Comments Off
In the last three months, I’ve discussed Wolfram|Alpha one-on-one with well over 300 people from all over the world and all walks of life. Wolfram|Alpha is a service unlike any other, and people’s reactions reflect this. When simple analogy is not possible, the discussions take on a whole different tone than that of a typical product introduction.
Here are some of the reactions floating around the web. They reflect the diversity of conversations I’ve had in my one-on-ones. What’s your take?
“While search engines like Google, by and large, find things that already exist on the Internet—Web sites, photos, videos, blogs—Wolfram|Alpha answers questions, often by doing complex, and new computations.” —From The New York Times Bits blog
“Wolfram|Alpha comes in and gives searchers something they have been missing. You can search for very specific things in the realm of science, math, geography, demographics, and so on and get not just the answer, but detailed information from real sources. There is really nothing like this out there at this scale.” —From Search Engine Roundtable
“While many of the demo queries may feel like ways Wolfram|Alpha is being put through its paces, rather than reflecting real life queries, I’m pretty confident we will see some amazing uses of its calculating abilities. As Twitter cofounder Biz Stone recently called Twitter ‘the messaging service we didn’t know we needed until we had it.’ Similarly, Wolfram|Alpha may become the search service we didn’t know we needed—and in particular, the search service we may use in ways completely unexpected from what anyone is envisioning.” —From Search Engine Land
“…[Wolfram|]Alpha excels at not just retrieving the stored data but performing various appropriate numeric calculations on the data, and displaying the results in beautiful graphs and easily comprehended tables for the user.” —From Semantic Universe
“[Wolfram|]Alpha, however, will probably be a worthy challenger for Wikipedia and many textbooks and reference works. Instead of looking up basic encyclopedic information there, users can just go to [Wolfram|]Alpha instead, where they will get a direct answer to their question, as well as a nicely presented set of graphs and other info.” —From ReadWriteWeb
“The next query shows off how the engine can be used for health issues. A search for LDL 180 (a measure of your ‘bad’ cholesterol) displays a graph depicting how that figure stands relative to the general population. Wolfram[|Alpha] then shows how the engine can perform the same task for a different age range.” —From TechCrunch
“Luckily the demo video embedded here walks through a lot of the possibilities this search engine offers, and those possibilities are mind-blowing, especially for a data lover.” —From Lifehacker
Comparing it to “Twitter” was about as low a blow as someone could have given you, but in general I am very excited to start using this application. Thanks!
I myself love the thought even though Twitter doesn’t agree with me. It doesn’t of course mean they should be in the same league.
First off, I have been a big fan of Mathematica and its creator Dr. Wolfram for quite some time. So naturally when I heard about Wolfram Alpha I was quite surprised (I imagine it was quite a feat to keep it so hush hush for so long!) and excited by its potential and certainly it feels a bit like something from the future, AKA Web 3.0.
While there appears at the present moment in the Media/Blogosphere to be rampant speculation over how it will match up with Google to me that is almost missing the point as Wolfram Alpha represents a new paradigm altogether. With a new paradigm, like a Singularity, it is probably a bit hard to predict exactly how it will reshape the Internet. The important point is that however it unfolds it will be a game changer!
Serious Kudos to everyone on the Wolfram Team!
This is very seriously work for culturally..We would need it.
I think it is one of the most interesting products have emerged: I started with Arpanet, did artificial intelligence, expert systems, but this is the closest since the syntactic simplicity of the network, intelligent searches. I’m still in the early stages, I hope to learn more property comment
>
Hey, why don’t you run this query in Wolfram Alpha?
“users sneak peek date”
I am sure the answer will be “NOOOW!!!!!!!”
🙂
I think that Wolfram|Alpha is forging ahead where many other endeavors have failed. I am very excited about this revolutionary product!
I’m really looking forward to trying this, it sounds amazing.
Byrant, I totally agree that comparing it to Twitter is no compliment!
I am impressed, you guys haven’t even launched and you are at an Alexa page rank of under 45,000.
Should be a great service, it will be interesting to see how you monetize it.
I cannot wait to try this out. Now that I’ve been invited to the blog, how can I actually get to try test the beta? I am so sick of the tired out google, this sounds absolutely amazing!
I really hope it offers some real competition to Google. No only is Google lacking in so many respects, it has gotten so arrogant
When will I be able to try it out?
Launch, launch!!!
