From csnet_gateway Wed Jul 23 00:42:06 1986
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 86 00:41:59 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe.arpa
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #171
Status: R
AIList Digest Tuesday, 22 Jul 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 171
Today's Topics:
Queries - Geometric Placement & Oceanic or Weather References &
Common Lisp and Prolog on VM/CMS & KB System Verification and Validation,
Philosophy - Conservation Laws for Thought & Interactive Systems,
AI Tools - Catalogue of AI Tools
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 19 Jul 1986 14:36-EDT
From: Carlos.Bhola@spice.cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Query - Geometric Placement
Query: Does anyone know about any expert system (developed
or under development) that relates to the placement
of geometric objects in a plane? Examples of the
problem would be pagination, VLSI layout, etc.
-- Carlos.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jul 86 14:30:00 EDT
From: "CUGINI, JOHN" <cugini@nbs-vms.ARPA>
Reply-to: "CUGINI, JOHN" <cugini@nbs-vms.ARPA>
Subject: request for oceanic or weather references
Does anyone know of AI or expert systems work being done whose
application domain is oceanography or atmospheric science?
I'd appreciate any pointers - please send directly to me.
John Cugini <Cugini@NBS-VMS>
Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology
National Bureau of Standards
(301) 921-2431
[The 1985 IEEE conference on Expert Systems in Government had
a session on Environment and Weather. There was also a short
article on prospects of AI in weather forecasting in Aviation
Week & Space Technology, April 7, 1986, pp. 143-146. RuleMaster
has been used in some experimental atmospheric domains; contact
Radian Corp. There have also been some efforts at combining the
two fields -- expert systems to route ships; contact Dr. James
Mays of Micronautics, Inc., 70 Zoe Street, Suite 200, San Francisco,
CA 94107, (415) 896-6764. -- KIL]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 86 18:30:10 edt
From: dsn@vorpal.cs.umd.edu (Dana Nau)
Subject: Common Lisp and Prolog on VM/CMS
We are looking for implementations of Common Lisp and Prolog that run under
VM/CMS, to be used for undergraduate/graduate instruction. I'd appreciate
any information people might have about the following:
(1) Does anyone know of a decent Common Lisp that runs under VM/CMS?
(IBM Lisp isn't suitable for our purposes, since it's rather different
from Common Lisp).
(2) Has anyone had experience using IBM Prolog? How natural would it be to
use for one accustomed to C-Prolog (or any other Prolog that uses the
syntax described in Clocksin and Mellish)?
(3) Does anyone know of a Prolog that runs under VM/CMS that's closer to
C-Prolog? Or, for that matter, does anyone know whether C-Prolog can
be made to run under VM/CMS?
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jul 86 12:50 EST
From: AIMAGIC%SCOM08.decnet@ge-crd.arpa
Subject: KB System Verification and Validation
I am an employee with GE Space Systems and am in the process of doing
work on an IR&D in the area of AI development methodologies or the lack
there of. As part of this effort, I am trying to determine what already
exists, what is available for purchase, and what can be had for the asking.
I have be doing extensive research in this area but have found little
information specifically directed at Knowledge-Based System Verification and
Validation. As a result, I have had to come up with my own concepts of what
can be done. For example, I have determined that a Knowledge-Based Software
Development Environment (KBSDE) consisting of a number of complementary
tools is essential. The tools themselves should support all phases of the
development life cycle. For KBS systems the question becomes, What is its
Life Cycle, how closly does KBS system development parallel that of "normal"
procedural/algoritmetic software? How do we account for rapid prototyping
while at the same time exercising the control necessary to create a reliable
software system?
I have made some progress in answering these questions and would be
willing to share my discoveries with the general community, if I could in
turn find out what is already out there and thus need not be rediscovered.
If it is at all possible, could this request be posted and responses sent
to me? If this could be done, I would gladly summarise my results for
general reading after sufficient responces were received.
Thanks:
Phil Rossomando
GE Space Systems Devision
King of Prussia, PA.
AIMAGIC%SCOM08.decnet@ge-crd.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 13:05:55 PDT
From: ANDREWS%EAR@ames-io.ARPA
Subject: Conservation Laws for Thought??? (AIList Digest V4 #170)
In his July 16 missive on Life, Intelligence, and Creativity definitions,
Larry makes a statement (highlighted below in upper case) which is quite
provocative to a mechanical engineer like myself.
> "Creativity" is a particular kind of intelligence. It can be recognized by its
> products: ideas, actions, or objects that did not exist before. ...
> Obviously, these new things don't appear from nowhere. THERE ARE CONSERVATION
> LAWS IN THOUGHT AS WELL AS IN PHYSICS (THOUGH VERY DIFFERENT ONES).
Have I missed something somewhere? If there are "thought conservation laws",
could someone please provide me with some references? And if nothing has been
documented, could someone please fill me in? I understand the concept of
conservation of mass and energy (what goes in - what comes out = increase in
amount stored), and the "bookkeeping" associated with entropy production,
transfer, and storage, but I have never heard of an application of those ideas
to human thought. I'm undecided about whether to be excited or depressed.
Help!
Alison Andrews
NASA Ames Research Center
andrews%ear@ames-io.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Monday, 21 Jul 1986 11:42:07-PDT
From: cherubini%cookie.DEC@decwrl.DEC.COM (RALPH CHERUBINI
CX01-2/N22)
Subject: Interactive Systems
Response to 14 Jul "Architectures for interactive systems?"
For a very provocative couple of hours relating to modes of interaction,
user models, contexts...I suggest people get a copy of the videotape of
the movie "Being There". I have found it very suggestive, based as it
is on a central character who has a very limited repertoire of
responses. I think there is a great deal to be learned from the
models of interactions which are both explicit and implicit in the
film. I'd be interested to hear reactions.
Ralph Cherubini
Digital Equipment Corporation
[For those who haven't seen it, Being There stars Peter Sellers as a
retarded man who is forced into the world by the death of the wealthy
man who had sheltered him. He enters the world full-grown, with no
traceable past, dressed in expensive clothes, and interested in little
except gardening and watching television. His great talent is that
he listens very intently, with no hidden agenda of things he'd like to
say or places he'd rather be -- hence the title. People mistake his
laconic replies, particularly his references to gardening, as deep
philosophical thought -- as with the Eliza/Doctor program. He finds
shelter with a millionaire, a political "king-maker", who introduces
Sellers to all the right people and fosters this image of precious
eccentricity and deep insight. The few who realize Seller's true
nature are either unable or unwilling to break the illusion. -- KIL]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 86 16:57:30 -0100
From: Alan Bundy <bundy%aiva.edinburgh.ac.uk@Cs.Ucl.AC.UK>
Subject: Catalogue of AI Tools
THE CATALOGUE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS
Alan Bundy
The Catalogue of Artificial Intelligence Tools is a kind of
mail order catalogue of AI techniques and portable software. Its
purpose is to promote interaction between members of the AI community.
It does this by announcing the existence of AI tools, and acting as a
pointer into the literature. Thus the AI community will have access
to a common, extensional definition of the field, which will: promote
a common terminology, discourage the reinvention of wheels, and act as
a clearing house for ideas and software.
The catalogue is a reference work providing a quick guide to
the AI tools available for different jobs. It is not intended to be a
textbook like the Artificial Intelligence Handbook. It,
intentionally, only provides a brief description of each tool, with no
extended discussion of the historical origin of the tool or how it has
been used in particular AI programs. The focus is on techniques
abstracted from their historical origins.
The original version of the catalogue, was hastily built in
1983 as part of the UK SERC-DoI, IKBS, Architecture Study. It has now
been adopted by the UK Alvey Programme and is both kept as an on-line
document undergoing constant revision and refinement and published as
a paperback by Springer Verlag. Springer Verlag have agreed to reprint
the Catalogue at frequent intervals in order to keep it up to date.
The on-line and paperback versions of the catalogue meet
different needs and differ in the entries they contain. In
particular, the on-line version was designed to promote UK interaction
and contains all the entries which we received that meet the criteria
defined below. Details of how to access the on-line version are
available from John Smith of the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory,
Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 OQX. The paperback version was designed to
serve as a reference book for the international community, and does
not contain entries which are only of interest in a UK context.
By `AI techniques' we mean algorithms, data (knowledge)
formalisms, architectures, and methodological techniques, which can be
described in a precise, clean way. The catalogue entries are intended
to be non-technical and brief, but with a literature reference. The
reference might not be the `classic' one. It will often be to a
textbook or survey article. The border between AI and non-AI
techniques is fuzzy. Since the catalogue is to promote interaction
some techniques are included because they are vital parts of many AI
programs, even though they did not originate in AI.
By `portable AI software' we mean programming languages,
shells, packages, toolkits etc, which are available for use by AI
researchers outside the group of the implementor, including both
commercial and non-commercial products. To obtain a copy of software,
do NOT write to us or the contributor of the entry; look at the
`Availability' field or write to the implementor. We hope that (s)he
will supply sufficient documentation for the system to be used by an
outsider, but do not expect non-commercial products to be as
professionally polished as commercial ones.
