Wolfram Alpha is Coming -- and It Could be as Important as Google

[bananas]

http://www.twine.com/item/122mz8lz9-4c/wolfram-alpha-is-coming-and-it-could-be-as-important-as-google

Stephen Wolfram is building something new -- and it is really impressive and significant. In fact it may be as important for the Web (and the world) as Google, but for a different purpose.

Stephen was kind enough to spend two hours with me last week to demo his new online service -- Wolfram Alpha (scheduled to open in May). In the course of our conversation we took a close look at Wolfram Alpha's capabilities, discussed where it might go, and what it means for the Web, and even the Semantic Web.

Stephen has not released many details of his project publicly yet, so I will respect that and not give a visual description of exactly what I saw. However, he has revealed it a bit in a recent article, and so below I will give my reactions to what I saw and what I think it means. And from that you should be able to get at least some idea of the power of this new system.

A Computational Knowledge Engine for the Web

In a nutshell, Wolfram and his team have built what he calls a "computational knowledge engine" for the Web. OK, so what does that really mean? Basically it means that you can ask it factual questions and it computes answers for you.

<snip>

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. that could be a handy tool

but how often will it be updated?

[Sancho]

2. I watched the very first Star Trek shows...I'll never forget the late 60's.

communicators, holograms, warp drives! But I remember being amazed by the first computers that answered questions!

I used paper tape in the 60's, then stacks of cards.

I bought an Apple II, Osborne, Franklin, TRS 80, Amiga, Vic 20...couldn't get enough of computers!

One of the first ideas was a computer that would answer questions. Is this it? I hope so!

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. "How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?"

That is the question I want to ask.

(If you don't get the joke, read http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html">The Last Question by Isaac Asimov, one of the all-time best science fiction short stories.)

[mainegreen]

3. I wonder what the first 'Wolfram bomb' will be.

[Massacure]

4. Does human life begin at conception?

I wonder Wolfram Alpha will say...