I know Mathematica from way back. This is a quantum leap in computing on the web and it brings us even closer to the true potential of computing. This is a masterful piece of software. Kudos.
We are anxious to see this product and service on line. From what we can see it will add immensely to the web experience and will be a much needed resource.
If you missed Woodstock and Memphis, don’t miss this launch this time.
Google dissapoints me many times.
It oftentimes offers a highly ranked link that dates back many years.
Search relevancy should be reflected to some extent by recency.
It would be useful to know if the response to my search was dated when I decided to click on to a particular link offered. I could always look back historically if more recent links did not provide me with the information that I was looking for.
I hope that you move forward.
One of the reasons I’m excited about Wolfram Alpha is that it is “real”, practical AI… so much of AI research seems to under-deliver, so it’s so refreshing to see a something that is really thriving.
please hurry up and launch, i have so many uses for you!
shut up and deliver! We are all fed up with the accolades we just wanna experience WOLFRAM-ALFA!
I predict, that if Wolfram|Alpha’s server and network infrastructure can keep-pace, it will rival Google & Wikipedia’s web traffic.
Hearing about Wolfram was an event that I have waited so long for. It is the next logical thing in the digital world. I look forward to the launch date.
Thank you and good luck.
Such a major evolutionary step for the Web… Fascinating, compelling and so exciting! Where will THIS take us?! 🙂
You are launching sooonnnn… Why not puting a Video on what the tools really does. Those long text reports and news sounds interesting, but I don´t see the value in generating additional expectaction without giving new pieces of Information. YES!1 We Got It W/A is different…is better…so show it!…Easy!!
I’m still waiting…
Please let me know when you need me.
G G
When, when, when? The more I think about it, the more applications come to mind, and I am sure vastly more remain to be discovered. I have the feeling Wolfram|Alpha will be as or more significant than the internet itself. It will be a marvelous research tool.
That is a wonderful production !! , and best all the world!! Please let me try it magic right now!!
Woo!! That is amazing!! So Cool!! That is a best searching engine whole the world , Let me try it !!
Dr. Wolfram
Your program will be able to predict future events as measurements from the
Temple in Israel to the important citys surrounding it.Israel being the exact center of the world.
Please have your team examine this important featuren
Curtis
If everything I have heard is true, this could truly revolutionize the way we search for information on the web. I look forward to the launch and commend everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen. Cheers!
Can’t wait to see how this compares against Google which has been my (and many others I’m sure) default search engine. It’s about time something comes along to challenge it!
LAUNCH!!
ready for the display.
hoping this is revelutionary of the life!
thanks to Dr Wolfram
I’m so excited, I’m already over Alpha – I WANT WolframBeta NOW!! :0)
JJ
I am glad to see this coming along, it is time google had some competition. I will for sure be using it over google. If you need testers I am available.
I am wondering if it will tackle other issues, or just internet for now.
How about Health-Care?
Anyone interested in joining me in starting a new network!
The future is in “Health-Care”
I would be most interested to find out if there are more in depth answers and suggestions to the health and diagnosis of any particular queries that people may have, Google and other search engines provide many answers but get only variopus imput from past information and difficult to receive “up to date technology”Please give some insight as to the programme you are sugesting?
Thomas Ashbarry
Yes, there is great depth in health and medicine. For instance, you can compute through many useful health studies to find where you stand relative to a particular study of a condition or health stat.
sounds interesting. i am based in france, where health care has recently been quite an issue with the ex-pat community.
how would you see a network functioning?
look forward to your comments and ideas
my website is only a ‘sandbox’ for a drupal 6 installation -see drupal.org
Nice of you to keep sending me email after email, without actually allowing me to see Wolfram|Alpha. What a pain in the ass.
The Wolfram/Alpha demos are on YouTube Mr. Paine try a Google Search. Hope this helps !!!
This is what Alpha testing is all about. Only a select few people are invited to test the software program. Alpha testing’s goal is to have a few people provide feedback about bugs and recommendations to improve the software. Once Alpha testing is complete then Beta testing is next, in which many more people are invited to help test. 🙂
I would like to look for some e-Learning applications of WolframAlpha, any thoughts about it pls?
This is called marketing 🙂
I can’t wait either to get a proper email saying: “Wolfram Alpha goes live today!”
PS: So please stop tickling us, with these bloody “self stroking” emails 😉
Yeah wots with all the secrecy just let us try this thing out otherwise all the hype begins sounding like biased marketing
Uhuh – this is also causing me a fair amount of irritation.