We have not included in the catalogue separate entries for
each slight variation of a technique, programming language, etc.
Neither have we always included details of how to obtain the software,
nor descriptions of AI programs tied to a particular application, nor
of descriptions of work in progress. The catalogue is not intended to
be a dictionary of AI terminology nor to include definitions of AI
problems.
Entries are short (abstract length) descriptions of a
technique or piece of software. They include a title, list of
aliases, contributor's name, paragraph of description, information on
availability and references. The contributor's name is that of the
original contributor of the entry. Only occasionally is the
contributor of the entry also the implementor of the software or the
inventor of the technique. The `Availability' field or the reference
are a better guide to the identity of the implementor or inventor.
Some entries have been subsequently modified by the referees and/or
editorial team, and these modifications have not always been checked
with the original contributor, so (s)he should not always be held
morally responsible, and should never be held legally responsible.
If you would like to submit an entry for the catalogue then
please fill in the attached form and send it to:
Alan Bundy,
Department of Artificial Intelligence,
University of Edinburgh, Tel: 44-31-225-7774 ext 242
80 South Bridge,
Edinburgh, EH1 1HN, JANet: Bundy@UK.Ac.Edinburgh
Scotland. ARPAnet: Bundy@Rutgers.Arpa
CATALOGUE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS:
FORMAT FOR ENTRIES
Title:
Alias:
Abstract: <Paragraph length description of tool or technique>
Contributor: <Your name>
References: <Aim for the most helpful rather than the `classic' one>
Availability: <e.g. commercially available with documentation and support,
available as a research vehicle only with limited documentation>
Environment: <necessary supporting software/hardware>
From: <contact address for distribution, incl. telephone number and
electronic mail address if appropriate>
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Thu Jul 24 18:53:08 1986
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 86 18:53:03 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe.arpa
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #172
Status: R
AIList Digest Thursday, 24 Jul 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 172
Today's Topics:
Seminars - COPYCAT: Modeling Creative Analogical Thought (Ames) &
DB and KB Interface for Structural Engineering (CMU) &
Automatic Debugging for Intelligent Tutoring Systems (UTexas) &
Our Cognitive Abilities Limit the Power of AI (SRI),
Workshop - Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems,
Conference - 2nd AI Applications in Engineering
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 11:18:22 pdt
From: eugene@AMES-NAS.ARPA (Eugene Miya)
Subject: Seminar - COPYCAT: Modeling Creative Analogical Thought (Ames)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Ames Research Center
SEMINAR ANNOUNCEMENT
Joint RCR Branch / Ames AI Forum Seminar
SPEAKER: Douglas Hofstadter
Cognitive Science
University of Michigan
TOPIC: THE COPYCAT PROJECT: MODELING CREATIVE ANALOGICAL THOUGHT
The fluidity inherent in concepts in the human mind allows different
situations to be mapped onto each other and a type of translation set up
between them. Every analogy (i.e., mapping of this sort) involves some degree
of stress, and the more stress there is, the weaker the analogy is. For an
analogy to be created, there must be mechanisms that gauge the stress of any
tentative mapping. We consider the central mechanism to be an unconscious
mental metric (i.e., a type of distance relation between concepts), which
allows the mind to quickly sense close resemblances and to accept them as
valid "equations" making up part of the translation between situations, and
which conversely makes the mind balk at far-fetched "equations" and give up
on translations that cause too much stress.
In the Copycat project, the network embodying this metric is called the
"slipnet" -- the idea being that the proximity of two nodes in the slipnet
indicates the propensity of the corresponding concepts to "slip" into each
other. Copycat's slipnet is the core of our effort at modeling "creative
slippage", which we feel is how deep and insightful analogies come about.
We have carefully tailored the domain in which the Copycat program operates,
so that it contains all the essential qualities -- but no extra qualities --
of a domain in which highly creative (as well as highly mundane) analogies
can be made.
Ultimately, however, our project is not so much about analogies per se,
but about human concepts and how they are structured so as to form something
like a slipnet. In that sense, analogies are merely an instrument for us.
Any analogy created by a human reveals some aspects of a human slipnet, which
we then attempt to transfer to our model. Conversely, the analogies created
by the Copycat program reveal the accuracy of our artificial slipnet, and thus
of our model of concepts.
In summary, the Copycat project is an attempt to study the basis for the
fluidity of the human mind by exploring the world of creative analogies within
a carefully limited domain.
DATE: Wednesday, TIME: 1:00 - 2:00 pm BLDG. 201 Main Auditorium
July 30, 1986
POINT(S) OF CONTACT: Eugene Miya PHONE NUMBER: (415) 694-6453
NET ADDRESS: eugene@ames-nas.arpa
or Alison Andrews (415) 694-6741 andrews%ear@ames-io.arpa
VISITORS ARE WELCOME: Register and obtain vehicle pass at Ames Visitor
Reception Building (N-253) or the Security Station near Gate 18. Do not
use the Navy Main Gate.
Non-citizens (except Permanent Residents) must have prior approval from the
Director's Office one week in advance. Submit requests to the point of
contact indicated above. Non-citizens must register at the Visitor
Reception Building. Permanent Residents are required to show Alien
Registration Card at the time of registration.
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jul 86 10:19:22 EDT
From: Craig.Howard@cive.ri.cmu.edu
Subject: Seminar - DB and KB Interface for Structural Engineering (CMU)
FINAL PUBLIC ORAL EXAMINATION
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Candidate: H. Craig Howard
Title of Dissertation: Interfacing Databases and Knowledge-Based Systems
for Structural Engineering Applications
Department: Civil Engineering
Time: 1:00 pm Tuesday, July 22, 1986
Place: Adamson Wing - Baker Hall
Database management systems and expert systems will be important components
of integrated computer-aided design systems. A powerful, adaptable
interface between these components is necessary to build an integrated
structural engineering computing environment. The thesis examines the basic
issues involved in interfacing expert systems with database management
systems and describes the architecture of a prototype system, KADBASE.
KADBASE is a flexible, knowledge-based interface in which multiple expert
systems and multiple databases can communicate as independent,
self-descriptive components within an integrated, distributed engineering
computing system. The thesis presents examples from three knowledge-based
systems to demonstrate the use of KADBASE in typical engineering design
applications.
------------------------------
Date: Mon 21 Jul 86 17:27:12-CDT
From: Bill Murray <ATP.Murray@R20.UTEXAS.EDU>
Subject: Seminar - Automatic Debugging for Intelligent Tutoring Systems
(UTexas)
I will be giving the following talk on Thursday from 12 to 1 in
Taylor 3.128. All graduate students and faculty are invited. Bring
your lunch if you like.
Automatic Program Debugging for Intelligent Tutoring Systems
by
William Murray
Program debugging is an important part of the domain expertise
required for intelligent tutoring systems that teach programming
languages. This talk explores the process by which student programs can
be automatically debugged in order to increase the instructional
capabilities of these systems. The research presented provides a
methodology and implementation for the diagnosis and correction of
nontrivial recursive programs. In this approach, recursive programs are
debugged by repairing induction proofs in the Boyer-Moore Logic.
The potential of a program debugger to automatically debug widely
varying novice programs in a nontrivial domain is proportional to its
capabilities to reason about computational semantics. By increasing
these reasoning capabilities a more powerful and robust system can
result. This research supports these claims by discussing the design,
implementation, and evaluation of Talus, an automatic debugger for LISP
programs and by examining related work in automated program debugging.
Talus relies on its abilities to reason about computational semantics
to perform algorithm recognition, infer code teleology and to
automatically detect and correct nonsyntactic errors in student programs
written in a restricted, but nontrivial, subset of LISP. Solutions can
vary significantly in algorithm, functional decomposition, role of
variables, data flow, control flow, values returned by functions, LISP
primitives used, and identifiers used. Solutions can consist of
multiple functions, each containing multiple bugs. Empirical evaluation
demonstrates that Talus achieves high performance in debugging widely
varying student solutions to challenging tasks.
------------------------------
Date: Wed 23 Jul 86 12:12:25-PDT
From: Amy Lansky <LANSKY@SRI-WARBUCKS.ARPA>
Subject: Seminar - Our Cognitive Abilities Limit the Power of AI (SRI)
OUR COGNITIVE ABILITIES LIMIT THE POWER OF AI
Jack Alpert (ALPERT@SCORE)
Stanford Knowledge Integration Lab
and
School of Education, Stanford University
11:00 AM, MONDAY, July 28
SRI International, Building E, Room EK228
"Expert Systems: How far can they go?" was a panel topic at AAAI
1985. Brian Smith described the limits of AI in terms of the
programmer's ability to know if his encoded model reflected the world
that his expert system was to manage. "We have no techniques.. to
study the ... relationship between model and world. We are unable...
to assess the appropriateness of models, or to predict when models
fail."
