[LM_NET] Wolfram Alpha: You KNOW you want it.

["Hastings, Jeff" <HASTINGJ@HOWELLSCHOOLS.COM>]

Or, if you haven't seen it yet, you're GONNA want it. 
 
YOU GUYS: I found out about Wolfram Alpha from reading Joyce Valenza's
Neverending search blog on slj.com. You may want to hit that for a
fuller review than the thumbnail I'll try and paint below
 
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334.html
 
Basically, Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine that, I
think,  has to be played with to fully understand its potentials. A
useful tool across disciplines and age ranges, it's like crack for
info-geeks. I started playing with it last Friday and was really
impressed doing things like distance calculation and geographical
comparisons, biological taxonomy, currency conversion and stock
analysis, calorie and nutrition calculation and lots more. I was so
impressed, in fact, that I couldn't wait to post a Wolfram Alpha search
box on my school library's QUICK REFERENCE page. I tossed it up there
today.
 
http://www.idiotica.com/cranium/librarysite/content/quickref.html
 
Which is really why I'm writing. The search boxes for websites can be a
bit tricky to find. They're available at:
 
http://www.wolframalpha.com/addtoyoursite.html
 
There are also widgets for browser toolbars, iGoogle and more available
in the easy to find DOWNLOADS portion of:
 www.wolframalpha.com <http://www.wolframalpha.com/> 
 
I haven't been this geeked about a tool in a while. While it failed on a
couple pretty easy tasks I tried, lots of others worked much better than
I expected. I can't imagine what it might be capable of five years down
the road. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it remains uncluttered and
ad-free as well.
 
Jeffrey Hastings,
SLMS Highlander Way Middle School
Howell, Michigan 
 
You can always respond to: shankhead at gmail dot com (if'n you feels a
hankerin' to do so.)


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