Wolfram Alpha vs. Google — Results Vary 255
wjousts writes "Technology Review has an article comparing various search results from Wolfram Alpha and Google. Results vary. For example, searching 'Microsoft Apple' in Alpha returns data comparing both companies stock prices, whereas Google top results are news stories mentioning both companies. However, when searching for '10 pounds kilograms,' Alpha rather unhelpfully assumes you want to multiply 10 pounds by 1 kilogram, whereas Google directs you to sites for metric conversions. Change the query to '10 pounds in kilograms' and both give you the result you'd expect (i.e. 4.536 kg)."
Wolfram stuff? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:this just in (Score:5, Funny)
Google be damned, Library index cards suit all my needs!
Also, get off my lawn. Damn kids. And if you ball lands in my yard again, you're not getting it back.
What about something really useful (Score:4, Funny)
Re:this just in (Score:5, Funny)
"I RTFA and, even when searching for answers, Google moped the floor with Wolfram Alpha."
Sure, Google mopeds. But Alpha scooters.
Re:Well, of course (Score:5, Funny)
Each system is a tool.
So is the average user.
A comment from Stephen Wolfram (Score:5, Funny)
(due up tomorrow [today.com])
Some might say that Mathematica, the source of my fortune, and A New Kind Of Science: A Brief History Of My Stupendous Intellect were ambitious projects. But in recent years I've been hard at work on a still more ambitious project: Wolfram Alpha.
Fifty years ago, people assumed that computers would quickly be able to handle all kinds of question. It didnâ(TM)t work out that way. But a few years ago, I realized that I was finally in a position to do it myself. As I'd always expected I'd have to, of course.
I had the crucial ingredients: Mathematica and A New Kind Of Science. And my truly massive intellect. With these, I had a language to compute anything and a paradigm for complexity from simple rules. And my spectacular brain, which is much more spectacular than anyone else's, as proven by me being rich as well as smart. Which is smarter: to be a professor, or to have all the professors pay you tribute? I think my net worth makes the answer clear.
But what about all the actual knowledge that we as humans have accumulated? I realized we needed to make all data computable as knowledge. Of course, natural language is incredibly difficult for computers. So we added the secret ingredient: my jaw-droppingly spectacular brain, undoubtedly the largest on Earth.
I'm happy to say that with a mixture of clever algorithms and heuristics, linguistic discovery and curation, and some casual Nobel-worthy theoretical breakthroughs in my spare moments, we've made it work. Itâ(TM)s going to be a website with one simple input field that gives direct access to my superlative brain, in its planet-sized glory.
Our pre-launch testers have been at work as well, and I'm dealing with all manner of queries in spare thought cycles while I jetset around the world, wowing the pitiful minds of gorgeous international supermodels before impregnating them with my superior genetic material. Let's just have a look at the query stream: "tits" "goatse" "mary whitehouse naked" "4chan" "tubgirl" "2girls1cup" "ITS OVER 9000 LOL" "desu desu desu desu"
ERROR ERROR ERROR ####(^^(856*##&##
NO CARRIER
Re:Wolfram stuff? (Score:4, Funny)
The real question is when Wolfram Alpha will go beta.
Re:this just in (Score:5, Funny)
Well, I wouldn't switch away from Google no matter what.
Really? No matter what? What if Google announced that they killed a kitten for every search done on Google? Would you still use it? What if every Google search came with a free virus and key logger? Would you still use it?
Saying "no matter what" is always silly, no matter what.
Re:Conversions (Score:5, Funny)
Wow, is it really that wrong?
Damn British Units (Score:5, Funny)
I recommend not saying this aloud for it sounds very silly.
Re:this just in (Score:5, Funny)
What if someone points a gun at you and tells you to say "no matter what" or he will shoot you? :-)
Re:10 pounds kilograms (Score:5, Funny)
I was talking to a guy who asked me, in translation, "Brothers, sisters, one, two, three?" It took me a while to figure out he wanted to know how many siblings I had.
Surely the possible semantic meanings for those set of words is fairly limited?! Either he was asking you how many siblings you had, or he was attempting to start a jazz band, spontaneously.
Re:this just in (Score:1, Funny)
Google mopped the floor with Wolfram Alpha
Yeah, well duh! Wolfram is in alpha, but Google is in beta.
Re:Wat. Wolfram Alpha is not even a search engine. (Score:5, Funny)
You need to stick to factual, well-defined questions; such as, "what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
Re:this just in (Score:5, Funny)
What if someone points a gun at you and tells you to say "no matter what" or he will shoot you? :-)
Such an idiot will probably shoot you no matter what.
Killed a Kitten? Sounds like Maps (anime) (Score:3, Funny)
What if Google announced that they killed a kitten for every search done on Google?
The Maps anime had a super-weapon called the "Sacrifice Cannon." It was a BF-blaster/raygun powered by the sheer cruelty and evil of destroying a pile of Pikachu-like creatures in a big blender. Yes, really, not making this up, that's exactly what it was, a big-ass raygun hooked up to a blender full of quasi-Pokemon.
How about Google Maps (anime)? I'd support Google implementing a holographic babe who is actually the ship's computer for a starship shaped like a huge-ass metallic winged babe. Then again, maybe we could have the "Will It Blend" guy in a black eyepatch as some sort of James Bond villain?
Re:This might surprise people (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Finding the magic word (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Blogger Learn English (Score:3, Funny)
I suppose it's approximately one person in twelve? Shouldn't be significantly different from Libras, Leos or Geminis.
Nah. It is all in the attitude.
The funny part is my mind was fixating on locations, so I read your sentence as "Shouldn't be significantly different in Liberia, Laos or Germany." I was thinking "WTF is he talking about?" :-)
Re:this just in (Score:1, Funny)
Re:this just in (Score:3, Funny)
'expertsexchange' (WFT? 'expert sex change'??)
You think that's bad, try this one [geckoandfly.com].