Is the Inet's zeitgeist in the mind of the beholder?

[Don Kuenz]

Accurately discerning the one true zeitgeist (OTZ) can prove
profitable. For example, an accurate zeitgeist on the day before the
US election can predict the winner with a high degree of confidence.
One can then use such precognition to place an appropriate wager on the
eventual winner beforehand.

Discerning the OTZ is easier said then done. Cognitive biases (ie
confirmation bias) prevent people from arriving at the OTZ. One premise
of _ZEITGEIST, INC._ by Carl Frederick is that a Neural AI Processing
Module can overcome cognitive biases and discern the OTZ by mining the
Inet. (An amusing story point occurs when the AI admits its own
ignorance of the the word zeitgeist because most of the digital masses
do not know what zeitgeist means.)

Overcoming biases, while a great step forward, still leaves lots of
unresolved issues when mining the Inet for zeitgeist. "On the Internet,
nobody knows you're a dog." Simply separating truth from fiction is
a fairly big job. Along with separating humans from chatter bots. ...

_Card Trick_ by Walter Bupp introduces the notion of upping the stakes
to enhance credibility. Rewarding truth so that people lie (even to
themselves) less. This again is easier said then done. Admiral
Poindexter lost his job after proposing a terrorism betting plan to try
to enhance credibility of Inet mining.

So it seems that all of the Inet mining in the world still produces
nada. An Inet zeitgeist only in the mind (mine?) of the beholder.

--
Don Kuenz