SnappyFingers: Just the FAQ’s

Still in beta at the moment, SnappyFingers, a relatively new internet search tool, claims to be “the smartest and most comprehensive Question/Answer explorer on the web.”

You’ll notice I didn’t call it a search engine, and that wasn’t an oversight.

SnappyFingers is none too interested in competing with the Googles of the world. Intead of a far-reaching search of all the web has to offer, SnappyFingers mines its own extensive database of FAQ’s and “millions” of FAQ’s from across the web in its lofty quest to provide the best, most relevant answers to your frequently asked questions.

“Whether you are doing research or home work, or you just have a plain old question,” the home page says, “SnappyFingers has the answer.”

To which I reply: All of the answers? Really?

So I decided to put SnappyFingers to a brief, but broad-based test with a few questions of my own.

1. What is Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ middle name? Your search … did not match any questions and answers. This may happen as SnappyFingers is a Beta product, and it has yet to completely index all the questions in the world. Maybe you can try searching again.
2. How is the weather in Venezuela? Daytime temperatures typically range from 80-100 during the day, but typically cool down to the 70s in the evening. Heavy tropical downpours can occur in the “rain season” but it usually only last a short while. Humidity in the tropics can play havoc with cameras or other electronic devices.
   
3. Who played Darth Vader in Star Wars? Seems easy, I know. But actually, four people played the intimidating villain. James Earl Jones did the voice, David Prowse served as the body, Sebastian Shaw was the face, and a fourth actor performed the heavy breathing.
   
4. Why is the sky blue? … When light from the sun comes zipping through the earth’s atmosphere oxygen and nitrogen molecules cause it to scatter in all directions. All colors of light scatter through the atmosphere but blue light scatters more than the rest because of its shorter wavelength. Once the blue light has scattered through the whole sky that’s what you see.
   
5. What is the tallest building in Nashville? Your search … did not match any questions and answers. This may happen as SnappyFingers is a Beta product, and it has yet to completely index all the questions in the world. Maybe you can try searching again.

OK, so it’s not perfect — but three out of five isn’t so bad. I would’ve cut SnappyFingers some slack on the Steve Jobs question had it not known so much about the Dark Lord of the Sith.

And, to be fair, you don’t have to submit your search in the form of a question. After going through my five random questions, I simply typed in ‘Nashville’ to see what types of results were returned. SnappyFingers instantly explained things such as the Nashville Numbering System and how far it is from the convention center to the Nashville International Airport.

SnappyFingers falls a bit short in its quest to take on all questions, but if you’re in a pinch for information most likely to be found somewhere in an FAQ, it’s definitely worth a shot. I’ll be interested to see how well it performs once it moves beyond beta phase.