Wolfram|Alpha: Computational Knowledge Engine is a search engine most of us have heard of, but few of us use. It's actually a very powerful tool, but it should be stressed that, as it says of itself, it's a Computational Engine, not a websearch engine. The best way of thinking about WA is to consider yourself having a conversation with Commander Data from Star Trek. I put together a video on some of the fun, strange and amusing things that you can do with the engine, which you'll find difficult, if not impossible to get from any others.
Want to get information on names, such as demographics, popularity etc? WA does that very easily, and you can compare names as well. How about checking to see where you are, how drunk you are, how long you're likely to live? No difficulty at all.
Want information on locations? Population, distance between places, weather - both current and historic? No problem. Want to analyse your Facebook data, information on your friends? WA can do that too, if you log in. Want to know how to fit 15 boxes into a circle? Easy, plus you get a diagram.
Lots of fun, but if you are a reference librarian, this really is one search engine that you need to explore in a lot of detail.
Comments