I was reading about the LibertarianGirl Scandal as I worked on the previous post, and came across a neat little applet:
The Gender Genie
This little puppy takes in a piece of text, does a cheapo analysis of it, and tries to determine the gender of the author. (It works best if you use more than 500 words)
For a quick sample of my own stuff, I decided to try this January entry about M_____ (partly because she showed up at my work on Friday). This is what the Gender Genie reported:
Female Score: 938
Male Score: 534
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!
Hey, thanks a ton Gender Genie! Well, how about a less "feeling" article, maybe the latter rant on this entry about women?Male Score: 534
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!
Female Score: 875
Male Score: 795
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!
It even had 600 words this time! Well, moving on...maybe the first part of the discussion of the male activity of drinking until vomit comes out?Male Score: 795
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!
Female Score: 662
Male Score: 871
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Qapla'! Finally we get a passage where this bloody machine acknowledges that I'm a guy. Geesh, I should have pretended to be a girl on this bloody thing: the evidence would never betray me!Male Score: 871
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
How about other prominant female writers. I get 300 emails every time a shadow on Ann Coulter's neck "gives away" her Adam's Apple. How does she fair? Let's pick, say, her recent article on Clinton's ignoring Osama bin Laden:
Female Score: 568
Male Score: 833
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Well, it certainly will seem convincing to the 911conspiracy.org crowd, but we've seen the program is imperfect.Male Score: 833
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
How about left-wing darling Naomi Klein? Her most recent Guardian article, perhaps?
Female Score: 1076
Male Score: 1808
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Ha!Male Score: 1808
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Michelle Malkin? Her column "Where Have All the Good Girls Gone?, lets say:
Female Score: 824
Male Score: 819
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!
Hey! Finally some success. Malkin's column on Angelina Jolie?Male Score: 819
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female!
Female Score: 374
Male Score: 820
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Nope, back to "male" again, and with a huge discrepancy too for good measure. Ann Coulter's column on Kerry election promises also swings to the girl side, 824-700. How about, say, Colby Cosh's article in the National Post about J.K. Rowling?Male Score: 820
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Female Score: 1062
Male Score: 1422
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Mike Jenkinson's Edmonton SUN column from Thanksgiving Day?Male Score: 1422
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Female Score: 701
Male Score: 853
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
Male Score: 853
The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male!
So the final analysis? I think the problem has a lot to do with the content. Naomi Klein and Ann Coulter writing about politics will appear male, while I writing about relationship problems will appear female. The .pdf file that discusses the algorithm used isn't up and running, but it appears to compare "feminine" and "masculine" words. Talking about the Iraq War or politics is going to confuse it.
