I have not been able to get around finishing this blogpost for a while but I had some free time today so here it is.

I was reading an article on The Verge couple weeks ago about internet privacy and algorithms. Readers were encouraged to visit their Google Ad profile to see how much Google had figured out about them based on everyday searches, locations and etc.

You can check how much Google knows about you by following this link. You have to be logged in with your Google account in order to view your profile.

Seeing how much Google knows about me really got me thinking about how advanced data collection algorithms can be; all this data can be used to try and figure out what we might need or want in the future. This is actually being done already. Google’s iPhone app offers routes (based on the time of the day), movies and even travel destinations.

We have talked a lot in class about how a single algorithm or system will never be able to run cities because they are so complex. But if the system can figure out what city needs in real time is it really that impossible?