Pleasant@Rutgers (11/10/82)
HUMAN-NETS Digest Tuesday, 9 Nov 1982 Volume 5 : Issue 102
Today's Topics:
Queries - Let's create a University-wide LAN Directory,
Replies to Queries - Knuth's Art of Computer Programming (3 msgs),
Artificial Intelligence - Parallelism and AI,
Technology - Tomorrow's Children & Video Games,
Computers and People - Unique Signatures
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 1982 1001-PST
From: Hellmut Golde <GOLDE at WASHINGTON>
Subject: Request for Information
The University of Washington, like many other Universities, is
currently embarking upon a study leading toward the design of a
Local Area Network (LAN) for the campus. There are a number of such
networks already in existence, e.g. BRUNET at Brown University or
KIEWIT at Dartmouth College. However, there appears to be no
existing inventory of such networks. I believe that such an
inventory would help many universities in their planning effort;
hence, I am suggesting that one be started.
As a first step, I tried to look into the archives for the mailing
list for the ARPANET interest group LOCAL-NETS at MIT-MC. The
archives of that interest group contained a lot of information about
protocols and other technical issues. I would rather not use that
list for the purpose at hand. I am setting up a file at our node,
<bboard>LAN-info.txt. You may look at that file, although it may be
rather empty for a while. I simply ask all readers of a BBOARD to
send me mail, containing the information below, and I will add it to
the file. Any update on incomplete or erroneous information is also
welcome. I would also like to request that those of you who have
access to other networks send this BBOARD entry along. Note that I
am limiting the list to campus-wide networks, excluding small
departmental or single-building nets.
Initially, I would like to gather the following information for
every campus-wide LAN on a US or Canadian campus:
1. Name of institution and name of network (if any)
2. Name, address, and telephone number of contact person who
can provide further information
3. Brief technical characterization of network (broadband-coax,
twisted-pair, Ethernet, telephone lines, speed, topology,
etc.)
4. Operational status (planned, under construction, etc.)
5. Access to national networks (ARPANET, TELENET, etc.)
6. Literature pointers (references to further information)
Thank you.
Hellmut Golde (GOLDE at WASHINGTON)
------------------------------
Date: 6 November 1982 21:29-EST (Saturday)
From: Sam Hsu <FHSU at BBNG>
Subject: Knuth's AoCP
yes. there are other volumes. when i was in new york, i saw volumes
5-7 -- the last one is on compilers, and one of them is on operating
systems (i think). don't remember too well. hard to find though, as
you may have noticed.
------------------------------
Date: 7 Nov 1982 7:14:20 EST (Sunday)
From: Andrew Malis <malis at BBN-UNIX>
Subject: Knuth volumes 4-7
Knuth has been working on volumes 4-7, as well as revisions of
volumes 1-3, simultaneously. However, he became so upset at the how
hard it was to do his books right using the current typesetting
technology that he took a sidetrack to invent TEX, a word-processing
and typesetting system, and METAFONT, a font generator. During this
period, he also produced several scholarly works on the mathematics
and history of text fonts (sorry, I can't remember any references).
Also, since he wrote volumes 1-3 he has seen the higher-level
language light, and he is re-writing the algorithms in those and his
newer volumes in a higher-level language (probably one of his own
invention).
This is all from a talk he gave at Brown Univ. in (if I remember
correctly) 1979.
Andy
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 1982 0957-PST
From: Francine Perillo <PERILLO at SRI-NIC>
Subject: Donald Knuth
The July 1982 issue of the Annals of the History of Computing (Vol.
4, No. 3) contains an interview with Donald Knuth and includes a
discussion of his series, The Art of Computer Programming. The
7-volume idea is a plan which arose from the fact that Knuth had
written far too much material to have published in 1 or 2 volumes.
He has nearly completed Vol. 4, "Combinatorial Algorithms," which
will have companion volumes, 4A and 4B, to cover the unexpected
amount of extra material.
