in reply to Re: Re: How to "fake" web browser from Perl
in thread How to "fake" web browser from Perl

I asked START a number of questions and the following are what I got:

1) What is the size of Singapore?
->The population of Singapore, Singapore is 2,792,000.
( I was expecting the physical size of Singapore... )

1a) What is the physical size of Singapore?
->I don't have this information.
( Huh? )

1b) How big is Singapore?
->Singapore is located at 3 feet above sea level.
( Hm... )

2) Who is the prime minister of Singapore?
->chief of state: President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers Brig. Gen. (Ret.) LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) and TAN Keng Yam Tony (since 1 August 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 28 August 1999 (next to be held by August 2005); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN elected president unopposed
( A simple "Goh Chok Tong" would have been greatly appreciated. )

3) How many states are there in America?
->50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
( That looks okay... )

  • Comment on Re: Re: Re: How to "fake" web browser from Perl

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Re: Re: Re: Re: How to "fake" web browser from Perl
by edan (Curate) on Nov 30, 2003 at 14:49 UTC

    Perhaps if you would have asked the right question...

    What is the area of Singapore?

    Area:
    total: 692.7 sq km
    water: 10 sq km
    land: 682.7 sq km
    Area - comparative:
    slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

    Actually quite informative, if you ask me...

    --
    3dan

[reply]
      If you have to supply the word "area" to get the answer for the "physical size" of a country, then it's rather restrictive. It's doing just key-word spotting and not really "understanding" what a human person is asking. I may well have typed in "area singapore" without having to phrase it like a question, because those are the words it needs.

      Correct me if I'm wrong but I think most average speakers of English will comprehend the questions What is the physical size of Singapore? or How big is Singapore? At the very least, a human person will be able to correct me and prompt me with a question like: Do you mean the area of Singapore?

[reply]
Re: Re: Re: Re: How to "fake" web browser from Perl
by The Mad Hatter (Priest) on Nov 30, 2003 at 02:23 UTC
    Yes, and your point is?
[reply]
      It doesn't strike me as a very intelligent system, despite its claim "Unlike information retrieval systems (e.g., search engines), START aims to supply users with "just the right information," instead of merely providing a list of hits. Currently, the system can answer millions of English questions about places (e.g., cities, countries, lakes, coordinates, weather, maps, demographics, political and economic systems), movies (e.g., titles, actors, directors), people (e.g., birth dates, biographies), dictionary definitions, and much, much more. Below is a list of some of the things START knows about, with example questions."

      I read your reply to xenchu with interest and decided to try out the system. That's all :)

[reply]
Clarity of expression is key
by Anonymous Monk on Dec 02, 2003 at 01:41 UTC
    On the other hand, if you had asked "What is the area of Singapore," you would have gotten:

    Area:

    total: 692.7 sq km
    water: 10 sq km
    land: 682.7 sq km
    Area - comparative:

    slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

[reply]
      That was one of the points I was trying to make. With a system such as START you have to know how to ask the question. Usually rather exactly how to ask. At Perl Monks, questioner often get the answer to the question s/he should have asked. And I am not trying to downrate START. I don't know the area of Singapore or most of the millions of other questions START can answer. It appears, though, that you had better know the question you want to ask.

      XENCHU

      Perl has one Great Advantage and one Great Disadvantage:

      It is very easy to write a complex and powerful program in three lines of code.

      ********************************************

      The Needs of the World and my Talents run parallel to infinity.
[reply]
[d/l]

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