Alpha

If you've casually been using Wolfram Alpha, but don't want to give up your Google addiction reliance, there's hope for you yet. A new Firefox extension lets you keep using Google, while showing Wolfram Alpha results on the side of the page.

I've been using it all morning and it's a nice addition if you're a search enthusiast. Your Google results come in just as quickly as they usually do, while the Wolfram ones catch-up on the side. This makes it a good way to test some of the limitations of the new search … Read more

Please see the response from Wolfram|Alpha at the bottom of this post.

One thing has become clear: to succeed on the Web and in the next generation of software, you need to invite, not dissuade, outside participation. Tim O'Reilly calls it an "architecture of participation," but whatever you call it, the best software strategies are those that encourage outside contributions, rather than discourage it.

This makes Wolfram Alpha's terms of service mind-boggingly backward at best, and troubling at worst. Some have pointed to the quasi-search engine's sometimes weird results as a reason to give … Read more

Do you speak Wolfie?

I know that many fine, inquiring minds have attempted to delve deep into the mental well that is computational knowledge engine, Wolfram Alpha.

Well, I've had a tough day and I wanted to get to know Wolfie, man to machine. So I asked questions, I cross-examined, I stared, as did George Bush with Vladimir Putin, into Wolfie's very soul.

Here is what I found.

My first question was a simple one: What's it all about? Wolfie churned it over in his mind. His answer? Some very interesting information about the Albanian lek. Yes, … Read more

Now that Wolfram Alpha is up and running, the next question is whether it can make any money.

Wolfram Research appears to have sold the first ad on the search engine to Lenovo, as noted by Search Engine Land. An ad for the ThinkPad appeared recently next to a Wolfram Alpha search for "pi," the mathematical constant.

It's not clear how advertising works on Wolfram Alpha but it does not appear that Wolfram has duplicated Google's keyword-based search ad approach as yet. The site has said it will accept corporate sponsorship, however. Lenovo's ad was … Read more

Apparently cash is still king in Spain, according to one listener. And here I thought it was Juan Carlos. We also notice how Craigslist is getting CraigsPissed over the adult services issue. And Dell says Windows 7 may be great and all but it's also going to be expensive. And that's just not so much of a good idea in this economy.

South Carolina eyes ‘criminal investigation’ of Craigslist http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10242507-93.html

Napster relaunches with $5 a … Read more

Sony announced its three new entry-level dSLRs for 2009, the Alpha DLSR-A230, A330, and A380, which replace the A200, A300, and A350 respectively.

The products preserve Sony's three-tier strategy for its low-end SLRs. The cheap A230 differs from the slightly-less-cheap A330 by the viewfinder and the tiltable LCD, plus the A330 will be available in brown. And except for its higher resolution sensor--14 megapixels versus 10 megapixels--the A380 is otherwise identical to the A330. Sony's big marketing points on these models is lighter weight and friendlier, more point-and-shoot-like guided operation.

But perhaps most notably, these models have dual memory slots, one of which takes SDHC cards and the other Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Duo. I can only imagine the internal politicking it took to pull that off.… Read more

To go with Sony's new compact and lightweight Alpha dSLR's announced today are four new DT series lenses. Designed for use with APS-C sized sensors, the new entry-level DT lenses have built-in-lens autofocus motors. The Smooth Autofocus Motor provides quiet, smooth autofocus with the new compact Alpha bodies.

Sony announced a pair of new compact, lightweight kit zoom lenses: The DT 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens has aspherical and ED (extra-low dispersion) lens elements. The DT 55-200mm f4-5.6 telephoto zoom lens has an ED lens element and its long range make it good for sports. … Read more

Wolfram Alpha is live, and we want your feedback.

Following a delay due to technical glitches, the new "computational knowledge engine" went live to the public Friday night, and we're interested in learning more about the public's initial experiences with the service. If in case you missed it, Wolfram Alpha can be found here.

You may want to familiarize yourself with the service before giving it a try. For more background on how Wolfram Alpha works, read this exchange between CNET's Stephen Shankland and Rafe Needleman, who were given early access to the service. This photo gallery of screenshots … Read more

This post was updated at 9:10 p.m. PDT to note that Wolfram Alpha is now up and running.

Wolfram Alpha struggled to get up and rolling Friday evening under difficult conditions, as the company scaled back expectations for its performance this weekend.

The new search engine attempted to make its debut literally in the middle of the perfect storm: a tornado watch had engineers on edge in Champaign, Ill., where Wolfram Research attempted to bring the service online. However, networking and database problems also prevented the engine from launching as of 6 p.m. PDT, an hour after … Read more