Updated: Details on Microsoft's New Search Partnership With Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha's API sees big pickup, may just change how we look at a search engine

We've been following Wolfram  for since its introduction as this search engine promises to open search to dramatically new realms, such as math and the sciences. Located in Champaign, Illinois, Wolfram Research produces Wolfram Alpha. Founded by Stephen Wolfram, Ph.D, the company's past works have included Mathematica and Wolfram Workbench, utilities commonly employed by college students and researchers.

Wolfram Alpha returns answers to complex questions like plots of mathematical functions, geometric shapes, nutritional information, and more. Previously, these results had been offered solely through Wolfram's search engine site. There had been some recent chatter that Wolfram was working on APIs for other search engine firms to use, but the results remained unrevealed -- until now.

Microsoft and Wolfram Research just announced that Microsoft's Bing search engine will bring the Wolfram API onboard to provide richer search results. Wolfram's blog describes, "Wolfram

Alpha provides immediate, unbiased, and individualized information, making it distinctly different from what has traditionally been found through web search. By using Wolfram

Alpha, Bing recognizes the complementary benefits of bringing computational knowledge to the forefront of the search experience... By using our API, Bing will be able to seamlessly access the tens of thousands of algorithms and trillions of pieces of data from Wolfram

Alpha, and directly incorporate the computations in its search results."

The Wolfram team relates a humorous story of Stephen Wolfram presenting the engine to Microsoft's senior executives. Stephen Wolfram typed in the query "2^2^2^2^2" and a number popped up. Semi-retired founder and former CEO Bill Gates inquired, "What, is that right?"

Mr. Wolfram replied, "We do mathematics!

And that they did, finding that the result is indeed correct. The Wolfram team writes, "Microsoft continues to pepper us with questions to this day, reflecting its continued enthusiasm in Wolfram

Alpha."

The deal is not an exclusive one, however, so those hoping to see Google+Wolfram aren't out of luck just yet. We caught up with Wolfram's publicist, John Ekizian. While he told us he couldn't discuss financial details of the deal with Microsoft, he was more than happy to clarify the question of exclusivity. He states, " We have talked to everybody in the business about using our API, and then we'll have more announcements about whose using. But no, there's no exclusivity with Microsoft."

He says Microsoft was the first to jump on the deal, though. Asking him about the direction he sees the company's search endeavors going in, he plugged both the API (and partners), Wolfram's own site, and the company's iPhone app, stating, "I think its a little bit of everything. Its a great complement to search. Therefore its the perfect API. But also, we've had a lot of traction on the actual website and our iPhone app has been doing incredibly well. We've been on the top grossing apps and on the hot apps and we've only been out about three or four weeks with the iPhone app."

For now, you can go to Bing and test out the feature for yourself. Microsoft suggests using it to search for health information, such as body-mass index (BMI), nutrition information, to plot math equations, or to look up geometric information like "pyramid".......update

We spoke early this afternoon with Wolfram's Schoeller Porter who leads Wolfram's developer relations program and works more closely with the technical aspects of the API.

We began by asking some questions about how Wolfram collects all of its data. Mr. Porter explained that some data is internal, other from reputable sources (government data, etc.). However, with all information, before it can be entered into the search engine it must undergo "curation" -- named after museum preservation. Describes Mr. Porter, "It's a process to help ensure that we're providing quality data to our customers."

Next we inquired about whether Wolfram had plans for a Android OS (Google) or Blackberry (RIM) version of its popular iPhone app. Mr. Porter said that the various platforms are indeed being looked at and that the main limitation was screen size. The iPhone app sends queries to the API, which Mr. Porter describes as a "restful API" and gets information back to display. Mr. Porter said that the iPhone was first targeted due to its "large and vibrant market."

One interesting thing Mr. Porter mentioned was that Microsoft was Wolfram's customer (and not the other way around). This may cast a bit of light on the business arrangement between the pair, which is being kept closely guarded.

We closed with discussing the future of Wolfram Alpha, which seems bright. Mr Porter states, "Wolfram Alpha will continue to grow in scope of information and depth."

