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Ricky
SFN Die Hard

USA
4907 Posts

Posted - 03/09/2009 :  18:35:13  Show Profile  Send Ricky an AOL message Send Ricky a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Ok, so this won't replace google, and really won't even compete with it. But it still is pretty cool. It's the Natural Language Question Answering System. Of course, I had to try, "What is the largest lake in the world?" and got the reply:

With area of 152,239 square miles, Caspian Sea is the biggest lake in the world.

With a width of 745 miles, Caspian Sea is the widest lake in the world.

Why continue? Because we must. Because we have the call. Because it is nobler to fight for rationality without winning than to give up in the face of continued defeats. Because whatever true progress humanity makes is through the rationality of the occasional individual and because any one individual we may win for the cause may do more for humanity than a hundred thousand who hug their superstitions to their breast.
- Isaac Asimov

Kil
Evil Skeptic

USA
13477 Posts

Posted - 03/09/2009 :  18:44:28   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Kil's Homepage  Send Kil an AOL message  Send Kil a Yahoo! Message Send Kil a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Oh, cool...

Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.

Why not question something for a change?

Genetic Literacy Project
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Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26022 Posts

Posted - 03/09/2009 :  22:09:20   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hmmm...
===> Why is my retirement fund failing?

I am sorry to say I don't know why your retirement is the fund that is failing.
Perhaps it was a problem with grammar.
===> Where can I get herbal viagra?

Sorry, no one has told me where you can get Herbal Viagra.
Interesting to note that START supplied the capitals in the answer.
===> How old is the Loch Ness Monster?

I am sorry to say I don't know how old the loch ness monster is.
Now it's doing inappropriate lowercase?
===> How many fingers am I holding up?

Sorry - I don't know how many up fingers you are holding.
Another grammar problem, it seems.
===> How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Unfortunately, I don't know how much wood a woodchuck could chuck if it could chuck it.
But it got that grammar just fine.
===> Where is Waldo?

The coordinates of Waldo, Missouri are 38.9939 N, 94.5917 W.

Waldo is located in the USA, in the state of Missouri.

Source: Global Gazetteer

I know about 12 more cities called "Waldo": Waldo, Missouri, Waldo, Alabama, Waldo, Minnesota, Waldo, Mississippi, Waldo, Maine, Waldo, Ohio, Waldo, Kentucky, Waldo, Florida, Waldo, Wisconsin, Waldo, Kansas, Waldo, Arkansas, and Waldo, California

Waldo, Missouri is located at 997 feet above sea level.

I know about 12 more cities called "Waldo": Waldo, Missouri, Waldo, Alabama, Waldo, Minnesota, Waldo, Mississippi, Waldo, Maine, Waldo, Ohio, Waldo, Kentucky, Waldo, Florida, Waldo, Wisconsin, Waldo, Kansas, Waldo, Arkansas, and Waldo, California

Source: Global Gazetteer

Which term in Wikipedia do you mean:

* Waldo, Jersey City
* Waldo, Florida
* Waldo
The last three are links, the last of which basically regurgitates Wikipedia's disambiguation page.
===> What is James Randi's birth name?

James Randi

James Randi (born August 7, 1928) (stage name The Amazing Randi) is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi began his career as a magician, but then became a debunker of the paranormal. He has written about the paranormal, skepticism, and the history of magic.

Source: Wikipedia
I wonder if there have been tests done between START and Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" button...

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular

Norway
1273 Posts

Posted - 03/10/2009 :  02:55:03   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send On fire for Christ a Private Message  Reply with Quote
===> When is a door not a door?

I don't know when a door is not a door.



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leoofno
Skeptic Friend

USA
346 Posts

Posted - 03/10/2009 :  04:58:03   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send leoofno a Private Message  Reply with Quote
===> Does God exist?

Sorry, I don't have this information.

Damn Agnostic.

"If you're not terrified, you're not paying attention." Eric Alterman
Edited by - leoofno on 03/10/2009 04:59:42
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