>Wolfram Alpha actually computes the answers to a wide range of >questions
Actually Google is already doing something close to this. You can put queries of that type into Google Spreadsheets and it often does return an answer. Having this capability in a spreadsheet makes the results even more useful than what Alpha is described to be. However both Alpha and Google's feature suffer from a problem of context. When I get a number I want to know where that number came from so I can judge the quality of the answer. I also want to check that the computer is actually answering the question that I think I'm asking. Meanwhile, I hear that Live Search is about to undergo another name change. The hope is that the right combination of letters will suddenly make it popular. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
