Mirror mirror on the wall, the 21st-century girl doesn’t need you at all when there’s sassy Siri and wise guy Google to consult instead. We put these two super bots to the test.
Mirror mirror on the wall, the 21st-century girl doesn’t need you at all when there’s sassy Siri and wise guy Google to consult instead. We put these two super bots to the test.
Dear Siri...
1. How many calories are in a _____?
If you’re keeping track of how much you’re eating, this is an easy way to calculate the total number of calories in your meal without having to pull out a reference chart.
2. What is zero divided by zero?
“Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See, it doesn’t make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies. And you are sad that you have no friends.” Well played, Siri. Well played.
3. Can you generate a password for me?
It’s about time you stop using basic passwords like “password123” for your online accounts. Give the command “Wolfram password” and Siri will generate a random one for you that contains eight characters with uppercases, lowercases and numerals.
4. Flip a coin/Roll a dice
Great for when you can’t decide between patronising the char kway teow or chicken rice stall.
5. Can you wake me up at ___ tomorrow?
If you can’t be bothered to tap on your phone to set an alarm, Siri can do it for you. The same works for the reminders list on your phone: just say “Remind me to ____.”
Dear Google…
6. What is Ryan Gosling’s phone number?
OK, so the search engine failed to get us the actor’s actual contact number. But we got his management office’s number and an address to send fan mail to. That’s better than nothing, right?
7. How much does it cost to fly to the moon?
$1.5 billion for two-to-go. The service is offered by Golden Spike Company, an American “space transport startup company” that was founded in 2010. If budget’s a main concern, there’s another company called Space Adventures that’s offering the same deal for only $150 million.
8. How do I kill a cockroach?
Google very kindly found an article that taught us a pesticide-free method to slay a cockroach, so that we don’t accidentally poison our cat. Who knew some dishwashing liquid and water in a spray bottle could be just as effective? PS: alcohol works too.
9. When will the world end?
September 2015. Well, seeing that you’re reading this in October…
10. What is the best video of all time?
Judging by YouTube views alone, it’s “Charlie Bit My Finger”. But if you asked Kanye West, it’ll be queen Bey’s “Single Ladies”. #VMA2009NeverForget
