[Sigia-l] the future of search

[Derek R]

> I've heard http://google gives
> a talk where they say that someday a person
> will just go stand in front of a
> computer and it will tell him the answer to his
> search without a query
> even -- which I think is I bit far off yet...


A case can be made out that it is really the user's language (code,
commands, intent) which needs to be understood, and one could disregard
the actual user entirely.

It is an interesting idea, no doubt, but not all-together a far-fetched
one as applications just need to know what is required of them to
satisfy the user-given task (a communicative exercise), not necessarily
who the user is (i.e.. demography, etc.).

So, this is the crutch of it -- to what degree do you need to know the
user to satisfy their query / task ? To what degree do you need to know
the user to anticipate heuristic direction ? When is the point of
diminishing (even detrimental) returns ? (i.e.. Can we know *too much*
about this person, so that now we are now second-guessing them ? ).

The user-commands, not the 'self' (person) should receive the privileged
position.