TITLE: What are Java, C++, and Prolog?
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: February 24, 2011  4:17 PM
DESC: 
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BODY:
That's the correct question for the clue, "The languages
used to write Watson", courtesy of the IBM Watson team
<A HREF="http://blog.reddit.com/2011/02/ibm-watson-research-team-answers-your.html">
   answering questions in the usual way</A>
on Reddit.  I'm looking forward to learning more about
how Watson operates at the software level, especially
how it handles the uncertainty of multiple knowledge
sources working in parallel on imprecise data.

I meet with prospective students and their parents
frequently as part of on- and off-campus recruiting
events.  Last week and this are Up Close Days on campus,
when students who have been admitted to the university
but not yet accepted the offer visit in hopes of making
their decision.  I usually try to use part of our time
together to help them see what computer science is and
what graduates of our program can do, because so few of
either the students or parents have any idea.  With the
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2011-02.html#e2011-02-18T16_51_22.htm">
   match on my mind</A>
for teaching and research, it occurred to me that the
timing of the match offered a perfect opportunity.

Here was a story that everyone had heard about, the kind
that captures the attention of even the least technically
minded among us: a battle of man versus machine in an
arena that has historical been ours alone.  Watson is
not only a triumph of computer science; it covers the
full spectrum of what we do, from racks of servers and
an open-source operating system, through algorithms and
data structures and programs that embody them, to the
dreams of artificial intelligence and the promise of
applications that help people all over the world.  So
I built a short presentation around the match, showing
short clips from the show, offering commentary at key
moments, taking wide-eyed questions at any time, and
tying what the program was doing to what computer science
is and what computer science graduates do.

Last week's first session went very well.  If nothing
else, all of our visitors could see my excitement at
what we do and what remains to be done.
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2005-08.html#e2005-08-10T15_17_59.htm">
   Sharing the thrill</A>,
indeed!

Yesterday,
<A HREF="http://twitter.com/fortnow/">
   Lance Fortnow tweeted</A>:
<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
Asked: What is Computer Science? Answered: Everything
that happens after you ask a question to Google until
you get a result.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't know what all the future implications of Watson's
performance will be for AI, CS, or the world.  I do know
that, for now, the match has given us a compelling way to 
talk to others about computer science ripped right from
the headlines and our TV screens.  When we can connect
our story to something like Google, we have a chance of
helping others to get what we do.  When the story connects
to something that has already excited our audience, our
job is perhaps a little bit easier.
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