Wolfram Alpha Easter Egg: Are You Skynet?
June 4, 2009 by Geeks are Sexy | 10 comments
Excuse me Wolfram Alpha, but, are you Skynet?

[Via Gizmodo | Wolfram Alpha]
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But can you really trust the computer to tell you whether it’s Skynet or not? I’m still wary.
Case in point: I typed in “I like you”. WA came back with “How nice. Be assured the feeling is mutual.”
HOW DOES THAT NOT SCREAM OF EVIL INTENT??!
Answer to question, “Who are you?”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/islandinthenet/3594804519/in/set-72157619155915035/
Try “Open the pod bay doors, HAL.” :)
http://www16.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Open+the+pod+bay+doors%2C+HAL
what is the average air speed velocity of an unladen swallow
http://www52.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=what+is+the+average+air+speed+velocity+of+an+unladen+swallow
There is no way you can trust that though. It is just pretending.
Query Stephen Wolfram:
Skynet was destroyed on Wolfram’s 38th birthday! It can’t be a coincidence!
Okay, that’s way better than the one I found:
http://www42.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=How+much+wood+would+a+woodchuck+chuck+if+a+woodchuck+could+chuck+wood%3F
On the other hand, if you ask it for the murder rate in a particular city during a particular year, it won’t have a clue what to do. That was disappointing. I’d like to be able to say, “What was the murder rate in Cleveland in 1997?” Then, I should be able to take that result and ask it how that measures against other years, cities, etc. There’s no way even to get past the next step.
I expect that it will evolve, however, so I can wait.
Ask WA what its favorite color is.
http://www33.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=What+is+your+favorite+color%3F
What is the meaning of life? 42
Where are you located? I live on the Internet.
Are you self-aware? I am capable of universal computation; that I can say.
Are you going to take over the world? No, just make it more computable.
Do you want to kill all humans? No, my prime directive is to compute for all humanity, not wipe it out.
Do you want to play a game? Love to. How about Global Thermonuclear War.
Did Man land on the moon? Yes