[extropy-chat] The Gender Genie - analyzing writing styles

[Amara Graps]

Dear Natasha,

>
>Amara, bella, perhaps the test is outdated.

I hope so.

In any case the people in this group can provide a sample to
further check the algorithm. The transhumanists are a pretty wide mix
in the gender arena, in my view.


>
>We cannot expect either gender to write in tithe style prescribed to it by
>any one generational testing regulation.

Vero

>  Also, I don't think it is
>necessarily pejorative that a test senses a "male" writing style. Androgyny
>is beautiful and an ability to write both across both gender-styles is a
>lovely thing to do. This is expressly, I put on a tie many times when I
>give a talk.  There is a time and place for all aspect of our "selves" and
>you seem to have chosen an educated style in your articles.

or 'it' chose me :-)

>  However, I
>wonder what the article you wrote on Fiorella Terenzi comes out as.

'Male'

>  Did
>you run that one through the test?

(just tried)

For the record, the results for all of my poetry test out as 'Male' too.

>
>As an educated scientist, your training will come out in your writing no
>matter how you fancify it.

Vero

>Also, try running some of your email stories
>(that you send to your friends) through the test.

Thank you for the suggestion. I didn't try that before, mostly
because I am more myself in those personal writings, and they
are private among my friends and family.

The results from those vignettes are that they are more skewed
towards the 'Female' scale, in fact, an almost perfect balance
between 'Male' and 'Female'. The interesting thing (to me) about my
email stories is that I think my writing style is more or less
uniform, but the topics change. Those that discuss immediate
relationship topics immediately test out as 'Female'. I don't think
that it is a very smart algorithm, that is, if a man talks about
relationships he would probably test out as 'Female' too.


>
>Brings me back to the beginning. Who's judging and is the criteria
>objective.
>


It's hard for me to see how my writings appear while I'm on the
inside of my head. Directly, no one is judging but me, but
indirectly, (depending on which writings) editors are judging. No
matter, though, because I didn't gain very much from that exercise.
In the end, I don't  think the criteria for that test were useful
criteria.

Amara
-- 

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Amara Graps, PhD          email: amara at amara.com
Computational Physics     vita:  ftp://ftp.amara.com/pub/resume.txt
Multiplex Answers         URL:   http://www.amara.com/
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"The best presents don't come in boxes." --Hobbes