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Wolfram Alpha Ends Up Where It Belongs: Inside Another Search Engine
WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
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Wolfram Alpha Is Actually a Frustrated Stand-Up Comedian
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Wolfram Alpha Fail Is Appropriately Nerdy
Wolfram Alpha Launches Tonight at 7pm CST

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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
11/11/09

In reply to Wolfram Alpha Ends Up Where It Belongs: Inside Another Search Engine
Did you say Bing? #wolframalphabing
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ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO-TOAD
11/11/09

In reply to Wolfram Alpha Ends Up Where It Belongs: Inside Another Search Engine
Know what I want from Microsoft? An original idea. It seems like the more time goes on, the more companies like Apple and Google come out with neat products like iPods and Microsoft just kinda says
"Wow, that's neat. Let's steal the idea, we'll call it zune".
"Google's making money? Hey we should start a search engine"
"OS 2, huh? Looks neat, we'll call it Windows" #wolframalphabing
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Nathan Obbards
11/11/09

@ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO-TOAD: Brush up on your history a little. MS was in the search engine game before Google ever existed. (sources: [searchenginewatch.com] [en.wikipedia.org] [en.wikipedia.org] ). In fact, there were at least 16 other search engines that predated Google ( [en.wikipedia.org] ). So, one could argue that Google stole the idea from MS, amongst others following your logic.

The first MP3 player was made by Eiger Labs and was called the MPMan (source: [reviews.cnet.com] [en.wikipedia.org] [boingboing.net] ). In fact, the market had several different MP3 players before iPod came along. Apple rarely innovates technology, they tend to wait and synthesize the best facets of different products together into one user friendly and attractive device and it is something they do very well.

OS2 was co-developed by Microsoft and IBM ([en.wikipedia.org] ) and was built around MS-DOS, the DOS ( [en.wikipedia.org] ) system created by Gates and Microsoft. Granted, MS-DOS is preceded by Apple DOS by a year ( [en.wikipedia.org] ). The independent Windows OS was antecedent to Apple's OS, but the IBM/MS one preceded it.

I could go on and on, but don't feel like it. The thing is, tech companies constantly "steal" from one another because they see what customers like or what are good ideas and attempt to utilize them. Call it stealing or failure to innovate if you want, but you'd be flat out wrong. Go troll somewhere else about MS. Do a little research before opening your mouth about something that you don't know about. #wolframalphabing
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tucker
11/11/09

In reply to Wolfram Alpha Ends Up Where It Belongs: Inside Another Search Engine
I use Bing. Oh wait. No I don't. #wolframalphabing
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Nathan Obbards
11/11/09

@fucker: Who's got two thumbs and doesn't care? This guy. #wolframalphabing
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The guy who loves those Big-Ass-Tables
11/11/09

@Nathan Obbards: I get it... you purposely misspelled his name.... hahaha #wolframalphabing
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Nathan Obbards promoted this comment

Nathan Obbards
11/11/09

@The guy who loves those Big-Ass-Tables: Who, me? I would never do something subtle and easy like that. #wolframalphabing
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The guy who loves those Big-Ass-Tables
11/11/09

@Nathan Obbards: Well Played Sir... #wolframalphabing
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jepzilla
11/11/09

In reply to Wolfram Alpha Ends Up Where It Belongs: Inside Another Search Engine
Personally, I think Wolfram Alpha is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Perhaps even greater.

The ability to quickly whip up a query to answer some bizarre random question gives me a feeling of Godlike omniscience. It's almost like something out of Star Trek, where the computer was always solving complex problems for the crew and then I'd be watching this on TV wondering why they bothered with the useless meatbags at all, when the computer was obviously the smartest one there.