Most of us with icy road experience are convinced we know how to
recover from skids. In the talk I will prove that our skid recovery
algorithms work only on a small set of possible skids. Skids that lie
outside of this small set result in accidents. Our "inappropriate"
skid recovery models cause accidents. 20 years of driving experience
does not revile the skid model's limitations. When we have been
building expert systems for 20 years, why should we be any better
prepared to perceive model inappropriateness?
The limited set of cognitive abilities that most people develop cannot
identify domains where models fail. I describe a temporal cognitive
ability most of us lack. Given the definition of such an ability, I
will briefly describe a line of research that explains why people
never develop the ability. Should this research be successful, we
will create new learning environments that enhance first cognitive
abilities, then modeling, and finally the power of AI systems.
VISITORS: Please arrive 5 minutes early so that you can be escorted up
from the E-building receptionist's desk. Thanks!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 86 12:21:25 edt
From: Beth Adelson <adelson@YALE.ARPA>
Subject: Workshop - Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems
Forwarded from Ron Yager:
A workshop will be held at the AAAI meeting entitled
"Dealing with Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems".
An open discussion.
Date: Thursday August 14.
Time: 9 am - noon.
Place: Richter Hall, Room 2
The workshop will be a lively open discussion on issues related to the
management of uncertainty. A number of prominent workers in the field
will attend and act as focal points.
All are invited to participate.
For further information contact:
Ronald R. Yager
(212) 249-2047
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 86 09:30:46 -0500
From: sriram@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Conference - 2nd AI Applications in Engineering
CALL FOR PAPERS
SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
APPLICATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN
ENGINEERING
AUGUST 4TH-7TH, 1987
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
INTRODUCTION
Following the success of the first international conference in
Southampton, UK, the second international conference is to be held in
Boston during the first week of August. The first international
conference stimulated many presentations on both the tools and
techniques required for the successful use of AI in engineering and
many new applications. The organizing committee members anticipate
that the second conference will be even more succesful and encourage
papers to be submitted.
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this conference is to provide an international forum
for the presentation of work on the applications of artificial
intelligence to engineering problems. It also aims to encourage and
enhance the development of this most important area of research.
CONFERENCE THEMES
The following topics are suggested and other related areas will be
considered:
- Computer-aided design
- Planning and scheduling
- Constraint management
- Intelligent tutors
- Knowledge-based systems
- Knowledge representation
- Learning
- Natural language applications
- Cognitive modelling of engineering problems
- Database interfaces
- Graphical interfaces
- Knowledge-based simulation
- Model-based problem solving
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Authors are invited to submit a 1000 word extended abstract. This
abstract should have sufficient details, such as the type of knowledge
representation, problem solving strategies, and the implementation
language used, to permit evaluation by a committee consisting of
renowned experts in the field. The abstract should be accompanied by
the following details: author's name, address, affiliation, and the
person to whom all correspondence should be sent.
All abstracts should be submitted to Dr. R. Adey, Computational
Mechanics Inc., Suite 6200, 400 West Cummings Park, Woburn, MA 01801
(Tel. no. 617-933-7374), before November 1986. The notification of
acceptance will be sent before February 1st, 1987. Final acceptance
of papers will be based on the review of the complete paper.
Organizing Committee
General Chair Dr. R. Adey, CML Ltd.
Program Chair Dr. J. Connor, M. I. T.
Technical Chair Dr. D. Sriram, M. I. T.
Technical Program Co-ordinators
Dr. M. Tenenbaum, Fairchild Research Labs, USA
Dr. R. Milne, Intelligent Applications Ltd., UK
Dr. J. Gero, University of Sydney, Australia
Advisory Board
Leading researchers in the field
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Fri Jul 25 00:44:26 1986
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 86 00:44:19 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe.arpa
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #173
Status: R
AIList Digest Thursday, 24 Jul 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 173
Today's Topics:
Philosophy - Perception & Understanding,
Humor - Expert Systems Parable
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 14:01:37 EDT
From: "William J. Rapaport" <rapaport%buffalo.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: followup on "understanding yellow"
The original version of the "understanding yellow" problem may be found
in:
Jackson, Frank, "Epiphenomenal Qualia," _Philosophical
Quarterly_ 32(1982)127-136.
with replies in:
Churchland, Paul M., ``Reduction, Qualia, and the Direct
Introspection of Brain States," _Journal of Philosophy_
82(1985)8-28.
Jackson, Frank, "What Mary Didn't Know," _Journal of
Philosophy_ 83(1986)291-95.
(One of the reasons I stopped reading net.philosophy was that its
correspondents seemed not to know about what was going on in philosophy
journals!)
William J. Rapaport
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Computer Science, SUNY Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260
(716) 636-3193, 3180
uucp: ..!{allegra,decvax,watmath,rocksanne}!sunybcs!rapaport
csnet: rapaport@buffalo.csnet
bitnet: rapaport@sunybcs.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Fri 18 Jul 86 14:57:17-PDT
From: Stephen Barnard <BARNARD@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA>
Subject: internal representations vs. direct perception
Eyal Mozes thinks that direct perception is right on, and that
internal representations either don't exist or aren't important.
I think direct perception is a vague and suspiciously mystical
doctrine that has no logical or physical justification.
Barnard:
>>Consider what happens when we look at a realistic
>>painting. We can, at one level, see it as a painting, or we can see
>>it as a scene with no objective existence whatsoever. How could this
>>perception possibly be interpreted as anything but an internal
>>representation?
Mozes:
>Sorry, I can't follow your argument. Of course, a realistic painting is
>a representation; but it is not an INTERNAL representation. Gibson's
>books do contain long discussions of paintings; but he specifically
>distinguishes between looking at a painting (in which case you are
>perceiving a representation of the object) and directly perceiving the
>object itself.
Barnard's reply:
Look, the painting is a representation, but we don't
perceive it AS a representation --- we perceive it as a scene. The
scene has NO OBJECTIVE EXISTENCE; therefore, we cannot perceive it
DIRECTLY. It exists only in our imaginations, presumably as internal
representations. (How else?) If the painter was skillful, the
representations in our imagination match his intention. To counter
this argument, you must tell me how one can "directly" perceive
something that doesn't exist. Good luck. On the other hand, it is
quite possible to merely represent something that doesn't exist.
Barnard:
>>Gibson emphasized the richness of the visual stimulus,
>>arguing that much more information was available from it than was
>>generally realized. But to go from this observation to the conclusion
>>that the stimulus is in all cases sufficient for perception is clearly
>>not justified.
Mozes:
>Gibson did not deny that there are SOME cases (for example, many
>situations created in laboratories) in which the stimulus is
>impoverished. His point was that these cases are the exception, rather
>than the rule. Even if we agree that in those exceptional cases there
>is some inference from background knowledge, this doesn't justify
>concluding that in the normal cases, where the stimuli do uniquely
>specify the external object, inference also goes on.
To the contrary, ambiguous visual stimuli are not rare exceptions ---
the visual stimulus is ambiguous in virtually EVERY CASE. Gibson was
fond of stereo and optic flow as modes of perception that can
disambiguate static, monocular stimuli (which are clearly ambiguous).
But he simply did not realize that such modalities are themselves
ambiguous. For example, I am not aware of Gibson discussing the
aperture problem, which describes ambiguity in optic flow. Similarly,
depth from stereo is unique once the image-to-image correspondence is
achieved, but, as we know from years of research on computational
stereo, solving the correspondence problem is not easy, primarly due
to the problem of resolving ambiguous matches. Similar problems
occur for every mode of visual perception.
Gibson's hypothesis that the information for perception exists
completely in the stimulus is false, and the entire theory of direct
perception falls apart as a consequence.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 86 09:25:43 -0200
From: Eyal mozes <eyal%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Searle and understanding
>I think the example shows that there are two related meanings
>of "understanding". Certainly, in a formal, scientific sense,
>ETS knows (understands-1) as much about yellow as anyone - all
>the associated wavelengths, retinal reactions, brain-states,
>etc. He can use this concept in formal systems, manipulate it,
>etc. But *something* is missing - ETS doesn't know
>(understand-2) "what it's like to see yellow", to borrow/bend
>Nagel's phrase.
>
> It's this "what it's like to be a subject experiencing X" that
> eludes capture (I suppose) by AI systems. And I think the
> point of the Chinese room example is the same - the system as
> a whole *does* understand-1 Chinese, but doesn't understand-2
> Chinese.
No, I think you're missing Searle's point.
What you call "understanding-2" is applicable only to a very small
class of concepts - to concepts of sensory qualities, which can't be
conveyed verbally. For the concept of a color, you don't even have to
stipulate ETS; any color-blind person with a fair knowledge of physical
optics (and I happen to be such a person) has "understanding-1", but
not "understanding-2", of the concept; I know the conditions which
cause other people to see that color, I can reason about it, but I
don't know what it feels like to see it. But for concepts which don't
directly involve sensory qualities (for example, for understanding a
language) there can be only "understanding-1".
