A Peek Into Netflix Queues 113
margaret writes "The New York Times has an interactive Web app where you can map the popularity of various Netflix titles by neighborhood, in a dozen different cities. Invasion of privacy or harmless voyeuristic fun? Either way, it's pretty interesting."
porn? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:porn? (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)
wtf
Interesting relationship (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:This just proves... (Score:5, Insightful)
I can think of so many better things to be doing with my time than looking at what people are renting based on their ZIP code.
Does whining on Slashdot really count as something better?
Re: (Score:2)
Nor, does it mean that we should not "get it".
Different strokes, for different folks. Some people like demographics.
Re: (Score:2)
Whatchu talkin' 'bout, adolf?
Re:This just proves... (Score:4, Funny)
"Some people like demographics."
Apparently, some people like masturbation as well. That doesn't mean they shouldn't get a life.
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
Apparently, some people like masturbation as well. That doesn't mean they shouldn't get a life.
But then I'd have to cut back on masturbating.
Re: (Score:2)
Is there a web site showing the demographics of masturbating?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:This just proves... (Score:4, Funny)
Is there a web site showing the demographics of masturbating?
Any solid-color map you have ever seen does. The one color represents 100% of the population. These are called relief maps.
Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)
Apparently, some people like masturbation as well. That doesn't mean they shouldn't get a WIFE
There you go I fixed it for you. I know this is a geek site. But atleast you need to try getting a wife instead of just masturbating.
Re: (Score:2)
Apparently, some people like masturbation as well. That doesn't mean they shouldn't get a life
Apparently, some people like masturbation as well. That doesn't mean they shouldn't get a WIFE
There you go I fixed it for you. I know this is a geek site. But atleast you need to try getting a wife instead of just masturbating.
Spoken like a true bachelor, or a newlywed.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Trolls read articles and write custom trolls now? Wow.
That's why I don't RTFA. I don't want to risk ending up a troll.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
...I don't want to risk ending up a troll....
The Slashdot moderation system is broken, totally ruined. It seems that anyone who posts anything controversial, to which the majority of Slashdot readers disagree, gets modded troll or flamebait. On the other hand, obscenity and profanity often gets modded insightful. I have gotten to the point where I don't give a hoot if every one of my posts gets modded down, just because I often post opinions to which the majority disagrees.
By refraining to speak your mind,
Re: (Score:2)
The Slashdot moderation system is broken, totally ruined. It seems that anyone who posts anything controversial, to which the majority of Slashdot readers disagree, gets modded troll or flamebait.
It happens sometimes, but it's been my observation that it isn't what you say but how you say it. I've been downmodded for posting something unpopular (e.g., any mention of religion) but not always. I've been modbombed before, but somehow the final moderation is a positive one regardless.
Metamoderation, otoh IS bro
Re: (Score:1)
...I've been downmodded for posting something unpopular (e.g., any mention of religion) but not always...
Religion, especially Christianity is unpopular on Slashdot. But so are other topics, especially in science, where the point of view expressed is outside of the mainstream.
PS I know someone named Mcgrew who is married to a blind lady. Is that you by chance? He is into computers and could be on Slashdot.
Re: (Score:2)
I've been downmodded for dissing Sony over XCP. Dis somone with mod points' employer and often they'll mod you down.
I haven't been married for six years, and Evil-X isn't blind; well, she's blind to truth but she's not sightless. She's no laday, either, she's a serial adultress. Must be another McGrew. Are you in Springfield by chance?
Re:This just proves... (Score:4, Insightful)
Marketing people care. You'd better believe they care!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Say you have kids. Those concentrations can give you a very good idea about where there are other people who have kids, so you can look at those neighborhoods. Especially if you're moving to a new city or something.
Re: (Score:2)
Say you have kids.
Or perhaps you like kids...
Re: (Score:2)
Something like 80% of kids that are molested are molested by relatives. The "think of the children!" bullshit is a big, fat boogeyman put out there by idiots. And yes, I do have a kid.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Sorry ;) That kind of stuff just annoys me to no end, that people throw reason out the window every time someone mentions kiddie fiddling or terrorism.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
During the Netflix contest to get more accurate predictions of movie rentals, the thought did occur to me that geospatial data might be useful to add the algorithm. More information, such as gender, income, and age, and past favorites may have a spatial component and add to the success of future predictions. This is at least a glimpse of this kind of analysis, so yes, I find it interesting.
