6 ms·

Google wants to build the Star Trek computer

33 points by eplanit 14y ago

thomasjames 14y ago
So pretty much what IBM already did with Watson...
- alxeder 14y ago
  but Watson doesn't scale to the amount of queries google is getting
rollo_tommasi 14y ago
Is anyone else turned off by the idea of ubiquitous voice interfaces? I can think, type and process visual information much faster than I can vocalize or process sound, and an interface that mimics natural conversation seems unnecessarily inefficient for a conversation that is, essentially, me talking to myself. Not to mention it just feels weird. Have you ever used Siri on the middle of a crowded subway platform? It's a strange feeling.
- mdturnerphys 14y ago
  I think it would be nifty to have for a media PC or in a meeting. I can't remember—do Star Trek characters use voice commands with their tricorders?
  - pyre 14y ago
    Not that I recall. They only used voice commands when on a starship and communicating with the "main computer." I don't even think they used voice commands on shuttle craft.
    - cowbellemoo 14y ago
      In DS9/Voyager, the shuttlecraft have talking computers. On occasion, they use comm badges to execute remote commands like having the computer use the shuttle's short range transporter to beam them back into the shuttle.
- pyre 14y ago
  Having NLP at least as a functional option is good though. Even if it's just for accessibility purposes.
- flyinRyan 14y ago
  Hold the phone up to your ear until it makes the Siri beep. Then people will think you're just talking on your phone.
stormbrew 14y ago
This is a great example of an internally sold and shared vision. I think that can be a powerful thing. I wish more places I've worked had this strong a vision of what they're aspiring towards down the line.
siculars 14y ago
As with most things Google nowadays, their vision of the future seems to be at odds with my desire to remain anonymous and maintain my privacy. As I swype this on my galaxy s3, Google search app remains un-updated because it wants all sorts of pervasive permissions that I just don't want to give it. Why does Google search app want access to my text messages and contacts? I'm sure there is some googly answer but it just doesn't sit well.
- eclipxe 14y ago
  Clearly so that you can search those items.
- PavlovsCat 14y ago
  Google, like many companies, wants the biggest market share, therefore it goes mostly for idiots. The rest will just have to find a way to fit in into all that.
  - PavlovsCat 14y ago
    Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to wrap the same fucking point in euphemisms. What a tragedy.
- notatoad 14y ago
  the Google search app is what handles the voice actions. it needs permissions to your texts and contacts so you can send texts to your contacts by voice.
- brokenparser 14y ago
  This doesn't make sense. If Google really wanted a copy of your texts and contacts, why would they ever need a Google Search update to obtain it?
- userulluipeste 14y ago
  The external access to your personal data is a problem that has to be acknowledged by Google or anyone else that might come with assisting solutions. I see no problems in collecting of public information and combine it with one's private information in order to serve one's needs. It's just that the resulted combined data has to stay out of some stranger's hands so I guess it has to be somehow private and local (and the tech that does the job - open-source in order to be trusted). I would therefore have no problems If I could be sure that my digital assistant, after entrusting my intimate data, would be loyal only to me. The solution provider might gain as being my supplier of public informations.
evanmoran 14y ago
I'm all for this. You can talk much faster then you can type and that is at a normal human speaking pace. We can actually talk much faster then that and still be pretty understandable to us, and there is no reason a computer couldn't understand us talking faster then that. I've recently been testing this theory out by talking to computers as fast as possible to see if they can understand, usually through customer service lines, but some with Siri. The last time was when I activated my credit card and had to read off the numbers. It had no trouble understanding me at a pretty ridiculous speed, something much faster then a person could write down or remember. In the interest of science: I tested out Siri just now, talking as fast as I can. I asked for: "directions to a violin", "make an appointment for 2:15 am", "what is the temperature". 3 for 3. That thing can handle some pretty fast input! Interesting data I found surfing around: Typing speed: 40 wpm Talking speed: 150 wpm Reading speed: 250 wpm (up to 1000 wpm with 50% reading comprehension if you believe speed reading websites) Clearly pictures are worth a thousand words, so words per minute don't hold a candle to maps, charts and other visualizations. This makes me think reading will still be a big part of interfaces of the future. Perhaps we input with voice and but will have to receive results "on screen." Haha. Ok, maybe Star Trek jokes still aren't mainstream yet. When this is all a reality, will they be funny then? =)
- rdouble 14y ago
  Maybe it's because I'm from Minnesota, but I can type faster than I can talk.
- codewright 14y ago
  > (up to 1000 wpm with 50% reading comprehension if you believe speed reading websites) My effective WPM (meaning take the reading comprehension as a coefficient and multiply it by the raw WPM) ranges between 800 and 950. Why do I keep running into people doubting speed reading is a thing? I had to practice at it above and beyond a love of reading.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - 14y ago
webwielder 14y ago
The computer in TOS was almost horrifyingly robotic. It was used sparingly by the crew, and technology was generally seen as a necessary evil (there was even an episode where a new computer system threatened to take away Kirk and co.'s jobs). It wasn't until TNG that the computer became a friendly, integral part of the Enterprise. The crew widely acknowledged and were comfortable with the fact that the computer could do all of their jobs, but that never became an issue. This shift corresponds with the rise of the personal computer away from mainframes, and the replacement of blinking lights with GUIs for depictions of computers in film and television. I will now resist the urge to credit Apple for helping usher in such a shift in culture.
