Wolfram Alpha is Coming -- and It Could be as Important as Google | Twine
http://www.twine.com/item/122mz8lz9-4c/wolfram-alpha-is-coming-and-it-could-be-as-important-as-google

"It's not a "Google killer" -- it does something different. It's an "answer engine" rather than a search engine."

via Nova Spivack: It doesn't simply return documents that (might) contain the answers, like Google does, and it isn't just a giant database of knowledge, like the Wikipedia. It doesn't simply parse natural language and then use that to retrieve documents, like Powerset, for example. Instead, Wolfram Alpha actually computes the answers to a wide range of questions -- like questions that have factual answers such as "What is the location of Timbuktu?" or "How many protons are in a hydrogen atom?," "What was the average rainfall in Boston last year?," "What is the 307th digit of Pi?," or "what would 80/20 vision look like?"

Wolfram Research introduces a search engine

Where Google is a system for FINDING things that we as a civilization collectively publish, Wolfram Alpha is for ANSWERING questions about what we as a civilization collectively know. It’s the next step in the distribution of knowledge and intelligence around the world — a new leap in the intelligence of our collective “Global Brain.” And like any big next-step, Wolfram Alpha works in a new way — it computes answers instead of just looking them up. Wolfram Alpha, at its heart is quite different from a brute force statistical search engine like Google. And it is not going to replace Google — it is not a general search engine: You would probably not use Wolfram Alpha to shop for a new car, find blog posts about a topic, or to choose a resort for your honeymoon. It is not a system that will understand the nuances of what you consider to be the perfect romantic getaway, for example — there is still no substitute for manual human-guided search for that. Where it appears to excel is when

And now, in 2009, a new kind of browser search engine called Wolfram|Alpha is about to appear. The other day I talked to Stephen on the phone for about two hours, and he demonstrated some of Wolfram|Alpha’s powers via a web-conferencing hook-up. In the following, I’ll be paraphrasing his words, based on my notes, my memory, and an audio recording of our conversation.

Stephen Wolfram

Wolfram|Alpha can pop out an answer to pretty much any kind of factual question that you might pose to a scientist, economist, banker, or other kind of expert. The exciting part is that you’re not just looking up pages on the web, you’re getting new information that’s generated by computations working from the known data. Wolfram says the response can be so speedy because, “We’ve found that, of all the things science can compute, most take a second or less.”

"... Wolfram|Alpha can pop out an answer to pretty much any kind of factual question that you might pose to a scientist, economist, banker, or other kind of expert. The exciting part is that you’re not just looking up pages on the web, you’re getting new information that’s generated by computations working from the known data. Wolfram says the response can be so speedy because, “We’ve found that, of all the things science can compute, most take a second or less.” ..." [Accessed Tuesday, 14th April, 2009]

Another query with a very sophisticated result was "uncle's uncle's brother's son." Now if you type that into Google, the result will be a useless list of sites that don't even answer this specific question, but Alpha actually returns an interactive genealogic tree with additional information, including data about the 'blood relationship fraction,' for example (3.125% in this case).

The hype around Wolfram|Alpha, the next "Google killer" from the makers of Mathematica, has been building over the last few weeks. Today, we were lucky enough to attend a one-hour web demo with Stephen Wolfram, and from what we've seen, it definitely looks like it can live up to the hype - though, because it is so different from traditional search engines, it will definitely not be a "Google killer."

More impressions on Wolfram Alpha question answering engine

Wolfram Alpha,

Super search engine to be launched 18 May 2009

Stephen Wolfram è quello che ha inventato Mathematica. Adesso lancia una specie di "Google della conoscenza", una riga in cui puoi accedere alla conoscenza e inserirla in calcoli. Sono le cose che mi rendono orgoglioso della specie umana.

Wolfram Alpha Easter Eggs

Stephen Wolfram and his team didn’t lack a sense of humor when they built their Mathematica-based engine. Slowly but surely, people have been finding some interesting quirks within Wolfram Alpha, triggered by specific questions or events. These interesting easter eggs will make you smile or raise an eyebrow in bewilderment.

