LAWS@SRI-AI.ARPA (01/09/85)
From: AIList Moderator Kenneth Laws <AIList-REQUEST@SRI-AI.ARPA> AIList Digest Wednesday, 9 Jan 1985 Volume 3 : Issue 1 Today's Topics: Administrivia - Digest Numbering, Hardware - Xerox D-Machines & Text Scanners, AI Tools - Mac LISP & Symbolic Algebra Package, News - Recent Articles & SIGART Meeting & Weizmann Summer School, Programming Style - Malgorithm, Seminars - Better LISP Debugging Tools (SU) & Mapless Networks (Berkeley) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon 7 Jan 85 20:49:08-PST From: Ken Laws <Laws@SRI-AI.ARPA> Subject: Extra! Extra! 1984 Had 371 Days! Andy Freeman has pointed out to me that the previous issue, V2 #184, should have been the first issue of Volume 3. To set things to rights, I hereby declare that January 5 was actually December 36, 1984. This issue is thus the first of 1985, V3 #1. Happy New Year! -- Ken Laws ------------------------------ Date: 8 Jan 85 15:31:54 EST From: DIETZ@RUTGERS.ARPA Subject: Is Xerox Punting D-Machines? A recent Electronics News has an article suggesting Xerox will close their Information Products Division in Dallas. Isn't that where Dandelions are made? Is Xerox getting out of the lisp machine business? ------------------------------ Date: 5 Jan 85 20:50 PST From: Newman.pasa@XEROX.ARPA Subject: Mac LISP and Kurzweil Scanners In response to two separate postings : 1) There is a company in Santa Barbara called ExperTelligence Inc. who are purportedly developing a LISP (called EXPERLISP) for the MacIntosh. The brochure I have says it "is available at your local Apple Dealer beginning October, 1984". 'Nuff Said. 2) Yes, Kurzweil scanners (text reading machines) are being marketed by a Xerox afilliate. Not knowing who to contact about them, I suggest you speak to the local XEROX sales people in your area. >>Dave ------------------------------ Date: 7 Jan 85 10:48 PST From: trauberman.pasa@XEROX.ARPA Subject: Kurzweil Reader I worked on the Optical Character Recognition system at Kurzweil, so here's a brief description. It was originally developed as a machine to enable blind people to read books, in the late 60's by Kurzweil and other MIT people. It uses a high resolution CCD motorized scanner to scan the page, then multi-font recognition algorithms implemented in machine language on a Data General Nova, to decifer the text, and a speech system to read the text vocally. The recognition system is truly multi-font, using curve-searching and other very general algorithms, some of which had previously been applied to handwriting recognition problems. As a result, the machine is capable of reading with adequate accuracy, about half of all printed material. Kurzweil has developed an office product based on this technology for inputting printed text into a database. With some assistance from a secretary during the initial reading phase, this product is quite effective. David Trauberman ------------------------------ Date: Sun 6 Jan 85 20:07:26-PST From: Ken Laws <Laws@SRI-AI.ARPA> Subject: Reading Machine The December issue of IEEE Computer Graphics carries a short description of a new document scanner from Electronic Information Technology, Inc. It can be used to enter diagrams, pictures, and text into IBM PC and XT systems, with other interfaces due soon. The blurb implies that it also has output capabilities, although I'm not sure what they are. It does have built-in optical character recognition for at least typewriter fonts. -- Ken Laws ------------------------------ Date: Monday, 7 Jan 85 11:32:07 PST From: tektronix!tekcrl!tekchips!postmaster@uw-beaver.arpa Subject: Symbolic Algebra Packages >> I would like to obtain a symbolic algebra package which would run on >> a VAX/Franz Lisp configuration. Preferably, I like one in the public >> domain. The symbolic computation system REDUCE 3.0, originally written in Standard Lisp, has been ported to Franz Lisp to run on the VAX machine under 4.2BSD. Please contact me if you are interested in the system. uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4,allegra,uw-beaver,hplabs} !tektronix!tekchips!abdali CSnet: abdali@tektronix ARPAnet: abdali.tektronix@csnet-relay US Mail: Kamal Abdali Computer Research Lab, 50-662 Tektronix, Inc. Box 500 Beaverton, OR 97077 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 7 Jan 85 10:13:44 cst From: Laurence Leff <leff%smu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa> Subject: News - Recent Articles New Scientist Nov. 29, 1984 Volume 104 No. 1432 Japan woos a wary Britain describes efforts by the Japanese to acquire AI software