IBM gained fame in this supercomputer arena with their Deep Blue computer, beating world chess champion Garry Kasparov two games to one (with three draws) in a six-game match.  This was the first time a computer had ever beaten a human chess champion.  Kasparov apparently was so upset that he demanded a rematch, but IBM ended up dismantling the Deep Blue computer.

Rather than focusing on known chess moves, Watson can understand natural language, and then play competitive games of Jeopardy! by providing the correct answers (in the form of a question, mind you).  You can actually play against Watson through the IBM website (I got my butt stomped, by the way…)

Take a read of the New York Times article here.  Facebook readers can watch a video on IBM’s Watson here.

Author Chad Skelton decided to check out the statistics of his first name, “Chad”.  By inputting “chad” into the entry line, Wolfram|Alpha gives you a wealth of information.  Rather than return a series of links to webpages that may or may not be relevant to what you’re looking for, you get relevant information (that Wolfram|Alpha actually computes itself) on your request.

Now, since “Chad” is an African country, you can end up getting population, geographic, and other demographic info on the country.  But, Wolfram|Alpha also understands that “chad” is a name, a lake, a protein, and also a word (for all you Florida election fans out there…), so you can click on any of these to get that information.  Skelton found out, for instance, that the distribution of “Chad” being used as a first name peaked in about 1973 or so. 

Unfortunately, when I put in my name (“Mic”), I find that I’m either a unit of measurement (a microgram) or a constellation (Microscopium).  “Michael” is a bit easier to identify with a name, and still seems to be pretty popular, peaking between 1950 and 1980. 

You can read Skelton’s original article here, or play around yourself at Wolfram|Alpha.

I have friends that have iPhones and talk of switching to Google Android phones in order to get Verizon service.  However, if this report is true, it could keep Apple at the top of the heap for some time.

You can read the original Bloomberg article here…

Pretty amazing when you think about how Apple has revolutionized personal computing with the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPhone, and now the iPad.

Facebook users can see the video here…

Well, the website Everything is Terrible! has a video that has strung over 5 minutes of these infomercial clips into one long string of life misery.  It includes clips from infomercials such as The Magic Bullet Express, Jack LaLanne’s Power Juicer, Ab Circle Pro, and Lee Majors Bionic Hearing Aid (but wait, that’s not all!  …)

Here’s the video if you have some time to feel down about life…

Inbox Zero Merit Badge (from www.nerdmeritbadges.com)

So, I was a Boy Scout… but I never got the opportunity to get these merit badges!

From the Inbox Zero merit badge (for those you’ve reached an empty e-mail inbox) to the Homonyms badge (for those that know the differences between to, too, and two, these merit badges allow you to show off your Eagle Scout level geekiness.  You can even get a nerd merit badge sash to display them!

(Bonus:  These are inspired by the Science Scouts – or O.O.T.S.S.O.E.R.A.A.A.P. for those in the know – who create merit badge images such as The “I have survived dangerously inclement weather in the name of science” badge and The “I’m a scientist but people tell me I look like a celebrity” badge.)

The newest version of Apple’s iPhone was announced today, and will be on sale beginning June 24, starting at a price of $199.  It will include at least 16 GB of memory (a 32 GB version will go for $299), a 5 megapixel camera with a flash and 5X digital zoom, and a front-facing camera for iPhone users to video chat with other iPhone users.

For more info on the new iPhone, click here…

I do think that we’re seeing a real change in how people will use computing devices – here’s a few other posts that I’ve written on the iPad and its possible impact…

Apple has sold 2,000,000 iPads to date, and they sold 300,000 on launch day.  Absolutely phenomenal!…

The constellation Orion’s biggest star is Betelgeuse (pronounced “beetle-juice”), a red supergiant, and it’s one of the brightest stars in the sky - that’s the “what”.  

Will it explode?  Well, according to some observers, the star is not round, and it’s getting smaller.  This could be the signs of Betelgeuse heading toward a supernova phase, but it also could be explained away by large sunspots that fool our observations.

Bad Astronomy seems to think that this is likely an astronomical doomsday rumor.  It may be interesting only because it’s close to the 2012 doomsday date that is the end of the Mayan calendar.  But read the Bad Astronomy article for yourself to get the best information on the topic.

However, this new supernova discovery may shine some light on the darkness.  Apparently, this supernova is spewing calcuim and titanium, and while most reports are focusing on the calcium, it is thought that the much heavier element titanium is the interesting part.  This titanium, which is radioactive and emits positrons as it decays, could be the source of what had previously been attributed to dark matter particles colliding.  If these types of supernovae are creating such an abundance of radioactive heavy elements in the universe, this could help explain the supposed dark matter signatures.

For more info on this subject, here’s a post from Casey Kazan from The Daily Galaxy on the new supernova, and the original post from Anil Ananthaswamy at New Scientist is here.