IRList Digest Friday, 24 April 1987 Volume 3 : Issue 11 Today's Topics: Query - CDROM conference info, discussion group - Free Text Database Programs Reply - Use of Soundex-like scheme in CATALOG Address - New Member Announcement - Free text Browsing on Macintosh - New offerings at Oxford Text Archive - IJCAI travel grants COGSCI - Visual Information Processing Report - Government control of electronic databases News addresses are ARPANET: fox@vtopus.cs.vt.edu BITNET: foxea@vtvax3.bitnet CSNET: fox@vt UUCPNET: seismo!vtisr1!irlistrq ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Mar 87 10:23:45 O From: Henry Nussbacher Subject: CDROM Can you send me more info in the Microsoft CDROM stuff? Is there a newsgroup that discusses CDROM someplace? Is there any sort of online announcement about the CDROM stuff? Thanks, Hank [Note: I don't know of any publications that will emerge about the conference - there were various news articles, and there were booklets from the Developers and Applications workshops for attendees. Microsoft Press did have the new book out, "CD ROM Volume II: Optical Publishing" which is quite good. I believe Harper and Row will handle it and that B. Dalton will carry it. I would welcome discussion of CD ROM under IRList - I don't think the volume will be too great and believe that much of the discussion would be of interest to IRList readers. - Ed] ------------------------------ Date: 13 Apr 87 09:43 EDT From: David A. Potter / McDonnell Douglas Subject: Free-Text Database Programs [Forwarded from INFO-MAC Digest Tuesday, 14 Apr 1987 Volume 5 : Issue 78 - Ed] In a recent issue of Info-Mac, Mark Zimmerman described Tiny Browser, a [Note: see msg from Zimmerman below - Ed] free-text database program he's worked up to the alpha-test phase. I'm interested in this program -- but am also wondering what similar programs might exist for other environments -- specifically, MS-DOS and the DEC-20 world (Tenex/TOPS-20). Any information would be greatly appreciated. If I get enough information back I'll be glad to summarize for the net(s). ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Apr 87 22:36:55 EDT From: seismo!allegra!hoqam!wbf Subject: Catalog and Soundex, etc. Ed, . . . I saw the request in IRLIST about use of soundex type algorithms in IR. We put one of those in CATALOG and people seemed to like it alot. I wasn't sure what kind of info Alan Smeaton was interested in, but if you think he'd be interested, please pass this along. [Note: this refers back to V3 #5 query - Ed] . . . Bill Frakes ------------------------------ Date: 7 April 1987, 11:45:45 SET From: USWFF001 at DBIUNI11 Subject: addition I am interested in getting added to the IRList mailing list. Matthias Winterhager Science Studies Unit University of Bielefeld P.O.B. 8640 D-4800 Bielefeld 1 Federal Republic of Germany ------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 87 06:53 EST From: science@nems.arpa (Mark Zimmermann) Subject: free-text browsing on Mac, etc. Tnx for latest IRList! Is there an archive somewhere that I could access via anonymous ftp login on arpanet, and could you give me the address? Or alternatively, if it's not too much trouble could you forward to me the past year or two worth of IRList? [Note: We should be on the NSFNET "soon" in which case I will announce FTP instructions. Who on ARPANET is keeping a collection online these days? - Ed] I want some large volumes of text to index/browse ... I'm developing a very simple indexer/browser system on the Apple Macintosh. If anybody is interested in getting a copy of source code (MacForth is the language) as well as stand-alone application and sample index files, please send me a self-addressed stamped envelope and a 3.5" Macintosh disk. The program ("Tiny Browser") requires at least 512K and works on a Mac, Mac+, or Mac SE. (Not yet on a Mac II ... tnx, btw, for the comments on it.) Basic concept of my program is to create a complete inverted index to every word in the "database" (a huge text file). The user then has windows in which to scroll around in the index, click with mouse on interesting words, call up key-word-in-context scrollable window, and call up a full-text window showing the region of the database around a selected item. Very fast, easy, requires no reformatting of data, etc. Highlight selections in retrieved text with mouse and copy/paste them out into other files as desired. I could go on and on ... for further data, contact me at: Mark Zimmermann science@nems.arpa 9511 Gwyndale Drive (301)565-2166 Silver Spring, MD 20910 75066,2044 on CompuServe I am in need of alpha-test users who will stress the program and make suggestions for improvements. Tnx - ^Z [Note: It would be nice to see this and to extend it with more weighting schemes etc. Who else has a Mac IR system? - Ed] ------------------------------ Date: 2-APR-1987 15:48:01 From: ARCHIVE%UK.AC.OXFORD.VAX3@AC.UK Subject: . . . OTA . . . On another matter, would you like to insert an annoucement in IRList about the availability of our new catalogue? The Text Archive shortlist is available in mmachine-readable form and is updated regularly; copies can be sent to any BITNET or EDU network address, on receipt of an enquiry addressed to us at archive@uk.ac.ox.vax3 Amongst recently acuqired texts of interest to IRList subscribers might be the MRC Psycholoinguistic database, created by Mike Wilson at RL.EARN; this combines the wordlist extracted from the Shorter Oxford by Dolby et al with a variety of "psycholinguistic norms" to provide a variety of senmantic and other information. Also, we now have Rick Kazman's reqorking of OALDCE in fully parsed (SGML style) format. And we just received