Wolfram - Wow...

[NoName]

I just watched this demo (http://www.wolframalpha.com/screencast/introducingwolframalpha.html) and was amazed. It's sort of long but it just keeps getting more and more incredible as the video goes on.

So, has others heard of Wolfram before? I tend to be a bit slow with discovering these things...

Haha, awesome :D (http://www63.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=www.colonyofgamers.com)

[Stoke]

Wow that is extremely cool. Stuff like this and the increasing multifunctionality of cellphones make me excited for the future. Imagine having all the worlds knowledge in your hand wherever you are. I also wonder how long it will be before Google acquires them or sets their developers to making on of their own.

[Hawkzombie]

...I really hope I'm not the only one that thought of Wolfram & Hart.

[NoName]

I also wonder how long it will be before Google acquires them or sets their developers to making on of their own.

Haha, this was my thought. Unless Microsoft makes a bid first so Google can't acquire them... :)

[digitalErich]

I also wonder how long it will be before Google acquires them or sets their developers to making on of their own.
I'm not sure either of those are likely. One, Wolfram himself has quite the ego from what I understand and isn't too interested in money. I'm pretty sure there have been several offers to buy Mathematica over the years.

As for Google playing catch up to this, sure they would be able to catch up (and likely can already do) some of the weather, geo-IP integration, and wiki-type things, but for the hard math, they don't have years and years of development of Mathematica and what it can do available to them.

[Shadowstorm]

Yeah. Really, really cool site. I haven't really seen any mainstream attention to this yet. I hope it becomes as popular as Wikipedia.

I wonder how much computational power is required to run this on a daily basis.

[Dark Acre Jack]

What is the meaning of life? (http://www39.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=What+is+the+meaning+of+life%3F)

It also appears that guys have been right about love (http://www39.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=love&a=*C.love-_*Word-) all along.

[Ox]

I thought this was a thread about tungsten. Carry on.

[hunterx280]

...I really hope I'm not the only one that thought of Wolfram & Hart.

I did too, sadly...

[digitalErich]

I wonder how much computational power is required to run this on a daily basis.
A lot of it looks like calls to various 3rd party DBs, but for the hard math, the stuff that is likely running on a Mathematica package of some sort, I'm sure there are some decent servers behind it.

Then again, Mathematica runs on almost anything and it's not like anyone is using this engine and inputting huge data sets to crunch, so it probably doesn't take as much hardware as one might think. Graphing calculators can do complex integrals.

It seems to me this product isn't really about what it can do computationally, it's more about centralization, intelligent parsing of user input, and useful, predictive, and comprehensive outputs. The nuts and bolts for everything shown has been available in other places for years. This is just about unifying it with a really good user experience. It's an impressive product.

[NoName]

What is the meaning of life? (http://www39.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=What+is+the+meaning+of+life%3F)

Haha, nice, this system does know everything...

[DangerousDaze]

Google's bog standard calculator (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&hs=Yv&num=50&q=what+is+the+answer+to+life%2C+the+universe+and+e verything%3F&btnG=Search&meta=) can work that one out though. ;)

[Scull]

Wow that is extremely cool. Stuff like this and the increasing multifunctionality of cellphones make me excited for the future. Imagine having all the worlds knowledge in your hand wherever you are. I also wonder how long it will be before Google acquires them or sets their developers to making on of their own.

What do you mean? Google is already well on their way.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/12/what-is-google-squared-it-is-how-google-will-crush-wolfram-alpha-exclusive-video/

[Lint of Death]

I just watched this demo (http://www.wolframalpha.com/screencast/introducingwolframalpha.html) and was amazed. It's sort of long but it just keeps getting more and more incredible as the video goes on.

OK, when it showed that part where he types in "water 2.5 atm 200C"? I think I fell in love.

[Wraith]

http://www63.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=froot+loops

http://www63.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=waffles

http://www63.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=twix

[GrenMag]

http://www63.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=waffles
1

Let me know when it can deal with "prove ( waffle ) > ( pancake )" and then we'll talk.

[Sandman]

I did too, sadly...

Thank god there are others...I swear if no one had mentioned Wolf Ram & Hart by now I would have questioned this community.