- personlurking 14y ago
  "The crew widely acknowledged and were comfortable with the fact that the computer could do all of their jobs, but that never became an issue." ...until Barclay became the computer (and could presumably do all of their jobs at the same time), though that didn't last too long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4AEBiyn8Rs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4AEBiyn8Rs
- flyinRyan 14y ago
  I'm not sure the computer could do all of their jobs. A lot of their jobs were judgement calls, often based on "gut feel". I never got the impression the people there were completely redundant.
croddin 14y ago
That is just a short term goal. Long term they want to build Lieutenant Commander Data.
bemmu 14y ago
Siri and the Google app with speech recognition are already pretty interesting, but the biggest reason for not using them is that you need to touch the device to get them started. If there was a way to keep such an app always open and just say "computer" and then ask the question instead of having to press a button, it would be much more useful.
- johngalt 14y ago
  Google Now has hot word detection. Saying 'Google' starts the voice app. Just have to prevent the device from sleeping.
colemorrison 14y ago
How many of you use voice commands? (i.e. siri, record voice notes with evernote etc.) The primary problem with copying the star trek computer is the user interaction. One of the biggest reasons all of the star trek's utilize a voice command computer is ... For directing. Otherwise when the crew entered a command, recorded a log, etc. they'd either always be shouting it out or making us watch / read the creation of text. It was quite brilliant from a directing perspective, but do you want everyone around knowing how many times you go to facebook/hacker news/gmail all the time? For that matter, personal log entries etc. Yes it has its place when you're in isolation, but its quite difficult when around others.
- mitchty 14y ago
  I use siri all the time for setting appointments and adding notes/reminders. Also good for knowing when games might be going on at the local sports bar (so I can get a seat prior to the rush). So for me, its become exactly like the computer from TNG.
- enobrev 14y ago
  I use google now's voice search almost daily, and some other voice-command like "what song is this?", "set a timer...". Personally, I wish my desktop had google now and voice search. I've especially found voice search to be the more socially acceptable way to search for something when conversing with a group of people. For instance, during a discussion about movies at a bar with friends, to tap the phone and ask it a question fits into the dynamic far better than putting your head down to tap it into a keyboard and wait for results. Asking the question aloud shows everyone that you didn't suddenly start texting someone or checking facebook mid-conversation, but rather searching for something in order to add to that conversation. Same goes for "what song is this?". I almost forgot my all time favorite while driving (whether alone or with a car full of people): "Navigate Home"
  - colemorrison 14y ago
    Great point! You know, I hadn't thought of it for the more "social" situations. I was more thinking of it in a functional, individual setting.
troymc 14y ago
Another hint that Google was using the Star Trek computer as inspiration for Google Now: The project was originally known as "Majel," after Majel Barrett, the wife of Gene Roddenberry, who was the voice of the Star Trek computer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett
likeclockwork 14y ago
Google, lights!
ggchappell 14y ago
This is a nice goal; I appreciate the answers to questions that are increasingly showing up on DDG, Google, etc. But I find the idea of a Star Trek computer inadequate as the overall vision of what a search engine should be. Most of us search for lots of things other than just information. We search for experiences: a video to watch, a story to read, a game to play, funny comics, music, a wacky interaction with a stranger. We also search for capabilities: a site that lets me buy something, enter a contest, execute some code, sign a petition, communicate with people, create an image. And even when we search for information, often it is not simply a one-time answer to a question. I might search for a site that will give me ongoing updates on something: the weather, a webcam. Or I might want to read an article to help me master a topic. (Surely the folks at Google know all this. I have to wonder how much of his own ideas the writer is projecting onto them.)
ColinWright 14y ago
Single page: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/04/google_has_a_single_towering_obsession_it_wants_to_build_the_star_trek_computer.single.html http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/04/...
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
arethuza 14y ago
I'd rather they build a Culture Mind :-)
RyanCooley 14y ago
I believe this is less about the input method (in this case, speech) than it is about situational awareness. The reason the Star Trek computer is perceived as so smart is because of the thousands of sensors it employs inside and outside of the ship, the other seemingly limitless data sources it has to pull from, and of course the ability to parse all of that data into something usable when needed. As a member of the Enterprise, Star Trek's computer knows your vital signs, your medical history, your food preferences (replicator), your entertainment preferences (holodeck), your sleep patterns, your work history, your travel history, your current whereabouts (combadge), your relationships (Riker's combadge sure does spend a lot of time around Troi's combadge), your psychological status (log entries), etc. This is where Google and many others are headed, particularly with the advent of wearable computing. If only we could rest assured that their intent is as ostensibly benevolent and altruistic as that of the Enterprise computer.
D9u 14y ago
I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. I remember my Motorola StarTac phone, which I fancied as Capt. Kirk's "communicator," and it's follow up a few years later - the Razr - was a definite improvement, so I fully expect a Star Trek type computer in the not-too-distant future.
opinali 14y ago
Hey, at least we're not working on a HAL9000 project. ;-)

