Moving from information to knowledge.
Monday, July 13, 2009 at 11:56AM 
One of the common misconceptions with the use of the internet is that one can get useful knowledge through web searches.
While this perception is not entirely untrue, the reality is that all that search engines do is that they 'farm' existing information on the internet (some of it that is useful and some of it that is not) and present you with a list of links to websites that contain information about your search term.
So, for example if I put 'Dion' into google.com it will look for the site that has A) the most hits, B) the longest history in existence, and C) that has the search term 'Dion' on it. (My name lands 3rd on the first page under Video and at the top of the second page of search results).
This is simple information - it is not knowledge. All that google is telling me is that there are a number of sites that refer to the word 'Dion' on the internet.
What we need in the information age is a tool that can help us to move from information to KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is a useful comodity. This is where wolframalpha comes in!
This site is brainchild of Stephen Wolfram (a scientist) who has developed a mathematical model that can harvest information and then use mathematical models to turn the information into useful knowledge.
So, for example, if you put the name 'Dion' into wolframalpha.com it will do the same as google on the back end (i.e., search the internet for all information and references to the word 'Dion'), then once it has the information it draws out useful information. For example, it will search websites and connect the name 'Dion' with birth dates, population statistics, and death rates.
Wolframalpha will then give you back useful statistical knowledge like how many people on earth have that name, when the name was most popular, what the average age is among people who have that name and what their expected age is.
The site is still in its infancy, but it is heading the right direction! We need to move from information to knowledge.
Go along to wolframalpha.com and put your first name into the search engine and see what it spits out. Then take a look at a few other examples they have listed on calculations, stocks, and a host of other knowledge processes. Please let me know what you discover (and particularly if you find anything interesting!)
Perhaps we're getting closer to Ray Kurzweil's prediction that by 2029 we shall have intelligent machines.
Check here for more posts I've made about Artificial Intelligence, consciousness, the human brain and information technology.
Reader Comments (1)
Hi Dion,
I tried the link to Wolframalpha, but it doesn't recognise my name - not surprising.
Just thought I'd let you know that my devotion this morning was also on the difference between Knowledge and Information (Romans 1:22)- sorry, I don't have a link for it, as it is an old 'Our Daily Bread'.
Keep strong my friend.
Still would love the chance to chat if you are ever in PMB.
Blessings, my captain.
Delme