What’s Wolfram/Alpha and Why Should You Care?

I’m feeling somewhat Ginger-like, with a smidgen of HAL 9000 thrown in.

True Geeks will remember when Segway was dubbed ‘Ginger‘ and Geeks as notable and prescient as Steven Jobs and Jeff Bezos claimed it would be as ‘big as the PC’.

We all know HAL 9000, the soft-spoken. lip-reading computer.

So when I started hearing about a revolutionary new search engine called Wolfram/Alpha and the usual pundits began to wax nerdily eloquent, my Ginger-be-smudged cynicism seeped in. Was this “computational knowledge engine” a Google-killer? Would we all soon be getting answers to our raging questions rather than diligently searching for them? And didn’t we already try the Q & A thing via a perky butler named Ask Jeeves?

The newfangled search engine Wolfram|Alpha is different than Google or Yahoo. Ask it a question — one that involves something like National Pi Day or a wallop of statistics– and it will speedily deliver an answer based on its avalanche of curated data and ‘Mathematica’ technology. One hundred brainiacs, led by Brit Stephen Wolfram, a physics prodigy who won a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” at 21, are sitting in Champaign, IL, feeding the knowledge base reams of data.. As you might guess, science is Wolfie’s strong suit, but it also knows plenty about technology, geography, weather, cooking, business, travel, people, music, and more.

Let’s say you start with some ego-surfing questions. Try your birthday or your name. This is how I discovered Esther Dyson and I have the same birthday and that there are 871,156 Sarahs currently alive in the US. Wolfie will also candidly admit when he’s stumped, and tell you he’s not sure what to do with your input. I got that response when I typed in: “Brett Favre, Packers.” (Truthfully, NO ONE knows what to do with that input.)

Wolfram/Alpha ponies up graphical answers when appropriate, and also suggests other sources of information.

The Geeks on Twitter have been playing with the search engine since Friday night’s official launch via Justin.tv — and as of noon today, Wolfie already had some 4100 fans on its Facebook page. Many are already discovering Wolfram Alpha’s ‘Easter Eggs’ tucked inside its masses of data, just waiting for the perfect question to show off its geeky humor.

Zenspace: Mashable’s 20 Wolfram Alpha Easter Eggs are why I LOVE the Internet — http://tinyurl.com/p24mb8 and http://bit.ly/14rCRW #wolframalpha

nickhebb: Wolfram|Alpha is fun. If this is baby’s first steps, imagine what it will be like when its old enough to drive

Jaielle: #wolfram alpha still needs more work… it can find “square root of ten million” but not “square root of 10 million”

For all its obvious brilliance, I don’t expect Wolfram|Alpha to go mainstream anytime soon. But then I didn’t expect the new Star Trek movie to go mainstream either!

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Getting Our House in Order. The Re-org Blog from Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz.

New Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz smartly decided to blog about the re-org that’s in progress. CFO Blake Jorgenson is already out, according to AllThingsD. Given my long history in conducting strategic research with the Yahoo Customer Care team, I’m happy to hear about the urgently-needed intensified focus on this part of the company.

Getting our house in order

Posted February 26th, 2009 at 9:16 am by Carol Bartz, CEO

A month and a half in the saddle and today I have the perfect excuse to get blogging.

I’ve been on a whirlwind tour for the last six weeks, talking with everybody from executive leaders to the guys who configured my laptop. I’ve been in student mode, slowly getting smarter about what makes this place tick. And most recently, I’ve been gathering information on what it’s going to take to get Yahoo! to a great place as an organization –- and one that brings you killer products.

People here have impressed the hell out of me. They’re smart, dedicated, passionate, driven, and really nice. There’s so much great energy and frankly lots of optimism. But there’s also plenty that has bogged this company down. For starters, you’d be amazed at how complicated some things are here.

So today I’m rolling out a new management structure that I believe will make Yahoo! a lot faster on its feet. For us working at Yahoo!, it means everything gets simpler. We’ll be able to make speedier decisions, the notorious silos are gone, and we have a renewed focus on the customer. For you using Yahoo! every day, it will better enable us to deliver products that make you say, “Wow.”

I’ve noticed that a lot of us on the inside don’t spend enough time looking to the outside. That’s why I’m creating a new Customer Advocacy group. After getting a lot of angry calls at my office from frustrated customers, I realized we could do a better job of listening to and supporting you. Our Customer Care team does an incredible job with the amazing number of people who come to them, but they need better resources. So we’re investing in that. After all, you deserve the very best.