Newly assertive Japan to test Obama

TOKYO: President Barack Obama has arrived in Tokyo, the first stop on his four-nation tour of Asia.

Obama arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport Friday after a stopover at a U.S. military base in Alaska, where he addressed American troops.

He was to meet with Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama later Friday evening and hold a news conference. Before leaving for an economic summit in Singapore, Obama also was scheduled to greetJapanese Emperor Akihito and deliver a policy speech on Asia. After Singapore, Obama is to visit China and South Korea.

Alavi Foundation: Complaint comes at delicate time for US, Iran

The US government Thursday moved to seize the assets of the Alavi Foundation – including a New York skyscraper and four mosques. The Justice Department says the Alavi Foundation funnels money to the Iranian government for its nuclear program.

New York:  The US government moved Thursday to seize four mosques and a skyscraper owned by the Alavi Foundation, an Islamic nonprofit organization in New York that federal prosecutors say is a front for the Iranian government.

The move comes at a delicate moment for US-Iranian relations. There have been signs of some diplomatic thawing between the two nations. Recent negotiations about Iran's nuclear program – which the US fears could be used to produce nuclear weapons – resulted in a compromise deal that would allow Iran's nuclear fuel to be enriched outside the country.

Iran, however, has so far not endorsed the deal, leading to renewed calls for tougher sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Moreover, Iran has charged three American hikers arrested over the summer in Iran with espionage.

The new effort by federal prosecutors to cast an Iranian nonprofit as an arm of the Iranian government could fray relations further.

The forfeiture action is part of an investigation into the Alavi Foundation, which the government says has sent millions of dollars to Iran's Bank Melli. In March, the US Treasury Department called the bank a key fundraising arm for Iran's nuclear program.

The timing of the development probably had nothing to do with the current dynamic in US-Iranian relations, Michael Rubin, an Iranian expert at the American Enterprise Institute, told the Associated Press. "It's taken ages dealing with the nuts and bolts of the investigation. It's not the type of investigation which is part of any larger strategy."

The original lawsuit filed in 2008 sought to seize Assa Co.'s 40 percent interest in the 36-story New York skyscraper. The Justice Department alleges that Assa, which is headquartered in Britain's Jersey Islands, is also a front for Bank Melli.

Thursday's filing is an amendment to that original lawsuit. It seeks to seize the remaining 60 percent of the skyscraper, which is controlled by Alavi, as well as properties in New York, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, and California controlled by Alavi – including four mosques.

Alavi President Farhsid Jahedi was also arrested last year and accused by Justice Department prosecutors of illegally destroying documents. The case is pending.

A lawyer for the group said it will fight the move in court and that Alavi Foundation is not linked to the Iranian government.

6 hurt in suicide bombing near US base in Afghanistan

KABUL: The Taliban is claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing attack that wounded at least six people near Camp Phoenix, a logistics support base for U.S. forces just outside Kabul.

NATO said the suicide bombing occurred at 8 a.m. (0330 GMT) Friday. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told foreign news agency the attack was carried out by a car suicide bomber and targeted an international military convoy.

Abdul Ghafar Sayed Zada, chief of criminal investigation for Kabul police, said three civilians and three foreigners were injured.

10 dead, 30 hurt in Peshawar suicide blast

PESHAWAR: Bombs tore through security offices in Peshawar on Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring more then 30.

Majority of the schools have been closed and papers scheduled today have been postponed.

According to reports, a suicide bomber traveling in a car was trying to reach intelligence agency office at Kyber Road. When stopped at security check post by security officials, he blew up himself. The loud explosion heard throughout the city after the blast with huge clouds of smoke spewing into the sky and debris littering the ground. The building was almost destroyed.

IG Police Malik Naveed said it was a suicide blast in which 10 people including security men were killed and more then 30 wounded. The injured were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital and Combined Military Hospital as emergency has been imposed in local hospitals.The Khyber Road has been closed for traffic and area has been sealed.