US Secret Service looking for App that will identify sarcasm

Warrigal

Warrigal

SF VIP
Location
Sydney, Australia
Sorry guys, but where I come from you do have a reputation for not getting sarcasm and irony.

What do you make of this report?

Great idea! US Secret Service tenders for Twitter sarcasm detector

06 Jun 2014
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The US Secret Service is looking for a data analytics tool that can interpret sarcasm on Twitter. Good one. That would place it one step ahead of many Americans.


The Washington Post reported that the Secret Service has put out a tender for a real time social data analytics tool that can accurately detect sarcasm and “false positives” in social media posts and the department has confirmed the story.
Measuring sentiment on social media is notoriously difficult. But if you think you can crack it you've got until 9 June to put submit your bid.


The Secret Service also wants a tool that can identify 'influencers', gauge sentiment and interpret content in multiple languages. By nature, the Secret Service tends not to shout about what its up to, suffice to say the sarcasm tool and the broader tender is part of “preserving the integrity of the economy" and "protecting national leaders, visiting heads of state and government".

If they start monitoring twitter accounts of Australian media and creative types we're sure they will do a really good job.

http://www.adnews.com.au/adnews/gre...er-sarcasm-detector/google_editors_picks/true
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What do you reckon? Sarcasm? Irony? Satire? Or could this be a true report?
 

Twitter, where we are dumbing down the American public even more - to think that what, about 150 characters is somehow enough to get complex ideas across. And now the SS wants to divine sarcasm?

Too funny. Too weird.


But thanks for starting the thread - I would not have known had you not mentioned it, Dame Warrigal.
 
Does Australia have any news broadcasts because the only news I ever see you commenting on, is American? If I didn't know better, I would think you don't like America, or Americans, and here there are so many of us, so I have to believe you really love us, because here you are Dame?? What am I missing, and be careful now how you answer that, LOL!! And just one other thing, I would consider the source of that slam about us not getting sarcasm, and irony. I'm not even close to being the brightest American on this site and I see your sarcasm coming for 9500 miles, give or take:playful: Denise
 
:sorry: I'm sorry Denise, but I'm just trying to find common ground for discussion. I figured that Australian issues weren't all that interesting to the majority of participants on Seniors. I tend to place them in Speakers' Corner where only those who are interested bother reading.

I shall now start a thread from an American source that takes the mickey out of our Prime Minister. I'll post it under hot topics.

Feel free to laugh at us for a change.

By the way, I actually think that the article is serious and that they are attempting to filter out those social media posts that are harmless so that they can focus on the really dangerous people. It appeared on our ABC as a report as well as the link I posted and I will try to find a US link to the same subject.

I found a link from a US source (CBS DC) http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014...-to-track-social-media-trends-detect-sarcasm/

Is that better? Can we discuss it now? Social media surveillance is not done by people listening in or reading posts. Very powerful computers search for keywords that terrorists and dissidents might use but the trouble is that these words can also be used in a joking or sarcastic post. The computer currently can't tell the difference but maybe they soon will. Are we happy with this level of surveillance of our social media? Do we want computers to tag us as terrorists because we use certain words in jest?

Normally I wouldn't worry but we have a law that allows people to be picked up and held incommunicado for one or two weeks for questioning. Not even the family is allowed to know what has happened to you and it is an offence to talk about it afterwards. It was brought in after 911 but it might have had a sunset clause that caused it to lapse by now, but I really don't know. I do know that Vodaphone allows government surveillance in 27 countries where it operates but we aren't told which ones. They have admitted it. I'm betting Australia and the USA are on the list. I'm also betting that other telcos do the same.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...0cfc1a-edb4-11e3-9b2d-114aded544be_story.html
 
Dame, I choose to believe you mean well, I just don't get into your types of discussion, unless it's to get pissed off when I think someone from another country is making "unfriendly" cracks about the US. I know my country is far from perfect, I'm not a complete bozo. It's just that I clicked on your "story" and it just seemed like a slam, and I feel like some folks make a lot of those about the US. Now if we are citizens of the US I feel we've earned the right to complain or even make fun. I don't think I should though, not after the amazing opportunities I've been given by my country.

I know, I take things wrong sometimes, hair-trigger and all that. So I apologize for even bringing it up, it is what it is when folks get together on forums. I just need to get along, be nice to others, accept other's and their opinions. Who knows, if we ever met in person, we might like each other. Online is so hard to know a person, as well as their true intentions. Hell, it's hard when you meet them face-to-face. Carry on, I see everyone else was fine with your post, so I chalk it up to my misinterpretation. Denise

PS I know I should be more interested in some things, I'm just not, but the OP seemed goofy, I mean the link, so I didn't dig deeper (now that's irony, coming from someone who thrives on being goofy, have I got irony right? lol!!)
 