33 points by eplanit 14y ago

thomasjames 14y ago

So pretty much what IBM already did with Watson...

alxeder 14y ago
but Watson doesn't scale to the amount of queries google is getting

rollo_tommasi 14y ago

Is anyone else turned off by the idea of ubiquitous voice interfaces? I can think, type and process visual information much faster than I can vocalize or process sound, and an interface that mimics natural conversation seems unnecessarily inefficient for a conversation that is, essentially, me talking to myself. Not to mention it just feels weird. Have you ever used Siri on the middle of a crowded subway platform? It's a strange feeling.

mdturnerphys 14y ago
I think it would be nifty to have for a media PC or in a meeting. I can't remember—do Star Trek characters use voice commands with their tricorders?
- pyre 14y ago
  Not that I recall. They only used voice commands when on a starship and communicating with the "main computer." I don't even think they used voice commands on shuttle craft.
  - cowbellemoo 14y ago
    In DS9/Voyager, the shuttlecraft have talking computers. On occasion, they use comm badges to execute remote commands like having the computer use the shuttle's short range transporter to beam them back into the shuttle.
pyre 14y ago
Having NLP at least as a functional option is good though. Even if it's just for accessibility purposes.
flyinRyan 14y ago
Hold the phone up to your ear until it makes the Siri beep. Then people will think you're just talking on your phone.

stormbrew 14y ago

This is a great example of an internally sold and shared vision. I think that can be a powerful thing. I wish more places I've worked had this strong a vision of what they're aspiring towards down the line.

siculars 14y ago

As with most things Google nowadays, their vision of the future seems to be at odds with my desire to remain anonymous and maintain my privacy. As I swype this on my galaxy s3, Google search app remains un-updated because it wants all sorts of pervasive permissions that I just don't want to give it. Why does Google search app want access to my text messages and contacts? I'm sure there is some googly answer but it just doesn't sit well.

