Google makes search 'more human'

16 May 2012 Last updated at 21:05 The Knowledge Graph groups results by context for the first time, Google said Google has revamped its search engine in an attempt to offer instant answers to search questions.

A new function, the Knowledge Graph, will make the site's algorithms act "more human", the site said in a blog post.

The feature will at first be available to US-based users, but will be rolled out globally in due course.

It follows similar efforts by rival Bing to provide added search content beyond the typical list of links.

Microsoft's search engine launched its "snapshot" column last week as part of a wider site redesign.

Google's senior vice president of engineering Amit Singhal explained that, until now, the search engine was only able match keywords, rather than understand context.

Mr Singhal said the words "Taj Mahal" could mean different things to different people.

"You might think of one of the world's most beautiful monuments, or a Grammy Award-winning musician, or possibly even a casino in Atlantic City, NJ. Or, depending on when you last ate, the nearest Indian restaurant," he said.

Key information

Google said the Knowledge Graph has been programmed to use around 3.5 billion different attributes to organise results meaning it can now group results according to those various alternative interpretations.

For some searches, such as on prominent people, Google will automatically pull up a summary box with key information on that topic.

The next step, Mr Singhal said, is to look at how the site can answer more complex questions, such as "What are the 10 deepest lakes in Africa?"

In doing so the search engine would need to draw on multiple sources and factor in many different criteria.

This kind of computational, intelligent search is currently pioneered by the likes of Wolfram Alpha - a site which gathers verified data, such as from the World Health Organization, to provide statistical results.

It has long been a technological goal to produce search engines that could react entirely naturally to human-like queries.

One such effort includes the somewhat iconic search engine Ask Jeeves, where users can ask a stereotypically English butler for help.

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How Your Faith Makes You a Leader

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 18, 2012 -
Significant Faith Ministries announces the release of the revolutionary new book, “The Christian Leadership Experience: How Your Faith Makes You a Leader.” (Also available to enhance your study is “The Christian Leadership Experience Workbook.)

Hugh Whitmore presents Christian leadership in a way that has never previously been
accomplished, defining faith itself as leadership and guiding the reader to spiritual
connections to leadership which open unlimited possibilities across all areas of life.

Hugh’s work is enhanced by the opinions and life stories of a wide range of successful
Christian leaders who were interviewed for the project. Christian men and women from
all walks of life spoke sincerely and eloquently about both faith and leadership, lending
comfort and credibility to the ample advice provided throughout the book. The Christian
Leadership Experience is about leadership and faith, but the book is made more
remarkable by how it combines faith and leadership to develop the whole person into a more efficiently functioning leader.

Hugh Whitmore is an author and businessman from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Hugh is the author of "The Christian Leadership Experience," "The Christian Leadership
Experience Workbook," and the voice project "How to Get to Heaven." Hugh is also the founder of Significant Faith Ministries, at: www.SignificantFaith.com.

(855) 443-2484 (Toll-free)

If you would like to schedule an interview with Hugh, please use the above contact information.

The market for The Christian Leadership Experience is broad. Market segments that will be interested:
1. Success oriented Christians looking for leadership expertise from a Christian perspective.
2. Christians searching for a deeper relationship with God.
3. Casual Christians looking to find greater personal fulfillment.
4. People who are not Christian but may be open to the God-connection to success.

If you would like to retail The Christian Leadership Experience you may purchase it through the CreateSpace expanded distribution network at Ingram Book Company: www.Ingrambook.com.

Direct purchases can be made through Amazon for the paperback and for the Kindle and for author signed copies and mp3 downloads go to http://www.SignificantFaith.com

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Doris Day, 87, makes UK chart history

11 September 2011 Last updated at 18:01 GMT Doris Day, pictured here in 1955, has not performed for more than 25 years Doris Day has become the oldest artist to score a UK Top 10 with an album featuring new material, according to the Official Charts Company.

Day's My Heart has gone in at number nine, 62 years after the 87-year-old's debut album was released in the US.

