The headline was one that would fill any would-be traveler with dread. Norwegian Cruise Ship Docks With 2 Dead Passengers In Boston. Featured on the landing page of the Huffington Post, it was sure to attract attention. It certainly caught my eye...So I clicked on the story, and was taken to a page featuring a terse Associatd Press report. At precisely the same instant, Huff Post tracking software determined that I was the sort of person who was interested in vacations aboard cruise ships, with a preference for Norwegian Cruise Line. And so, adjacent to the story, it thoughtfully provided me with a box ad featuring a video link to the Norwegian Cruise Line home page. Lovely scenes of happy vacationers frolicking. Not on their way to Boston, I guess.
Perhaps this was some sort of Halloween prank. I doubt it. More likely its yet more evidence that algorithms still aren't quite as perceptive as real people.
