How The Heck Is This Accomplished?

[bpat1434]

Hey guys. A friend referred me to a site [ www.peteranswers.com (http://www.peteranswers.com) ] which is kinda weird. The directions are on the site, but the answers that it gives are really really accurate. Like down to the type of necklace someone is wearing.

So if anyone can explain how this is done, I'd love to know. I know it uses an ASPX page, but not sure the code behind it. Just looking at how this is accomplished. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

~Brett

[madwormer2]

I don't know what you asked it, but it wouldn't tell me a thing!

[bpat1434]

yeah, it takes a while. You kinda have to "believe" that it will give you the real answers.

[Bunkermaster]

yeah, it takes a while. You kinda have to "believe" that it will give you the real answers.
well there is your answer.

[EPJS]

Peter answers: Your question will not be answered.

What kind of dumb crap is this?

[Bunkermaster]

you need to believe. it's a religious program I think. :confused:

[bpat1434]

Sometimes it works, othertimes not so much. I'm still trying to figure it out...

[bradgrafelman]

Have you tried asking Peter how it works? *suppressed hysterical laughter*

[scross]

Well in Opera you can hardly enter the text because every time you press "Shift" a random character appears, and when you move left and right through text characters appear on the end. Anyway, it's annoying to use because you have to enter "Peter, please answer:" for every question. And it seems all it does is spit out random useless comments. You can make fairly decent chat bots in php if you have plenty of time, but this is not a good example.

[madwormer2]

Question: How do you work?
Peter answers: Someone is waiting for you outside.

Yeaahhh, don't waste your time lol.

[Hairypost.com]

Have you tried asking Peter how it works? *suppressed hysterical laughter*

LMAO nearly spat coffee over my screen woot...

[bpat1434]

I have asked him that, and he answers with a "Are you mocking me?" answer. But it is kinda freaky if you get it to work correctly. Like if you believe (get your spouse, brother or sister) to ask it questions. Say that it can tell anything about them and get them to ask some questions. It's eerily accurate.

Like the other day, my friend asked who was in the room, and it listed our names. We asked if it liked my shirt, and it came back with: "That's not a funny joke". My shirt read: "I'm not a doctor... but I'll take a look"

We asked what it thought of S (my girlfriend), and it said: "That's a pretty yellow shirt", and she was wearing a yellow shirt. It's freaky when it works. And it looks like a typical script when it doesn't.

So the question is, how can it tell?

[Weedpacket]

Um, observational bias? Like when it works it's "hey, freaky, how does it know?" and when doesn't and delivers a copout it's "let's try again". The question is: by how much do the "hey, freaky" answers outnumber the "let's try again" answers?

Peter answers: We'll leave this question for later.

What's between my legs right now?
Peter answers: That's not important.
[That's a copout (and untrue): a freaky answer would be "two ballpoint pens", because I'm short of desk space at the moment.]

What colour shirt am I wearing?
Peter answers: Redo your question; put some thought on it. Otherwise, I'll not answer.

Do your replies depend on the wording of my petition?
Peter answers: We'll leave this question for later.
[See, now it's starting to repeat itself. It's sounding more like OMM all the time.]

[Shrike]

What colour shirt am I wearing?

Peter answers: [lease amnswer

Hey even computers make typo's.

What is your name?

Peter answers: That's not important.

I have to agree on that one.

[bpat1434]

That's what I keep saying. But my girlfriend is freaked out by it. She wants to know how it knew so much stuff about her and what we just did.

For example. We threw a baby shower on Saturday, and my friend (J) told me about the site. We tried on my computers at home, but they didn't work. So we went upstairs to their apartment. First answer out of the bag was:
"How come you left Bret's apartment?"

So we ask how come it didn't spell my name right and it answered with:
"Because I'm a bad peller"

So we ask what P is doing right now. it answered with:
"Playing with a nerdy rubiks cube" (correct)

So we ask what he thought of my shirt, and it answered with:
"It's not a funny joke"

It kept going like this for a while. Every answer was a real answer, valid and correct. It's just weird. I guess you kind of have to keep the questions observational and opinionated in a way.

I can't get it to work. But that's because I don't "believe" in it. I know it's a script and AI of some sort (reading your answers and basing responses upon previous answers). I just don't know. She's scared that they're using a web-cam hooked to the computer that isn't active to "see" into the room and "spy" on the users to get information about them. But that's just not possible, unless what they're spreading is a virus of some sort.

[scross]

I seriously doubt the computer is spying on you through a webcam because it wouldn't be able to understand the images and if a human was behind it they would have to spend all their time just answering your stupid questions :)

[ahundiak]

Actually, all computers (in the United States) sold since 2002 have been required (by Homeland Security) to be equipped with web cams, microphones and infrared sensors. Information from these sensors is being constantly transmitted to a secret location in India where approx 170 million workers monitor and log the data stream.

Peter is just the first commercial application making use of this capability. Sort of like GPS.

[bpat1434]

be equipped with web cams, microphones and infrared sensors
That's just not true. If it were, then every computer would have each one of those. And custom builders would be put out of business. And if it is true, then how does my 2007 HP laptop not have a web-cam built in.... It's not true; however, I could see how the US government would do something like this....

I seriously doubt the computer is spying on you through a webcam because it wouldn't be able to understand the images and if a human was behind it they would have to spend all their time just answering your stupid questions
That's my thing. I know it can't, well feasibly can't, be done. So i know it's a script. But what are the odds that it can get every name of each person (including animals) in the room with you? It's just "freaky" if you get it to work. But the catch is you have to believe the app works. So it's like a catch 22 of debunking....

[Joepa]

ahundiak was laying the sarcasm on pretty thick there, I think I speak for everyone by saying that I am in shock that you would try to refute such a sarcastic remark. That is hilarious....

That's just not true. If it were, then every computer would have each one of those. And custom builders would be put out of business. And if it is true, then how does my 2007 HP laptop not have a web-cam built in.... It's not true; however, I could see how the US government would do something like this....

by the way, the stupid thing works the same way that a psychic does. It spits out random answers in hope that someone with a low IQ is on the other end and will find a way to relate the jibberish to his/her life, and then get on some forum and write about how "freaky" it is so that all the other low IQ idiots will begin to worship some stupid site.

[ahundiak]

Who said I was being sarcastic? Do you really think you could tell if a tiny camera has been added to your system? Ever seen the movie 1984? Best place to hide a camera would be right behind your screen.

[bpat1434]

Ever read the book 1984?

[Joepa]

Yes, I have read the book 1984...I assure you that it is entirely FICTION...that means NOT TRUE...and nothing like that is occuring in our society, and it certainly does not explain why "Peter" gives you "freaky" answers. There is an extensive list of other movies that are fictional also...the movie "Spiderman" for instance is completely made up...there is not actually a man that has spider-like abilities like that...before I found that out I was certain that I had been saved from bad guys by a human-spider a couple of years ago...turns out it was my imagination. It seems as though you are going through the same dillema with the whole "ask peter" thing.

[Weedpacket]

.I assure you that it is entirely FICTION...that means NOT TRUE...and nothing like that is occuring in our societyOf course he would say that.

[bpat1434]

Ah crap... should have googled it.... gonna lock thsi before a flame war starts :P