eclipxe 14y ago
Clearly so that you can search those items.
PavlovsCat 14y ago
Google, like many companies, wants the biggest market share, therefore it goes mostly for idiots. The rest will just have to find a way to fit in into all that.
- PavlovsCat 14y ago
  Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to wrap the same fucking point in euphemisms. What a tragedy.
notatoad 14y ago
the Google search app is what handles the voice actions. it needs permissions to your texts and contacts so you can send texts to your contacts by voice.
brokenparser 14y ago
This doesn't make sense. If Google really wanted a copy of your texts and contacts, why would they ever need a Google Search update to obtain it?
userulluipeste 14y ago
The external access to your personal data is a problem that has to be acknowledged by Google or anyone else that might come with assisting solutions. I see no problems in collecting of public information and combine it with one's private information in order to serve one's needs. It's just that the resulted combined data has to stay out of some stranger's hands so I guess it has to be somehow private and local (and the tech that does the job - open-source in order to be trusted). I would therefore have no problems If I could be sure that my digital assistant, after entrusting my intimate data, would be loyal only to me. The solution provider might gain as being my supplier of public informations.

evanmoran 14y ago

I'm all for this. You can talk much faster then you can type and that is at a normal human speaking pace. We can actually talk much faster then that and still be pretty understandable to us, and there is no reason a computer couldn't understand us talking faster then that. I've recently been testing this theory out by talking to computers as fast as possible to see if they can understand, usually through customer service lines, but some with Siri. The last time was when I activated my credit card and had to read off the numbers. It had no trouble understanding me at a pretty ridiculous speed, something much faster then a person could write down or remember. In the interest of science: I tested out Siri just now, talking as fast as I can. I asked for: "directions to a violin", "make an appointment for 2:15 am", "what is the temperature". 3 for 3. That thing can handle some pretty fast input! Interesting data I found surfing around: Typing speed: 40 wpm Talking speed: 150 wpm Reading speed: 250 wpm (up to 1000 wpm with 50% reading comprehension if you believe speed reading websites) Clearly pictures are worth a thousand words, so words per minute don't hold a candle to maps, charts and other visualizations. This makes me think reading will still be a big part of interfaces of the future. Perhaps we input with voice and but will have to receive results "on screen." Haha. Ok, maybe Star Trek jokes still aren't mainstream yet. When this is all a reality, will they be funny then? =)

rdouble 14y ago
Maybe it's because I'm from Minnesota, but I can type faster than I can talk.
codewright 14y ago
> (up to 1000 wpm with 50% reading comprehension if you believe speed reading websites) My effective WPM (meaning take the reading comprehension as a coefficient and multiply it by the raw WPM) ranges between 800 and 950. Why do I keep running into people doubting speed reading is a thing? I had to practice at it above and beyond a love of reading.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- 14y ago

webwielder 14y ago

The computer in TOS was almost horrifyingly robotic. It was used sparingly by the crew, and technology was generally seen as a necessary evil (there was even an episode where a new computer system threatened to take away Kirk and co.'s jobs). It wasn't until TNG that the computer became a friendly, integral part of the Enterprise. The crew widely acknowledged and were comfortable with the fact that the computer could do all of their jobs, but that never became an issue. This shift corresponds with the rise of the personal computer away from mainframes, and the replacement of blinking lights with GUIs for depictions of computers in film and television. I will now resist the urge to credit Apple for helping usher in such a shift in culture.

personlurking 14y ago
"The crew widely acknowledged and were comfortable with the fact that the computer could do all of their jobs, but that never became an issue." ...until Barclay became the computer (and could presumably do all of their jobs at the same time), though that didn't last too long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4AEBiyn8Rs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4AEBiyn8Rs
flyinRyan 14y ago
I'm not sure the computer could do all of their jobs. A lot of their jobs were judgement calls, often based on "gut feel". I never got the impression the people there were completely redundant.

croddin 14y ago

That is just a short term goal. Long term they want to build Lieutenant Commander Data.

bemmu 14y ago

Siri and the Google app with speech recognition are already pretty interesting, but the biggest reason for not using them is that you need to touch the device to get them started. If there was a way to keep such an app always open and just say "computer" and then ask the question instead of having to press a button, it would be much more useful.

