human-nets@ucbvax.ARPA (09/25/84)
From: Charles McGrew (The Moderator) <Human-Nets-Request@Rutgers>
HUMAN-NETS Digest Monday, 24 Sep 1984 Volume 7 : Issue 51
Today's Topics:
Query - Function keys vs. Escape keys &
Looking for a Book,
Computers and the Law - Privacy vs. Commercial Databases (2 msgs),
Computers and People - Big Brother is Watching Visalia CA,
Chess - Delphi: Move 14
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Date: Wed, 19 Sep 84 01:40 EDT
From: TMPLee@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject: Function keys vs. escape keys
This has probably been asked before, and this is also probably not the
right forum, but here goes anyway. Having finally installed a
flexible enough communications package on my Apple that I can use it
as a terminal to EMACS, I began to wonder whether anyone has done a
competent study comparing editors (special-purpose terminals) with
lots of function keys to ones using the ordinary touch-typing keyboard
and escape keys. Now I admit it would be difficult to make an exact
comparison: EMACS supports something like around 130 different
functions (that number is a bit too big, since it includes a few
duplicates and a few very special purpose ones), where a function is
invoked with either one (ctrl-key) key-stroke or two (escape, ctrl-x,
or ctrl-z followed by another), all derived from the 96 or so ASCII
characters -- I don't think I've seen a special-purpose (i.e.,
function-keyed) terminal with more than say 30 function keys
(including cursor movement), where a upper/lower shift also applies.
Now I don't want to bring in mouses etc. -- just small keyboards vs.
big ones, and the groundrules are that we are talking about
experienced users, although they admittedly do get rusty. Anyone seen
such a comparison (accuracy, speed, learning time, retention of
skills, etc.)?
Ted Lee
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Date: Thu Sep 20 18:05:08 1984
From: mclure@sri-prism
To: sf-lovers@rutgers
Subject: book query
Does anyone out there know more about the book called
How to Enjoy Yourself During the Decline of Western Civilization
--- -- ----- -------- ------ --- ------- -- ------- ------------
I don't know who the author is. I am wondering if anyone out there has
read it and if so, what you thought of it.
Stuart
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Date: Mon 17 Sep 84 09:53:49-PDT
From: Ken Laws <Laws@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Privacy vs. Commercial Databases
Dietz' suggestions about maintaining our own financial databases are
interesting, but I disagree that a computerized tax advisor would save
people thousands of dollars per year. (I refer to average savings for
a large population, which I admit was not his thesis.)
Assume that such an advisor existed. It could undoubtedly be mass
produced for a few hundred dollars or less per copy, making it an
essential purchase for anyone paying taxes. (It would even
be a deductable expense.) The result would simply be that the
government would raise everyone's taxes to compensate for its
decreased revenue.
What of people too poor or illiterate to buy (or rent) such an advisor
and to keep their own records? There is no way that our government is
going to shift such an enormous tax burden onto such people. It will
either provide the financial services gratis or will adjust the tax
rates for each tax bracket to maintain current levels of taxation.
You will still have a choice of whether to be wise or foolish in the
handling of your own finances. Assuming that most people choose to
be wise, the necessity to maintain records and use an advisory program
will simply be an added burden (or tax) on each citizen. This is
similar to the current situation in which most taxpayers are forced
to provide their own accounting and tax preparation services to the
government (rather than pay the additional tax due if they don't keep
records or seek out deductions).
The only way to reduce taxation is to reduce government spending.
-- Ken Laws
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Date: Tuesday, 18 Sep 1984 15:51:53-PDT
From: vickrey%coors.DEC@decwrl.ARPA
> Date: 16 Sep 84 19:42:22 EDT
> From: DIETZ@RUTGERS.ARPA
> Subject: Privacy vs. Commercial Databases
>
> The best way for me to make sure inaccurate personal
> information about myself isn't transmitted is for me
> to distribute the information directly . . . .
It occurs to me that this is also a good way to make sure
that inaccurate information >IS< transmitted. Saying that
it would have to be authenticated doesn't make much sense -
it means that some independent agency must confirm every
entry you make, which means they have to have that information
already, so why bother?
