Who’s next?

The rich worlds created in the TV series "Game of Thrones" (GoT) inspired a computer science class at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany: As part of their class project the students developed applications that scour the web for data on the Game of Thrones and crunch the numbers. They then put together a website that reports which characters are most likely to die in the upcoming sixth season of the TV series. Just ahead of the kickoff for Season 6 of the television series "Games of Thrones," computer science students at the Technical University of Munich have implemented a project that answers questions preoccupying fans of the series: Has Jon Snow survived Season 5? Who is going to die next? The students used an array of machine learning algorithms to answer these questions. The algorithm, which accurately predicted 74 percent of character deaths in the show and books, has many surprises in store, placing a number of characters thought to be relatively safe in grave danger. Based on these predictions there is a good chance that the villainous Ramsey Snow (64 percent likelihood of death) will outlive his runaway captive and mortal enemy Theon Greyjoy (74 percent likelihood of death). The algorithm also gives a very clear answer on the fate of Jon Snow, who was betrayed by his friends in the Season 5 finale. Machine learning and the Twitter seismometer.