forget google, why not try a true computational knowledge engine!
http://www.wolframalpha.com
When a free web service called WolframAlpha launches in the coming days, the general public will get to try a "computational knowledge engine" that has had technology insiders buzzing because of its oracle-like ability to spit out answers and make calculations.
Which has a bigger gross domestic product, Spain or Canada? What was New York City's population in 1900? When did the sun rise in Los Angeles on Nov. 15, 1973? How far is the moon right now? If I eat an apple and an orange, how much protein would I get?
WolframAlpha will tell you - without making you comb through links as a search engine would. It also will graphically illustrate answers when merited. So if you query "GDP Spain Canada" you'd see a chart indicating that Spain's economy was smaller than Canada's most of the time since 1970 and recently pulled ahead.
That's pretty clever.
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posted by Francesca Granato
on 14 May 2009
useful questions
This sounds too good to be true. But if it is true, wolframalpha.com will be hugely useful for me. So many burning questions ... How many weight watchers points in a Pretzel? When will I fall in love? Where can I download the new season of Lost? Who made that digital shadow box thingy that Matt told me about?