Thursday, October 29, 2009

wolfram versus google

This is an assignment for my web 2.0 class, pitting one search engine google against wolfram alpha, a 'computational engine'.



Search Task 1
All English words containing the sequence 'eue'.


Result from Google (alphabetical):
banlieue
banlieues
feued
queue
queued
queueing
queueings
queuer
queuers
queues
subfeued
unfeued

Search Terms: all english words containing "eue"

Notes: Wolfram's results appeared to be incomplete; it only returned two or three of the above words.


Search Task 2
How much potassium in 4.7 oz of banana?


Result from Wolfram Alpha:
A 4.2oz banana contains 422mg (milligrams) of potassium.

Search Terms: potassium in banana

Notes: Wolfram gives other interesting information such as daily value of potassium, potassium content of bananas compared to other foods, and the banana's physical properties.

Search Task 3
How old was Barack Obama on the day you were born?


Result from Wolfram Alpha:
26 years 11 months 10 days.

Search Terms: how old barack obama on july 14, 1988

Search Task 4
Date and time of the next total solar eclipse in Eugene?


Result from Wolfram Alpha:
4:52 pm PDT | Sunday, May 20, 2012 (2.559 years from now).

Search Terms: solar eclipse in eugene, oregon

Search Task 5
What is the minimum and maximum price of google stock since it went public?


Result from Wolfram Alpha:
minimum: $ 257.44 (Monday, Nov 24, 2008)
maximum: $ 554.21 (Monday, Oct 26, 2009)

Search Terms: goog

Search Task 6
Link an image of the barcode for UPC 01234567890


Result: Wolfram Alpha Result

Search Terms: UPC 01234567890

Search Task 7
How many vertices does an icosahedron have?


Result from Wolfram Alpha: 12

Search Terms: icosahedron vertices

Search Task 8
Distance from Eugene to Tokyo
?

Result: 4886 miles

Search Terms: distance from tokyo to eugene, or

Search Task 9
Average Oregon income per capita?


Result: $31930 per year per capita (2007 estimate)

Search Terms: average income in oregon per capita

Search Task 10
What is the Morse code for your first name?


Result:
--
T | * -- *
R | * *
I | * * *
S | * * * *
H | * --
A

Search Terms: trisha in morse code



All in all, I think Wolfram Alpha was well suited for the job of answering these questions.

Newfoundlands and Kombucha

I created my first wiki article about a dog breed from Newfoundland!


The wiki article I chose to contribute to is an article about Kombucha, a fermented cultured beverage.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Daniel Suelo, an extreme blogger

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/48-year-old-blogger-gone-9-years-without-money.php

This man really doesn't want to have anything to do with money - he has sworn to live without spending money for 9 years! He claims that he forages for food, then posts about his lifestyle on his own website from the local library.

It is interesting that he is able to live this way, but he would not be able to do so without living in the society that he does. He is able to get by living in a cave while dumpster diving for sustenance, but it is due to an affluent nation, and just how much household waste we are able to scorn here. Daniel Suelo is an example of someone who really is anti-consumerism.

A List Apart


http://www.alistapart.com/



A blog that I read regularly is A List Apart. This blog is geared towards professionals in the web field, and I like to read articles and topics here in order to keep my skills sharp and learn new techniques that professionals find useful.

New digital issues are released on a weekly basis, on topics ranging from usability, quality assurance, scripting, design, information architecture, and more. It is a blog authored by and for people who make websites!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Video Pick #2



Umm.. kinda silly. :P

Test Post - Video Pick

This video highlights the composer Stewart Copeland, and the work he has done for the classic Spyro the Dragon game. Stay tuned for the second half, where Copeland gives us a demonstration (of his music skills). :)