Two things you need to know about Australians. One is that we are friends of the USA. The other is that we are in the habit of 'stirring' our friends. We expect to be stirred back. We have played this game with the British and the Kiwis a lot longer. If we are always terribly polite to your face but joke about you when you are not listening, then you are not our friend and we are not yours.

I hope this clears the air.
 
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Dame Warrigal said:
Two things you need to know about Australians. One is that we are friends of the USA. The other is that we are in the habit of 'stirring' our friends. We expect to be stirred back. We have played this game with the British and the Kiwis a lot longer. If we are always terribly polite to your face but joke about you when you are not listening, then you are not our friend and we are not yours.

I hope this clears the air.
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Yes, I would rather you just keep being your rude, self, that way I'll know just where I stand. Are all Australians like you? I mean you did say "we" a lot;) I just know there's all kinds in the U.S. that's probably why I don't "get" stereo-typing. I don't have any "uncleared air" surrounding this, little discussion. I don't think you're as bad as I thought you were,
:cheers1:Just think, real "hands across the water" Dame and Denise, here's to you and yours;)
 
Glad to see that we are reconciled. Your post did make me look back over all of the threads that I have started to see whether I have been overdoing it. As Robbie Burns famously said
"And would some Power the small gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:"
​
I am well aware that half the world sees Australians as oafs and drunks and it is at least half true. I don't drink, so it was with this in mind I decided to check my posts for insensitivity. By Australian standards I don't think I was but half the world might disagree. I'll take on board the phrase "your rude self". One thing I did notice when I was in the USA was how polite everyone is when speaking to each other. Australians are generally less so. We like to think of ourselves as a nation of cheeky larrikins. We could be letting ourselves off lightly.

This could be the makings of another topic - How do you think the rest of the world sees your countrymen? Then others could tell us the truth as we are really seen in the eyes of others.

Perhaps not.
 
Dame Warri, I find Australians to be more frank than rude. It makes me feel as if I have a good idea of where your coming from. Your right about us Americans being so polite to each other, but a lot of times I've had to learn the lesson that politeness can hide some unsavory agendas.
Most of the times I have been taken for a ride, were preceded by a smile. We are all different, let's stay that way. Makes the discussions much more interesting.:rockon::iwillbeback:
 
It sound interesting to me, some things interest me, don't faint, lol:) I think I might have been a good Australian, I'm sort of rude. You know they say it takes one to know one. I think it's good you don't drink, I am a tea-totler, don't know how to spell it but who cares. I mean, if I have one glass of anything, I have to really pay attention and think before I speak;) I better off without the "juice".

How do I think the rest of the world see's my countrymen? Well, I'm included in that too, so I would think of how do I think the rest of the world sees us. You Australians are pretty good at telling us, and right, up front, LOL, sorry, backslid, LOL!! Ok, people think you guys behave badly? I didn't think that, well, not until I met some of you here, Ok, geez, this is hard, lol! Really Dame, you need to quit priding yourself on your wild reputation;) that's my thing, and lots of Americans I know, so we really aren't that different. Like, do you have any shy people there? We do, they won't say a word, I think I use to be that way, been awhile.

We have lots of people that smile to your face, and back-stab you with the next person they talk to, so that's not all that different. I mean I know some Australians do that right. So, we are finding some common ground now I think. My sis is waiting on Yahoo Messenger, so I'm going there to talk mean about you now:lofl:I am joking:) See you later, Denise
 
One way to get a glimpse of how the rest of the world sees any particular country is to see how they are portrayed in movies made by other nations. Of course the characters are stereotypes but they are often widely held stereotypes.

Watch UK movies (not Trans-Atlantic ones) that feature US characters and you'll get an idea what you mean. The Brits do a number on Aussies too and there's always an element of truth in the stereotype, much as we would prefer to deny it. Americans, either because they are more polite or because they know us less well, are usually kinder to both the Brits and the Aussies.

While we're totally off topic, what do you make of this example of OZ humour? Dame Edna did have a series made in America so you might be familiar with her kind of wicked, sometimes cruel, jibes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G6K34GWeas

Here she is on The View

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzukBruUuzo
 
I will watch it, I do promise Dame, I'm interested, but I need to get off here for tonight. My sis and I yacked up a storm about you, LOL! Ok, I'm lying, I forgot to talk about you with her;) It would have been nice stuff if I had. Like in Ben Hur, "something took the sword out of my hand", lol! Ok, so religious folks won't think that's funny, sorry folks. So I'll check your links out in the a.m. Have a gooday! I think it's day there, if it's not, have a good whatever;) Denise
 
I don't watch tv anymore, only movies Dame, but my thoughts while glimpsing at the shows was, I wonder if other countries get there idea of America from tv & movies. And news! I mean, that is just a lot of bs, the folks I know, my friends, all call it Holly'weird. Much of the news, and I include international, is the "bad" news. Bad news sells. I do think some folks enjoy putting down other countries, I don't like the way some countries operation but I don't waste my time yacking about it because I think it is a waste of time. That's just me though, people yack all day about what they enjoy, far out!