from Britain and to "cooperate" in AI research. Cybernetica Vol 27 No 3 1984 THES/BID- the construction of a computer-based thesaurus for legal informatics and computer law pp 231 Datamation January 1, 1985 Bringing AI Home Page 34 Describes efforts by various corporations in JAPAN in AI (as distinct from the Fifth Generation Efforts) including a Prolog based VLSI system called WIREX at NEC, a FUJITSU PROLOG/LISP system for hardware design. Also discusses American reactions to the Japanese international conference on the fifth generation. On page 15, the following letter appeared: "Our product IF/Prolog has been available for VAX with Berkeley-UNIX since September 1983, also beating DEC's PROLOG implementation. During 1984 we have ported IF/Prolog to 14 different computers including IBM's PC, VAX/VMS and Eclipse/AOS. We are currently working on a Prolog compiler to be released during the first quarter of 1985." Claus M. Mueller President INterface Computer GmbH Munich, Germany Page 139,in "updates" section: DM DATA estimates the AI market will grow from $148 million this year to $28 billion in the 1990s. Also discusses the need for systems to assist in the knowledge transfer from experts to machines. From the Phoenix Conference on Computers and Communications March 20-22 1985 Advance Program: Tutorial I on Expert Systems by George Luger March 20 Expert System Panel, "Artificial Intelligence Meets the Real World", March 21 3:30 PM 10:30 AM "Hector: A Logic Based Parser, Semantic Interperter, and Planner" March 21 "Sensors, Vision and Robtics: A Perspective" "Vision Systems in Assembly of Semiconductor Devices" "A Kinematic Computer Simulation System for Robotic Manipulators" 1:30 PM "Prolog Interpreter for Industrial Use" "Accounting and Billing Software Related to Computer User Satisfaction: An Interactive Online Expert System Using Diagnostic Audit Trails Through Telecommunications Networks" "Surface: An Application of Small Scale Expert Systems Using the DQR Format" For more info contact PCCC-85 34 W. Monroe, Suite 900 Phoenix, AZ 85003 ------------------------------ Date: Sun 6 Jan 85 20:45:24-PST From: Ken Laws <Laws@SRI-AI.ARPA> Subject: Recent IEEE Articles IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, December 1984. A Report on the Vail Workshop on Human Factors in Computer Systems, by Michael E. Atwood, p. 48: Participants discussed ways of integrating human factors knowledge with the initial design process for computer systems. Several of the conference subgroups proposed that expert systems technology and knowledge-based prototyping be applied to interface design issues. Symbolic Processing Computer Handles AI Applications, p. 75: A description of the IE Explorer LISP-machine, at $52,500 and up each. IEEE Spectrum, January 1985. Fuzzy Logic, a letter from David McGoveran, p. 8: This is a reply to Lotfi Zadeh's article on fuzzy logic. McGoveran points out that the mathematical foundations of this discipline may be "unsound". He cites his own articles on fuzzy logic, claiming that the approach is not a complete representation system and cannot consistently represent hierarchical systems (because it blurs distinctions of level and thus has no consistent metalanguage or model). He further states that fuzzy logic is commutative, distributive, and not order-preserving, and hence is incapable of consistently representing [noncommutative and/or nondistributive] systems that depend on an ordering. John D. Musa on Software, p. 37: A few comments are made about AI papers at the 7th Conf. on Software Engineering, particularly intelligent editors and tutoring aids. Software, by Paul Wallich, p. 50: Survey of the past year's developments in LISP, knowledge-based system development tools, and ADA. The various implementations of Common LISP seem to be riding high with the defense community, and seven or eight validated ADA compilers are now available. ------------------------------ Date: 8 Jan 1985 11:48-EST From: LEVITT@USC-ISI.ARPA Subject: SIGART MEETING THE SECOND MEETING OF THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON CHAPTER OF SIGART WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY NIGHT, JAN.15 AT 730 AT THE KEY BRIDGE MARRIOT IN ROSSLYN VIRGINIA. IT IS BEING HOSTED BY GENE CARTIER OF SRA, (703)-558-5194. I AM TEMPORARILY ACTING CHAIRMAN UNTIL ELECTIONS: MR. LORE LEVITT, (301)-964-8693 OR VIA THE ARPANET LEVITT AT USC-ISI. LORE ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Jan 85 12:29:26 -0200 From: udi%wisdom.BITNET@Berkeley (Ehud Shapiro) Subject: Summer School at the Weizmann