Google’s Morbid Algorithm

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“Google confirmed widespread rumors last night that it will soon launch an invitation-only beta-testing program for its controversial Android phone App, Word Count. According to a press release posted on the Google Lab Team blog, the App will make use of the Lab Team’s recently designed algorithms and a controversial piece of software known as Estimated Time of Death (ETD) to predict how many words a user has left to communicate before the user perishes and dies.”

Forget social networking and privacy fines. Sean Patrick Cooper breaks the real news over at Vol. 1 Brooklyn. Will you be invited?

Julie Greicius is the senior literary editor and a regular contributor for The Rumpus. She works as writer and editor by day and a licensed (really) hula hoop instructor by night. She's co-editor of Rumpus Women, Vol I, and has an MFA from Columbia University and a PhD in traffic school. She lives in California with her husband and two children. Follow her on Twitter. More from this author →