Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/index.html

As many of you are no doubt aware, a challenger to the might of Google is being launched this week. Spurred on by the idea that search engines are quite basic in how they "find" information, This new engine supposedly is able to answer direct and complex questions.

If, for example, you were to type in "What is the average rainfall in London?" It will actually give you the answer to that specific question and not merely throw up websites which may or may not have the answer.


It'll be interesting to see just how far this technology can be pushed but from news reports I watched today, You can supposedly ask complex mathematical formulae based questions and it'll work out the answers.

If that's the case then it may well be the tool that many students throughout the world are looking for...or would that just be a calculator...

Will you be using it?

Or rather here's something to get some discussion going

What will be your 1st question?

If you say "What's the meaning of life?" and get a valid answer...do let the rest of us know.

Actually it'll be interesting if we all ask that and see if we get different answers...

I am looking forward to it, wonder if it goes down by people flooding it the first day.

It sounds interesting anyways, I don't know if I'd need it day to day ever and Wolfram got a face I wanna punch, but Nova Spivack had his panties in a bunch for the last few months about it, so maybe it'll be the next coming of christ.

Btw, it's not a challenger for Google, really. They do very different things. Though, I read google is working on something similar which would compete with WA, obviously.

Doesn't sounds like there would be any competition with Google. If I'm looking for a site I would still want to use Google. If anything it might end up competing with various encyclopedias.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I'll just sit here while that question overloads the server and a black hole forms somewhere in Switzerland.

Originally posted by Ace of Knaves
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I'll just sit here while that question overloads the server and a black hole forms somewhere in Switzerland.

The chicken, Bardock42 and me solved this question a few years ago, so the planet and possibly the solar system are safe.

Originally posted by Ace of Knaves
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I'll just sit here while that question overloads the server and a black hole forms somewhere in Switzerland.

Chicken. Check any dictionary.

Alright, Wolfram Alpha is alright. Like I thought there's little I'd need it for, at least at the moment. But it is kinda fun. It should get better at understanding semantic input though, and it just seems to find a very limited set of things, so far.

Just been using it now, pretty smart bit of kit I have to say.

I put in "where is the moon"

Got
"altitude | -14deg 50' (below horizon)
azimuth | 263deg 40' (WSW)
constellation | Capricornus"

And clicked "sky map" for more info and got loads of information, excellent.

Hahaha...I put in "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

I got

"A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood"

Keeps having the computation time out. Guess we don't have to worry about computer conquest any time soon.

I typed in "How much does a mountain weigh?" and got...
"Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input."

I asked Google the same question, and it directed me to answerbag.com with some semblance of an answer.

W|A has a ways to go.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Chicken. Check any dictionary.

And if a tree falls in the woods?

Originally posted by Ace of Knaves
And if a tree falls in the woods?

There's probably a Jew nearby ready to make a profit.

tried it last night. not bad, not bad at all...

Originally posted by Mindship
I typed in "How much does a mountain weigh?" and got...
"Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input."

I asked Google the same question, and it directed me to answerbag.com with some semblance of an answer.

W|A has a ways to go.

If you ask a daft question your gonna get a unproductive answer.

Spokesman for this site said it is to be used as a tool with google, and won't even come close to replacing it. It is a compliment to google.

Sounds like assignments will be easier to compile with this puppy. naughty

Originally posted by dadudemon
Spokesman for this site said it is to be used as a tool with google, and won't even come close to replacing it. It is a compliment to google.

Sounds like assignments will be easier to compile with this puppy. naughty

And in reply, Google turns around with a big "**** you, Wolfram" and Google Squared, I hear.

Originally posted by Bardock42
And in reply, Google turns around with a big "**** you, Wolfram" and Google Squared, I hear.

Squared?


Google didn't like them?


Edit-

Note: Site works like utter shit in IE 6. (What I am forced to use here, at work.)

Originally posted by dadudemon
Squared?


Google didn't like them?

Nah, Google Squared is the next step in their total domination of the internet.

Originally posted by dadudemon
Squared?


Google didn't like them?


Edit-

Note: Site works like utter shit in IE 6. (What I am forced to use here, at work.) They force you to use IE6? Lol.


And Google Squared is a new app by google, which apparently structures google searches in a spreadsheet like way, which, can do similar things to Wolfram then, not the same, it sounds cool though.

Originally posted by dadudemon
Spokesman for this site said it is to be used as a tool with google, and won't even come close to replacing it. It is a compliment to google.