The home page is nearly blank. At the center, just below a colorful logo, you'll find an empty data field. Type in a phrase, hit Return, and knowledge

Consider a question like “How many Nobel Prize winners were born under a full moon?” Google would find the answer only if someone had previously gone through the whole list, matched the birthplace of each laureate with a table of lunar phases, and posted the results. Wolfram says his engine would have no problem doing this on the fly. “Alpha makes it easy for the typical person to answer anything quantitatively,” he asserts. Wolfram needs some prodding before he talks about the business model. “Plan A is to get this out,” he says. “Maybe it will be a giant piece of philanthropy.” On the other hand, he adds, “we’re happy to license this.” He thinks Alpha would be welcome inside applications, on mobile devices, and in a generalized search engine. Wolfram has already shown Alpha to former intern Brin and thinks that it could make sense to have the engine running behind the scenes in Google searches. Another possible source of revenue: licensing data­bases.

one of the most popular bookmarks... new search engine

More information about Wolfram Alpha the search engine. Video of the launch presentation included.

Last weekend, we attended a web demo of Wolfram Alpha, a new

Screenshot und Video zu Wolfram Alpha.

Articolo in inglese della BBC, paragone con Google

Researchers claim that a new web tool - Wolfram Alpha - could be as important as Google.

This free program aims to answer questions directly, rather than display web pages in response to a query like a search engine. Like interacting with an expert, it will understand what you're talking about, do the computation, and then present you with the results. This technique has long been the holy grail of computer scientists who aim to allow people to interact with computers in an instinctive way.

A look at Wolfram Alpha.

WolframAlpha launches 15 May. natural language

A web tool that "could be as important as Google", according to some experts, has been shown off to the public.

<blockquote>A web tool that "could be as important as Google", according to some experts, has been shown off to the public. Wolfram Alpha is the brainchild of British-born physicist Stephen Wolfram. The free program aims to answer questions directly, rather than display web pages in response to a query like a search engine. The "computational knowledge engine", as the technology is known, will be available to the public from the middle of May this year. </blockquote>

A fantastic piece that gets to the heart of the problem with WA: its UI provides only unreliable affordances. To make the best use of its great computational engine and data visualisation parts you essentially have to learn the idiosyncrasies of an incredibly complex and unpredictable front-end.

"Like most hubristic UIs, Wolfram Alpha is operating with a completely fictitious user narrative."

Give it a try.

Search Google and Wolfram Alpha at the same time!

Best question is the last one: Are you self-aware?

giggling even more about RT @mashable 10 Even Better Wolfram Alpha Easter Eggs http://bit.ly/qqvA4 (via @tweetmeme) [from http://twitter.com/sbmalley/statuses/1835507735]

Das Schöne an der Suchmaschine sind jedoch einige Antworten, die man sich als Besonderheit hat einfallen lassen. Sogenannte Easter Eggs gibt es bei Wolfram Alpha massenweise. Siehe auch: http://mashable.com/2009/05/17/wolfram-easter-eggs/

This insight is the jumping-off point of Dr. Wolfram's glossy 1,263-page book, ''A New Kind of Science,'' published a month ago by Dr. Wolfram himself to the accompaniment of articles comparing Dr. Wolfram to Isaac Newton.

A New Kind of Science

simples rules and algorithms define nature, not complex ones

ベタにjapanで検索してみたり・・・

This script and opinion is interesting.

スティーブン・ウルフラム

Wolfram|Alpha is a free online computational knowledge engine that generates answers to questions in real time

Browse our video gallery to learn more about how you can utilize Wolfram|Alpha in the classroom.

Wolfram|Alpha is a free online computational knowledge engine that generates answers to questions in real time by doing computations on its own vast internal knowledge base. Our long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. This can be valuable to educators in many ways.

contains lesson plans using wolfram alpha

"Wolfram|Alpha is a free online computational knowledge engine that generates answers to questions in real time by doing computations on its own vast internal knowledge base. Our long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. This can be valuable to educators in many ways. "

A British physicist has revealed his plan to launch a new internet search engine so powerful that one expert has suggested it "could be as important as Google". London-born scientist Stephen Wolfram says that his company, Wolfram Research, is preparing to unveil the system in two months' time. Known as Wolfram Alpha, the site is an attempt to address some of the deficiencies of current web search by understanding people's questions and answering them directly. According to its creator, the system understands questions that users input and then calculates the answers based on its extensive mathematical and scientific engine.

SHARED USING: http://www.tagle.it

cool new search engine

A semantic search (Web 3.0) tool being pioneered in Britain. Good background information on personalities in this industry.

A British physicist has revealed his plan to launch a new internet search engine so powerful that one expert has suggested it