People also bought ...

[Richard]

I've just placed a very mundane order with Amazon - some pens, some batteries and a cookery book. On checking out I was told that people who previously ordered the same things also bought a bottle of vodka, some long spoons and a toilet brush.

I never know what I'm supposed to do with this information. Are they suggesting that I should consider buying a bottle of vodka, some long spoons and a toilet brush too?

I'm now curious to know how the algorithm came up with this list. Does pens + batteries + cookery book always result in vodka + spoons + toilet brush? And if you order vodka, spoons and a toilet brush, does Amazon try to sell you pens, batteries and a cookbook?

-R

 

[Piano]

After you've Read the cookery book, you write down the menu on a piece of paper to use so that you don't get the cookery book dirty in the kitchen, using the pens you also bought. The recipe didn't go quite to plan so you started drinking the vodka and were sick in the sink so had to clean up using the spoons but halfway through you were sick again and had to use the toilet because the sink was full, hence the need for the toilet brush - they've got it all worked out. I'll leave the batteries to your imagination.

 

[Richard]

I think I may buy just the vodka and the toilet brush to mess with their heads ...

"Why didn't he buy the spoons? What's wrong with the long spoons?"

-R