johngalt 14y ago
Google Now has hot word detection. Saying 'Google' starts the voice app. Just have to prevent the device from sleeping.

colemorrison 14y ago

How many of you use voice commands? (i.e. siri, record voice notes with evernote etc.) The primary problem with copying the star trek computer is the user interaction. One of the biggest reasons all of the star trek's utilize a voice command computer is ... For directing. Otherwise when the crew entered a command, recorded a log, etc. they'd either always be shouting it out or making us watch / read the creation of text. It was quite brilliant from a directing perspective, but do you want everyone around knowing how many times you go to facebook/hacker news/gmail all the time? For that matter, personal log entries etc. Yes it has its place when you're in isolation, but its quite difficult when around others.

mitchty 14y ago
I use siri all the time for setting appointments and adding notes/reminders. Also good for knowing when games might be going on at the local sports bar (so I can get a seat prior to the rush). So for me, its become exactly like the computer from TNG.
enobrev 14y ago
I use google now's voice search almost daily, and some other voice-command like "what song is this?", "set a timer...". Personally, I wish my desktop had google now and voice search. I've especially found voice search to be the more socially acceptable way to search for something when conversing with a group of people. For instance, during a discussion about movies at a bar with friends, to tap the phone and ask it a question fits into the dynamic far better than putting your head down to tap it into a keyboard and wait for results. Asking the question aloud shows everyone that you didn't suddenly start texting someone or checking facebook mid-conversation, but rather searching for something in order to add to that conversation. Same goes for "what song is this?". I almost forgot my all time favorite while driving (whether alone or with a car full of people): "Navigate Home"
- colemorrison 14y ago
  Great point! You know, I hadn't thought of it for the more "social" situations. I was more thinking of it in a functional, individual setting.

troymc 14y ago

Another hint that Google was using the Star Trek computer as inspiration for Google Now: The project was originally known as "Majel," after Majel Barrett, the wife of Gene Roddenberry, who was the voice of the Star Trek computer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett

likeclockwork 14y ago

Google, lights!

ggchappell 14y ago

This is a nice goal; I appreciate the answers to questions that are increasingly showing up on DDG, Google, etc. But I find the idea of a Star Trek computer inadequate as the overall vision of what a search engine should be. Most of us search for lots of things other than just information. We search for experiences: a video to watch, a story to read, a game to play, funny comics, music, a wacky interaction with a stranger. We also search for capabilities: a site that lets me buy something, enter a contest, execute some code, sign a petition, communicate with people, create an image. And even when we search for information, often it is not simply a one-time answer to a question. I might search for a site that will give me ongoing updates on something: the weather, a webcam. Or I might want to read an article to help me master a topic. (Surely the folks at Google know all this. I have to wonder how much of his own ideas the writer is projecting onto them.)

ColinWright 14y ago

Single page: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/04/google_has_a_single_towering_obsession_it_wants_to_build_the_star_trek_computer.single.html http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/04/...

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

arethuza 14y ago

I'd rather they build a Culture Mind :-)

RyanCooley 14y ago

I believe this is less about the input method (in this case, speech) than it is about situational awareness. The reason the Star Trek computer is perceived as so smart is because of the thousands of sensors it employs inside and outside of the ship, the other seemingly limitless data sources it has to pull from, and of course the ability to parse all of that data into something usable when needed. As a member of the Enterprise, Star Trek's computer knows your vital signs, your medical history, your food preferences (replicator), your entertainment preferences (holodeck), your sleep patterns, your work history, your travel history, your current whereabouts (combadge), your relationships (Riker's combadge sure does spend a lot of time around Troi's combadge), your psychological status (log entries), etc. This is where Google and many others are headed, particularly with the advent of wearable computing. If only we could rest assured that their intent is as ostensibly benevolent and altruistic as that of the Enterprise computer.

D9u 14y ago

I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. I remember my Motorola StarTac phone, which I fancied as Capt. Kirk's "communicator," and it's follow up a few years later - the Razr - was a definite improvement, so I fully expect a Star Trek type computer in the not-too-distant future.

opinali 14y ago

Hey, at least we're not working on a HAL9000 project. ;-)