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So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

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So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby stonecypher » Sun 03 May 2009, 19:51:03

Wow, a search engine that responds to ordinary language instead of search terms?

"Wolfram Alpha will not only give a straight answer to questions such as "how high is Mount Everest?", but it will also produce a neat page of related information – all properly sourced – such as geographical location and nearby towns, and other mountains, complete with graphs and charts.

The real innovation, however, is in its ability to work things out "on the fly", according to its British inventor, Dr Stephen Wolfram. If you ask it to compare the height of Mount Everest to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, it will tell you. Or ask what the weather was like in London on the day John F Kennedy was assassinated, it will cross-check and provide the answer. Ask it about D sharp major, it will play the scale. Type in "10 flips for four heads" and it will guess that you need to know the probability of coin-tossing. If you want to know when the next solar eclipse over Chicago is, or the exact current location of the International Space Station, it can work it out."

Take THAT, Google... :-D
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby MD » Sun 03 May 2009, 20:01:54

Here it comes!!!

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('HAL--2001:A Space Odyssey', ' ')Look, Dave you've probably got a lot to do. I suggest you leave it to me.
Stop filling dumpsters, as much as you possibly can, and everything will get better.

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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Schmuto » Sun 03 May 2009, 21:09:30

You'll know they really have it nailed when it can correctly answer the following questions:

Was 911 an inside job (yes)
Has Peak Oil already occurred (probably)
Will peak oil lead to mass starvation (yes)
Are humans stupid and weak (yes, but go watch TV and relax, I'm working on improving your situation right now. Sleeeeeep. Sleeeeeeeeeep.)
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Aaron » Sun 03 May 2009, 21:35:29

May 09
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
The problem is, of course, that not only is economics bankrupt, but it has always been nothing more than politics in disguise... economics is a form of brain damage.

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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby ForlornHope » Mon 04 May 2009, 07:53:54

Sounds like 'Dr. Know' from the movie 'Artificial Intelligence'... interesting.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Sixstrings » Mon 04 May 2009, 10:48:48

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '&')quot;Wolfram Alpha will not only give a straight answer to questions such as "how high is Mount Everest?"


I'm not impressed. In fact, everything the article mentions Wolf can do that Google can't, google can in fact do very well. Sloppy journalism here.. some scientist says his product is better than Google's, and people just take his word for it.

So, type in Google "how high is Mount Everest?" and in nanosecond you get a list of options: in miles, above sea level, at the base camp, in feet, and in KM.

If you don't want to be hassled with options, just hit enter and the answer is at the top of the search results: Elevation: 8,848 metres (29,029 FT) Ranked 1st.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'b')ut it will also produce a neat page of related information – all properly sourced – such as geographical location and nearby towns, and other mountains, complete with graphs and charts.


Um.. a Google search already does this. So tell me again how Wolf is better than Google?

Another thing I don't like is that Wolf will be relying on proprietary data only, managed by a small army of "scientists." No good. That's taking us back to the bad old days of encyclopedias, with all their bias and un-timeliness.

People who moan about bias on Wikipedia and the Internet in general aren't recognizing the fact that academics have agendas and biases as well.

Lastly, Google can handle any question under the sun. Ask WolfRam who 50 cent is, and he'll give you a history lesson on currency conversions. :roll:
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby jasonraymondson » Mon 04 May 2009, 11:02:34

Didn't know this answer

How many toes does a monkey have?

or

How many rounds per minute can a Smith & Wesson Model 66 .357 Magnum fire
Last edited by jasonraymondson on Mon 04 May 2009, 11:06:18, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Sixstrings » Mon 04 May 2009, 11:05:59

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', 'D')idn't know this answer How many toes does a monkey have?