Now, Searle's point is that this "understanding-1" (such as a native
Chinese's understanding of the Chinese language, or my understanding of
colors) involves intentionality; it does not consist of manipulating
uninterpreted symbols by formal rules. That is why he denies that a
computer program can have it.
Those who think Searle sees something "magical" in human understanding
also miss his point. Quite on the contrary, he regards understanding as
a completely natural phenomenon, which, like all natural phenomena,
depends on specific material causes. To quote from his paper "Minds,
Brains and Programs": "Whatever else intentionality is, it is a
biological phenomenon, and it is as likely to be as causally dependent
on the specific biochemistry of its origins as lactation,
photosynthesis, or any other biological phenomena. No one would suppose
that we could produce milk and sugar by running a computer simulation
of the formal sequences in lactation and photosynthesis, but where the
mind is concerned many people are willing to believe in such a miracle
because of a deep and abiding dualism: the mind they suppose is a
matter of formal processes and is independent of quite specific
material causes in the way that milk and sugar are not".
Eyal Mozes
BITNET: eyal@wisdom
CSNET and ARPA: eyal%wisdom.bitnet@wiscvm.ARPA
UUCP: ..!ucbvax!eyal%wisdom.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 86 17:34:03 PDT
From: kube%cogsci@BERKELEY.EDU (Paul Kube)
Subject: comment on Hayes, V4 #169
Pat Hayes <PHayes@SRI-KL> in AIList V4 #169:
>re: Searle's chinese room
>There has been by now an ENORMOUS amount of discussion of this argument, far
>more than it deserves.
Pat is right, for two reasons: the argument says nothing one way or
the other about the possibility of constructing systems which exhibit
any kind of behavior you like; and the point of the Chinese Room
argument proper--that computation is insufficient for intentionality--
had already been made to most everyone's satisfaction by Block, Fodor,
Rey, and others, by the time Searle went to press. (The question of
the sufficiency of computation plus causation, or of the sufficiency of
neurobiology, are further issues which have probably not been
discussed more than they deserve.)
>... ultimately
>whether or not he is right will have to be decided empirically, I
>believe.
Searle thinks this too, but it's not obvious what the empirical decision
would be based on. Since behavior and internal structure (by
hypothesis), and material (to avoid begging the question), are no
guide, it would seem that the only way to tell if a silicon system has
intentional states is by being one. The crucial empirical test looks
disturbingly elusive, so far as the brain-based scientific community
is concerned.
> When the robots get to be more convincing, let's
>come back and ask him again ( or send one of them to do it ).
Searle, of course, has committed himself to not being convinced by a
robot, no matter how convincing. But some elaboration of this
scenario is, I think, the right picture of how the question will be
answered (and not `empirically'): as increasingly perfected robots
proliferate, socio-political mechanisms for the establishment of
person-based rights will act in response to the set of considerations
present at the time; eventually lines will be drawn that most folks
can live with, and the practice of literal attribution of
psychological predicates will follow these lines. If this process is
(at least for practical purposes) unpredictable, then only time will
tell if Searle's paper will come to be regarded as a pathetically
primitive racist tract, or as an enlightened contribution to the
theory of the new order.
Paul Kube
kube@berkeley.edu
...ucbvax!kube
------------------------------
Date: Tue 22 Jul 86 13:30:10-PDT
From: Glenn Silverstein <SILVERSTEIN@Sushi.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: A Parable (about AI in large organizations)
Once upon a time, in a kingdom nothing like our own, gold was very
scarce, forcing jewelers to try and sell little tiny gold rings and
bracelets. Then one day a PROSPECTOR came into the capitol sporting a
large gold nugget he found in a hill to the west. As the word went out
that there was "gold in them thar hills", the king decided to take an
active management role. He appointed a "gold task force" which one year
later told the king "you must spend lots of money to find gold, lest
your enemies get richer than you."
So a "Gold Center" was formed, staffed with many spiffy looking
Ph.D. types who had recently published papers on gold (remarkably similar
to their earlier papers on silver). Experienced prospectors had been
interviewed, but they smelled and did not have a good grasp of gold
theory.
The Center bought a large number of state of the art bulldozers and
took them to a large field they had found that was both easy to drive on
and freeway accessible. After a week of sore rumps, getting dirty, and
not finding anything, they decided they could best help the gold cause
by researching better tools.
So they set up some demo sand hills in clear view of the king's
castle and stuffed them with nicely polished gold bars. Then they split
into various research projects, such as "bigger diggers", for handling
gold boulders if they found any, and "timber-gold alloys", for making
houses from the stuff when gold eventually became plentiful.
After a while the town barons complained loud enough and also got
some gold research money. The lion's share was allocated to the most
politically powerful barons, who assigned it to looking for gold in
places where it would be very convenient to find it, such as in rich
jewelers' backyards. A few bulldozers, bought from smiling bulldozer
salespeople wearing "Gold is the Future" buttons, were time shared across
the land. Searchers who, in their allotted three days per month of
bulldozer time, could just not find anything in the backyards of "gold
committed" jewelers were admonished to search harder next month.
The smart money understood that bulldozers were the best digging
tool, even though they were expensive and hard to use. Some backward
prospector types, however, persisted in panning for gold in secluded
streams. Though they did have some success, gold theorists knew that
this was due to dumb luck and the incorporation of advanced bulldozer
research ideas in later pan designs.
After many years of little success, the king decided the whole
pursuit was a waste and cut off all funding. The Center people quickly
unearthed their papers which had said so all along.
The end.
P.S. There really was gold in them thar hills. Still is.
by Robin Hanson (using silverstein@sushi)
[credit to M. Franklin for story ideas]
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Fri Aug 1 00:39:49 1986
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 86 00:39:43 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe.arpa
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #174
Status: RO
AIList Digest Friday, 1 Aug 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 174
Today's Topics:
Seminars - Specification of Geographic Data Processing Requirements (UPenn) &
Constructing the Aspect Graph (GMR) &
RS: Distributed Sensory-based Robot Control (UMass) &
Decision-Making and Action in the Real World (SRI)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 86 15:05 EDT
From: Tim Finin <Tim@cis.upenn.edu>
Subject: Seminar - Specification of Geographic Data Processing
Requirements (UPenn)
Forwarded From: Glenda Kent <Glenda@upenn> on Thu 24 Jul 1986 at 14:40
FORMAL SPECIFICATION OF GEOGRAPHIC DATA PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS
Gruia-Catalin Roman
Department of Computer Science
Washington University
This presentation discusses a formal foundation for the specification of
Geographic Data Processing (GDP) requirements. The emphasis is placed on
modelling data and knowledge requirements rather than processing needs. A
subset of first order logic is proposed as the principal means for constructing
formalizations of the GDP requirements in a manner that is independent of the
data representation. Requirements executability is achieved by selecting a
subset of logic compatible with the inference mechanisms available in Prolog.
GDP significant concepts such as time, space and accuracy have been added to
the formalization without losing concepts such as time, space and accuracy have
been added to the formalization without losing Prolog implementability or
separation of concerns. Rules of reasoning about time, space and accuracy
(based on positional, temporal and fuzzy logic) may be compactly stated in a
subset of second order predicate calculus and may be easily modified to meet
the particular needs of a specific application. Multiple views of the data and
knowledge may coexist in the same formalization. The feasibility of the
approach has been established with the aid of a tentative Prolog implementation
of the formalism. The implementation also provides the means for graphical
rendering of logical information on a high resolution color display.
Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by Defense Mapping Agency
and by Rome Air Development Center under contract F30602-83-K-0065. The full
text of this presentation is available in "Formal Specification of Geographic
Data Processing Requirements," Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference
on Data Engineering, (Outstanding Paper Award), pp. 434-446, February 1986.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 86 22:18 EST
From: "Steven W. Holland" <HOLLAND%RCSMPA%gmr.com@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: Seminar - Constructing the Aspect Graph (GMR)
Seminar at General Motors Research Laboratories (GMR):
An Algorithm for Constructing the Aspect Graph
Dr. Charles R. Dyer
of
Computer Science Department
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53706
Thursday, August 14, 1986
The aspect graph of a solid object is a representation of the visibility
of the object's surfaces throughout surrounding viewing space. In this
talk we present tight bounds on the maximum size of aspect graphs and
give worst-case optimal algorithms for their construction, first in the
convex case and then in the general case. The algorithm for the general
case makes use of a new 3-D object representation called the aspect
representation or "asp". We also suggest several alternatives to the
aspect graph which require less space and store more information.
-Steve Holland, Computer Science Department
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 86 16:11 EST
From: Damian Lyons <LYONS%cs.umass.edu@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: Seminar - RS: Distributed Sensory-based Robot Control (UMass)
Hi: I know I'm a bit late on posting this; however, I would welcome
comments from interested persons out there:
July 25th, 1986.
Dept. of Computer and Information Science.
University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Amherst, MA.01003.
RS: A Formal Model of Distributed Computation
For Sensory-based Robot Control.