I’m similarly frustrated that despite my interest and the upcoming launch I am still unable to see Wolfram|Alpha in action
I agree with Mark Paine.
I’m sick of the spate of self-congratulatory emails and newsletters spewing out every two or three days. Stop with the prepositioning and puffing. I already “get” how fricking brilliant all this is, etc.
Stop with the skirt lifting and get on to intercourse with your audience of potential users.
For a grown man to show himself and his technology off during an extended tease is ridiculous.
No matter how smart Wolfram is, he’s behaving like Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone.
If he’s that enamored with tease, just sell the damn algorithm to Apple. Steve does the extended tease better than anyone else in the tech world.
Enough already! Get on with it.
Hi Mark (and others),
Sorry for any inconvenience with the news updates. Please feel free to unsubscribe.
I just want to know, If i ask it for the ultimate answer to the ultimate of life, the universe, and everything…. what will it’s answer be? ~.^
In this case, don’t matter the answer of this machine. You’ll have to find this ultimate answer in your own Self. Which is also true for me either. Indeed, who am I?…
Stupid mistype – 42 is the ultimate answer.
Now we just have to see how long it takes Wolfram|Alpha to verify the answer…
If it’s as good as I think it is, it will tell you to get a life and quit wasting its time.
46, the answer will become more accurate when the mice get their act together and more data become available
Probably that it will answer your question when you learn to spell…
Maybe never?
42 – what else? Read Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
“I just want to know, If i ask it for the ultimate answer to the ultimate of life, the universe, and everything…. what will it’s answer be? ~.^”
42, obviously.
42.
The questions is: What was the question?
(and i suspect that this will be the answer offered by wolfram alpha…)
It may provide a different experience in terms of “search”, but would it provide a better experience in other areas too, for example, privacity? Or will it mine and store massive amounts of data about its users, like most search engines perform today?
Can it answer exact answer to questions like “what will be the exact effect of Global warming in next 25 years?
to the team
finally starts the search engine, no matter whether they are good or bad, because Google must finally learn to fear
Wolfram|Alpha is awesome. It will obviously be expanded to other fields, and will change the way we work.
Thanks,
Don
Is it a mythical creature that is part wolf, part ram, part alpha? Does it devour on google’s when its hungry? When it eats aol’s for breakfast does it do what most of us do and just regurgitate it back out of our system? Is yahoo its desert or salad! Probably why I don’t like desert or salad for that matter. Come see it in action at http://askwolframalpha.com and decide for yourself.
Watching the YouTube video of Stephen Wolfram demonstrating WolframAlpha, he mentions that it running slower than he is used to. If it is running slow with one user, wth will it do when it is turned up to six billion users?
http://www.youtube.com/ search for WolframAlpha
Working on some medical diagnostic projects at the moment and would be interested to explore the possibilities of Wolfram|Alpha.
Wolfram|Alpha works as we wish exactly not as the other search engines do. It thinks like us! It answers the questions whatever they are. It will work with high credibile data as high as it must be in a reliable manner.
We will all behined Wolfram|Alpha till to full sucesson all scales
I am so excited by the prospect of new algorithms that make unexpected connections and give new answers. Something tells me we will see some fun and useful info from Dr Wolfram’s eponimous machine. Turn it on and turn us on. Woo-hoo, let the fun begine.
As an autodidactic, queer PostGrad, one who also has dyslexia the main characteristic of which is holistic-thinking ability, I am wondering how this ‘device’ will assist me in preventative mental actions concerning self-organising regular floods of ideas usually out of processional sequence, and so being my own worst, and happenchance, enermy?
I want to operate a website that opens with these overlapping real-life interests, but programmes, not unnaturally, pose issues for this kind of mind: it doesn’t work to a ‘logical’ order?
Comments welcomed.
Looks like a great tool for the internet users across the globe, may be a good replacement for some of the most used search engines, that often reads queries wrongly and throws generic answers, my only concern is if the search is limited to few subjects like math,geography etc – it will not attract people from every walk of life, let’s wait and see when the tool arrives.
I just want to know, If i ask it for the ultimate answer to the ultimate of life, the universe, and everything…. what will it’s answer be?
I wonder how many of the people that have signed up for this newsletter / update are from Google’s employees……. Ready to grab the code and stamp the newbies into the ground… thats the usual sequence of events. If this lot have a good idea, they should ENCRYPT the site so that you do not get taken advantage of. … just a thought.
