This and this too are a couple of newspaper articles about Wolfram/Alpha that Wolfram thinks are quite nifty.
Coming soon: the law of evidence on Spindle Law
Saturday, May 30, 2009
All the World's Knowledge
At first sight Wolfram/Alpha is a type of database and search service akin to GOOGLE SEARCH. But Wolfram states (in an e-mail), "The launch of Wolfram|Alpha is just the beginning of our endeavor to make all of the world's systematic knowledge immediately computable...." Is this hype? More than hype? Is all [systematic] knowledge "in principle" computable? In the short or medium run? Does "all the world's [systematic] knowledge" include your knowledge that your Aunt Betty wanted to go to the supermarket last Wednesday but didn't make it because she forgot? Does it include some long-dead person's knowledge of what Alexander the Great said as he lay dying? Does it include knowledge of what was in John Wilkes Booth's heart as he shot Lincoln? Is inferred knowledge knowledge? If so, will all trials someday be conducted on Wolfram/Alpha? Probability theorists have done a pretty good job (in the academy) of monopolizing "probability." Are you prepared to let Wolfram or Google do the same to "knowledge"?&&&
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I just asked Wolram/Alpha how long Alexander the Great lived and it replied, "Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input."
I just asked Wolram/Alpha how long time lasts and it again replied, "Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure what to do with your input."
But Wolram/Alpha was able to give me the temperature (somewhere) in my home town this morning.
Post a Comment