Damian M. Lyons
Robot systems are becoming more and more complex, both in terms of
available degrees of freedom and in terms of sensors. It is no longer
possible to continue to regard robots as peripheral devices of a computer
system, and to program them by adapting general-purpose programming
languages. This dissertation analyzes the inherent
computing characteristics of the robot programming domain, and formally
constructs an appropriate model of computation. The programming of a dextrous
robot hand is the example domain for the development of the model.
This model, called RS, is a model of distributed computation: the basic
mode of computation is the interaction of concurrent computing agents. A
schema in RS describes a class of computing agents. Schemas are instantiated
to produce computing agents, called SIs, which can communicate with each
other via input and output ports. A network of SIs can be grouped atomically
together in an Assemblage, and appears externally identical to a single SI.
The sensory and motor interface to RS is a set of primitive, predefined
schemas. These can be grouped arbitrarily with built-in knowledge in
assemblages to form task-specific object models. A special kind of
assemblage called a task-unit is used to structure the way robot programs
are built.
The formal semantics of RS is automata theoretic; the semantics of an
SI is a mathematical object, a Port Automaton. Communication, port
connections, and assemblage formation are among the RS concepts whose
semantics can be expressed formally and precisely. A Temporal Logic
specification and verification methodology is constructed using the automata
semantics as a model. While the automata semantics allows the analysis of
the model of computation, the Temporal Logic methodology allows the top-down
synthesis of programs in the model.
A computer implementation of the RS model has been constructed, and used
in conjunction with a graphic robot simulation, to formulate and test
dextrous hand control programs. In general RS facilitates the formulation
and verification of versatile robot programs, and is an ideal tool with
which to introduce AI constructs to the robot domain.
------------------------------
Date: Wed 30 Jul 86 17:43:10-PDT
From: Amy Lansky <LANSKY@SRI-WARBUCKS.ARPA>
Subject: Seminar - Decision-Making and Action in the Real World (SRI)
DECISION-MAKING AND ACTION IN THE REAL WORLD
John Myers (JMYERS@SRI-AI)
SRI International, Robotics Laboratory
11:00 AM, MONDAY, Aug. 4
SRI International, Building E, Room EK228
In this philosophical talk I will present my opinions as to how to
design an entity capable of operating in the real world, under limited
resources. These include limited time, information, and capabilities.
I will present models that stress heuristic aspects of behavior,
rather than traditional pre-planning techniques. As Terry Winograd has
said, "The main problem is to come up with what you are going to do in
the next five seconds."
After covering the problem and some traditional paradigms, I will
discuss three main concepts, along with a follow-up concept. These
are: the Theory of Stances, the Freudian Motivation Model, and the
Theory of Alternative Choices, along with the Principle of
Responsibility. These are contrasted against traditional approaches
by their emphasis on workability, as opposed to correctness.
A Stance consists of a high-level classification of a situation, along
with a high-level precompiled response script. Often there is
insufficient information in a prima facia situation to correctly
determine what is going on; or, the entity may simply not be able to
afford the overhead required to completely plan its behavior from
first principles. Taking a stance on the situation allows a habitual
response to be made; which at least is some action in the face of the
unknown, and at best, solves the problem with minimal effort.
The Freudian Motivation Model splits behavior generation into three
general processes: generation, policies, and judgment, corresponding
to the id, superego, and ego, respectively. Approved behaviors are
put on an intention queue or a performance queue, among others. The
model can be used to explain nonpurposeful or nonvolitional behaviors
such as posthypnotic acts or compulsions.
The Theory of Alternative Choices says that given a direct choice
between, for example, one of two actions, there are actually a number
of alternative decisions that must be considered. These include: do
nothing, wait, waffle, observe/consult, relegate, delegate, react,
transcend, or respond with a stance. One of these may be much more
appropriate in a resource-limited situation than directly planning out
a decision between the two original choices.
As a follow-up, the Principle of Responsibility says that the entity
(the computer) must be responsible for its actions and its
recommendations. In a certain sense, it must be willing to be wrong.
Even if it is totally convinced of the correctness of its situational
assessment, it must consider the possibility that things might go
badly, given a certain course of action--and it must use that as
further input to the decision process.
Examples will be interspersed in the talk.
VISITORS: Please arrive 5 minutes early so that you can be escorted up
from the E-building receptionist's desk. Thanks!
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Fri Aug 1 06:45:23 1986
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 86 06:45:17 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe.arpa
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #175
Status: RO
AIList Digest Friday, 1 Aug 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 175
Today's Topics:
Administrivia - Digest Schedule,
Discussion Lists - Natural Language and Knowledge Representation &
PSYCHNET Address Correction,
Philosophy - Translations & Philosophy Journal Style &
Searle and Understanding & McLuhan's Sports Analogy &
Conservation of Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu 31 Jul 86 17:13:19-PDT
From: Ken Laws <Laws@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA>
Reply-to: AIList-Request@SRI-AI.ARPA
Subject: Digest Schedule
The digest has been a little delayed this week because I've been
ill. I'm getting back on my feet now, but starting August 13
I'll be doing some traveling for a month. UUCP net.ai will still
function, but AIList digests will be halted until mid September.
The following announcement of Brad Miller's NL-KR list may provide
interim relief for the network junkies among us. I appreciate his
willingness to take over AIList topics that deserve their own forum.
-- Ken Laws
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 86 16:10 EDT
From: Brad Miller <miller@UR-ACORN.ARPA>
Subject: New List formed on Natural Language and Knowledge Representation
As most of you know, Ken Laws has been getting swamped with AIList
duties, and has asked for help. In this vein, I am starting a separate
list to deal exclusively with the Natural Language and Knowledge
Representation subfields of AI.
Since the scope of this list will be much narrower than the AIList, I
welcome postings from disciplines throughout cognitive science that are
related to these areas. I feel that AI is more of a conglomeration of
several diverse fields than it is a field unto itself, so this sort of
diversity is necessary.
More specifically, here are some details:
You may submit material for the digest to nl-kr@rochester.arpa .
Digests are sent to Arpanet readers and USENET readers as appropriate.
(There are no current plans for forwarding to the UUCP news system.)
Administrative requests (including asking to be included on the
list) should be sent to nl-kr-request@rochester.arpa . Archival copies
of all digests will be kept; feel free to ask nl-kr-request for recent
back issues.
NL-KR is open to discussion of any topic related to the natural
language (both understanding and generation) and knowledge
representation, both as subfields of AI. My own related interests are
primarily in
Knowledge Representation Natural Language Understanding
Discourse Understanding Philosophy of Language
Plan Recognition Computational Linguistics
Contributions are also welcome on topics such as
Cognitive Psychology (as related to NL/KR)
Human Perception (same)
Linguistics
Machine Translation
Computer and Information Science (as may be used to implement
various NL systems)
Logic Programming (same)
Contributions may be anything from tutorials to speculation. In
particular, the following are sought:
Abstracts Reviews
Lab Descriptions Research Overviews
Work Planned or in Progress Half-Baked Ideas
Conference Announcements Conference Reports
Bibliographies History of NL/KR
Puzzles and Unsolved Problems Anecdotes, Jokes, and Poems
Queries and Requests Address Changes (Bindings)
This list is in some sense a spin-off of the AIList, and as such, a
certain amount of overlap is expected. The primary concentration of this
list should be NL and KR, that is, natural language (be it
understanding, generation, recognition, parsing, semantics, pragmatics,
etc.) and how we should represent knowledge (aquisition, access,
completeness, etc. are all valid issues). Topics I deem to be outside
the general scope of this list will be forwarded to AIList (or other
more appropriate list) or rejected.
Bradford Miller
University of Rochester
Computer Science Department
miller@rochester.arpa
[Note: Grateful acknowledgement is given to Dr. Kenneth Laws of SRI for
permission to use an edited version of his AIList welcoming message.]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 86 14:35:16 CDT
From: Psychnet <EPSYNET%UHUPVM1.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
Reply-to: EPSYNET%UHUPVM1.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA
Subject: PSYCHNET Correction
To contact psychnet the userid is
EPSYNET
and not
EPSYCHNET.
Yours truly,
Bob Morecock, Editor
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 86 17:19:20 bst
From: Gordon Joly <gcj%qmc-ori.uucp@Cs.Ucl.AC.UK>
Subject: "Metamorphosis" -- (A Common Sense Chinese Room Analogy).
The Steven Berkoff production of "Metamorphosis" has recently
returned to the London stage. A reviewer has pointed out that
the play lacks many of the levels of meaning in Kafka's work,
as a result of its transformation into a theatrical work. The
reviewer was probably thinking of the English translation of
the text from the original German and it has been pointed out
that the translation the original language was responsible for
a considerable loss of substance. Apparently, the true impact
of the work can only be grasped by a native speaker, who has
a background of the German culture.
Gordon Joly.