Re: (Score:2)
Those statistics could come handy in "community standards" related lawsuits.
Intesting how College area is way off (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Intesting how College area is way off (Score:4, Insightful)
Looking at the Seattle map one interesting thing stands out for me. The rentals in the zip code of Seattle University seems completely different then everywhere else. What is interesting that ' pseudo intellectual' movies that you would think would be more popular, Milk, Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, are relatively low in this area of learning, while mindless movies, Role Models, House Bunny, where the most popular.
I don't find it odd.
It's just anecdotal, but after a stressful day/week of courses and exams I found myself wanting to unwind and relax with a fun and mindless flick instead of a high quality film.
Don't get me wrong, I would still enjoy cerebral movies back then but not as frequently as a silly comedy or mindless action flick.
A mindless entertainment was a good way to unwind, plus you could watch it and laugh together with friends.
---------------
I guess it's somewhat like my reading habits. I enjoy reading and do it fairly often now, likewise I read a fair amount back in high school.
However in college I was already reading every day for multiple hours for my various courses, so the last thing I after I put down my textbook was pick up yet another book.
Re: (Score:2)
"but after a stressful day/week of courses and exams I found myself wanting to unwind and relax with a fun and mindless flick"
Back in the old skool, we unwound and relaxed with a fun and mindless chick. Oh well - someone already pointed out that it takes different strokes for different folks.
Re: (Score:1)
Maybe he went to Michigan Tech.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
More intelligent poor folk aren't so poor that they can't afford netflix. And if you're a pirate of any note, you've got an internet connection; most internet connections are sufficient for streaming (unlike mine) so you can then parlay the cheapest netflix membership into something great, or at least entertaining.
Nothing makes Ramen taste inoffensive like distraction. TRUST ME
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, if we're already speculating you may also speculate if you are seeing a biased sample of the student population. At least many of the technically minded students I knew would see no need for a Netflix subscription...
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm not sure about Milk or Frost/Nixon, but there was a DVD screener for Benjamin Button available for download months before the retail DVD was released. That may have measurably impacted rentals in a college ZIP code area. Or not, who knows?
Re: (Score:1)
Um, yeah, duh! Kids like dumbass kid movies, so around a university filled with kids the most popular movies will be kid movies. Actual adults watch movies that are for actual adults, sure, but college students aren't adults in any realistic sense of the word.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe they like those movies more, so they go to the movie theater to see those, and the others aren't worth it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
cultural information (Score:5, Interesting)
Strangely enough, Milk is in the top 3 movies in San Francisco in every area except the Castro. Try explaining that one if you can.
Re:cultural information (Score:5, Insightful)
Strangely enough, Milk is in the top 3 movies in San Francisco in every area except the Castro. Try explaining that one if you can.
Compared to other areas, the residents bought the disk, so they don't need to rent it as much?
Re:cultural information (Score:5, Interesting)
That's actually really interesting to consider -- You could think of Netflix popularity as a band pass of the full spectrum of movie popularity. Imagine a few graphs for other channels that signify different levels of investment: theatrical viewing and DVD purchase above rental, cable viewing below it, and torrenting at the bottom. Now imagine these distributions overlaid on top of each other. I wonder what that graph would look like...
Re: (Score:2)
Milk is in the top 3 movies in San Francisco in every area except the Castro. Try explaining that one if you can.
Maybe most people in Castro already saw it in the theater, or rented it months ago? The DVD came out in March of last year, so it's not exactly new.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Because they know the true story rather than the Hollywood fictional version?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Or, it could be, everyone in Castro STARRED in the damned thing, and they can't bear to watch it again?
Re:cultural information (Score:5, Insightful)
Everyone in the neighborhood saw it in the theatre and so didn't need to rent it from Netflix.
We saw it at the Castro theatre about halfway through its total run and it was a full upper balcony sellout. It really was an important film to see as together as a community and I was glad to have taken part in what I felt was a community viewing.