You must be talking about WolfRam. This is the top link from a Google searrch:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ith the exception of spider monkeys, all of the primates have retained the ancient mammalian trait of pentadactylism , which is having five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot. An increasing refinement of the hands and feet for grasping objects has been a hallmark of primate evolution. Their fingers and toes are mobile and have very sensitive tactile pads at the tips, unlike most other mammals. At least some digits on all primates also have flat nails in place of rigid claws. This makes the manipulation of bits of food and other objects much easier.

The grasping, or prehensile , ability of primate hands varies significantly also with the degree of opposability of the thumb. Partially rotating the thumb and pressing it forcefully towards the fingers provides a secure grip for hanging on branches and for manipulating small objects. All primates, with the exception of humans, have prehensile feet in addition to hands. However, few have the high degree of thumb opposability and strength typical of humans.

The small New World monkeys called marmosets and tamarins usually hang onto a tree branch by pressing against it with their palms and using all of their bent fingers together as counter pressure in a hook-like power grip. The more dexterous monkeys and apes can also use a secure power grip formed by the partial flexion of the fingers and the palm with counter force applied by the thumb. Humans and some apes also can employ precision grips formed by pinching with the tips of their flexed forefingers and the thumb. This allows their hands to be used effectively for manipulating even tiny objects.


http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_1.htm
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby jasonraymondson » Mon 04 May 2009, 11:08:50

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '
')You must be talking about WolfRam. This is the top link from a Google searrch:

http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_1.htm


no, the point is that google doesn't know the answer, google links to pages that contain search terms. WOLFRAMHART can actually determine the answer, it learns.

Google is just a bloody indexer.

wolfram is skynet and it is self aware.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Sixstrings » Mon 04 May 2009, 11:15:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '
')You must be talking about WolfRam. This is the top link from a Google searrch:

http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_1.htm


no, the point is that google doesn't know the answer, google links to pages that contain search terms. WOLFRAMHART can actually determine the answer, it learns.

Google is just a bloody indexer.

wolfram is skynet and it is self aware.


Yes, Google does know the answer. Type in the question and click on the top link.. how hard is that?

Yes, Google is an indexer.. and that's why it works so well. Google harnesses the information of who knows how many tens of millions of people.

A proprietary database maintained by "scientists" numbering in the mere hundreds can never match the power of millions.

And what's this about self-aware? There's no evidence of that.. you cannot have a conversation with WolfRam, Jay.

EDIT: Oh, and Google's algorithm is much more advanced than just displaying the page with the most search terms.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Sixstrings » Mon 04 May 2009, 11:27:21

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'I') have heard enough and so I will go out on the line and say that Wolfman is just another investment scam for more AI nonsence

And I have to agree with the Sixstring: who are these Illuminati charged with deciding what I learn? Who gets to write the code?


Amen, pstarr.

The accusation that a Google search will yield false answers to such basic questions as the height of Mt. Everest is just plain preposterous. The pushers of WolfRam are literally saying "here, you can trust us that Wolf will tell you the real height of that mountain." I mean come on, as if bogus mountain heights on the internet are really a huge problem.

Any reasonably intelligent layman can quickly sort through a page of search results for the best answer. And in fact, it's far more helpful to see the full range of opinion on subjects than to just see WolfRam's output of what these database administrators CHOSE to include in the database.
Last edited by Sixstrings on Mon 04 May 2009, 11:32:22, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Jotapay » Mon 04 May 2009, 11:56:16

As one of the hats I wear is "web applications developer", I find people's choice of technology interesting. The developers on this site decided to use JSP and Apache. JSP would not be my first choice, but it works.

I'd like to test out this site and see what responses it gives.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby spotacus » Mon 04 May 2009, 12:50:56

MD's right. I won't be impressed until an AI wipes out all human life on earth.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby jasonraymondson » Tue 12 May 2009, 21:39:40

Wolfram Alpha is going live this Friday night according to their blogs.