My Heart is a selection of recordings produced by her son, Terry Melcher, before his death in 2004.

Playing In The Shadows, the third album by British pop artist Example, entered the chart at number one.

Mercury-winner PJ Harvey's Let England Shake is this week's number 24 in the album chart.

The critically-acclaimed record has leapt 151 places from last week.

In the singles chart, Pixie Lott has secured her third number one with All About Tonight.

Former X Factor-winner Leona Lewis and Swedish DJ Avicii's collaboration Collide has charted at number four.

The track found the pair at the centre of a copyright dispute after the producer claimed the singer had used a piano sample without his permission.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Day - Hollywood's "girl-next-door" - has appeared in 39 films and recorded 28 other albums.

British singer Vera Lynn topped the UK album chart in August 2009, at the age of 92, but that was with a greatest hits album, We'll Meet Again - The Very Best Of Vera Lynn.

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Charice Makes First Teen Choice Awards Appearance

Our very own Charice graced the Teen Choice Awards Sunday night (Monday morning in Manila) and presented the Acuvue Inspire award together with Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey!

The singing sensation walked down the red carpet of this year’s Teen Choice Awards and talked about Glee and her latest movie “Here Comes the Boom”.

During the event, Charice also presented the Choice Song of the Summer award and an Acuvue Inspire Award to Demi Lovato with “Teen Wolf” star Tyler Posey.

Watch the video here:

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Kate Middleton Makes It to Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List

The Duchess of Cambridge is one of the world’s best-dressed celebrities.

Kate Middleton returns to Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed list, her first was in 2008.

The Duchess of Cambridge joins Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on top of the 72-year-old list for a “whirlwind year of fashion successes.” According to a statement from the magazine, Middleton’s mix of high and low looks–designer fashion one day, jeans the next–makes her one of the top choices this year by designers, retailers, editors, socialites, photographers and entertainers who comprise the “voters.”

Other royalties in this year’s list include Princess Alexandra of Greece, Princess Charlene of Monaco, Italian Countess Matilde Borromeo and Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser of Qatar.

Making it to the list for the very first time are pop star/actor Justin Timberlake, English actor Colin Firth, Armie Hammer and Christine Lagarde, chief of the International Monetary Fund.

Carey Mulligan and Tilda Swinton have each made it twice while news anchor Brian Williams was named to the hall of fame.

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Skype for iPad Makes Its Debut [UPDATE]

Update: Skype has pulled its iPad app from the App Store. The company says that the app went live prematurely.

-

Skype has released its official iPad app to the iOS App Store, bringing its live video service to both 3G and Wi-Fi data connections.

Skype for iPad, which has begun rolling out in app stores across the world, expands upon the iPhone app’s features, thanks to the iPad’s larger screen real estate. The iPad app includes all of the features you’d expect: video chat, instant messaging, phone calls and quick access to your contacts. Unlike the iPhone app, instant messaging can be used during video calls.

The Skype app works with both the iPad 1 and the iPad 2, although the iPad 1 only can receive video, as one might expect. The Skype iPad app can call anybody using Skype, whether it’s on the desktop or an iOS device. It requires iOS 4.0 or above.

We’re playing around with the app now, and we’ll have know more updates once we’ve had a chance to make a few calls.

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Apple's Lion makes a move toward mobile

Apple says Lion, the newest version of its Mac operating system, has 250 new features.Apple's Mac OS X Lion released on Wednesday
The new operating system for Macs adopts features from mobile devices
New system has 250 new features, Apple says

(CNN) -- Lion, the latest version of Apple's operating software for its Mac computers, was released to the public on Wednesday. It's an update that continues to blur the line between software on mobile devices and desktop computers.

Marking the eighth major release of new software for Apple computers, Mac OS X Lion offers 250 new features, according to the company.

With multi-touch gesturing, full-screen app display and access to the Mac App Store built directly into the software, the system was clearly designed to make working on a Mac more similar to working on an iPad.

"Lion is the best version of OS X yet, and we're thrilled that users around the world can download it starting today," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said in a written statement.