Re: (Score:1, Troll)
Really? Renting Milk shows open mindedness?
I never saw a movie preview for this movie. I could see the arguement that this demographic is more aware of non-mainstream movies more.
Also, those demographics may just have more homosexuals. I am straight and watch predominantly straight love movies with my wife. I would imagine someone gay would probably prefer more gay love movies.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
You may be a little bit confused. Milk is a movie about the first openly gay elected official in the US, who was later assassinated (along with the mayor) by another elected official. It's not really a "gay" movie any more than Malcolm X was a "black" movie.
It might be the mainstream thing as you say. But looking at my own city I do note that the more liberal areas of the city are far more likely to be watching Milk than the more conservative parts.
Re: (Score:2)
You are correct. I had no idea what the movie was about.
That does lead back to my orignal point.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The "Milk compliment" would be Fireproof, a highly conservative movie which seemed to only go over big in Atlanta and Dallas.
Note that for Atlanta, "Fireproof" was most popular among the southern exurbs, confirming every rural stereotype held by the typical ITP* Atlantan.
* ITP = Inside The Perimeter, the local nickname for the I-285 bypass.
Re:cultural information (Score:5, Funny)
Re:cultural information (Score:4, Funny)
Welcome to Murderpan; now go to the morgue (Score:2)
That is Mattapan; sometimes affectionately referred to as Murderpan. There is a very large criminal element there, and as the name implies, a very high murder rate. That alone cannot explain it though, unless you see significant dips in Dorchester and other high crime areas. I don't really care enough to look, since I don't really think you can make reasonable conclusions even when having local/inside information about a
Re: (Score:1)
Re:cultural information (Score:4, Insightful)
yes, but if you can drag yourself away from your narcissism, you'll find your girlfriend not only loves love stories, but love stories about sad relationships between 2 seriously hot men ('cos the movie-makers are always going to make a story about gay relationships involving 2 muscular cowboys rather than 2 fat nerds), and it also has the added attraction of some man-on-man action.
So you'd expect homosexual love stories can appeal to heterosexuals. Just like you wouldn't mind going to see 2 hot lesbian chicks fall in love (oh, you've already seen that one, yeah me too ;)
Also a lot of heterosexual and homosexual people just like movies, sometimes you want something intellectually stimulating even if it has a gender-related subplot you still watch it for the main plot. OK, love stories don't fall into this category so much, but Milk (for example) may have a gay subplot but that's not what the story is about. Just like you can watch Malcolm X in an entirely white neighbourhood.
Re: (Score:1, Funny)
Not from the USA, so what's going on in Washington? There seems to be a big difference between those areas in the top left versus bottom right quadrants. It almost as if there is some kind of boundary along the line from the bottom left corner of the map to the top right.
Re: (Score:1)
That border pretty well tracks the gay friendly neighborhoods in the region. The 22111 anomaly chopped out of Arlington looks to be Ft Myer, so I would guess the people there who would like to watch Milk are probably scared of accidentally telling even though no one asked.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
That is the ZIP code for Mattapan, MA. It is 77% African American.
I have no idea what the personal preferences are of those residents, but I recall that there is little debate that homosexuality garners less acceptance in many visible black communities. Think of the "no homo" thing and the phenomenon of a "down low brotha" ("DLB") and the demographics of Prop 8 voting. My recollection is that t
Re: (Score:1)
Well...not now... (Score:2)
Well, they *had* an interactive application that did this. Now it's a smouldering hunk.
You're kidding, right? (Score:5, Insightful)
Invasion of privacy or harmless voyeuristic fun?
What invasion of privacy? They're not showing what any particular person rented, just what the aggregate in a given area liked. If this is invasion of privacy, then so is any demographic statistic saying, for instance, that New Yorkers like hot dogs from a stand on the street or the baseball stadium over that cooked at home.
No, YOU are kidding, right? (Score:5, Funny)
Letter to the Editor @ NY Times:
Dear Sir,
I find it highly innappropriate that you have made my personal information available via your website!
Sincerely,
Dr. Sanfransisco Bayarea
Re: (Score:1)
Cool map....