Now, I want to be able to see & challenge anything anybody
has recorded about me. But I'm neither a Pollyanna nor a
wizard - I know that all that information isn't accessible
to me, and life's too short to work up an ulcer about it.
Susan
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Date: 17 Sep 1984 13:19 PDT
From: Lars Poulsen <LARS@ACC>
Subject: Who's afraid of Big Brother (1984 and beyond)
Reply-to: LARS@ACC
I was visiting friends in the SF Bay area Labor Day weekend, and
the Sunday, Sept 2nd SF Examiner had an article about life in
Visalia, CA that I found scary. The following is summarized from
memory.
Visalia is a small town with only eight full-scale supermarkets,
and a market research firm (in Chicago, I think) has signed them
all up to collect data for a market research experiment via their
checkout stands.
2500 households are paid about two dollars a month to always take
a little red card with them when they go to the supermarket, and
the research firm then get machine readable complete lists of all
purchases, identified by household.
But this is just where it begins. Newspapers delivered to these
families are doctored with special versions of coupon sections
that allow researchers to experiment with just what amount of
rebates will induce people to use the coupons. The experiment
families get a special two-way cable TV converter, that reports
back to the system who has their TV on and what channel. If I
understood the description correctly, the converter is also
capable of selectively doctoring the commercial breaks ....
---
Does anybody else get scared ??
/ Lars Poulsen
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Date: Sun Sep 23 00:03:31 1984
From: mclure@sri-prism
To: chess@sri-unix, ailist@sri-ai
Subject: Delphi: number-cruncher vs. the world, part XIV
The Vote Tally
--------------
The winner is: 13 ... O-O
There were 17 votes, all except one for Castles. The lone hold-out
voted for Qa5 (Q-QR4).
The Machine Moves
-----------------
Depth Move Time for search Nodes Machine Est.
8 ply Be3 9 hrs, 48 mins 3.5x10^7 -=
(B-K3)
Humans Move # Votes
BR ** -- BQ ** BR BK ** 13 ... O-O 16
** BP ** -- BB BP BP BP 13 ... Qa5 1
BP ** -- BP -- BN -- **
** -- ** WP BP -- ** --
-- ** -- ** WP ** BB **
** -- WN -- WB WN ** --
WP WP -- ** WQ WP WP WP
WR -- ** -- WR -- WK --
Prestige 8-ply
I showed this game to a master who works here at SRI. He said that
Black has played much the better game and has good prospects.
Congratulations humans!
The Game So Far
---------------
1. e4 (P-K4) c5 (P-QB4) 11. Be2 (B-K2) Nxe2 (NxB)
2. Nf3 (N-KB3) d6 (P-Q3) 12. Qxe2 (QxN) Be7 (B-K2)
3. Bb5+(B-N5ch) Nc6 (N-QB3) 13. Nc3 (N-QB3) O-O (O-O)
4. o-o (O-O) Bd7 (B-Q2) 14. Be3 (B-K3)
5. c3 (P-QB3) Nf6 (N-KB3)
6. Re1 (R-K1) a6 (P-QR3)
7. Bf1 (B-KB1) e5 (P-K4)
8. d4 (P-Q4) cxd4 (PXP)
9. cxd4 (PXP) Bg4 (B-N5)
10. d5 (P-Q5) Nd4 (N-Q5)
Commentary
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TLI@USC-ECLB
Yeah, it's time to castle all right. 13 ... O-O. Some other
interesting thoughts: 14 ... Qd7, preparing for 15 ... Bh3 (this
is for those unsubtle of mind and thought). How about 14 ... Nh5,
15 ... Nf4, 16 Pg3 Nh3. Well, light on the strategy and heavy on
the arrogance, but definitely interesting.
Solicitation
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Your move, please?
Replies to Arpanet: mclure@sri-prism, mclure@sri-unix or
Usenet: ucbvax!menlo70!sri-unix!sri-prism!mclure
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End of HUMAN-NETS Digest
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