Bonus: An answer engine that outsmarts AI

It can outsmart Google, too  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  # Brought to you by: [Noom logo](=)​ Time for Bonus Intelligence — a single new useful tip or tool that'll work on whatever device(s) you're using! Remember: If you'd rather not receive these Wednesday emails, ​[you can easily opt out of them](=)without affecting the rest of your subscription. ✅ [​Got it — don't show this again​](=)​ Everyone's talking about AI chatbots, but they're not the best tool for every job. I'm not knocking AI here — those large language models like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google Bard are impressive. But AI chatbots have that obnoxious hallucination issue: They sometimes make things up. You have to fact-check the things they say closely. I've personally seen ChatGPT pretend to do math and get the answers totally wrong. (Also: AI chatbots can be slow.) So where do you turn? Well, you can search Google, Bing, or another web search engine. But, for knowledge queries involving operations on hard data — or math calculations — there's another easy option that can deliver better answers than your AI chatbot of choice. So today I'd like to stop back and talk about something that isn't AI — an older tool geeks have been using for a long time. #top A smart answer engine, not "AI" I'm talking about WolframAlpha. Originally released back in 2009, WolframAlpha is still an excellent tool that can answer all kinds of questions search engines like Google and Bing can't. In fact, ChatGPT has a plug-in that integrates with WolframAlpha. Even ChatGPT needs to turn to Wolfram's "knowledge engine" sometimes. ⌚ You can ask a question and get an answer in just 5 seconds. To get started, head to [WolframAlpha's website](). You can use it right on the web, or you can download an official app for [Android]() or [iPhone](. WolframAlpha is especially good at math, but it can do a lot more than that. This tool can even compare apples and oranges — two items people have always told me are so different they can be compared! To compare things, just separate them with a comma. So, to compare apples and oranges, type "apple, orange" into WolframAlpha. WolframAlpha will tell you how it interprets your input — that's very useful — and will deliver detailed nutrition information about these fruits, nicely formatted into tables. Huh! Turns out you can compare apples and oranges. [Comparison of apple and orange calories.] Here's another weird example: You can plug in "Weather in Boston on April 1, 1982" and you'll get a nicely formatted answer with every little detail about the weather that day, complete with graphs of cloud cover, precipitation, and wind speed — as well as the historical temperatures for that day of the year. That's the kind of data we know is out there somewhere — but where would you find it? It would take a lot of digging, but WolframAlpha knows. (It's also the kind of answer that an AI chatbot like ChatGPT would likely "hallucinate" a fake answer to. But we know WolframAlpha has the data to pull from.) [Weather data displayed in WolframAlpha.] There's so much you can do with WolframAlpha that it's hard to even scratch the surface. The WolframAlpha website has [a big list of examples to inspire you](=), ranging from categories like science and technology to society, culture and everyday life. 📌 You can [use WolframAlpha on the web]() — or download the [Android]() or [iPhone]( apps. 💰 All the features I mentioned are free. (There's also [a Pro subscription]( with more advanced features.) 🕶 It works without an account, and the [privacy policy](=) says the company won't sell your personal data. Now, speaking of useful knowledge... #top SPONSORED MESSAGE Reach your health goals with just one program Are you looking to make positive changes to your health and wellness? [Look no further than Noom.](=) Their innovative program is designed to help you achieve your health goals in a sustainable and enjoyable way. [Person hiking in the mountains](=) Noom believes that small changes can lead to big results, and with personalized guided coaching, group support, and psychology-based lessons, you can make those changes with ease. Noom’s app uses a unique and revolutionary approach to healthy living that only requires 10 minutes a day. By combining the latest in psychology and technology, Noom has created a program that's both effective and painless. With Noom’s program, you’ll receive: 👏 Daily support from a dedicated coach 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Access to a supportive community of like-minded individuals 🍽️ Personalized meal plans that are tailored to your specific needs and preferences ➜ [Start your health journey with Noom today!](=)​ [START YOUR HEALTH JOURNEY ➜](=) #top This Week's Bonus Intelligence Quiz Microsoft's search engine is named "Bing." Which alternate name did Microsoft's chief marketing strategist first suggest? Remember: NO CHEATING! Anyone can look up info on the web. Stick with the spirit of the game and test your actual knowledge without searching. It's just for fun, anyway! [Ding]() [Bang]() [Microsoft Search Engine 7 Series]() [Windows Live Search]() Answer correctly before next Wednesday and secure your spot on the [Bonus Intelligence Leaderboard](=)! Last week's question and answer: Which service did Google never integrate into Gmail? Google Reader. The Google Buzz and Google+ social networks were integrated into Gmail, as was Google Talk, a once-popular instant messaging service. Google never integrated its feed reader into Gmail, although members of the Google Reader team [recall]( Google executives repeatedly “[asking] why Reader wasn’t just a tab in the Gmail app."   You received this email because your address was signed up for the Windows Intelligence early preview. If you didn't mean to sign up or no longer wish to be subscribed, you can [unsubscribe or update your preferences here](=).