-Francine
------------------------------
Date: 7 Nov 82 13:43:44 EST (Sun)
From: Mark Weiser <mark.umcp-cs@UDel-Relay>
Subject: Re: Parallelism and AI
Just to mention another project, The CS department at the University
of Maryland has a parallel computing project called Zmob. A Zmob
consists of 256 Z-80 processors called moblets, each with 64k
memory, connected by a 48 bit wide high speed shift register ring
network (100ns/shift, 25.6us/revolution) called the "conveyer
belt". The conveyer belt acts almost like a 256x256 cross-bar since
it rotates faster than a z-80 can do significant I/O, and it also
provides for broadcast messages and messages sent and received by
pattern match. Each Z-80 has serial and parallel ports, and the
whole thing is served by a Vax which provides cross-compiling and
file access.
There are four projects funded and working on Zmob (other than the
basic hardware construction), sponsored by the Air Force. One is
parallel numerical analysis, matrix calculations, and the like (the
Z-80's have hardware floating point). The second is parallel image
processing and vision. The third is distributed problem solving
using Prolog. The fourth (mine) is operating systems and software,
developing remote-procedure-call and a distributed version of Unix
called Mobix.
A two-moblet prototype was working a year and half ago, and we hope
to bring up a 128 processor version in the next few months. (The
boards are all PC'ed and stuffed but timing problems on the bus are
temporarily holding things back).
------------------------------
Date: Saturday, 6 November 1982 14:15-PST
From: Jonathan Alan Solomon <JSol at USC-ECLC>
Subject: TOMORROW'S CHILDREN
Hi Hank,
Yes, computers (and modern technology) are being accepted and
integrated into today's society, but I think this generation (i.e.
yours and mine) are more readily able to handle *new* technology
than our parents were, and certainly my parents are more adaptable
than their parents were, not just more willing to accept Computers.
By placing computers alongside Telephones and Televisions, as new
technology requiring a new generation to accept them, you seem to be
regulating the flow of technology at a time when new technologies
and lifestyle changes are happening at a rate which is faster than
it has ever happened before. New things will come out and will
demand less than a generation to become accepted. Bottlenecks
already occur in society when technology comes in, but we are
learning to overcome them. Look at how long it took us to accept the
fact that the world was round?
Computers are being accepted on all generation levels. People are
becoming less and less fearful of being "reeducated" whenever
something new comes out. The concept of "You must unlearn what you
have learned" (Yoda, in Star Wars-TESB) is becoming very popular
with people of all ages. I find it really intense to see my
Grandfather accepting Computers (his ability to learn them is not
SEVERELY limited by his age), his children, and his Grandchildren.
But fears are there - change is always frightening - but people are
learning to face their fears, and change and grow with the world
around them.
New Technology is coming out faster these days than it has ever
before. Your own words ("I wonder what's next.") sums it up for most
of us, for people of all ages. We are all anxious to see what comes
around the horizon. We all want to reach for the stars, and the
luxury of a Generation-long wait to have these things become
accepted is rapidly becoming and old fashioned idea. More and more
people are learning the fundamental lesson of history - that the
"definitions" of life which we are accustomed to are merely
convenient explanations warranting further understanding, and more
importantly, we are accepting change when it happens!!!
Profoundly yours,
[--JSol--]
------------------------------
Date: 5 Nov 1982 0826-PST
From: Lincoln Hu <g.Hu at SU-SCORE>
Subject: Video games: serious business?
COLUMBIA'S FIRST VIDEO-GAMES DAY
Most people associate video games with white-knuckled, sweating kids
whose only goals is to destroy one more wave of invaders. Is this a
fad or the emergence of a synergy between technology and art similar
to the advent of cinema 100 years ago? The computer science
department of Columbia University and Atari Research are sponsoring
a one-day program featuring speakers from the game industry who will
explore this question. Topics include where video games are going,
alternatives to violence in games, and video games as art and as
educational tools.
