_ to all questions-you’ll like the answer. The same goes for _Yes_. “Does your character really exist?” “Is your character a female?” “Is she a teenager?” “Does she have children?” “Is she in the Bible?” “Does she really exist?” ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/65 "2010-01-25T19:42:12Z")
Got Spock of Vulcan in 7 which is pretty dang good. The partially and probably replies helped a lot. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/66 "2010-01-25T19:59:33Z")
It couldn’t get Vivica A Fox’s character from Kill Bill. (Best guess was Foxy Brown.) But it got Bill. Let’s see if it can guess Pai Mai. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/67 "2010-01-25T20:05:55Z")
He didn’t get Jonesy (cat from _Alien_) in 40 questions but he did guess: Crookshanks(Harry Potter) Orion (Men in Black) Puss n Boots(Shrek) ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/68 "2010-01-25T20:12:17Z")
It got Seth MacFarlane on the first try, which amazed me because his identifiers are sorta vague. He’s a singer/actor/tv show writer/producer. I was answering “Yes partially” to every question, which I thought would confuse it. It got Elizabeth I and Eli Roth in 15 questions. It got Homer Simpson fairly easily too. I stumped it on Ginger Rogers. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/69 "2010-01-25T20:16:31Z")
I was playing with it last night. For a while, every Canadian public figure I put into it was coming up “Pierre Elliot Trudeau”. That went for Trudeau, Wilfrid Laurier, and Jeanne Sauve. Then I tried Roberta Bondar, and it guessed Margaret Atwood. It got Garak from Deep Space Nine, though. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/70 "2010-01-25T20:16:49Z")
I tried Erik Prince, the CEO of Blackwater. The first guess was author Malcolm Gladwell. (second was David Patraeus.) This means that the Akinator is telling me Malcolm Gladwell has “probably, partially” killed people. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/71 "2010-01-25T20:53:00Z")
Just stumped it on Charles Laughton. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/72 "2010-01-25T21:05:17Z")
> [@wolfstu](#): > > I was playing with it last night. For a while, every Canadian public figure I put into it was coming up “Pierre Elliot Trudeau”. That went for Trudeau, Wilfrid Laurier, and Jeanne Sauve. Then I tried Roberta Bondar, and it guessed Margaret Atwood. It got Garak from Deep Space Nine, though. It found Rene Levesque correctly for me, which I found pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/73 "2010-01-25T21:32:20Z")
Got Carrot Ironfoundersson, never heard of Kirth Gersen… until now. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/74 "2010-01-25T21:55:28Z")
Does your character really exist? Is your character in the Bible? Is your character the son of a god? Does your character like to bite like a rabid dog? Does your character live in America? Did your character die a tragic death? Is your character from a cartoon? Is your character under your authority? Has your character died? Has your character had a hit song in the 90s? Wait, go back to question 3. You were onto something with that one. But hey, biting like a rabid dog is usually what I look for in a messiah. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/75 "2010-01-25T23:09:55Z")
It didn’t get the character I chose, and I’d never heard of the one offered as the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/76 "2010-01-25T23:18:28Z")
Complete whiff on Zadok from 1/0, not that I’m surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/77 "2010-01-25T23:25:45Z")
I answered the questions for Inara, and it gave me Adria. Interesting. Close. But wrong. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/78 "2010-01-25T23:53:26Z")
It found Pauline Hanson (racist Australian politician) after 40 questions. I was pretty impressed with that. So, what’s the mechanism? Is it an evolving system, weeding out questions that don’t work? Or does it just utilise statistical analysis based on patterns of questions that get the correct answer. The randomness of the questions it asks makes me think it is (“Is your character a man?” then later “Is your character female?”; plus the questions re. my ex killing monsters after it had established a real person that I had slept with). Yet, the first 4 questions are fairly binary and useful, and are usually the same. Did those ones get to the top due to human intervention, or did they float to the top due to their former success? ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/79 "2010-01-26T00:22:04Z")
Didn’t get Fizzgig from Dark Crystal ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/80 "2010-01-26T00:32:23Z")
Holy frick! Terry Pratchett it was! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308.md?page=5)