Netflix lovers and Computer gurus unite!

In another NYT article today, a reporter talks about the frenzy online over Netflix's contest to beat its Cinematch program. Cinematch is a program Netflix uses to help determine best picks for movie viewers based on their ratings for previously viewed films. For example, if you've seen and watch a movie like The Pianist and rated it with 5 stars, then you might be likely to also enjoy a film like the Red Violin. Several programmers are coming close, but none have been able to improve upon the Cinematch program by more than 10%. To win the contest prize of 1 million dollars, contestants must do just that. Good luck to them all.