CAPTCHAs don’t prove you’re human – they prove you’re American (2017)

Post by andromeduck » Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 4:26 PM UTC

sudosysgen wrote: post #474

DarkWiiPlayer wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Though I find that many Raven's progressive matrices-type questions are a lot easier if you know about symmetry groups and XOR. Yes, at that point people who have already developed certain mindware have an advantage, but arguably that's the point of an IQ test. You're not testing the potential of a person to eventually be really smart, you're testing for the current problem-solving potential.

Well, it is problem, because the assumption is that you're measuring a proxy for g that supposedly doesn't change. So if it can change, by something as simple as learning some boolean algebra, the IQ test isn't measuring what it is assumed to be measuring. That being said, you're right that it would still be useful for measuring problem solving potential, but that's explicitly not what IQ tests are supposed to measur…

Post by rypskar » Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 4:28 PM UTC

silvestrov wrote: post #478

altitudinous wrote: post #395

Yes, the American focus of the internet is absolutely appalling. Assumptions of timezones - PST, CST and the others whatever they are. Northern hemisphere assumptions of seasons - fall, etc - in the southern hemisphere the seasons are the opposite and we don't use the word fall. Even Apple, known for its "sensitivity" to cultural matters has a big miss on this one.

and 12-hour clocks. I can never remember if "am" morning or afternoon. Why is 12am before 1am? Makes no sense at all.

Post by WarOnPrivacy » Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 4:31 PM UTC

awiesenhofer wrote: post #384

soneil wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tangentially, we've been having fun with this recently. "Why haven't you completed Active Shooter Training?" "I'm busy, prioritising my time, and this training is irrelevant to me." "But what if there's an Active Shooter in the office?" "I've been working at home since April, and I've already been told to expect 6 months more." "It could still happen at home!" "What country do you think we're in?" Head Office seems t…

Wait, there is actually something like mandatory Active Shooter Training in US companies? For real?

Post by WarOnPrivacy » Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 4:33 PM UTC

School-Cotton wrote: post #450

burlesona wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have driven all over the US, and while roundabouts (aka traffic circles) are more common in the northeast, they’re common enough all over that I doubt anyone would struggle with that captcha. /Maybe/ some people would trip over the wording (expecting traffic circle and unfamiliar with “roundabout”).

We always called them roundabouts, though “traffic circle” would have been easily understood. Maybe it’s a regional thing (I’m from Arizona).

Post by yepthatsreality » Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 4:35 PM UTC

segfaultbuserr wrote: post #506

yepthatsreality wrote: post #490

What’s more fun is being American and intentionally misinterpreting the captcha. Select all street lights? Then think of how that question could be translated and misread in another language. Then select everything that would qualify as a light on the street: lamps, car headlights, crossing signals, et al. Sometimes I select a square that I think the machine placed in the set to get more certainty but doesn’t match.…

To me it's not a game and not fun at all (I use Tor so I've seen more edge cases than most people). I found CAPTCHA is a school quiz. Some questions are ambiguous and open to interpretation, if it happens, it's not important to select the "correct" answer, but the "expected" answer. - Select all squares with $object. If $object only occupies 1/2 or 1/3 of a square, should I select it or not? The "correct" answer is s…