We’re also leaning on this team to make sure we’re all hearing the voice of our customers (consumers and advertisers). I’m singularly focused on providing you with awesome products. Period. The kind that get you so excited, you have to tell someone about them. Whether on your desktop, your mobile device, or even your TV.

And that takes a real understanding of what you want/need/love/hate, how you’re using our products, and what you find simple, intuitive, easy and fun. Who wants innovation for innovation’s sake if it doesn’t make your life easier, more efficient, more productive? So expect us to hear you better and take better care of you.

Finally, a note about our brand. It’s one of our biggest assets. Mention Yahoo! practically anywhere in the world, and people yodel. But in the past few years, we haven’t been as clear in showing the world what the Yahoo! brand stands for. We’re going to change that. Look for this company’s brand to kick ass again.

Big thanks to the many of you who’ve reached out with positive comments. It’s clear people want Yahoo! to succeed. I’ll try to pop by here again soon, though probably not too soon. I have a pretty long to-do list.

Carol Bartz
CEO

Guru’s Note: As a fellow Cheesehead and UW Badger, I enthusiastically support the Carol Bartz style of doing business. My Autodesk pals tell me she’s no-nonsense, down-to-earth and not one to tolerate some of the inexplicable speed bumps (”how complicated things are here”) that have plagued even the most high priority Y! projects.

Now That’s Jerry’s Finally Given Up The Royal Purple, Who Will Be Yahoo’s Next CEO?

Techcrunch is reporting that Jerry Yang is finally stepping down as CEO of the company he founded — but will remain as Chief Yahoo. The stock closed today at $10.63, legions away from the $33 Microsoft offered for the company last spring.

Scuttlebutt centers on Sue Decker and a possible return of tech veteran Dan Rosensweig.

Here’s the official press release:

Yahoo! Conducting Search for New CEO
Co-Founder Jerry Yang to Step Down Following Appointment of New CEO
and Return to Former Role as Chief Yahoo! and Board Member

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) –

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) today announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a search for a new Chief Executive Officer. Jerry Yang, co-Founder of Yahoo!, has decided to return to his former role as Chief Yahoo! upon the appointment of his successor as CEO, and he will also continue to serve on the Board. Yang, 40, assumed the CEO role at the Board’s request in June 2007, and he has led Yahoo! through a strategic repositioning and transformation of its platform.

Chairman Roy Bostock, working with the independent directors and in consultation with Jerry Yang, is leading the process of assessing potential candidates and determining finalists for consideration. The search will encompass both internal and external candidates, and the Board has retained Heidrick & Struggles, a leading international executive search firm, to assist in the process.

“Over the past year and a half, despite extraordinary challenges and distractions, Jerry Yang has led the repositioning of Yahoo! on an open platform model as well as the improved alignment of costs and revenues,” said Roy Bostock. “Jerry and the Board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level. We are deeply grateful to Jerry for his many contributions as CEO over the past 18 months, and we are pleased that he plans to stay actively involved at Yahoo! as a key executive and member of the Board.”

“From founding this company to guiding its growth into a trusted global brand that is indispensible to millions of people, I have always sought to do what is best for our franchise,” said Jerry Yang. “When the Board asked me to become CEO and lead the transformation of the Company, I did so because it was important to re-envision the business for a different era to drive more effective growth. Having set Yahoo! on a new, more open path, the time is right for me to transition the CEO role and our global talent to a new leader. I will continue to focus on global strategy and to do everything I can to help Yahoo! realize its full potential and enhance its leading culture of technology and product excellence and innovation.”

Yahoo and AOL Go On A Second Date?

It’s been rumored all week. Yahoo and AOL are leaping beyond eyelash-batting and late-night IM’s, and taking that getting-serious next step: the Second Date. Proof that the flirtation has gone past speed dating? They’re introducing their books to each other, engaging in ‘meaningful’ due diligence.

Does this mean a merger (wink-wink) is on the way? Or is Yahoo leading AOL on, like it did to ex-swain Microsoft, who Mom really-really would have loved? Or will Google’s search advertising partnership once again stand in the way of a deeply satisfying monogamous relationship for the Purple One?

