Instant Analysis

The internet is awash with programmes for instant analysis of almost anything you care to mention. What sort of writer are you? What sort of parent are you? What is your personality type? What is your learning style? Which celebrity are you most like? You know the sort of thing.


Many of them are out there as bait to persuade you to buy something, after you've answered their quiz qestions. Or you are asked to enter a small sample of your prose writing and an automated system congratulates you and flatters you by saying 'you write just like...' (naming a successful published author), hoping you will spend money on a 'Write Better' programme. Well, I for one, won't.


I blogged here about one of those programmes that instantly assesses your personality type from a small blog sample. The result was surprising. Autolycus had a better idea and tried several and varied samples from his blog post, with a variety of always flattering results. Which only goes to prove that we humans are immensely complicated and multi-faceted. Alternatively it demonstrates the old adage about computers - 'garbage in, garbage out'.  Not that Autolycus ever writes garbage - his posts are invariably interesting or entertaining. Not that I'm biased about my brother-in-law.


This is my 2nd post today and is therefore a first for me. I'd better shut up and get on with better things.

Image: by Tibocut: Creative Commons