Institute The Karyn Kupcinet International Science School The Weizmann Intitute of Science Rehovot, Israel The Weizmann Institute of Science's Annual Karyn Kupcinet International Science School is accepting a small number of science students (from second year) from overseas for the summer of 1985 to participate in research projects in mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, and biology. A modest stipend and dormitory-style accomodation near the campus are provided. No travel funds are available. Application forms may be obtained from the Academic Secratary, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel. Completed applications should be returned before February 15, 1985. p.s. Student application will be given to the relevant scientists for review. If you know Prolog, Concurrent Prolog, computer graphics, esp. Sun graphics, its window system and operating system, familiar with the Smalltalk or Lisp Machine programming environment, or simply want to come to Israel for a summer, and willing to work hard for that, I will be glad to have you here. Please CC me on your application form. As for equipment, we have here three VAX'es (two Unix and one VMS), two Sun worktations (expecting several more), one Symbolics 3670 (expecting one more), and several IBM and DEC PC's. And (how could I forget) an IBM 3081. Ehud Shapiro Department of Applied Mathematics The Weizmann Intitute of Science ------------------------------ Date: Tue 8 Jan 85 07:19:03-EST From: Sidney Markowitz <SIDNEY%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA> Subject: Another malgorithm Here's another malgorithm that comes from SIGPLAN NOTICES, Nov., '84, in a letter citing its original publication in an earlier issue. The author is making a case for avoiding backward-directed GO TO's in FORTRAN, so as to make the program more "structured". To that end, he is advocating replacing the following implementation of a WHILE-DO construct: C While condition is true, execute body 10 IF(.NOT. Boolean Expression) GOTO 100 C Begin iterated body . . . C End iterated body GO TO 10 with the following "more structured" version: C CHOOSE N SUFFICIENTLY LARGE SO THE BOOLEAN EXPRESSION C IS TRUE BEFORE I = N. DO 10 I=1,N IF(Boolean Expression) GO TO 100 C Begin iterated body . . . C End Iterated Body 10 CONTINUE TYPE *,'OOPS!PUT ANOTHER DO LOOP AROUND THE CURRENT ONE' STOP 100 CONTINUE Notice what happens if you don't pick a sufficiently large N. The original version apparently didn't even have the error message in the TYPE statement. -- sidney markowitz <sidney@mc> ------------------------------ Date: 04 Jan 85 1132 PST From: Ted Selker <EJS@SU-AI.ARPA> Subject: Seminar - Better LISP Debugging Tools (SU) [Forwarded from the Stanford bboard by Laws@SRI-AI.] U S E User System Ergonomics A human interface journal club and discussion group Wed January 9, 12:00 PM Margaret Jacks Hall, room 252 Stanford University Chris Perdue from Hp Labs will come lead a discussion on Henry Lieberman's Steps Towards Better Debugging Tools For Lisp paper. Pick up a copy of the paper at The reception desk at the Computer Science Department At Stanford. Contact Ted Selker ejs@su-ai.arpa for information on USE. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Jan 85 13:49:36 -0200 From: scheff%wisdom.BITNET@Berkeley (scheff chaim) Subject: Seminar - Mapless Networks (Berkeley) The Weitzmann Institute of Science - Rehovot, Israel Seminar in Advanced Topics in Computer Science Chaim-Meyer Scheff will speak on "General Description of Search Protocol for a Mapless Network" The talk will take place on Sunday, January 13, 1985 in the Feinberg Building, Room A, at 2:00. Mapless Networks are asynchronous concurrent communication networks in which each node in the network contains a current list of its own internal user population but no node contains a user map of larger scope. Which is to say, each node must operate according to its subjective view in that there is no objective view to appeal to. This is a generalization of Terrestrial Networks and similarly contains spanning tree and leader-net schemes as special cases. Both load optimization and systems relyability at minimum cost are the natural result of implementation; which is provably upward compatible with existing architectures. Portability of the search protocol to computational and communications environments would suggest that mapless networks would provide a stable model for the large scale integration of both into grand scale global systems. // ------------------------------ End of AIList Digest ********************