INET: gcj%maths.qmc.ac.uk%cs.qmc.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk
EARN: gcj%UK.AC.QMC.MATHS%UK.AC.QMC.CS@AC.UK
UUCP: ...!seismo!ukc!qmc-ori!gcj
also: joly%surrey.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk
[In Contact, Carl Sagan quotes a line about reading a translation
being similar to viewing a tapestry from the back. -- KIL]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 86 14:27:03 EDT
From: "Col. G. L. Sicherman" <colonel%buffalo.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: Re: philosophy journals
In article <8607211801.AA17444@ellie.SUNYAB>, rapaport@buffalo.CSNET
("William J. Rapaport") writes:
> The original version of the ... problem may be found in:
> Jackson, "Epiphenomenal Qualia," _Philosophical Q._ 32(1982)127-136.
> with replies in:
> Churchland, "Reduction, Qualia, and the Direct Introspection of
> Brain States," _J. of Philosophy_ 82(1985)8-28.
> Jackson, "What Mary Didn't Know," _J. of Philosophy_ 83(1986)291-95.
> (One of the reasons I stopped reading net.philosophy was that its
> correspondents seemed not to know about what was going on in philosophy
> journals!)
Out of curiosity I hunted up the third article on the way back from lunch.
It's aggressive and condescending; any sympathy I might have felt for
the author's argument was repulsed by his sophomoric writing. I hope it's
not typical of the writing in philosophy journals.
------------------------------
Date: 25 Jul 86 10:21 PDT
From: Newman.pasa@Xerox.COM
Subject: Re: Searle and understanding
Eyal Mozes quotes from Searle to explain how Searle thinks about human
understanding and its biological nature. I had seen that passage of
Searle's before, and I think that this is a major part of my problem
with Searle. He accepts the biological nature of thought and mind, yet
cannot accept the proposition that a computer can reproduce the
necessary features of these items. I cannot see any reason to believe
that Searle's position is correct. More importantly, I can see many
reasons why his position is incorrect.
Searle uses milk and sugar to illustrate his point. I think that this is
a terrible comparison because milk and sugar are physical products of
biological processes while thought and mind are not. I also think that
Searle's attack on grounds of dualism is rather unfair. Even Searle must
agree that there are physical things and non-physical things in the
world (eg Volkswagens and numbers), and that milk and sugar are members
of the first class while thought and mind are members of the second.
Moreover, Searle's position apparently demands that there are features
of thought and mind that are dependent on features of very low-level
biological processes that make thought and mind happen. What evidence is
there that there are such features? I don't see that features of the
neurotransmitters (for example) can have an effect at any level other
than their own, particularly since any one biochemical event is unlikely
to have a large effect (my understanding is that large numbers of
biochemical events must occur in concert for anything to be apparent at
higher levels).
Admittedly there is as little evidence for my position as there is for
Searle's, but I think that there is more evidence against Searle than
there is against me. One last point is my paraphrase of John Haugeland's
comment in "Artificial Intelligence - The Very Idea": that brains are
merely symbol processors is a hypothesis and nothing more - until more
solid proof comes along.
>>Dave
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 86 14:08:41 edt
From: cdx39!jc%rclex.UUCP@harvard.HARVARD.EDU
Subject: Re: Re: Computer Ethics (from Risks Digest)
> To quote one of McLuhan's defocussed analogies: "You must talk to the
> medium, not to the programmer. To talk to the programmer is like
> complaining to the hot-dog vendor about how badly your team is playing."
Whether he was talking about the broadcast or the computer industry, he
got the analogy wrong.
If the subject is broadcasting, the sports analogy to a "programmer"
is the guy that makes the play schedules. True, that person is not
responsible for program content, much less quality. But still, the
analogous position is not the hot-dog vendor.
If the subject is computers, the sports equivalent to a programmer
is the guy that designs the plays, i.e., the coach. He is indeed
responsible for how badly the team/computer plays. True, there may
be others that share the responsibility (like the players and equipment
vendor and the cpu and the I/O devices). But still, in computing,
a programmer bears at least partial responsibility for the computer's
(mis)behaviour.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 86 03:30:03 PDT
From: larry@Jpl-VLSI.ARPA
Subject: "Proper" Study of Science, Conservation of Info
I have to start with materialism. What we mean today when we say the word
may have a common core with its use in previous centuries, but the details
are vastly different. Today we recognize not only wind and wave, steam and
steel as physical realities, but also quanta and field effects (and virtual
particles!)--subjects that pre-modern physicists and engineers would
consider downright mystical. And that would have been exactly true--in
their time. But we can precisely define these things now, quantify them,
experiment with and measure them. An even more radical difference is that
information--pattern, form--is now a part of physics, "a metric as important
as time, space, charge, etc."
The ability to quantify and measure pattern and shape has profound implica-
tions for the study of formerly mystical topics such as intelligence. It
means we can develop conservation laws for information, without which you
can't construct an essential ingredient of mathematics, equations. I'm not
implying I know what they are in any detail; people with other qualifica-
tions than mine must provide that. But the shape of the research seems to
be clear; cybernetics and information theory provide the basis.
For instance, there are several links between information and energy.
Higher frequency radiation has more bits per unit time. Mutation is the
result of external energy pushing genes beyond the ability of their binding
energies to maintain a stable structure. The impressing of information on
media (diskettes, molecules, brains) requires energy which can be measured.
Organization of information in structures (indexed or random files,
percepts, concepts) has time/energy trade-offs for different kinds of
accesses.
In a way, the information content of an entity is more important than its
material content. A decade from now it's likely that none of our bodies
will contain EVEN A SINGLE ATOM now in them. Even bones are fluid in
biological organisms; only when we die does matter cease to flow into and
out of us. We are NOT matter, or even energy, in the Antique sense. We are
patterns, standing waves in four (or more) dimensions.
Maintaining these patterns within safe parameters, or learning new safe
parameters, requires that our very molecules input data, store it, process
it--often in a recursive or self-referential or time-dependent fashion--and
act. (RNA is an excellent model for an advanced computer, for instance.)
And we can be thought as a number of layers each with its unique informa-
tion needs: cells, tissue, organs, organisms, tribes.
One feature common to all intelligences, however rudimentary, is the ability
to create and manipulate analogs of the environment and of themselves.
Simulations are much cheaper and safer than experiments. This also gives a
clue as to how will impresses itself on the universe despite its immaterial
nature--because it isn't truly immaterial. Patterns are no more independent
of their matter/energy base than matter can exist without pattern. (That
is, the pattern of binding is what makes the difference between an atom and
a burst of radiant energy.) Because intelligence is a pattern of energy it
can affect matter and through triggering have effects enormously greater
than the triggering stimulus. A whim and a whistle can destroy a city--with
an avalanche.
The point of all this is that life and intelligence are no longer
supernatural--beyond the reach of formalism and experiment.
What is still a mystery to me is consciousness, but the understanding
doesn't seem beyond practical realization. It seems reasonable that con-
sciousness arises as a result of time-binding, recursion, and self-
reference. Perhaps multiple layers of vulnerability and adaptability are
important, too. (Our current robots and computers don't have any of these
and are thus poor candidates for models of intelligent mechanisms, much less
conscious ones. Thus I'd agree with one recent critic of some AI research.)
I can't agree that consciousness is an improper subject for scientific
study. Our inability to observe it directly (in a public as opposed to
subjective way) is shared by many other scientific fields. In fact the most
crucial subjects in the "hard" sciences must be studied indirectly: radia-
tion, atoms, viruses, etc. The difficulty of defining terms shouldn't be a
deterrent either. All developing research shares the same problem as the
underlying ideas change and solidify.
Some people object on emotional grounds. Many of them only succeed in
revealing their own limitations, not those of the rest of us. They are too
emotionally stunted to have the strength of humility; they must somehow be
above nature, superior. And too intellectually crippled to see the magic
and mystery in star-shine and bird flight, in ogive curve and infinitesimals
and the delicious simplicity of an algorithm.
Larry @ jpl-vlsi.arpa
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Wed Aug 6 17:25:28 1986
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 86 17:25:15 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe.arpa
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #176
Status: RO
AIList Digest Monday, 4 Aug 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 176
Today's Topics:
Queries - Expert System to Catch Spies & Reimplementing in C &
Machine Translation & Financial Expert Systems &
Connectionist Approaches To Expert System Learning &
Snodgrass and Vanderwart Images & Forgy VAX/VMS OPS5 User Manual &
AI System Development Model,
AI Tools - VM Common Lisp & VM Prolog,
Expert Systems - Geometric Placement,
Patent - Hierarchical Knowledge System
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed 23 Jul 86 21:39:50-CDT
From: CS.VANSICKLE@R20.UTEXAS.EDU
Subject: Expert system to catch spies
Today's (July 23, 1986) Wall Street Journal contains an
editorial by Paul M. Rosa urging the use of expert systems
to identify potential spies (acutally traitors). Mr. Rosa
is a lawyer and a former intelligence analyst. Since
virtually all American traitors sell out for money, an
expert system embodying the expertise of trained
investigators could examine credit histories, court files,
registers of titled assets such as real estate and
vehicles, airline reservations, telephone records, income
tax returns, bank transactions, use of passports, and
issuance of visas. The system would look for suspicious
patterns and alert counter-intelligence officials for
further investigation.
