Recap

Web Bot Predictions

George Ure and his colleague Cliff discussed their web bot technology which has been used to forecast indicators for future events such as the anthrax attack in Washington. Their method captures changes in language patterns within Internet discussions. This aggregated data is then processed with software to determine various keywords, which they interpret in a predictive fashion.

Since they are keying in on negative emotions in the word changes from their database, the events they foresee tend to be dire. Below are some of the predictions they made, which they admitted can "err on the side of the extreme."

• Flooding will continue in individual areas and could blur into a "global flooding situation." Up to seven million people could be displaced by flooding and wind damage, possibly due to a severe hurricane around the fall equinox (Sept. 23, 2007).
• During the first three months of 2008, a pandemic involving the bird flu and another illness will resurface.
• In Fall 2007, fungus will cause a range of problems, from crops to human health.
• Economic strain is underway and the dollar is going to be hit hard.
• A set of three quakes within days of each other could occur in California, sometime between Sept – Dec. 2007, one of which will disrupt a prominent wedding.
• A global coastal event is a strong probability within the next five years. The melting of the Greenland glacier will cause sea levels to dramatically rise, flooding coastal areas.

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