Then there’s on-again, off-again Time Warner, who Yahoo turned to after Microsoft got a touch too possessive last spring. “Just because you have $47.5 billion doesn’t mean you can act like you own me!” snapped Yahoo, stomping out of Starbucks in awesome Sarah Lacy-style boots.

And then, like it was so random, but somehow Microsoft read some tweetsabout Yahoo’s hook-ups with Google and TW, and got ticked and yanked its $33-per-share proposal like right before summer vacation. But when Yahoo turned back to Google, thinking they could still be bffs, Google made up some bogus excuse about the government or the FBI or something not letting them be together.

Now everybody’s shares are way down, especially Yahoo’s, which crashed by 63%.  So this Second Date, is like, HUGE.   To help the courtship along, Guru turned to the romance experts at AskMen.com, who offer up this advice on how to handle that important Second Date:

So you made it to the second date. Good job. You’re relieved, you obviously made a good impression and she wants to see you again, but now what? What is she expecting? And, more importantly, what could ruin the potentially good thing you have going on?

K.I.S.S: Keep it simple stupid.
Don’t do anything spectacular or you’ll scare her off. Plan an activity that’s different from the first date, but make sure it’s nothing too demanding. The second date is about getting to know each other better. Have a few options planned, but don’t force her to choose or she’ll feel put on the spot.

Wise words.

Follow me on Twitter.

Just In: Yahoo Plans to Cut 10% of its Work Force.

TECHNOLOGY ALERT from The Wall Street Journal.

Oct. 21, 2008

Yahoo announced another restructuring effort that seeks to cut annual expenses by $400 million, including plans to cut at least 10% of its work force. The Internet giant reported a 64% drop in quarterly profit and revenue that was flat from a year earlier, as the company continues to struggle with slowing demand for online ads and stiffer competition.

Guru’s Note: Bad news but 1500 employees still better than the scuttlebutt about 3,500 workers being slashed.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, go to: http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-tech-technology.html?mod=djemalertTECH

Purple Reigns at Yahoo While Over At Microsoft, Bill & Jerry Yada Yada Over Nothing.

Given the sobering news being served up today by Wall Street, maybe we need our major corporations, those that are solvent anyway, to kick up their heels and act a little goofy.

Yahoo’s Yodel Anecdotal claims the new Start Wearing Purple campaign is all about celebrating what’s intrinsically Yahoo — innovation, spirit, quirkiness, ingenuity, daring and connectedness. After all the Purple People have been through in the past year — Steve Ballmer, Carl Icahn, shareholder lawsuits, the mass exodus of key execs, you can’t blame them for trying to drum up a bit of purple power via customized purple bikes, trains, sprinklers and signs.

Microsoft’s Bill & Jerry Show is all about sparking a conversation. The second commercial in the series is called New Family, and features Seinfeld and Gates trying to ‘get to know real people’ by moving in with a real family. Bizarrity ensues. The new spot has already racked up one million + page views and 1764 text comments on just one youtube post:

Random viewer 1  — hahaha wtf bill gates. wtf
Random viewer 2  —HAHA that was funny, eithier u get it or dont get it type of commercial.
Random viewer 3  —This is really off the charts. These ads stay in your mind.
Random Viewer 4 (screenname ‘consultant’ something, which makes any comment suspect) —I absolutely love these new videos. It’s all about individuality, the power of choice versus forced perception.
Random viewer 5 —I don’t really understand these commercials, and no one I know can explain it to me. Can someone please explain it to me?

Yahoo’s Mash Gets Smashed.

I got an email yesterday from Yahoo saying that it is closing Mash, its latest social media effort.

Mash was supposed to be an upgrade from Yahoo360, one of its previous social networking experiments, which I actually kind of liked.  But then I am the typical early adopter who even took a stab at Yahoo’s Mixd, which also shut down.  I have a vague memory of something called Mingle, too. Or maybe that was one of the names I generated for a social marketing project. At this stage in Y! world, they ought to consider skipping the M part of the alphabet.

Guru’s Note:  In July, Yahoo e-mailed its Yahoo! Music Store customers telling them it will be closing for good.  Another reason to avoid those M’s …

Yahoo! to Microsoft: “I’m Just Not That Into You.”

