To take all of the world’s data and make it immediately computable: an incredibly bold and ambitious goal for a software program. But this is exactly what Wolfram Alpha plans on doing.
The system, invented by scientist Stephen Wolfram, aims to compute answers to specific questions. In doing so it wants to create a system which does for quantifiable information and data what search engines have done for qualitative, or ‘informal’ knowledge, such as texts and documents. All a user needs to do is ask the program a question in everyday language, such as “what’s the GDP of France?” or “how many internet users are there in Europe?” The data is then represented in precise visual formats.
Comparing it to an existing search engine such as Google, which retrieves documents based on keyword searches, Wolfram Alpha aims to act smarter by actually thinking for the user. It claims it can understand the question and will then compute the answer.
Just how the system works based on its in-built models of knowledge fields remains unclear, and whether it will actually launch to any success remains to be seen, but on the surface - and if possible - this would be a hugely significant breakthrough.
Watch a webcast of the system here
- Sam
Friday, 15 May 2009
Friday, 8 May 2009
Twitter Boosts Search Feature
Currently Twitter’s search functionality offers valuable insight into what users are saying in real-time. However that insight is soon to become even more valuable as Twitter announced this week it is adding additional features to its search tool.
Notably, Twitter will crawl and index the links people add in their posts, not just the text they write. Also it will sort search results by Twitterers’ reputations, not just by chronology. Just how they rank reputation remains to be seen. However these developments certainly increase Twitter’s worth and value to brands and marketers alike.
- SamThursday, 30 April 2009
Marketers Shift Spend to Digital in the Credit Crunch
Marketers are moving their budgets into more measurable categories in the global economic downturn, and that means digital.
Have a read of this interesting emarketer article.
- Sam
Monday, 27 April 2009
Thought-activated Twitter-ing
More interesting developments in the world of Twitter, as the platform takes on a serious tone.
A US biomedical engineering student has developed a way to post messages on Twitter using electrical impulses generated by thought. By donning an electrode-fitted hat which hooks up to a computer and monitors brain activity, the user can post words by simply focussing on a desired letter. The computer senses which letter has been picked and starts to flash in response.
The implications could be hugely significant for those suffering from paralysis and "locked-in syndrome" – whereby a brain functions normally but the person cannot speak or move.
Twitter’s simplistic format and usage method lends itself to the potential for exploitation in this area.
- Sam
A US biomedical engineering student has developed a way to post messages on Twitter using electrical impulses generated by thought. By donning an electrode-fitted hat which hooks up to a computer and monitors brain activity, the user can post words by simply focussing on a desired letter. The computer senses which letter has been picked and starts to flash in response.
The implications could be hugely significant for those suffering from paralysis and "locked-in syndrome" – whereby a brain functions normally but the person cannot speak or move.
Twitter’s simplistic format and usage method lends itself to the potential for exploitation in this area.
- Sam
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Death no obstacle to micro-blogging
Historic Royal Palaces, the independent UK charity that looks after the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace, among other royal venues, has set up the Twitter identity IamHenryVIII.
Henry 8th will be tweeting from beyond the grave, giving followers updates from events, such as his coronation, which took place half a century ago.
Henry 8th was apparently a doyen of modernity himself, using the most modern means available to him to bring about change and reform. The campaign is an interesting way of imitating how modern day public figures such as Obama have used micro-blogging in communication to the masses.
- Sam
Henry 8th will be tweeting from beyond the grave, giving followers updates from events, such as his coronation, which took place half a century ago.
Henry 8th was apparently a doyen of modernity himself, using the most modern means available to him to bring about change and reform. The campaign is an interesting way of imitating how modern day public figures such as Obama have used micro-blogging in communication to the masses.
- Sam
Cash incentives for micro-blogging
AQA 63336, the text question and answer business, has launched a micro-blogging service that allows users to set up their own free SMS feed and get paid each time updates, news, offers and alerts are sent to their subscribers' mobiles. AQA2U can be used by the casual user or businesses alike for whenever they wish to share information with friends and colleagues, or fans and customers.
Coined “micro-blogging with a business model”, publishers will be incentivised by AQA with the offer of 25p per text, up to a maximum of £3.50 per month. The financial incentive lies in maximising the amount of subscribers each publisher can commit to sign up. For example with 250 subscribers, someone could earn up to £3,000 per year.
Charities are especially incentivised to get on board with the service as they receive the full cut of 12p per text normally pocketed by AQA. The Samaritans, WellChild and Straight Talking are already signed up for the launch.
If users are passionate enough about a particular brand to sacrifice a few pounds per month to keep in touch, then this could well be an effective business model.
- Sam
Coined “micro-blogging with a business model”, publishers will be incentivised by AQA with the offer of 25p per text, up to a maximum of £3.50 per month. The financial incentive lies in maximising the amount of subscribers each publisher can commit to sign up. For example with 250 subscribers, someone could earn up to £3,000 per year.
Charities are especially incentivised to get on board with the service as they receive the full cut of 12p per text normally pocketed by AQA. The Samaritans, WellChild and Straight Talking are already signed up for the launch.
If users are passionate enough about a particular brand to sacrifice a few pounds per month to keep in touch, then this could well be an effective business model.
- Sam
Mood-based ads with your Metallica?
Spotify, the free music streaming service, is to launch mood-targeted advertising, according to reports.
Spotify already employs demographic targeting for its display and audio ads, and has now accounced it will be introducing the new mood-targeting within the year. It is also available as a premium service without ads.
“If you're a brand that needs to reach people in a relaxed mindset – perhaps they're listening to Ibiza chill-out or Mozart – we know that 15-24 is in that mindset and therefore you can serve the right brand to them,” explains UK Sales Director Jon Mitchell.
Not that all Mozart is relaxing of course, so hopefully Spotify will be narrowing down its categorisation for this mood-targeting not just by artist but also by tracks.
- Sam
Spotify already employs demographic targeting for its display and audio ads, and has now accounced it will be introducing the new mood-targeting within the year. It is also available as a premium service without ads.
“If you're a brand that needs to reach people in a relaxed mindset – perhaps they're listening to Ibiza chill-out or Mozart – we know that 15-24 is in that mindset and therefore you can serve the right brand to them,” explains UK Sales Director Jon Mitchell.
Not that all Mozart is relaxing of course, so hopefully Spotify will be narrowing down its categorisation for this mood-targeting not just by artist but also by tracks.
- Sam
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)