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Awards, and "Top n" lists are bullshit by definition. There isn't a "better model". Almost every award in the world is nonsense, from the Nobel Prize (at least
by nir 17y ago
Awards, and "Top n" lists are bullshit by definition. There isn't a "better model". Almost every award in the world is nonsense, from the Nobel Prize (at least Peace & Literature, possibly Economics?) to the Oscars.
An award that is voted by a small group of people is susceptible to internal politics. If it's large group, the nominees that cater to the lowest common denominator win. And then there are the ones compiled by a few journalists with a deadline and a PR-influenced perception. Sometimes awards are well deserved, but it's almost random. Simply don't let awards annoy you or impress you.
- neilc 17y agoI think you're overstating the case: I wouldn't call the Turing Award or the Fields Medal nonsense, for example. The "test of time" awards for enduring research are also pretty valid, I think (e.g. http://www.sigmod.org/sigmodinfo/awards/#time http://www.sigmod.org/sigmodinfo/awards/#time ) Just because an award might be subject to politics doesn't mean it can't nevertheless be a meaningful recognition of high-calibre work. Obviously, awards aren't the only or the most reliable way to identify good work, but many awards can't fairly be dismissed as "nonsense", either. (But in the case of the Crunchies, I think they are widely understood to be a meaningless PR stunt.)
- nir 17y agoFair point - awards like Turing or SIGMOD are different, where both the nominees and voters are high level experts in their fields. What I wrote applies to mainstream awards & lists.
- zitterbewegung 17y agoI agree Erdos really should have won the fields medal. But I think that the accuracy rating of more prestigious awards are much higher than say the Crunchies.
- eru 17y agoAnd Gandhi should have gotten the Nobel peace price. He wasn't without flaws --- but he showed how non-violent protest can work.