Not that there was evidence of it given:
The shocking part would be that Netflix keeps track of an individuals rentals (possibly) and then creates thse maps based on those individuals histories. Again no proof but it concerns some.
On a similar note
In Canada the zip equivilant is the postal code.....postal codes often refer to only a handful of houses....so posting rentals based on postal codes + an individual knowning person x uses netflix = invasion of privacy.
cc
Re: (Score:1, Interesting)
There is a theoretical max of 10^5 = 100,000 zip codes. There are roughly 10,000,000 Netflix subscribers, so if there were an even distribution, that would give about 100 subscribers per zip code. I suspect that this varies considerably, though I'm not sure which way things would swing among urban/suburban/rural. Urban has more alternatives but higher prices, suburban has social reclusiveness, but also sufficient disposable income for theaters, rural lacks theaters and conventional rental options, but ma
Interesting data for So Cal (Score:1)
You could draw many fun, but useless conclusions from this data. This is probably the kind of info that sales pukes, marketing drones and security theater types drool over.
Mad Men was only rented by those Hollywood types in Glendale and West LA
Tyler Perry's chitlin flicks do well in South Central, Inglewood and Long Beach - why?
Religulous' demographics proves that rich people really are godless.
White people really liked Australia, but Vicky Cristina Barcelona is better than the US Census for racial profili
Large differences in some areas... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Most of these films are only available through Netflix Mailing. Unless you can VPN a POBox then I doubt that's affecting much.
Gee, be careful (Score:2)
Look, I think this stuff is kinda interesting, but you need to be very careful with information visualisation of geographical regions. And some of this information is a little misleading.
Some neighbourhoods are smaller in size (area) than others. If a neighbourhood is larger in area than another, a dominant colour (such as red!) will be highly dominant - not just because the movie is more popular - but because there is more red and the area is larger. This is a psychological thing; eyes are drawn to larg
Re: (Score:2)
I am sure there are other ways of determining the racial and socio-economic make up of an area, before buying a home there. Like talking to the neibours of the property you are interested in.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
This is an extremely dangerous tool. If you are looking to live in an area, you can use this tool to see the proportion of (say) blacks and hispanics (through the choice of movies), and then decide to move/not move there, thus encouraging the creation of racial ghettos
Or you could just look at census data and not have to try to infer racial data from movie choice.
note: ranking is biased by instant viewing (Score:1)
note: this ranking is biased by instant viewing.
"instant view" titles are those you watch on your computer (or roku or xbox or whatever). they are "second tier" movies only. but, because they are convenient, they got a TON more views than movies you have to actually get the CD mailed to you for.
so, what you're seeing here is a hybrid list, with "top tier" movies vote counts watered down by over-counts of instant-play-ables.
fwiw.
Apparently in Minneapolis (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Best thing I've seen in the New York Times but... (Score:2)
I am in despair over the newspaper industry. The country and the world has needed news researchers, and over the last half-century that has been the province of big newspapers like the Times, the LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, and others.
Lately, though, newspapers subscription rates have fallen dramatically, their income has fallen even faster, and they're all cut back on their research budgets.
Here, though, we see a truly interesting tool, one that gives more insight the more one plays with it (as the
Lies... and statistics (Score:2)
I'm not sure what you can reliably take away from these statistics. Since it is only rentals it excludes the following conditions:
Did they go see it in the theater and now own the DVD? (will probably never rent)
Did they go see it in theaters and didn't care for it? (will probably never rent)
This means that the stats only capture those who
1) Didn't see it in theaters - i.e. it wasn't a big deal to see it / they didn't consider it worth the ticket price
2) Are curious enough about it to rent it later
After ren
55450 is watching Battlestar Galactica S3 (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
80225 is one person's most rented list (Score:2)
how is it an invasion of privacy? (Score:2)
its information in aggregate. privacy implies PERSONALLY identifying information
if i say "wilbur cross of madison wisconsin rented 'no country for old men'" then that's an invasion of privacy
if i say "323 people in madison wisconsin rented 'no country for old men'" then there is no invasion of privacy
its ok to get upset about invasion of privacy. getting upset about it when none actually occurs is some sort of spastic hysteria, a triumph of emotion over logic. save your ammo for real battles
Re: (Score:2)