the bible (both King James and Revised Standard versions) too! Lou Burnard ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Apr 87 21:20:49 est From: walker@flash.bellcore.com Subject: Travel Grant support for IJCAI-87 TRAVEL GRANTS FOR IJCAI-87 IJCAII has submitted a proposal to NSF to provide travel allowances for U.S. participants attending IJCAI-87 in Milan. It also plans to provide an equal amount of IJCAII funds to support participants from other countries. The amounts awarded would probably cover no more than discount air fares and would vary depending on location and on the number of persons applying. The intent is to help about 100 people. Priority will be given to younger members of the AI community who are presenting papers or are on panels and who would not otherwise be able to attend because of lack of travel funds. Note that U.S. applicants must use U.S. air carriers. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, even though we have not received confirmation from NSF about a grant award. The application should briefly describe benefits expected from attendance; identify expected form of conference participation (e.g., presenting paper); state current sources of research funding; and list travel support from other sources. A brief resume should be attached, and students should include a letter of recommendation from a faculty member. Five copies of the application should be sent, no later than 1 June 1987, to: Priscilla Rasmussen IJCAI-87 Travel Grants Laboratory for Computer Science Research Hill Center, Busch Campus Rutgers, the State University New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Mar 87 02:45:19 est From: DEJONG%OZ.AI.MIT.EDU@mc.lcs.mit.edu Subject: Cognitive Science Calendar [Extract - Ed] Date: Monday, 30 March 1987 9:08-EST From: Liz A. Highleyman Re: Vision Seminar - - - - Monday, 30 March 4:00pm Room: NE43-8th floor playroom 9.382: SEMINAR ON VISUAL INFORMATION PROCESSING Hierarchical Object Recognition Using Libraries of Parameterized Model Sub-parts Gil Ettinger MIT AI Laboratory A model-based vision system which exploits both object scale and structure hierarchies is developed to achieve a robust recognition system and to study organization and indexing schemes of model libraries. The goal of the system is to recognize parameterized instances of model objects contained in a large knowledge base despite the presence of noise and occlusion. In order to achieve the goal of robustness, the viewed objects in the scene may be scaled or mirror-image instances of the known models, and component sub-parts may be scaled, rotated, or translated relative to each other. The research approach is to develop an object shape representation which incorporates a component sub-part hierarchy to allow for efficient and correct indexing into an automatically-generated part library as well as for relative parameterization among sub-parts, and a scale hierarchy to allow for a general to specific recognition procedure. After analysis of the inherent tradeoffs in the recognition process, a system based on a curvature primal sketch representation and a constrained search recognition engine is implemented. Examples of the system's performance are given, followed by an analysis of the results. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Mar 87 02:31:08 est From: DAUL@office-1.arpa Subject: 'sensitive' information relief." Some of my our freedom has returned! --Bi// [Following is a message forwarded by Daul - Ed] Originally-Sent-To: Physics@sri-unix.ARPA Originally-From: pur-ee!j.cc.purdue.edu!h.cc.purdue.edu!pur-phy!piner@UCB-Vax.arpa From: RPARK To: WHATSNEW THE THREAT OF GOVERNMENT CONTROLS ON ELECTRONIC DATABASES that contain "sensitive but unclassified information" has receded, at least temporarily (WN 27 Feb 87). In a stunning reversal of policy, Frank Carlucci, the new National Security Advisor to the President, announced in a conciliatory letter to Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX), Chairman of the Government Operations Committee, that NTISSP-2, the notorious "Poindexter Memorandum," was being rescinded. It was this directive that defined "sensitive but unclassified information" as information affecting "national security or other Federal Government interests," a definition that could fit a giraffe. Carlucci also said that NSDD 145, National Policy on Telecommunications and Automated Information Systems Security, which in Brook's words created a "shadow government," was being reviewed. The reversal is attributable to the solid opposition of groups such as the library associations and scientific societies. Although Carlucci declined to testify on grounds of executive privilege, he refused to extend that protection to Poindexter. showed up before the Committee on Tuesday, but confined himself to puffing on his pipe taking the Fifth. Secretary of Commerce Baldrige and Deputy Secretary of Defense Taft testified that responsibility for computer security should be moved to a civilian agency. Perhaps the most significant testimony on Tuesday came at the end, after most of the press had left to file their stories. Harold Relyea of the Library of Congress discussed the whole phenomenon of National Security Decision Directives (NSDD's). Out of some 200 NSDD's, all but five are secret, and are not generally available even to Congress. They have apparently been used to authorize such things as the disinformation campaign against Libya and $50M for Argentina to train Contras. He said they bring us very close to the most dangerous practice of totalitarian government -- rule by secret law. ------------------------------ END OF IRList Digest ********************