Wolfram|Alpha

**rb336** · September-03-09, 10:06 AM

this thing is addictive. a "computational knowledge engine"

www.wolframalpha.com

ccbatson · September-03-09, 03:55 PM

Numerology, astrology, now wolfram.

**rb336** · September-04-09, 09:04 AM

more to it than that, bats. much more

**vetalalumni** · September-04-09, 04:20 PM

Though interesting, I'm too lazy to read through the entire site. Can you briefly summarize the value of it? Also, who funds this effort and owns the data?

**Jimaz** · September-04-09, 05:24 PM

rb336, thanks for the link.

When I first read the thread title I recognized the name Wolfram but I assumed that on DetroitYES it would have to be something other than Stephen Wolfram, perhaps an obscure Detroit street name.

I bought his book, A New Kind of Science when it first came out. It's enormous! I see it's available online now: A New Kind of Science. It might require a [[free) registration to view though.

His Demonstrations Project is worth considering too.

**Jimaz** · September-04-09, 05:38 PM

who funds this effort and owns the data?

I'm not certain but I think Wolfram's pretty much financially independent. It's his bag. He's a thoroughly interesting character.

**Jimaz** · September-04-09, 06:26 PM

Can you briefly summarize the value of it?

It seems similar to a search engine except it's not limited to information that already exists on the internet. It calculates new information related to your query on the spot.

I wonder if it's possible for normal search engine spiders to then index the new information?

This could be big. Really big.

**vetalalumni** · September-04-09, 07:42 PM

Oooohhhhh. Wow, how fuzzy of me

. I shall definitely check more into this.

**Jimaz** · September-04-09, 07:52 PM

It seems to know of quaternions but it didn't know what to do with [[a+bi+cj+dk)[[e+fi+gj+hk).

You can enter your phone number and it will show you where you live on a U.S. map that is curiously missing a Michigan.

ccbatson · September-05-09, 12:11 AM

SUre there is more to it than that Rb...so said the numerologist, astrologer, and Ouija board believers.

**rb336** · September-08-09, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by ccbatson

SUre there is more to it than that Rb...so said the numerologist, astrologer, and Ouija board believers.

You do realize that this is developed by the guy who developed Mathematica? Who also did significant work with cellular automata and on complexity theory?

do you realize just how intellectually tiny your comments make you seem? Like you have absolutely no means of grasping new information that doesn't fall into your extremely limited frame of reference?

This is a new system, it has bugs to work out. If you can't [[or won't, simply because it was brought up by me, which seems to be the case) see its potential, then it is your loss

ccbatson · September-08-09, 08:50 PM

A bright guy with a touch of insanity [[paranoia in particular) and major delusions.

**rb336** · September-09-09, 06:46 AM

hmmm...sounds familiar, except the bright guy part...

**vetalalumni** · October-17-09, 07:53 PM

"Dave" is opening up. The anticipated API [[a restful web service) has finally been published. My two biggest concerns so far are reliability and security. Wolfram Alpha is just a bit over-hyped [[by Wolfram). And 2.2 cents with the appid on the query string?

ccbatson · October-17-09, 08:53 PM

When it sounds too good to be true....it usually is.

**vetalalumni** · November-11-09, 03:50 PM

Bing will integrate Wolfram|Alpha computational data. And Google is promoting Go open source programming --> http://golang.org/

Microsoft is rolling out some enhancements to its Bing search engine, including some that rely on computational information delivered by Wolfram Alpha. Wolfram Alpha has developed a technology platform designed to offer "computable knowledge" to applications. Through the relationship with Bing, that means that people will be able to search for some complicated information, and the search engine will be able to compute the answers.

In a blog post, Tracey Yao, program manager, and Pedro Silva, product manager at Microsoft, give some examples. On perhaps the more complex end, users can type in complicated math equations or even ask Bing to display a graph plotting an equation and get results. More practical applications perhaps for a wider audience include answers to questions like which fruit, an orange or a kiwi, has more vitamins. Searching for a food item on Bing will return a nutrition facts label, much like the one attached to most food products, that summarizes the information.

