"Is it usually sliced or carved?"

I’ve been playing with this Twenty Questions AI that Boing Boing pointed to. After 29 questions (not counting those to which I answered “Unknown”) it still couldn’t figure out that I was thinking of cactus.

(  Questions it asked and answers I gave  )

And what’s with the pound of butter? Do pounds of butter weigh something other than 16 ounces?

It took 24 questions to correctly guess bridge, and disagreed with me about some of my answers:

You were thinking of a bridge.
You said it is classified as Mineral, I say Other
Is it shiny? you said Usually, I say No
Does it bring joy to people? you said Sometimes, I say No
Do you clean it regularly? you said Yes, I say No

And 29 guesses for a tarot card, though it guessed “a deck of cards” on question 16 and “a playing card” on 20. Again, disagreement:

You were thinking of a tarot card.
Is it used for communications? you said No, I say Yes
Do you use it in your home? you said Depends, I say Yes
Can you use it at school? you said Probably, I say No
Does it help accomplish tasks? you said Doubtful, I say Yes
Can it float? you said No, I say Probably
Can it fit in an envelope? you said Yes, I say Doubtful
Can it affect you (cause an effect to you) ? you said Doubtful, I say Yes
Is it used in a game? you said Maybe, I say No

I guess it’s right about floating, but it’s clearly never heard of the various games played with tarot cards, or attended any school with lots of bright curious kids. I don’t know why it doesn’t think a single tarot card could fit in an envelope.