Nice of you to keep sending me email after email, without actually allowing me to see Wolfram|Alpha. What a pain in the ass.
I am wondering if it will tackle other issues, or just internet for now.
How about Health-Care?
On the one hand I am bit confused as to how the data can be validated. I presume that stats that are quoted as sourced from Wolfram/Alpha will eventually be accepted by the general populace but GIGO comes to mind.
On the other hand – I can’t wait to try it out and find out for myself stats to add weight to discussions etc. Will definitely add a new dimension to my internet searching.
It should be nice to have another search engine. But we will have to be the judge of such service when its out in the open
when we use anhother language version ? or its wil b eonly english
if that trrue google eat the wolfram
I’m getting bored with all this. Stop banging on about how good it is and let us try the wretched thing. I have a horrible feeling this is going to be the biggest damp squib since the Segway.
Wonderfull ! I hope i will see a nice surprise and a very good info competition 😉 !!!
It sounds incredible.
Oh,KW – as with an early computer and President (USA) asking it “is there a God” the computer eventually replied “there is now”
As patience is a virtue that is becoming more virtual than real, this SE sounds like it will meet a huge need.
@KW : the answer will be 42
@Wolfram team: great work, I can’t wait to see the new search engine at work
Good luck,
Daniel
Thank you very much to keep me informed by e-mail about making progess.
I am keen wait to use it. Particularly international researches about any international relation topics.
I don’t really want to read about how much fun other people have playing with this toy if I can’t play with it.
Your true ‘fans’ may want to follow every step of your pre-launch hype.
They are likely to check the blogs regularly anyway.
The rest of us just subscribed to be kept informed as soon as there is a version of WolframAlpha for us to play with. We don’t want the rest of the spam.
I’m not interest in this block. I want to see the search engine.
I think the name Wolfram|Alpha is not photogenic, I mean nameogenic or something. Although it rymes with the hype of wolverine or something.
Just a curiosity !!!.
Will it solve the World’s present economic recession ???
Oh… the magic mirror !! Answer my question?
All good and well, but what will this mean for ordinary searches ?
This are all very specific searches, but ordinary ranking and such are left behind? I see WA more as an large pool of specific data like a large encyclopedia.
I wonder when the buzz will stop and Wolfram Alpha will start to work…
Will it allow me to find a best car with my budget and project my forecasted operational costs in owning one? 🙂
I work in the field of attribution as it relates to hate groups, domestic terrorism, and foreign terrorist organizations. I live in the world of search engines, data mining, and the vast sea of data that the Internet has become. While all the reviews and the posts sound like this is something that myself and my organization could take great advantage of — I have not first hand knowledge. I am a principal investigator for for the activities of a non-governmental project team, which conducts research work related to attack attribution.
Our team is multi-disciplinary experts in many fields such as military affairs, intelligence, foreign affairs, national security, network operations, information warfare, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, mathematics, and semiotics. We currently are active in three major areas: (1) The legal monitoring of hate groups, domestic and international terrorist groups (2) The collection and storage of observables related to our monitoring and (3) Analysis using various correlation techniques to determine attribution consistent with causal relationships observed in the real world.
We would love to get our hands on the tool. But alas we are a volunteer organization, money is tight and the way it appears — even if we had lots of money — there is no access to the product.
If there is such a thing as an A list. Please put me/us on it. We are excited to give it a whirl.
Be Well,
Chet
What would be the answer if I ask it “How could you know what a woman is desiring especially as they speak something and mean something else?” … I am very much eager to try this out. This will it’s ultimate test. 🙂
can we see the demo , let general public try it out and give comments
If i ask you what is beyond the universe.
Then what will be the answer
Nice of you to keep sending me email after email, without actually allowing me to see Wolfram|Alpha. What a pain in the ass.
“KW: I just want to know, If i ask it for the ultimate answer to the ultimate of life, the universe, and everything…. what will it’s answer be? ~.^”
42 of course, I thought everyone knew that?
The right thing. No more search engines. THE answer’s engine. The dark side of the moon in the sunlight. Finally.
Since my studying of NKS I was wondering about a nice application of order borning from cellular automata. Now I understand that Wolfram|Alpha is able to reach the eigenvalues of knowledge if knowledge byself is thought as a giant multidimensional matrix.
So new combinations are rising from reckoning as we are told by Leibnitz “Calculemus”.