There are some obvious considerations of privacy and
legality, but that is probably best discussed on another
bulletin board. Mr. Rosa says the system would be used
only on the 4.3 million people who hold security
clearances, who have consented to government scrutiny.
According to Mr. Rosa, "the obstacles to implementation are
not technological," and "the system could be implemented
quickly and cheaply." He predicts that the Soviets,
working through their extensive international banking
network, will use the same techniques to identify potential
recruits. He also says that the FBI has three expert
systems for monitoring labor rackets, narcotics shipments,
and terrorist activities.
Any reactions? Is this doable? It strikes me as more of a
data collection problem than an expert system problem. Is
there anyone who knows more about the FBI expert systems
and can talk about it?
Larry Van Sickle
cs.vansickle@r20.utexas.edu
Computer Sciences Dept.
U of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 86 20:20:06 cdt
From: marick%ccvaxa@gswd-vms.ARPA (Brian Marick)
Subject: Reimplementing in C
I've been hearing and seeing something for the past couple years,
something that seems to be becoming a folk theorem. The theorem goes
like this:
Many expert systems are being reimplemented in C.
If even the expert system companies are abandoning
"special-purpose AI languages" like Lisp and Prolog, surely nobody
else - other than academics and semi-academics - will use them.
I'm curious what the facts are. Which companies are reimplementing in
C (or other languages). Why? And what (roughly) does "reimplementing
in C" mean? What languages are used for development of new products?
What will happen in the future? Which companies are not reimplementing?
Why not?
(I'm concentrating on these particular companies because they're what the
"theorizers" concentrate on. Comments from others welcome.)
Brian Marick, Wombat Consort
Gould Computer Systems -- Urbana && University of Illinois
...ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!marick
ARPA: Marick@GSWD-VMS
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 86 10:03:44 edt
From: Catherine A. Meadows <meadows@nrl-css.arpa>
Subject: machine translation
I am interested in learning about machine translation of natural languages.
Can anybody out there tell me what is going on in the field these days,
how much progess has been made, what systems are being built, who is working
on them, etc.?
Catherine Meadows
(send replies to meadows@nrl-css)
------------------------------
Date: Thu 31 Jul 86 06:29:18-PDT
From: Ted Markowitz <G.TJM@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Financial Expert Systems
I'd like to make a collection of references to work being done in AI
and finance, including trading, planning, market analysis, etc. I've
found the companies who are developing such systems internally to be
very secretive (not suprisingly), but I'd like to throw some light on
this area.
If anyone is doing work in these kinds of domains and would like to
talk about it, please send them on to me and I'll redistribute the
answers after digesting them. I see some especially interesting
problems in dealing with time and pattern recognition that occur
in these situations.
--ted
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jul 86 19:18:10 GMT
From: ucbcad!nike!lll-crg!seismo!mcvax!ukc!reading!brueer!ckennedy@ucb
vax.berkeley.edu (C.M.Kennedy)
Subject: Connectionist Approaches To Expert System Learning
CONNECTIONIST APPROACHES TO EXPERT SYSTEM LEARNING
I wish to hear about any research on the following topic:
The application of connectionist models, in particular
feature discovery networks (e.g. kohonen nets) to the
problem of knowledge induction in expert systems.
Applications of connectionist models to other areas of symbolic
processing or knowledge representation are also of interest.
I would be pleased to receive (via mail) the following information:
1. A summary of what the research is attempting to achieve,
methods used and degree of success,
2. how to obtain more detailed documentation (e.g. technical
reports),
3. references on literature used for the research or which may
be of future interest.
I would also be interested to hear of anyone else with similar interests
who can contribute useful ideas or knows of any specific literature on
the subject.
Catriona Kennedy
Brunel University
------------------------------
Date: 2 Aug 86 02:13:54 GMT
From: watcgl!fdfishman@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Flynn D. Fishman)
Subject: Snodgrass and Vanderwart Images
I am not really sure where to post this request but I will give this a shot
and hope some one can help me.
I am looking for the digitized set of 260 commonly found objects
compiled by Snodgrass and Vanderwart for use in psychology.
Snodgrass, J. G. & Vanderwart, M. (1980). A standardized set of 260 pictures:
Norms for name agreement, image agreement, familiartity, and visual
complexity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory,
6, 174-215..
Any format will do, but I would perfer if they were in a line format, i.e.
co-ordinates.
I would also appreciate if you could e-mail me a response as I do not get to
read as much news as I would like to.
Thanks very much.
--
FDFISHMAN (Flynn D. Fishman)
UUCP : ...!{decvax|ihnp4|clyde|allegra|utzoo}!watmath!watcgl!fdfishman
ARPA : fdfishman%watcgl%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
CSNET : fdfishman%watcgl@waterloo.csnet
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 3 Aug 86 15:11 EST
From: SECRIST%OAK.SAINET.MFENET@LLL-MFE.ARPA
Subject: Forgy VAX/VMS OPS5 User Manual
From: <SECRIST%OAK.SAINET.MFENET@LLL-MFE.Arpa> (Richard C. Secrist)
Date: Sun, 3-AUG-1986 15:12 EST
To: AIlist@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA
Message-ID: <[OAK.SAINET.MFENET].701C0320.008F2E4C.SECRIST>
Header-Disclaimer: I don't like my headers either.
Quote: "May your future be limited only by your dreams." -- Christa McAuliffe
Organization: Science Applications Int'l. Corp., Oak Ridge, Tenn., USA
CompuServe-ID: [71636,52]
X-VMS-Mail-To: ARPA%"AIlist@SRI-STRIPE.Arpa"
I have a copy of Forgy's 1981 OPS5 system in Lisp for use under the
public domain Franz Lisp for VMS and am trying to locate a user's
manual for it, and would appreciate any help the members of this list
could provide.
I believe the document is:
Forgy, C.L. OPS5 User's Manual. Carnegie-Mellon Univ.,
CMU-CS-78-116, 1981.
Thanks in advance to all.
Richard C. Secrist,
SECRIST%OAK.SAInet.MFEnet@LLL-MFE.Arpa
Science Applications Int'l. Corp.; 800 Oak Ridge Tpke; Oak Ridge, TN 37830
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jul 86 20:21:53 GMT
From: decvax!savax!king@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (king)
Subject: AI System Development Model
Sanders Associates, Inc., under contract to Rome Air Development Center, is
performing a study on the acquisition, management, and control of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) software. While the Department of Defense has established
numerous standards for the acquisition and development of conventional
software, such standards may not translate effectively to AI software.
The development of a model suitable for dealing with issues related to
acquisition, control and management of AI based software requires input from
experienced AI development team members. Sanders has developed a questionnaire
that explores the development process in these areas. Contributions to the
questionnaire and study will be acknowledged in the final report. Interested
professionals are invited to contact the following for a copy of the
questionnaire:
Ms. Sandy King
Sanders Associates, Inc. (MER24-1283)
Nashua, N.H. 03061
(603) 885-9242
uucp: !decvax!savax!king
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 86 11:10:18 pdt
From: George Cross <cross%wsu.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Common Lisp and Prolog on VM/CMS
Intermetrics is selling VM/CMS Common Lisp. The educational price was
recently $4000. The documentation indicates a quite complete implementation
with interfaces to Intermetrics C language available. There is an ad
for it on p32 of AI Magazine, V7, Number 1, Spring 1986.
Intermetrics
733 Concord Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617)-661-1840
Cognitive Systems may be selling CSI-LISP on top of IBM VM LISP. This
is a rewrite of T, a Scheme dialect. Details in AI Magazine, V6, Number
3, Fall 1985, page 248.
---- George
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
George R. Cross cross@wsu.CSNET
Computer Science Department cross%wsu@csnet-relay.ARPA
Washington State University faccross@wsuvm1.BITNET
Pullman, WA 99164-1210 Phone: 509-335-6319 or 509-335-6636
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 86 07:56:55 PDT
From: newton@vlsi.caltech.edu (Mike Newton)
Subject: VM Prolog
Regarding the recent inquiry about Common Lisp & Prolog under VM:
Though we run VM, one of the Virtual machines is UTS -- Amdahl's port
of System 5. Under this we run a locally modified version of CProlog
and are quite pleased with the performance. Warning -- UTS is *NOT*
cheap (but is very nice) !!
Our own Prolog compiler (for VM/CMS) is just nearing completion -- It can
compile roughly half of itself. However we do not expect that it will
be ready for release for a while. It follows Clocksin & Mellish as well
as can be done on an IBM mainframe (EBCDIC-->ASCII conversions and
such). When released it will be *fast* -- roughly 95 KLips on a 4341,
and currently around .8 MegaLips on a 3090 (using one processor!).
I believe the IBM prolog (Waterloo) uses a different syntax than is
commonly used.