Please list the questions you wish to ask.

mine are:

1) Are there any media outlets not controlled by jews?
2) On what day did we reach the mid-point of hydrocarbon depletion?
3) What happens if you stab a monkey with a pair of garden shears?
4) Does being a doomer make you a better lover?
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby SchroedingersCat » Tue 12 May 2009, 22:18:57

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'I') have heard enough and so I will go out on the line and say that Wolfman is just another investment scam for more AI nonsence

And I have to agree with the Sixstring: who are these Illuminati charged with deciding what I learn? Who gets to write the code?


Amen, pstarr.

The accusation that a Google search will yield false answers to such basic questions as the height of Mt. Everest is just plain preposterous. The pushers of WolfRam are literally saying "here, you can trust us that Wolf will tell you the real height of that mountain." I mean come on, as if bogus mountain heights on the internet are really a huge problem.

Any reasonably intelligent layman can quickly sort through a page of search results for the best answer. And in fact, it's far more helpful to see the full range of opinion on subjects than to just see WolfRam's output of what these database administrators CHOSE to include in the database.


Wolfram is a force to be reckoned with. Quite brilliant, if you've read his work or used Mathematica. WolframAlpha will be more than a database. If you ask the distance from the Earth to the Moon it will calculated it for right now. This should be an example of state of the art AI. Or it might fizzle. We'll see.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby jasonraymondson » Wed 13 May 2009, 20:40:40

WATCH THIS VIDEO

THIS THING REALLY LOOKS AWESOME!!!!

http://www.wolframalpha.com/screencast/ ... alpha.html

if this thing is even half as awesome as this video makes it look... I would pay for it.

I don't know about it being a google killer, but the more of this video I watch, the more I think wiki is being made obsolete.
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby Sixstrings » Wed 13 May 2009, 23:09:07

Again, this is cracking me up. Google is mostly matching Wolfram point for point..

As in, "what is the GDP in France / Italy." Google gives you the same darn answer Wolfram does..

A couple things seem to be unique to Wolf though, such as asking it the weather in Springfield on a certain date. Wolfram knows you're in the US, so assumes you mean the Missouri Springfield.

Also, Wolfram seems to have Google beat as far as punching in equations into the search bar. But maybe not, I may not be using the right terminology for the built-in Google calculator.

So yes, Wolf is an advancement is some areas.. but I remain annoyed that so many of the "whiz-bang" feature examples can be duplicated with the exact same query punched into Google.

The developers would serve themselves better if they focused on what Wolf can do that Google cannot. It just strikes me as almost plagiarism for the developers to suggest that WOLF is the first search engine that can answer questions like "what is the GDP in France?". It's just simply not true, Google answers almost all of these questions just as well (in many cases better, as in much more info).
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Re: So, Techies, Tell Me More About Wolfram Alpha

Unread postby jasonraymondson » Wed 13 May 2009, 23:28:36

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', 'A')gain, this is cracking me up. Google is mostly matching Wolfram point for point..

As in, "what is the GDP in France / Italy." Google gives you the same darn answer Wolfram does..

A couple things seem to be unique to Wolf though, such as asking it the weather in Springfield on a certain date. Wolfram knows you're in the US, so assumes you mean the Missouri Springfield.

Also, Wolfram seems to have Google beat as far as punching in equations into the search bar. But maybe not, I may not be using the right terminology for the built-in Google calculator.

So yes, Wolf is an advancement is some areas.. but I remain annoyed that so many of the "whiz-bang" feature examples can be duplicated with the exact same query punched into Google.

The developers would serve themselves better if they focused on what Wolf can do that Google cannot. It just strikes me as almost plagiarism for the developers to suggest that WOLF is the first search engine that can answer questions like "what is the GDP in France?". It's just simply not true, Google answers almost all of these questions just as well (in many cases better, as in much more info).



Are you high? seriously, I don't want to be rude... but you have no idea what you are talking about. All google does is provide you links, and none of them relevant.

Googles information is out of date, normally giving you results 3 years old or worse.

I also type in those responses. Links to pages that did not answer the question. Do you work for google? I mean seriously, what the hell are you thinking?

There is no comparing google to this. There just isn't

wow
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