I would like to check that my thought about Wolfram|Alpha is right!
Thank you
🙂
Orleo
Some of this comments are pointing out mainly Alpha’s computational abilities. What about the logical and natural language abilities ? Will it be available in more languages ?
I have one comment… PUT UP OR SHUT UP.
This BS PR machine reminds me a lot of cuil and sasquatch and all those other phony experiements…
I think you’re not well served by talking.. rather then walking. Dump your advisors.. – it all started with the nova spivack douche article… you create hype and expectations which will come crushing down on you when you launch.. not very smart.. it broke cuil.com…. and those expectations yes its free publicity but they are impossible to fulfill…
Yes the emails… border spam… PUT UP or SHUT UP…. so stop those emails and open it up. If I’d have known that I am getting weekly emails with no real launch date.. I’d have never signed up. I expected one email its open.. and done.
This primadonna tour is bs,… as simple as that. Put up or shut up!!
I agree – why all the hype if it’s so good? Why don’t you just let people at it?
Agreed with MP, all the HYPE emails and no view. All everyone is talking about is the graphs, vowee, excite me. Where does the data come from, is it geared for a bunch of egg-heads? by the sounds of those who have ‘apparently’ seen it, that’s what it is. To Joe Doe it’ll mean nothing. He’ll be getting 5000 link2link2link sites that all others seem to specialise in.There I was thinking it was going to be a REAL search engine that filters out the quick-money-making-scamers.
it is simply great, hopeful and very encouraging.
We are seeing the significant proof of the infinite creativity of mankind.
It is getting a bit ridiculous. How many emails do you want to send before “actually” showing a glimpse of the search engine?
Dear Sir,
Your Search Engine I am sure will be University of its own in the space of 6×4 desk space in every body’s home!
Helping the creator to create=Hope for Peace International foundation
I too have not yet seen your product, though I admit to being able to fathom various uses for it. I would like to see something more than Hype, be it Company generated, or Comment driven. But like many products, whose abilities are shared with the general media, I hope this does not resolve to be some high-brow tool used by a few academics only with little or no access to the public. I have not even seen the ‘front end’ as it were, even in video form. Is it a case that all consumers are equal, but some, more equal than others?
Your product potentially has tremendous real time uses, from Engine Management, Cartography, symbiotic symmetry application, AI and others, yet so far, it’s developing for some of us, into to so much hype and nothing of substance.
From what I am reading in these comments, Wolfram will gather and sort through all sorts of scientific data and display it according the the query from the user. Will thatt be their main focus or will it also help people searching for, say images of Brittney Spears? In other words; will it compete with Google on those day to day searches or is it going to be a different thing?
Is not possible for me leave an objective opinion because i’ had not the possibility to try this engine if you kindly could send a link i ll check it out.
What the pther opinion let understand sound very interesting but touching with hand is different matter.
Best regards.
why do some people always seem to expect the ultimate, when 99% would be much more than they have ever been used to
I think Wolfram is not just like Wikipedia.It solves the problems we meet in life.Such as someone’s comuputer get a problem,other people see it and give their solutions.The work done by Wolfram is to choose the best one to this problem.So when another man meet the same problem he can get the best answer.Moreover,we can modify the answer when it needs.
Could you please moderate your emails,I personally, don’t want to read inane remarks.I’m willing to wait and see how it pans out,when it’s released,
Thank you
JR
To KW’s question ‘the ultimate answer’ – the answer would be “it’s in the the email”.
I cannot wait to be severely disappointed by this website. It’s being built up more than the Segway was.
Please remove me from your mailing list immediatley, thank you
Did all those sites/people really tested W|A engine?
I hope output graphs will be interactive. W|A could cooperate with Gapminder – also great stuff.
Yes, Wolfram Alpha sounds like a great search engine. I hope you get it launched soon because Google is not going to sit around and wait for you to get your act together. I’m sure their team is picking apart the pre-release information and assimilating those ideas into their search engine.
We really need advanced search engine features from Wolfram|Alpha in this fast growing cyberspace.
As a fundraiser, research into prospective donors historical giving can feel some times like alchamey. Providing I am specific enough in my requests, will Wolfram be able to assist with useful quantitative and qualitative results?
Guess this is getting more and more interesting and inspiring – this concept will definitely make a difference .. It will change not only the way people are net searching, but it will change the way they are thinking as well.
