EllaZ - artful intelligence

		Functional Capabilities in the EllaZ System
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In addition to Word Math, Unit Conversions, WordNet, Games, Convuns, and so on mentioned elsewhere, Ella has many useful functions that can be activated by natural language interaction input. Here are some examples:

Tell EllaZ to turn off/on the large images (useful if you have a slow connection).
Ask her to change the background to your favorite color.
Ask for a randomly generated, but nonetheless lucky lottery number.
Ask to see a current calendar.
Ask Ella to take a note for you (notice the time & date stamps).
Ask to see the notes she took (which can be edited directly in the browser).
Ask to see a transcript of your conversation.

Ella will retrieve current information via XML Web Services using InnerGears and WebserviceX for the following functionalities:

Ask for world weather info by city, state, country, or ICAO code at up to 6,362 locations. (What is the weather like in Paris, Texas?)
Currency conversions for 162 countries. (How much Canadian money can I get for 732,000 Yen and 3,400 Rand?)
Stock market prices by company name or symbol for the NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ exchanges, including 6,757 company listings. (What is the value of 570 shares of Microsoft and 420 shares of Xerox?)
Precious metal prices for Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Palladium
(How much Platinum or Gold can I buy with $1,000 US?)

Ella can handle a variety of date related interactions as well:

You: When was dec 25 '04?

Ella: Saturday, December 25, 2004 is 140 days before today, Saturday, May 14, 2005 (referencing today in US Mountain Time).

You: how long is it from 13 may to 25 dec?

Ella: Friday, May 13, 2005 is 226 days before Sunday, December 25, 2005.

You: Jan 2002 to Jan 2070.

Ella: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 is 24,837 days before Wednesday, January 01, 2070.

You: When is six months up?

Ella: You can be sure that 6 months are equal to 182.6282 days. Saturday, November 12, 2005, is 182 days after today, Saturday, May 14, 2005 (referencing today in US Mountain Time).

You: How many days are there from 6/27/69 to 8/4/55?

Ella: Friday, June 27, 1969 is 5,076 days after Thursday, August 04, 1955.

You: When is 1000 days after the day after tomorrow?

Ella: Sunday, February 10, 2008 is 1,000 days after Monday, May 16, 2005 (referencing today in US Mountain Time).

You: What is friday of next week plus 3 fortnights?

Ella: You can be sure that 3 fortnights are equal to 42 days. Friday, July 01, 2005 is 42 days after Friday, May 20, 2005.

You: When was 2 weeks before friday of last week?

Ella: Friday, April 22, 2005 is 14 days before Friday, May 06, 2005.

You: How many days are in February?

Ella: February has 28 days, except in leap years when it has 29 days. Leap years are any year divisible by four, except centenary years not divisible by 400. 2000, 2004 are 2008 are leap years.

You: What is the day before tomorrow?

Ella: Today is Saturday, May 14, 2005 (referencing today in US Mountain Time).

You: How long is it from tue of last week to wednesday of next week?

Ella: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 is 15 days before Wednesday, May 18, 2005.

You: What date is a billion seconds from now?

Ella: You can be sure that 1,000,000,000 seconds are equal to 11,574.1 days. Tuesday, January 20, 2037, is 11,574 days after today, Saturday, May 14, 2005 (referencing today in US Mountain Time).

You: What day is a billion days away?

Ella: A problem occurred processing dates (limited to January 1, 1 A.D. to December 31, 9999 A.D.) The error message:
Specified argument was out of the range of valid values.
Parameter name: Value to add was out of range.

The plan is that Ella will have so many capabilities at her disposal that users will begin to try her first when they are looking for help.

Functional Capabilities in the EllaZ System