Yes, Google's still better (at least at the basics)

[brooksmoses]

So, Webcrawler has a Google ad up, which says: "Wolfram Alpha Search Engine: Search multiple engines for wolfram alpha search engine". Putting aside the nonsensicality of the ad, what do you expect it to return?

Here's the result. Yup, www.wolframalpha.com is in there, but most of the way down the page.

Google, by contrast, has it as the first result, exactly as one would expect.

Meanwhile, Wolfram Alpha itself isn't sure what to do with "wolfram alpha search engine" as a query, and suggests I try "wolfram alpha". And then tells me it's too busy. (This isn't part of what I'm referring to in my subject line; I know it's not trying to do the same thing as Google. Nonetheless, if this were Google, it would (a) have given me actual snippets of information about the possibilities it came up with, not just suggestions for things to try, even if it didn't recognize that "search engine" was an extraneous modifier on "wolfram alpha", and (b) would not have been too busy.)

Meanwhile, for your amusement (and where I came across that Google ad in the first place): The Wolfram's Beta computizzled knowledge engine.

Comments

[redbird]

I tried to ask it for a tectonic map, polar projection. Giving it all four words got back a nothing found/I don't understand message. Just "polar map" got me a space probe called MAP and a mention of Polar, Wisconsin. The default for "map" should not be a space probe. (I left them a comment for that.)

wolfram|alpha

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

i played with it some time right after it finally came up, and at this point i don't find it very useful for my purposes -- but i can see how it could be, and maybe will be.

it is incredibly picky about phrasings: "5 tallest mountains canada" gives me what i am looking for, "5 hightest mountains canada" results in "can not haz". and "10 tallest mountains canada" exceeds the data it has.

comparing coke and pepsi doesn't come up with much data either.

but hey. it's "alpha". :) (love the link!)

fun with wolframsbeta

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, finally I know the right question to the answer thanks to wolframsbeta.com. =) I just dopped the link to my co-worker: Funny thing is, he is actually 42 years old and the answer to his first question "How old am I" really baffled him :)