I am a business consultant in Deloitte Consulting LLP, just concern about how I can use the Wolfram|Alpha to help data analysis and statistics. I believe that new functions under innovative numeric calculation method will be used and tested in reality, and more potential of this powerful engine will be unleashed. Looking forward,,,,
Good luck
@KW It’s actually 49. Some thought it was 42 for a while but they forgot the 7 year itch.
Answer this, Wolfram: when will you stop sending out spam and actually launch this brilliant new search engine?
Well KW, the answer in the demo
for “the meaning of life”
was 42 !!!
If Wolfram|Alpha does succeed in changing the way that data is organised so that it answers people’s questions it will help humans advance in the long term. This will depend on the level of adoption.
In the short term it will fundimentally change on line marketing. Marketing professionals will have to think very hard about the quality of the data we put out there.
As someone who is primarily interested in Knowledge Management and it’s effect on project success, I will be interested in the launch and it’s practical implications.
Hope it launches SOON !!!
Comparing W|A and Twitter is like comparing a duck and a wardrobe
Even comparing Google and W|A seems rather pointless, as the former is a search engine and the latter is an answers engine – Google has been good but they’ve reached a point where they can’t develop the search facility any further and they’re now moving towards online services. I’m not sure how the W|A “general” knowledge is compiled (as opposed to the calculated data) but this is the next generation of online information providers.
I certainly would have been very proud to have been part of the development team – good work !
It just painful to wait now..I am waiting for it long time..I really thing Google need some competitor which push them to rethink there strategy..They should think they have not a paramount kingdom. Please release it for our use. So that we can use this and take note to publish it on our blog.
Thank you
You didn’t need to send me email after email, if you had actually allowed me to see Wolfram|Alpha
Eagerly waiting for the launch of this wonderful tool that is going to revolutionize the world of knowledge.
As Mark Paine said, it might be time to show us something real…
having read all the comments about wolfram i am really excited to get my hands on asap.
Alpha and Wikipedia could become the two canonical sources of knowledge in the early 21st century, one curated and one community sourced. To understand this fact we need interpretive social scientists who have access to the Wolfram enterprise and are able to gather data about the data gathering. We could also use some novelists or poets in place, though this does run the risk of Stephen becoming the Dr. Frankenstein model for the new century.
Congratulations to mr. Wolfram and his team.
Exseptionaly briliant aproach that will suredly advance civilization in many not yet realized aspects well into milenium.
DF
It would have been wiser to heavily advertise Wolframalpha only a few weeks before its launch rather that a few months.Now the expectation is so high and it has to live up to it otherwise it might damage the business side of things.But overall well done guys, you are attempting to solve a huge technical problems and the best all of us can do is be patient.
The answer will be “null”, to you it should mean DEATH. we will all die. OK OK. I personally think this inteligent search engine will cause indexing to search engines a think of the past. There will be no need for that since It will be working with live data. If it really works like that, then it can take seconds for a site to be popular depending and what users are searching for and even seconds to make a popular site become unpopular, depending on content changes ofcourse.
They are probably going to release it on the last day of the month…or even postpone the release because of some unsuspected error. 99% chance that it still won’t be out when I wake up tommorow…*grumble*
really good
i want to try it right now
still the question the domain is too long.
why not combine “wolfram”and “alpha:”
like “wolpha” it will be OK
http://WWW.WOLPAH.COM
easy to type into!
Could be interesting to have negative reactions – not only the good ones.
Just an idea for neutrality.
KW that seems like a silly question. What else but 42 is possible as an answer there?
it’s very nice if i will be one from the few select individuals that’s have un early access think’s
Google changed the way I work, think & live. But despite its strengths the gaping holes are apparent – recency & relevance of output are the most important. I await Wolfram Alpha to define the next level. As an advertiser who uses Google, I am keen to understand what opportunities this new platform will offer.
agree to Mark Paine. I came again through email with a hope to see something in action.
Hi, Keep up the good work.
I just wanted to tell you guys, don’t forget about international support, fo all the data, and all the input, and for everything. Wikipedia, google, youtube aren’t what they are just by aiming for the USA community.
Well, you keep emailing me which is good but unlike other beta search sites, you are not allowing me to taste the goods. A bit bloody silly really. I don’t really care what other people say about your apparently great search engine. I have totally lost al interest in your site after today’s email.
I HOPE IT IS BETTER ABOUT PICTURE AND MOVIE ENGINE THAN GOOGLE…
i agree with mark above..cant contact you and have been basically kept in the dark up to this point…. are you going public ????