The seminar is free with no advanced registration required and the
public is encouraged to attend. Arcade, home and educational video
games will be available for play. Group attendance should be
arranged through Julie Kenter at Atari Research, 1196 Borregas Ave,
Box 427, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. (408) 745-0510.
The program includes:
9:30 Registration
10:00 Welcome
10:15 Steven Mayer: "The Ultimate Video Game"
11:30 Christopher Cerf: "Adventure Games: Fact and Fiction"
12:30 Lunch break
Games available for play
1:30 Christopher Crawford: "Computer Games: Art and Education"
2:45 Warren Robinnet: "Electricity is Orange: Teaching Kids
Digital Logic"
3:45 Reception
Games available for play
The guest speakers have a wide range of interests and a variety of
backgrounds. Steve Mayer leads a lab responsible for the
development of advanced products for Atari. He was the chief
inventor of Atari's home video game system as well as the Atari 400
and Atari 800 home computer systems.
As a creative consultant with knowledge of computers and a love for
toys of all kinds, Chris Cerf focuses his work in the information
and entertainment industries. Chris has worked with Random House,
Jim Henson Associates, the National Lampoon, Fisher-Price toys, and
the Children's Television Workshop on Sesame Street.
Chris Crawford manages the Games Research Group at Atari and is
writing a book on computer game design. He has written numerous
games and simulations and is actively shaping the future of games at
Atari.
Warren Robinnet is one of the founders of The Learning Company and
is working to educate children in ways that need not be dull.
Before starting TLC, Warren worked in the trenches of the industry
designing games for home video systems.
Participants should assemble on the fifteenth floor of the School of
International Affairs on the campus of Columbia University at 9:30am
on Friday, December 3, 1982. Columbia University is located in the
City of New York at 116th Street and Broadway.
[I was asked to forward this message onto the net and hit the
broadest audience possible by the program organizers here at
Columbia CSD. I take no responsibility for its content. Inquiries
can best be answered by Julie Kenter at Atari Research. /Linc.]
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 1982 0513-EST
From: EGK at MIT-OZ at MIT-MC (Edjik)
Subject: Re: HUMAN-NETS Digest V5 #101
Re: signatures.
I have been ending my personal corrispondance for a bout a year and
a half thusly:
0
+ @ + @ +
\ * | * /
% + -- EGK -- + %
/ * | * \
+ @ + @ +
0
------------------------------
Date: 8 Nov 82 19:20:37-EST (Mon)
From: Simply Ron Natalie <ron@BRL>
Subject: Distinctive Signatures?
The User-Specified "From" line is a feature of the SEND program from
UDel's MMDF package. The user is allowed to specify it through a
file called ".signature" in his directory. Credit for the "Hi
There" message must go to Will Martin, he had done it first when he
first discovered the Custom From Field feature.
Speaking of weird mail headers, here is one. Note the customized
"From" line and also the "Phase-Of-Moon" as well as the signature.
From: The One and Only Mijjil {Matthew J Lecin} <LECIN.GREEN@BRL>
To: PROTOCOLS at Rutgers
Subject: Sperry Univac V77 600 Series Machines, anyone?
Reply-To: Lecin at Rutgers
Phase-Of-Moon: FM+6D.19H.40M.59S.
...
{M}
R. E. Mass signed his letter with something that would be quite a
devastating statement had he been on a UNIX system:
RM(*)
(The command "rm *" means remove all files in this directory.)
But I think the Customized From line award must go to the one that
appears on every UNIX-Wizards mailing list letter:
Remailed-from: the tty of Geoffrey S. Goodfellow <Geoff5@SRI-CSL>
which I makes me feel like submitting a letter to that list with the
following "From" line:
From: The Geoff Goodfellow Remailing of Ron Natalie <Ron@BRL>
Simply,
-Ron
------------------------------
End of HUMAN-NETS Digest
************************