watson

IBM supercomputer to appear on 'Jeopardy'

What is the end of the world?

For some, it would be dedicating your life to appear on a TV game show. For others, it would be creating a machine that can prove itself better than anyone who dedicates their life to appear on a TV game show.

For myself, it seems clear that IBM has created something that will be the apogee of appointment television by honing a supercomputer to compete with the finest mailmen, insurance brokers, and nurses to prove that it can, well, find the question in the answer.

Yes, IBM's Watson is, according to The New York Times, … Read more

Microsoft to announce Azure business plan next month

Microsoft plans to announce next month more of the business details behind its Windows Azure operating system.

The software maker unveiled the cloud-based operating system at a developer conference last year. It has said that some of the services, currently in free testing, will be released in final form this year. The company has said that it will run Azure applications in its data centers and will charge users based on the computing resources they need.

In an interview on Monday, Corporate Vice President Allison Watson said that the company will get concrete about the financial details and say how … Read more

IBM program to take on 'Jeopardy' champions

What is the point?

No, no. I know that the ultimate goal is to have computers far more clever than humans so that humans can relax and be just as stupid as they already know themselves to be.

Still, one can't help but feel a shudder beneath one's shirt at the prospect of an IBM computer program beating 74-time champion Ken Jennings at "Jeopardy."

I was fine with IBM's Deep Blue taking on chess champion Garry Kasparov. The man had been fighting Deep Red all his life, so he was hardly going to be intimidated … Read more

Microsoft encourages partners to get SAASy

Microsoft is again trying to convince the partners that sell its software that they can make money in a world in which customers are getting their software as a service directly from Microsoft.

At its annual partner conference, which is taking place this week in Houston, Microsoft offered more details on the finances that buttress that claim. For example, partners that sign up customers for the new $15-per-month bundle of hosted SharePoint, Exchange and Office Communications Server can get a 12 percent referral fee. The partners can also get a 6-percent cut of renewal fees provided they continue to be … Read more

The 404 121: Where a little Wilson goes a long way

The 404 guys are back along with their trusty sidekick "The Artist formerly known as MTI." On this good Monday morning, they wax poetic about "Crappening" movies they saw this weekend along with a little "Hulk Smash!" Apparently, the Wii Fit actually makes you less of a fat-ass. Sony Ericsson makes a N-Gage competitor. Hermione Granger got hot and 6 million dollars in a Chanel makeup deal and finally some Asian guy (not Justin Yu) is into armpit sniffing. Find out why it got him 14 years and 18 slashes in Singaporean prison. EPISODE … Read more