Sounds like assignments will be easier to compile with this puppy. naughty

The Spokesman doesn't want the mighty crushing boot of the establishment bearing down on him though.

Guys, guys, Google is our friend.

Yeah. Makes more sense now.

I ain't keepin' up with all of these fancy new web apps you youngsters get. *smacks needlessly and then wets lips with tongue*

And, yes, it is essential because many internal apps were/are developed on that version.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Guys, guys, Google is our friend.

That's what you said as Bernie Madoff!

edit

i have a question. how do i embed youtube vids on my post? all i can get is the Html code. which doesn't seem to work.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
That's what you said as Bernie Madoff! I've bever been Bernie Madoff as far as I know.

everything after the equals sign

no spaces

Originally posted by Shad0w_Frost
i have a question. how do i embed youtube vids on my post? all i can get is the Html code. which doesn't seem to work.

You have to use youtube tags. without final space.

And only put the code at the end of te youtube video within the tags.

Or what that stupid guy above me said.

Originally posted by Bardock42
You have to use youtube tags. without final space.

And only put the code at the end of te youtube video within the tags.

Or what that stupid guy above me said.

I'm a confused noob lol, may i have an example of what to put between i'm just getting a blank space where the vid should be.

Here is a random vid to use. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBfnQXWvatw

please help ty

Originally posted by Bardock42
I've bever been Bernie Madoff as far as I know.

Y-yeah, as far as you know!

sly

You need to put the "ZBfnQXWvatw" between the tags. That's the code for that particular video.

ZBfnQXWvatw for example.

Originally posted by Shad0w_Frost
ZBfnQXWvatw

like this.

ZBfnQXWvatw

ok thanks guys i get it now.

Originally posted by Shad0w_Frost
I'm a confused noob lol, may i have an example of what to put between i'm just getting a blank space where the vid should be.

Here is a random vid to use. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBfnQXWvatw

please help ty

Everything after the = on any video.

I typed in:

''What is the biggest grossest bug that ever crawled on someone and they didn't notice and it crawled off again''.

And it didn't know what to do with my input

People need to read the FAQ . . .

Yeah true. I really hoped to find an asnwer to that.

I'll have to keep it till I meet God. He will know of a bug that crawled on someone who hasn't noticed it...

I typed in "Google" and got, "Wolfram|Alpha has temporarily exceeded its current maximum test load."

Originally posted by lil bitchiness


And it didn't know what to do with my input

But you know what to do with my input.

Originally posted by Mindship
I typed in "Google" and got, "Wolfram|Alpha has temporarily exceeded its current maximum test load."

I got a disgusting amount of information.

Originally posted by jaden101
The Spokesman doesn't want the mighty crushing boot of the establishment bearing down on him though.

That crushing heel is dulled when the person asking the question is prepared to go an extra step or two. Let's face it, anyone who plugged their take-home quiz questions into goggle hoping for the first and best answer is likely a half-assed idiot, anyway.

Originally posted by Ace of Knaves
That crushing heel is dulled when the person asking the question is prepared to go an extra step or two. Let's face it, anyone who plugged their take-home quiz questions into goggle hoping for the first and best answer is likely a half-assed idiot, anyway.

mmmhm. yes

Originally posted by Ace of Knaves
That crushing heel is dulled when the person asking the question is prepared to go an extra step or two. Let's face it, anyone who plugged their take-home quiz questions into goggle hoping for the first and best answer is likely a half-assed idiot, anyway.

I . . . I'm sure that's not true.

Question posed: what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow

Wolferam answer: there is unfortunately insufficient data to estimate the velocity of an African swallow (even if you specified which of the 47 species of swallow found in Africa you meant)
(asked of a general swallow (but not answered) in Monty Python's Holy Grail.)

http://www.forumammo.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10062/6k70opf.gif

Originally posted by Robtard
Question posed: what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow

Wolferam answer: there is unfortunately insufficient data to estimate the velocity of an African swallow (even if you specified which of the 47 species of swallow found in Africa you meant)
(asked of a general swallow (but not answered) in Monty Python's Holy Grail.)

That's impressive.

Naturally "meaning of life" produces 42.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
That's impressive.

Naturally "meaning of life" produces 42.

WolframAlpha has officially become a vital part of the 'innernets.'

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Naturally "meaning of life" produces 42. I'm still working on favorite color.