أني انتظر أن يدعم اللغة العربية
I expect to support the Arabic language
Hey Wolframmers, could someone please tell me how I can actually get to experience WolframAlpha. I’m well interested, but I only seem to get some email instead of a breakthrough experience. Many thanks!
Just show online regime conference – would be no questions// Igor – Moscow
Perhaps the government is already using a version of Wolfram to make interpolations of all the computer, email, and voice communications that it is recording under the guise of National Security. Our enemies are very miniscule as compared the the threat our government now poses the the privacy and freedom of its citizens.
Looking forward to the introduction to this technology, I have followed the net since shortly after its inception and the progress is nothing short of miraculous and seems as though it will continue to grow.
I wish to thank all that have contributed in the past and future
I personally feel that Wolfram/Alpha may have Google a bit concerned! Being in the technical field, we cannot wait until Wolfram/Alpha is launched! After reading many articles regarding the many wonders of this one man show, we remain excited to get to finally use it. I would really like to purchase stock in this! It’s going to go Big!
I can’t wait. Hopefully when I wake up on one of the up coming days my inbox will have an invitation saying that Alpha is ready
Can Wolfram|Alpha tell us when we will recieve a link to a beta Wolfram|Alpha so we can play with Wolfram|Alpha?
exactly, why don’t you keep sending me emails if I dont even have a chance to check it out myself…. very clever
I cannot wait to start using it. Seems anyone who doesn’t have access to Wolfram/Alpha is going to be at a tremendous disadvantage!!!!
I love the internet for its ability to give up pertinent information already but to be able to use a program to provide comparative data and suggest conclusions is mind boggling. I imagine the student bodies of world universities will be some of the biggest users.
mls
All this buzz is of no use till the time we can actually see what is WF ?
its crime in internet to hide something…its knowledge…its not yours…share it
Referring to an above comment, an LDL of 180, compared with the rest of the population, does not help people understand that:
1. LDL stands for Low Density Lipoprotein, not cholesterol,
2. the cholesterol molecules within all the 5 major groups of lipoproteins (which enable transport of fat and cholesterol through the water based blood) is identical,
3. protein particle traffic patterns through the blood and interaction of these protein particles with proteins on cell surfaces has always been the correct issue,
4. LDL particles vary widely, by size and other characteristics, in their propensity to drive atherosclerosis,
5. Only oxidized LDL particles within the lining of the arteries attract white blood cells and promote disease,
6. early childhood levels, before atherosclerosis begins, is very low, typically about ¼ of low adult levels
7. atherosclerosis does not produce artery narrowing, instead that artery narrowing is a result of repeated plaque rupture and blood clots which narrow or close the opening
8. etc.
The may still be marked room for improvemnet.
However, I do appluade Stephen Wolfram’s powerful effort and the work of the Wolfram|Alpha Team, without yet seeing the actual performance.
M Alvis, thanks for providing such a thorough backdrop for LDL. Note that we will have community options for discussion, related links for context, a full source list providing links and citations to more reference materials and all variety of other ways to go deeper into the knowledge.
Hi,
Looks awesome. But how confident can we be of the data shown? Are sources displayed along with the data, or perhaps a confidence level?
Good luck with the project!
A.
Yes, Abbass, Wolfram|Alpha provides a full source list on computations using or referencing data.
think this could be another exciting development. can already see other applications for it
This is going to be released shortly right!! Any release date mentioned!!
Like @Mark Paine I’m longing for full accessability. Hoping for the new search-engine to come up the sooner the better!
In the meantime thanks for the newsletter.
The ultimate questions for me,
Is there a levity field container for a gravity field?
Can a gravity field contain and restrain a black-hole?
Is there more than our planet, system, galaxy, universe…?
Does math/science consider levity beyond gravity%~?
!HAVEFUN!
It would be worth permitting to login with exclusive email allocation …….@wolframalpha.com to your regular members and contributors.
Look forward to D-Day.
ILAZAIR
At this point, rather than attempting to build hype (because I wasn’t able to get into the webcast) and there ins’t anything to see or experiment with, I’d appreciate less communication until you are ready for debut. Until there is some commercial, scientific or academic use clearly indicated and available for testing, this all could be something or nothing. Let me know when you are done.
