Bing beefs up: 900 video channels plus math

Oscar Wilde said "I can resist anything except temptation." Since Bing launched, I've succumbed to the links in the daily photos and ended up deep in sites like Wikipedia, imagining faraway locales. I've also tried Bing travel for real trips, Bing images, Bing maps, Bing Visual Search for work and pleasure....you get the idea. 

Bing crew has recently rolled out more features. Bing video now provides up to 900 video channels, thanks to integrated feeds from Hulu, MSN Video, and ABC. And then there's math, using computational wizardry from WolframAlpha to offer numerical answers whenever numbers make sense. 

Search for something mathematical, such as "square root," "volume of a cone," or "dodecahedron", and then click Compute in the left nav. Besides a detailed profile of whatever you were asking about, you'll see a field where you can enter a mathematical equation for WolframAlpha to solve. (I could have used that feature back in junior high.) 

The math ability shows up elsewhere too. For example (speaking of temptation), do you know your pre-Thanksgiving Body Mass Index? Search Bing for “BMI calculator” and one opens right there. (If you want to make some changes, these Office fitness templates might help.)

Bing also computes nutrition facts for some foods. Search for "chicken ***" and in the left nav click "Nutrition Facts." You'll see a complete nutritional profile down to the mg of tryptophan (648 mg per 212 g of chicken ***, to be precise).

If you have a favorite quote tacked up in your office or taped to your computer, I'd love to hear it. 

 (Photo by tiseb, via flickr.com)

-- Holly Thomas