According to the New York Times, Yahoo has once again spurned an offer from Microsoft. The proposal came late Friday evening from Alpha-Suitors Steve Ballmer and Carl Icahn. Yahoo was given 24-hours to make its decision, which is like really random when it’s so last-minute and on a Friday night (when we usually pretend to be out with Google or maybe Rupert) and feels way like a booty call.

But just hours into the speed-date, spitfire Yahoo decided to play hard to get, bad-mouthing Microsoft to like everybody in the whole entire world, calling the proposal ‘ludricrous’ and like ‘erratic, unpredictable’ and ‘bludgeoning’ and probably even posting on its Super Wall.

Part of Yahoo’s hurt feelings resistance appears to come from the fact that Microsoft now only has eyes for its search business. Rather accept this new pieces-parts strategy, in which Co-Suitor Mr. Icahn, would have taken over the remaining parts of the company, Yahoo insists on being loved truly, madly deeply ‘just as I am.’ Then it went back to lying on its bed with like zillions of pillows and watching old Billie Holiday ‘All of Me’ videos on youtube.

Your 15 Minutes of UGC Fame & Fortune Start Here.

While researching my article on Rickrolling, I came across a bunch of User Generated Content Contests that sound like fun. There’s something for everyone — from Creative Consumers to Brainiacs. Increasingly tuned-in marketers are playing it smart with these promotions, following the Three Rules of UGC Contest Development:

1. Tap into consumers’ passions
2. Use multiple social channels to reach consumers
3. Know your audience — pick prizes & content format accordingly

Some of these chances at fame and fortune end soon.  So hurry.

Casting Call: Lifetime Networks invites female filmmakers to submit their original short films. Deadline for entries is July 8. The winning contestant will have their short shown on Lifetime Movie Networks and receive a cash prize of $5,000 plus the opportunity to attend networking events and festivals.

TechwareLabs Case Mod Contest with over $600 in prizes!!!Quote: Are you a mad modder at heart? Have you taken the toaster over and crammed a quad core CPU, dual video cards, and four hard drives into it? Have you altered your washer to look like something that qualifies as a WMD and outfit it with a PC? If so we want to see your mod, big or small. Submit everything you have modified and we will incorporate it into a video to be hosted on our site. The winning case mod will receive over $600 in prizes and have their creation appear in the video and also be interviewed by us and be featured on our front page. Get your dremel and bondo out and let the mods begin.

Shoot, Share, Get On TV. Ziddio feels like a mash up of YouTube and Bix.com, allowing users to enter competitions and win prizes - including appearances on TV. People create videos and upload them to Ziddio.com for the world to see, laugh, question, mock, and even enjoy. Run by Comcast; frequent contests.

Do You Think You Have What It Takes To Be A Super Star?
Simon Malls is inviting you to come and check out the Simon dTOUR Live Video and Recording Studio! At select malls across the country you will have the chance of a lifetime to show us what you’ve got.

BrainReactions is an online brainstorming site. Most of the time, BStormers do it out of the kindness of their hearts and a persistent need to do something, anything with their random neuro-eurekas. But for the first time since I’ve been seeding the site with my genius, (mad) money will change hands. Check out the Monjee contest.

Someday Stories From Wells Fargo
Everybody’s got a dream for Someday. What’s yours? This is a contest that’s all about you and what you want for your “Someday.” Today, just tell us the true and aspiring story about your Someday dream and your winnings could help make it real.

Calling All Filmmakers!

Power up with this potion and get out your camera. Create a :30 (30 second) commercial featuring CUBA’s new ‘All Natural’ ‘Herbal Energy Juice’.

TruTv + Black Gold Teams Up To Go Social.
My old white water rafting buddy, Thom Beers, strikes it rich again with the premiere of Black Gold. In conjunction with this sure-to-be-another-hit, TruTV launched the Black Gold Challenge casual game on Facebook, MySpace and Bebo to promote the premiere of the new series about West Texas oil roughnecks, debuting Wednesday, June 18 at 10p. Players tap their friends to form a drilling crew then pick a spot in Texas to begin drilling for hidden caches of “black gold.” One hidden hole contains a voucher for $50,000.

What Would You Do For A Klondike Bar?
You know the drill.

CREATE ENTER JUDGE
Yahoo’s contest site, Bix, offers a variety of contests including a Spore Creature contest with a MacAir and 50-inch plasma TV as prizes. I’m thinking I might have a better shot with the Spore contest than with my karoake version of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up.’