Witmore’s “Now Read This”Thought Experiment

(#NRTchallenge – My ans. slides 4-8)

Given an unknown manuscriptfrom the Folger Shakespeare Library, and assuming functional equivalence of the methods, which of these three approaches would you use to determine if it’s a comedy or tragedy?...

1 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners

#NRTchallenge: Choices** w/ assumed equivalence

1. ask an early modernist to read it and make his or her declaration

2. run a computer program over it and rate it on our comedy/tragedy classifiers

3. have an early modernist read it in an MRI machine and characterizing the play on the basis of brain activity

2 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners

Take the #NRTchallenge

• Read Michael Witmore’s blog post athttp://winedarksea.org/?p=2180

• Tweet to @MichaelWitmore w/ #NRTchallenge & choice #1, #2, or #3… (why, optional but desirable )

• Next 4 slides are my reply… yours?

3 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners

#NRTchallenge Choice 1: Ask an early modernist & declare result

+ We’re told it works. (Thought experiment)

+ Fellow scholars will like it.

- One’s expert is another’s hack- No transparency (Expert’s head “black box.”)

- Not repeatable (Same expert or other?)

- Expensive in time & money- No path to explanatory theory

4 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners

#NRTchallenge Choice 3: Early modernist reads in MRI machine

+ We’re told it works. (Thought experiment)

+ Fellow scholars will like it.

- Still, one’s expert is another’s hack.- As w/ #1. No transparency - Not

repeatable - Expensive in time & money - No path to explanatory theory… PLUS

- Hiring Universities now require MRIs w/ transcripts, vita, etc.

5 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners

#NRTchallenge Choice 2: Run computer program that rates it

+ We’re told it works. (Thought experiment)

+ Transparent – read the code!+ Repeatable – share the code!+ Path to Explanatory power

– improve the code!+ Cheap & Fast – done before #1 & #2

have even called expert for appointment!

- (Many) scholars won’t like it.

6 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners

#NRTChallenge: ChoicesMy Winner is…#2. Yours?

1. ask an early modernist to read it and make his or her declaration

2. run a computer program over it and rate it on our comedy/tragedy classifiers

3. have an early modernist read it in an MRI machine and characterizing the play on the basis of brain activity.

7 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners

Witmore’s ‘Now Read This’ ChallengeBrought to you by

FactMiners.org & The Softalk Apple Project…

• BTW, I have a related Medium.comarticle, “FactMiners’ Fact Cloud & Witmore’s Text as Massively Addressable Object.”

• I invite you to read it here: https://goo.gl/3Vb0lO.

• Also visit: www.FactMiners.org & www.SoftalkApple.com

8 of 8Re: http://winedarksea.org/?p=2180 By @Jim_Salmons obo @FactMiners