Thoughtful article, but is "the software tries to predict how I'll feel about movies based on my past ratings" this strictly true? Might it not be a broader predictor of what you might like in a changing landscape?

And most seriously, it is not about you, it is really about netflix. That is to say, it may not totally please your every whim, but if it improves netflix predictions over all of its users, it is a big win for them.