***Finally something that computes not just a glorified file system!!!!!!***
I am going to suggest a different name for Wolfram|Alpha, more descriptive of its function:
Scholar
HOW CAN WE INVEST IN Wolfram Alpha ?? IS it on the stock market?
I’m really looking forward to using Search|Alpha. It’s the thinking man’s search engine. I already have a number of questions I would like to ask it and see how it performs.
I believe it will have that ‘addictive’ quality. People will try a standard ‘Google’ type search to start with, they when they see the results they will want to ask more complex questions and on many different levels.
If ever we thought that one day the Internet would become ‘alive’ this is that first true step.
It is a bit strange to sign up for one thing (information on when WolframAlpha becomes available to me) and end up getting something completely different (information about blog updates). There is no reason for me to subscribe to your RSS feed now, is there?
thanks for quick, regular news update. I am eager to see this a wonderful new searching engine for the needed comprehensive and mathematical abilities for my research and widen information availability for deep and comprehensive data. if it really meet my expectation , then it will be the big event ever in 2009.
I am eager to actually see a demo of Wolfram/Alpha. WHen will you have it up and running?
I’m interested if the team see the product as for occasional use (say 1-5 times a day per company), or if it’s OK to use it as a regular part of a business process (say 10 times an hour per user for a repetitive query). I don’t have a specific application (yet).
I agree, let us see the real thing or stop send the teaser emails. Email after email is getting old fast.
Thanks or the links, of course. But don’t you think it’s also a bit ridiculous, echoing response for a service yet unavailable?
Reading over the possibilities of Wolfram l Alpha, brings about some ‘exciting’ and hopefully ‘soon to be available’ thoughts. I am wondering if there is a projected release date?
> I just want to know, If i ask it for the ultimate answer to the ultimate of life, the universe, and
> everything…. what will it’s answer be? ~.^
==> 42
There are a lot of search engines based on FAST and other technology that are dependent on symantic analysis, coding of stories, taxonomies, etc. I look forward to seeing how this stacks up against Factiva, ClearForest, and other companies in this space.
Obviously, one difference is that Wolfram Alpha is aiming at all knowlege available through the internet, rather than at defined subset streams, or selected sites on the Internet as Relegence does.
I look forward to seeing how they compare. I’m also surprised that most commenters see this as a google replacement, rather than in the context of the vast amount of work being done on search for financial and other applications. Has anyone here ever used Factiva.com?
I am looking forward to Alpha. Is it called alpha because this is just the beginning, or because it’s the best place to start searching? Regardless, its great – I saw it in Champaign.
There is one snag tho – the web is a very imperfect place to gather information and even when its correct its often poorly presented. It will be interesting to see if Alpha has enough artificial intelligence to winnow the wheat from the chaff ! Regardless, it has the potential to be my search engine of choice, so Google either watch out or make Stephen a very, very, good offer.
Hopefully, this is the start of a new business direction for WRI and its employees. It would be nice to think Alpha could provide foundation income that allows the Mathematica Developers to continue development without an other commercial influences. For me its essential that Stephen Wolfram maintains independence between WRIs customers, and his users customers! This will ensure Mathematica and WRI develop in directions that ensures the free flow of ideas and information from users to developers.
Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing Alpha go live and become the most talked about search engine…….
I am a student, so I need more knowledge and I think Wolfram l Alpha will help me
What about items like Genealogy. Will Wolfram|Alpha be able to do all of my Ancestry, help find missing links, build my family tree? All very exciting though.
I’m on a committee assessing the impact of the current H1N1 potential pandemic on our (smallish) organization – and just asked myself the question “at the current rate of growth, how long would it be until 1% of the world’s population has been infected?”. I took the data from CDC and WHO and threw in a graph. It would have been nice to have a few curves under differrent assumptions. I doubt the Wolfram Alpha could have produced what I needed in one bite, but certainly could have been the research assistant and produced some fairly impressive backup information.
Daily reports of wonderfulness are becoming tiresome. Links that go to empty panels are pointless. Being told repeatedly that I’m not worthy of viewing content is insulting. “Interesting Outputs” aren’t, because I can’t see them, so they’re pointless to provide.
Execution and delivery are paramount. Puff talk and blog postings don’t count. All we’ve been told is there are certain problems being solved, and the tool to solve them is coming real soon. My newspaper carried an ad for Craftsman hammers at Sears today; at least someone still delivers on their promise.
I’m opting out.
I look forward to seeing how WFA will function, when is the launch date?
All my best!