WolframAlpha bash API Scraper / used to get timespan for crypto challenge 20101008

#!/bin/bash
# Israel Torres
# Fri Sep 24 10:44:47 PDT 2010
# WolframAlpha API Scraper / used to get timespan for crypto challenge 20101008 crypto.israeltorres.org
# Updated Notes... just checked 10/12/2010 and verified this no longer works - WA has now blocked "sample" IDs...
# running this now returns "1 Invalid appid" ... well played @wolfram_alpha ... well played [ 1 Invalid appid ] ;)
# apparently this was a documented-undocumented-feature and has been patched appropriately ;p
#
ttotl=`curl -s 'http://api.wolframalpha.com/v1/query?input=from+Tue+Sep+14+19%3A00%3A21+PDT+2010+to+Fri+Oct+8+17%3A00+PDT+2010&appid=xxxxx' | grep plaintext -m 2 | sed 's/\<plaintext\>//g' | sed 's/\<\/plaintext\>//g' | grep -v \|`
tleft=`curl -s 'http://api.wolframalpha.com/v1/query?input=now+to+Fri+Oct+8+17%3A00+PDT+2010&appid=xxxxx' | grep plaintext -m 2 | sed 's/\<plaintext\>//g' | sed 's/\<\/plaintext\>//g' | grep -v \|`
telap=`curl -s 'http://api.wolframalpha.com/v1/query?input=from+Tue+Sep+14+19%3A00%3A21+PDT+2010+to+now&appid=xxxxx' | grep plaintext -m 2 | sed 's/\<plaintext\>//g' | sed 's/\<\/plaintext\>//g' | grep -v \|`
echo -e "total time:\t$ttotl"
echo -e "time remaining:\t$tleft"
echo -e "time elapsed:\t$telap"