I don't know, but I just think some things are funny and others are not. Same as anyone else, we all have our own taste. Your "Oz" humor doesn't seem any different then any other humor, except there are different types of sense of humor everywhere. I loved Benny Hill, some of Monty Python was hilarious. I don't care where the humor is coming from, I mean if I think it's funny. Dame Edna is a man right? If "she's" not, she's close, but she's made a good living for herself no matter.

Now Johnny Carson, and his guest interaction could not be beat if you ask me. My brother and I would stay up late and watch him, and we would die laughing. I enjoy a sick sense of humor like Tim Allen's. I don't even know how we got on the subject of humor, something about your countries humor being different then ours. I just don't agree with that, I think people are people except for their difference in appearance, language, types of culture. I don't think anyone is better or worse than anyone else either. I feel for the most part, you get back what you hand out. I just wouldn't think of going on a forum that was mostly Australians and diggin at them about the way someone is running the country. But you and I are very different, not because of where we are from either. Maybe we were taught differently, maybe we had different experiences in life that make us act the way we do.

Who cares, I don't really and I'm sure you don't, I'm gonna move onto discussing things I really enjoy, Denise
 
Ina said:
Dame Warri, I find Australians to be more frank than rude. It makes me feel as if I have a good idea of where your coming from. Your right about us Americans being so polite to each other, but a lot of times I've had to learn the lesson that politeness can hide some unsavory agendas.
Most of the times I have been taken for a ride, were preceded by a smile. We are all different, let's stay that way. Makes the discussions much more interesting.:rockon::iwillbeback:
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I agree with Ina on this, and I have never ever considered you to be in any way rude, Warri. I like that you are outspoken, and your posts usually make me think about things, and often look at them from a different perspective; which I have always assumed was your purpose in writing the post in the first place.
As for an opinion of Australians in general, I have never heard it said that they were either drunks or oafs, either. I tried hard to remember what I have seen in the movies, and that has been pretty limited, but all good.
There was that guy, Crocodile Dundee, and I enjoyed the movie greatly, and thought he was awesome.
The only other one that I can remember seeing was called "Man From Snowy River", and that was an excellent movie, too.

From some of the things that are in our movies (not to mention the actual newscasts), it is hard to see how people could still have much of a favorable opinion of most Americans. Thankfully, we are mostly not like the ones you see in the movies (except for John Wayne, of course. He always made Americans look great), and are for the most part, honest and caring people; much like I imagine that most Australians are also.
I have seen often from your posts that you are a very caring person, and one who tries her best to make the world a better place. I respect that, Warri.
 
I don't know about other countries, but I thought I might mention the fact that America has citizens (as well as some non) that represent every, nation in the world, I'm pretty sure "every" country. So if America is getting bad-mouthed, "if" it is, anyone from another country is just talking about themselves as well. I can't figure out if America is such a bad place, why do so many want to come here, leaving their country in the dust? I recently met a Japanese student that came here on some sort of college grant to be a nurse. We were talking and I assumed she was going back to Japan to serve her country as a nurse, she was, until she fell in love with the US.

I have seen America bad-mouthed on here and sometimes by Americans themselves. And if I see it again, I will speak up again, for my country, and yes, I will wave that flag. There's no other place on Earth I would rather live then the US. Visit, yes, but this is my home, and I choose to stay and do what I can to protect it, make it better, whatever I can do.
 
HappyFlowerLady said:
Warri. I like that you are outspoken, and your posts usually make me think about things, and often look at them from a different perspective; which I have always assumed was your purpose in writing the post in the first place.
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You assume correctly. Your answers help me to see things from your point of view which is expanding my mental horizons. I've learned a lot about America and Americans by interacting with members of this forum.

NWLady said:
Dame Edna is a man right? If "she's" not, she's close, but she's made a good living for herself no matter.
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Again your assumption is correct. Barry Humphreys is an Australian man who has created a number of characters that satirise certain Australians. Dame Edna started out as Edna Everidge and he was sending up Australian housewives without mercy. Over time "she" morphed into Edna Everidge, Superstar and then Dame Edna. His other creation is the appalling Sir Les Patterson, the worst diplomat you are ever likely to meet. He represents a boozy, uncouth, sexist Australian male and is based on an actual person. I could tell you some Aussie jokes that are illustrations of this stereotype, but I'll desist before I start. There is some truth in every stereotype. Even American ones.
 

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