What is EvoNews?
EvoNews is a genetic news aggregate.
With a pool of over 1000 feeds (currently) EvoNews attempts to create the ultimate news homepage for you using a genetic algorithm.
How does it work?
When you first register on the website an initial population of 100 individuals is created. Each individual contains nine (9) randomly selected feeds from the pool to create its feed string (read DNA string).
You are then shown each individual one by one. Each individual will show three (3) articles of each feed in its feed string. You are then given the option to like or dislike any of those articles. Or should you so choose you can remain indifferent!
When you like or dislike a feed, it will affect the fitness of that individual by 1 or -1 respectively.
If there is another individual in your current population that also has that feed in its feed string then its fitness is also affected. Why?
The GA has this behavior because the website's intent is to find you your ultimate homepage as fast as possible. After all individuals have been evaluated, the next generation is made using tournament selection of size seven (7). So, as crossover will keep returning individuals with a better fitness, time spent evaluating the population will decrease over time.