But still, I have to wonder... does anybody other than me really use it? #wolframalphabing
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chuckbass
11/11/09

@jepzilla: I use wolfram alpha a lot! I'm an engineering student, so I am commonly doing my hw in front of wolfram alpha.
And I love having it come up with quick answers to other things. And it's a great tool to look at stocks and economic trends.
It is honestly one of the greatest things on the internet and I think more people use it than you are aware - I am constantly catching classmates on it. #wolframalphabing
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Nathan Obbards
11/11/09

In reply to Wolfram Alpha Ends Up Where It Belongs: Inside Another Search Engine
Never have I been more tempted to make a "yo dawg..." joke. #wolframalphabing
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PregoNation
11/11/09

@Nathan Obbards: omg. As in "Yo dawg...I like you...Yo Dawg...I like you too man. Let's get married" #wolframalphabing
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Nathan Obbards
11/11/09

@PregoNation: More like, "yo dawg I heard you like search engines, so we put a search engine in your search engine so you could Bing while you Google" #wolframalphabing
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PregoNation
11/12/09

@Nathan Obbards: Hahaha! Equally hilarious. #wolframalphabing
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fuchikoma
10/19/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
OMFG...
I like WolframAlpha, which puts me in a minority among most people who have never heard of it... but there's no way I'd pay $50 for a mobile version of a website I can access with Safari anyway, that I can think of a use for once every couple of months, but could also be served as well by Google! #wolframalpha
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Adam
10/19/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
I've never had the website give me any data that was at all useful, why would I pay for that? #wolframalpha
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Xeno
10/19/09

@Adam: You've never bothered to ask it anything that was useful to you then. #wolframalpha
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Adam
10/19/09

@Xeno: Well, I can't remember everything I've asked it, but usually it's easy calculations I just don't feel like figuring out. For example, "what is the mass of 250 u.s. dime coins" is a very simple question to piece apart. But all I get is "Wolfram|Alpha isn't sure how to compute an answer from your input." I could ask it "mass of a u.s. dime coin" and multiply it by 250, but isn't the entire point of Wolfram Alpha that I don't need to do that? I've never had it do anything Google couldn't do better. Also, it's much slower. #wolframalpha
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Xeno
10/19/09

@Adam: Ahh, interesting that that didn't work. I asked it 1 can tuna + 2 slices bread + 1 tsp mayo and gave all the nutritional information of a tuna fish sandwich though. Trending say several stocks works well. Or comparing sports statistics. It's certainly not perfect but can do some great things. #wolframalpha
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puhsitch
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
...I don't think that Wolfram is actually looking to make money through the App Store. You know what's really going on here?

Blog reader/Twitterererer: "What kind of crazy company would charge $50 for this?? They must really think they're something special. I don't know who Wolfram is, but I'm gonna go the web site and use their fancy service for FREE just to stick it to 'em!"

No one would be talking if the app were $1.99 (and no one would be buying it since it's not free). We all know that those guys aren't dumb -- and they know that it's the outliers that get the most attention. #wolframalpha
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nutbastard
10/19/09

@puhsitch:

yep - this is their 'balloon boy' so to speak #wolframalpha
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fleebailey33
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
they have given out access to there API, i give it a week before someone makes one thats not official for free/cheap #wolframalpha
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Jamez
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
Considering it can be easily accessed via the iPhone's Safari browser, this app is just dumb. Sorry Wolfram Alpha team, either remove the mobile version of your site or make the app free (or at least better than the browser search engine and cheaper). Otherwise, you just make yourselves look stupid...which is the opposite of what your search engine promotes. #wolframalpha
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jakebathman
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
C'mon, there's got to be SOMETHING that this does above the general website...store calculations? Fancy reports? Back massage? #wolframalpha
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phunnyballs
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
It would only be worth it if you didnt have to connect to the internet. Ipod touch would be left out in the cold #wolframalpha
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dragon:ONE
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
Also, if you were a 'die-hard' Wolfram|Alpha fan, you'd probably have shelled out for the $2500 copy of Mathematica 7 Professional (the core of Wolfram|Alpha), so you probably would pay that extra $50 as chump change.

[Although, I might mention, Mathematica Student is only ~$150 with valid school ID and Academic is about $1100.] #wolframalpha
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TheRiseOfRoy
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
this need to be in the 4-8 dollar range for Wolframalpha looking at that price as the "donation" that users can give to keep the foundation running. its absurd that they want that much. the people want it are the people who use and know about it.

i think readers need to comment about this to try to make an impression on them so they get the idea. anyone else with me? #wolframalpha
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32ndnote
10/18/09

In reply to WolframAlpha iPhone App Is a $50 Super Calculator
Wolfram Alpha did about a million inverse Laplace transforms for me yesterday, but how often do I need that and not have the internet? Never. Except exams. But... you can't use iPhones on exams anyway, so I stand by you señor blogger. #wolframalpha
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