When algorithms go bad

Internet Explorer 8 has a new feature called Suggested Sites. Its function is to examine the current page and, if you click the link, recommend up to five other sites that it thinks you will like.

Good idea. But in practice, the algorithm might need some fine-tuning. Here’s what it suggests when I visit my Windows Live home page:

I’m not sure where it got the idea that I’m in Mexico or that I speak Spanish. (Although I learned a fair amount of Spanish years ago and pick up enough to get by fairly quickly each time I visit Mexico.)