The deal with Wolfram Alpha will also power a new body-mass-index tool in Bing. If a user searches for "BMI," a box will ask the user to enter height and weight. Clicking "calculate" will deliver a BMI analysis. In a video interview posted on a Microsoft blog, Stephen Wolfram, the scientist who developed Wolfram Alpha, commented on the relationship. "What we're seeing with Microsoft and Bing now is a first step toward taking computational knowledge and deploying it in an application, in this case a search engine," he said.
People can also visit the Wolfram Alpha Web page to search for computational information.

Microsoft has also developed additional improvements, although they sound relatively incremental. For instance, Bing will deliver additional information about cities that people search for when booking travel. Microsoft has launched a Web site to explain in great detail all of the new enhancements. The updates are being rolled out on Wednesday but may not reach all users immediately, Microsoft said.

Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service --> http://www.pcworld.com/businesscente...a_results.html

ccbatson · November-11-09, 05:38 PM

Really? A BMI calculator? Cutting edge that...what? All that amounts to is s simple division formula that a second grader can do? But...gee whiz, it is built in and automatic...all you have to do is plug in the variables and, bingo, there is the answer...huh? a second grader does it faster and more accurately? Spoil sport.

**Jimaz** · November-12-09, 06:41 PM

Thanks for the videos, vetalalumni. That's pretty exciting stuff.

The bit about having a computer "invent" an algorithm is interesting. I believe it's been toyed with before. No doubt Douglas Hofstadter would have something to say about it.

I was once tasked with creating two- and three- point extrapolation functions and jokingly considered using the two-point function to extrapolate the three-point function from itself. Such a silly idea.

ccbatson · November-12-09, 08:27 PM

Yawn...tell us when it can play tic tac toe.

**vetalalumni** · November-12-09, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Thanks for the videos, vetalalumni. That's pretty exciting stuff.

The bit about having a computer "invent" an algorithm is interesting. I believe it's been toyed with before. No doubt Douglas Hofstadter would have something to say about it.

I was once tasked with creating two- and three- point extrapolation functions and jokingly considered using the two-point function to extrapolate the three-point function from itself. Such a silly idea.

Do loops[[./?) - lol.

What do you code in?

Too bad Hofstadter does not contribute much to the rags [[Scientific American etc...) anymore. When shiny Wired first came out he was a fun read.

**Jimaz** · November-13-09, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by vetalalumni

What do you code in?.

Most recently in C but over the years in anything from assembly language to Ada. Even a little microcode in school. That was fun.

Hofstadter's a genius [[needless to say). He wrote about a particular feedback loop where you point a video camera at its own monitor then twist it. I tried it once and found all kinds of weird emergent behavior in the image -- not just the infinite tunnel of mirrors I'd expect. It starts with an out-of-focus image then, randomly, light areas get lighter and dark areas get darker until it finds a squirming, psychedelic, geometric image that the system just "dreamed up" on its own. It kind of looked like a close up of a squirming fingerprint. I think that was in either GEB or Metamagical Themas.

**Gannon** · November-13-09, 02:48 PM

Yep, now I want to do THAT with High Definition...

**Jimaz** · November-13-09, 07:07 PM

This video comes pretty close to what I saw except they've done some editing: Maya Loop // Video Feedback Experiment // U L T I M A Y A. Other examples here.

By moving the camera around you can influence the design in real time but it's difficult to know in advance exactly how your movements will affect the image.

**vetalalumni** · November-13-09, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Most recently in C but over the years in anything from assembly language to Ada. Even a little microcode in school. That was fun.

Hofstadter's a genius [[needless to say). He wrote about a particular feedback loop where you point a video camera at its own monitor then twist it. I tried it once and found all kinds of weird emergent behavior in the image -- not just the infinite tunnel of mirrors I'd expect. It starts with an out-of-focus image then, randomly, light areas get lighter and dark areas get darker until it finds a squirming, psychedelic, geometric image that the system just "dreamed up" on its own. It kind of looked like a close up of a squirming fingerprint. I think that was in either GEB or Metamagical Themas.

A lot of the "fun" technology stuff occurs or at least begins in the realms of academia and hobby. You must have done development in the pre-IDE days. I recall being so impressed when MicroFocus came out with the colorful COBOL IDE. Compuware rushed in with tools as well.

Patriarchal Hofstadter and those of his ilk are increasingly considered stodgy and less favored today. On the other hand, discovery and ideas never really go out of fashion.

Update - "stodgy and less favored " was an overstatement on my part. "Classic and fundamental oriented" is a better phrase.