Of course they're both search engines, but most people (in my experience and I work in a library) know the difference and don't have any trouble differentiating the two.
Google = search for websites. Wolfram = search for data.
When you're driving it is possible to avoid all accidents barring extremely unlucky circumstances. All but those rare few involve multiple people making multiple mistakes. Any one person has the power to alter the traffic flow and completely avoid the accident. You aren't just a sitting duck!
Should I cite Wolfram|Alpha when I use results from it? Yes. For academic purposes, Wolfram|Alpha is a primary source.
Of course, I believe we are using different definitions of "primary source".
You: A primary source could be a first-hand source from the past, such as a diary or artifact. Primary sources have been described as those sources closest to the origin of the information or idea under study.
Me (and Wolfram|Alpha): Primary sources have been said to provide researchers with "direct, unmediated information about the object of study."
No data analysis! GS and WA are completely different beasts.
In Google Squared:
Try getting a square with the five largest countries by area. (In Wolfram|Alpha search for five largest countries by area)
Try to mathematically manipulate results like, say, dividing power usage of the united states by its population. (In Wolfram|Alpha search for united states electric production / population
Try to get GS to do anything like growth charts, ISS location calculations, morse code translation, puzzle solving, food calorie counting, differential equations.
Unfortunately, you are giving chess a little too much credit here. An unbeatable chess strategy really is to have an internal catalog of board states and optimal moves from those states.
For a less rigid game a strategy of recording player moves becomes intriguing, but also extraordinarily more complex in that you must catalog sequences of related actions. AI by macro?
Definitely. The media companies just don't seem to understand one crucial fact: if we can see or hear it, we can record it.
That's it. There's absolutely no way around that fact. Even if the "solution" ultimately turns out to be an HD camera with a feed from the output of the sound system, that quality will be good enough for people to pirate it if they want to. If there is no piracy of the content, no one cares.
Earlier the female chose her mate by his fitness. Today, she chooses him by the size of his wallet. Evolution 2.0, if you will.
Opportunist breakdown: Before now
female chooses mate with the criteria of fitness Now
female chooses mate not from criteria of fitness, but from monetary evaluation
zaxus:
I would argue that she's still choosing her mate by fitness. A "large wallet" is indicative of societal fitness.
zaxus breakdown: Before now
female chooses mate with the criteria of fitness (concurs) Now
female actually continues to choose mate on fitness, "fitness" has changed from predominantly physical to predominantly financial consideration for the purposes of mate selection
People like you always forget that the games of yesteryear *had* cutting edge graphics for the time they were made! It's *always* been about pushing the envelope of what is graphically possible!
Almost killed gaming by putting flashy graphics over fun? Are you fucking serious? Name *one* game that sold well that had "flashy" graphics and zero fun.
Slashdot Mirror
That's not "-1 Troll" it's "+1 Insightful"!
Of course they're both search engines, but most people (in my experience and I work in a library) know the difference and don't have any trouble differentiating the two.
Google = search for websites. Wolfram = search for data.
When you're driving it is possible to avoid all accidents barring extremely unlucky circumstances. All but those rare few involve multiple people making multiple mistakes. Any one person has the power to alter the traffic flow and completely avoid the accident. You aren't just a sitting duck!
Shill? Damn, if only. Just a fanboy.
From their faq:
Should I cite Wolfram|Alpha when I use results from it?
Yes. For academic purposes, Wolfram|Alpha is a primary source.
Of course, I believe we are using different definitions of "primary source".
You:
A primary source could be a first-hand source from the past, such as a diary or artifact. Primary sources have been described as those sources closest to the origin of the information or idea under study.
Me (and Wolfram|Alpha):
Primary sources have been said to provide researchers with "direct, unmediated information about the object of study."
Sigs are appended by slashdot, not hand typed.
Unfortunately it just sounds like their simulation is (for all of their tremendous effort!) quite lacking.
No data analysis! GS and WA are completely different beasts.
In Google Squared:
Try getting a square with the five largest countries by area. (In Wolfram|Alpha search for five largest countries by area)
Try to mathematically manipulate results like, say, dividing power usage of the united states by its population. (In Wolfram|Alpha search for united states electric production / population
Try to get GS to do anything like growth charts, ISS location calculations, morse code translation, puzzle solving, food calorie counting, differential equations.
Also the data is much less complete. Check out Google Squared's results for the escape velocities of the moons of Mars. Now check Wolfram|Alpha's. Yeah, there's a reason that WA is citable as a primary source.
As always, The Onion is right on the money.
Teen Exposed To Violence, Profanity, Adult Situations By Family
Unfortunately, you are giving chess a little too much credit here. An unbeatable chess strategy really is to have an internal catalog of board states and optimal moves from those states.
For a less rigid game a strategy of recording player moves becomes intriguing, but also extraordinarily more complex in that you must catalog sequences of related actions. AI by macro?
Rather than the world factbook, you could've gone straight to wolfram|alpha.
http://www51.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=united+states+electric+production
(490.9 GW, yes, it also details the sources of its information)
Man, I should make a "just walpha it" site.
One point, the protesters in 1989 weren't demanding democracy. They were saying that to news reporters because it got them more attention.
I don't know where the GP was, but I can confirm that lab time (at least in the late 90s) was similarly limited for undergraduates at UNC-Chapel Hill.
What, real viruses and trojans are called things like DontRunMe.exe?
I collect molds, spores, and fungus.
Definitely. The media companies just don't seem to understand one crucial fact: if we can see or hear it, we can record it.
That's it. There's absolutely no way around that fact. Even if the "solution" ultimately turns out to be an HD camera with a feed from the output of the sound system, that quality will be good enough for people to pirate it if they want to. If there is no piracy of the content, no one cares.
Why get paid when you can think?
I'm guessing that you've never had the fun of working a menial job.
A 3rd cousin is a little further afield that you may think.
Yes, this post was just an excuse to link to Wolfram|Alpha.
Uh, s/mother/parent/g
We Dads can cook too. Shocking!
Whoa there, Cat was pretty twisted from the start. Blame her Whent ancestry.
Your guess is incorrect, at least in my case. Gamer since '79.
I haven't seen a game so effectively turn the role of the gamer (to mindlessly follow the commands given by the NPCs) on its head.
"Would you kindly?"
Let's break this down:
Opportunist:
Earlier the female chose her mate by his fitness. Today, she chooses him by the size of his wallet. Evolution 2.0, if you will.
Opportunist breakdown:
Before now
female chooses mate with the criteria of fitness
Now
female chooses mate not from criteria of fitness, but from monetary evaluation
zaxus:
I would argue that she's still choosing her mate by fitness. A "large wallet" is indicative of societal fitness.
zaxus breakdown:
Before now
female chooses mate with the criteria of fitness (concurs)
Now
female actually continues to choose mate on fitness, "fitness" has changed from predominantly physical to predominantly financial consideration for the purposes of mate selection
tuna_wasabi:
fails reading comprehension
Integrated into the TV means that it would be potentially (if they do it right) easy to control. Think frontrow but for hulu.
Funny thing, heating a house is actually worse for the environment than cooling one.
People like you always forget that the games of yesteryear *had* cutting edge graphics for the time they were made! It's *always* been about pushing the envelope of what is graphically possible!
Almost killed gaming by putting flashy graphics over fun? Are you fucking serious? Name *one* game that sold well that had "flashy" graphics and zero fun.
Of course that could just be my PC gamer bias asserting itself.
It is, but we console gamers are well inured to such slights as are typical from the insular PC gaming cohort.