"Lion makes upgrading a Mac easier than ever before; just launch the Mac App Store, buy Lion with your iTunes account, and the download and install process will begin automatically."

Walt Mossberg of All Things Digital called Lion Apple's "most radical new MacIntosh operating system in years," calling it a "giant step in the merger of the personal computer and post-PC devices like tablets and smartphones."

The new system, however, does not run iPhone or iPad apps (at least, not yet) and it does run Adobe Flash -- something Steve Jobs and company have summarily banished from their mobile devices.

Its touch features use a touchpad, making them similar, but not exactly the same, as what iPhone and iPad users may be used to on their touchscreens.

Mossberg said he likes the system, but warned that new users may suffer during their transition.

"Switching to Lion will require a major adjustment even for veteran Mac users, though it will be easier for those who use iPhones or iPads," he wrote. "Lion will significantly increase the learning curve for Windows users switching to the Mac."

Brian X. Chen of Wired wrote that "some of Lion's iOS-like features scale up very well, while others behave very poorly in a desktop environment."

He found the software's iPad-like scrolling feature distracting and dizzying (he eventually disabled it) but said he enjoyed the system's app-opening full-screen mode and praised new sharing and auto-save functions.

Mac OS X Lion is available as a $29.99 upgrade for people with the latest version of the Snow Leopard operating system. It will be available at Apple Stores in August for $69.99.

Lion is the latest in a long line of cat-named operating systems rolled out by Apple for its computers. Past versions have included Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.

Whether the king of the jungle marks the last version of feline-named software remains to be seen -- but we're still holding out hope for Jaguarundi.

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Apple's Lion makes a move toward mobile

Apple says Lion, the newest version of its Mac operating system, has 250 new features.Apple's Mac OS X Lion released on Wednesday
The new operating system for Macs adopts features from mobile devices
New system has 250 new features, Apple says

(CNN) -- Lion, the latest version of Apple's operating software for its Mac computers, was released to the public on Wednesday. It's an update that continues to blur the line between software on mobile devices and desktop computers.

Marking the eighth major release of new software for Apple computers, Mac OS X Lion offers 250 new features, according to the company.

With multi-touch gesturing, full-screen app display and access to the Mac App Store built directly into the software, the system was clearly designed to make working on a Mac more similar to working on an iPad.

"Lion is the best version of OS X yet, and we're thrilled that users around the world can download it starting today," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said in a written statement.

"Lion makes upgrading a Mac easier than ever before; just launch the Mac App Store, buy Lion with your iTunes account, and the download and install process will begin automatically."

Walt Mossberg of All Things Digital called Lion Apple's "most radical new MacIntosh operating system in years," calling it a "giant step in the merger of the personal computer and post-PC devices like tablets and smartphones."

The new system, however, does not run iPhone or iPad apps (at least, not yet) and it does run Adobe Flash -- something Steve Jobs and company have summarily banished from their mobile devices.

Its touch features use a touchpad, making them similar, but not exactly the same, as what iPhone and iPad users may be used to on their touchscreens.

Mossberg said he likes the system, but warned that new users may suffer during their transition.

"Switching to Lion will require a major adjustment even for veteran Mac users, though it will be easier for those who use iPhones or iPads," he wrote. "Lion will significantly increase the learning curve for Windows users switching to the Mac."

Brian X. Chen of Wired wrote that "some of Lion's iOS-like features scale up very well, while others behave very poorly in a desktop environment."

He found the software's iPad-like scrolling feature distracting and dizzying (he eventually disabled it) but said he enjoyed the system's app-opening full-screen mode and praised new sharing and auto-save functions.

Mac OS X Lion is available as a $29.99 upgrade for people with the latest version of the Snow Leopard operating system. It will be available at Apple Stores in August for $69.99.

Lion is the latest in a long line of cat-named operating systems rolled out by Apple for its computers. Past versions have included Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.

Whether the king of the jungle marks the last version of feline-named software remains to be seen -- but we're still holding out hope for Jaguarundi.

View the original article here

Read More