Hope this has helped --
- mike
newton@cit-vax.caltech.edu {ucbvax!cithep,amdahl}!cit-vax!newton
Caltech 256-80 818-356-6771 (afternoons,nights)
Pasadena CA 91125 Beach Bums Anonymous, Pasadena President
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 86 14:27:33 PDT
From: trwrb!orion!gries@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Harry A. Gries)
Reply-to: orion!gries@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Harry A. Gries)
Subject: Re: Query - Geometric Placement
In article <522182201.bhola@spice.cs.cmu.edu>
Carlos.Bhola@SPICE.CS.CMU.EDU writes:
>
> Query: Does anyone know about any expert system (developed
> or under development) that relates to the placement
> of geometric objects in a plane? Examples of the
> problem would be pagination, VLSI layout, etc.
>
>
> -- Carlos.
Another application would be in creating district boundaries for
congressional representatives. The problem would be to section
the population of a state (currently California is debating this problem)
so that each district has approximately the same population. This must
be done without breaking city, county, or precinct boundaries. Also,
in order to assure a fairly homogeneous constituency, the aspect ratio
of the district must be limited. An optimal solution would have the
smallest sum of district perimeters.
-- BTK
------------------------------
Date: 1 Aug 86 15:36 PDT
From: Shrager.pa@Xerox.COM
Subject: Note without comment
United States Patent # 4,591,983
Date: May 27, 1986
Title: Hierarchical Knowledge System
Filed: July 9, 1984
Abstract:
A knowledge system has a hierarchical knowledge base comprising a
functional decomposition of a set of elements into subject sets over a
plurality of hierarchical levels. [...] the operations include matching,
configuring, and expanding the user-defined set of elements [...] In a
specific embodyment, the elements are available components of a system
or item of manufacture [...].
Perpetrators: James S. Bennett & Jay S. Lark
Techknowledge, Inc.
Palo Alto, CA
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Sat Aug 9 20:59:35 1986
Date: Sat, 9 Aug 86 20:59:18 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #177
Status: R
AIList Digest Saturday, 9 Aug 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 177
Today's Topics:
Seminars - Helicopter Flight Path Control (Ames) &
Object Encapsulation and Inheritance (MIT) &
ACTORS in Concurrent Logic Programming Languages (MIT),
Conference - 4th International Conference on Logic Programming &
2nd Int. Rewriting Techniques and Applications &
1st Eurographics Intelligent CAD Systems
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 8 Aug 1986 1121-PDT (Friday)
From: eugene@AMES-NAS.ARPA (Eugene Miya)
Subject: Seminar - Helicopter Flight Path Control (Ames)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Ames Research Center
Systems Autonomy Demonstration Program Seminar
Dr. Shoshana Abel
Expert-EASE Systems
Application of Evidential Reasoning to Helicopter
Flight Path Control
An innovative form of AI technology called evidential reasoning systems
will be presented for advanced helicopters. The reasoning system,
based on the mathematical theory of evidence by Glen Shafer, centers
on automatic reasoning inorder to derive the necessary conclusions
about feature extraction and obstacle avoidance. The advantage of
using this approach applied to advance helicopters will be
discussed.
Date: Thursday. 8/21/86
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: NASA, Ames Research Center, Bldg. 244 room 103
Inquires: David Jared, (415) 964-6533 jared%plu@ames-io.arpa
VISITORS ARE WELCOME: Register and obtain vehicle pass at Ames Visitor
Reception Building (N-253) or the Security Station near Gate 18. Do not
use the Navy Main Gate.
Non-citizens (except Permanent Residents) must have prior approval from the
Director's Office one week in advance. Submit requests to the point of
contact indicated above. Non-citizens must register at the Visitor
Reception Building. Permanent Residents are required to show Alien
Registration Card at the time of registration.
------------------------------
Date: 6 Aug 1986 1400-EDT
From: ALR@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU
Subject: Seminar - Object Encapsulation and Inheritance (MIT)
DATE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1986
REFRESHMENTS AT 1:45 PM
TALK AT 2:00 PM
PLACE: NE43-512A
Encapsulation and Inheritance in Object-Oriented Programming Languages
Alan Snyder
Hewlett Packard
Palo Alto, Ca.
Object-oriented programming is a practical and useful programming methodology
that encourages modular design and software reuse. Most object-oriented
programming languages support data abstraction by preventing an object from
being manipulated except via its defined external operations. In most
languages, however, the introduction of inheritance severely compromises the
benefits of this encapsulation. Furthermore, the use of inheritance itself is
globally visible in most languages, so that changes to the inheritance
hierarchy cannot be made safely. We examine the relationship between
inheritance and encapsulation and develop requirements for full support of
encapsulation with inheritance.
Host: Prof. Liskov
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1986 14:38 EDT
From: PJ@OZ.AI.MIT.EDU
Subject: Seminar - ACTORS in Concurrent Logic Programming Languages (MIT)
****** SEMINAR ******
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7
8TH FLOOR PLAYROOM
11:00 am
******** ACTORS *******
IN CONCURRENT LOGIC PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
*****************************
KENNETH KAHN
Knowledge Systems Area
Intelligent System Laboratory
XEROX PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER
ABSTRACT:
Concurrent logic programming languages support object-oriented
programming with a clean semantics and additional programming constructs
such as incomplete messages, unification, direct broadcasting, and
concurrency synchronization. While these languages
provide excellent computational support, we claim they do not provide
good notation for expressing the abstractions of object-oriented
programming. We describe a preprocessor that remedies this problem.
the resulting language, Vulcan, is then used as a vehicle for exploring
new variants of object-oriented programming which become possible in
this framework.
Host: Prof. Carl Hewitt
------------------------------
Date: 1 August 1986, 23:14:13 EDT
From: Jean-Louis Lassez <JLL@ibm.com>
Subject: Conference - 4th International Conference on Logic Programming
CALL FOR PAPERS
Fourth International Conference On Logic Programming
University of Melbourne, Australia
Late May 1987
The conference will consider all aspects of logic
programming, including, but not limited to:
Theory and Foundations
Architectures and Implementations
Programming Languages and Methodology
Databases
Knowledge Representation, Reasoning and Expert Systems
Relations to other computation models, programming
languages, and programming methodologies.
Of special interest are papers discussing novel applications
and applications that address the unique character of logic
programming.
Papers can be submitted under two categories, short - up to
2000 words, and long - up to 6000 words. Submissions will
be considered on basis of appropriateness, clarity,
originality, significance, and overall quality.
Authors should send six copies of their manuscript, plus an
extra copy of the abstract to:
Jean-Louis Lassez
ICLP Program Chairman
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
H1-A12
P.O. Box 218
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
USA
Deadline for submission of papers is December 1, 1986.
Authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection by
February 28, 1987. Camera ready copies are due April 1st,
1987.
General Chairman:
John Lloyd
Department of Computer Science
University of Melbourne
Parkville, Victoria 3052
Australia
Program Committee
Ken Bowen, Syracuse, USA
Keith Clark, Imperial College, U.K.
Jacques Cohen, Brandeis, USA
Veronica Dahl, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Maarten van Emden, University of Waterloo, Canada
Koichi Furukawa, ICOT, Japan
Ivan Futo, SZKI, Hungary
Seif Haridi, SICS, Sweden
Jean-Louis Lassez, Yorktown Heights, USA
Giorgio Levi, University of Pisa, Italy
Jacob Levy, Weizmann Institute, Israel
John Lloyd, University of Melbourne, Australia
Fumio Mizoguchi, Science University of Tokyo, Japan
Fernando Pereira, SRI International, USA
Antonio Porto, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Marek Sergot, Imperial College, U.K.
David Warren, Manchester University, U.K.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 86 21:10:00 -0200
From: mcvax!crin!lescanne@seismo.CSS.GOV (Pierre LESCANNE)
Subject: Conference - 2nd Int. Rewriting Techniques and Applications
[Forwarded from TheoryNet by Laws@SRI-STRIPE.]
CALL FOR PAPERS
RTA-87
2nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
on
REWRITING TECHNIQUES AND APPLICATIONS
May 25-27 1987 Bordeaux, France
TOPICS
In May 1985 the First International Conference on Rewriting Techniques
and Applications met at Dijon. The conference was a great success, attracting
over 100 researchers working on rewriting techniques. The second conference
will take place at Bordeaux, another city famous for its wine, in May 1987.
Papers concerning the theory and applications of term rewriting are solicited
for the conference. Areas of interest include the following, but authors are
encouraged to submit papers on other topics as well.
Equational Deduction Functional and Logic Programming
Computer Algebra Automated Theorem Proving
Unification and Matching Algorithms Rewrite Rule Based Expert Systems
Algebraic and Operational Semantics Semantics of Nondeterminism
Theory of general rewriting systems Rewriting and Computer Architecture
Specification, Transformation, Validation and Generation of Programs
SUBMISSION
Each submission should include 11 copies of a one page abstract and 4
copies of a full paper of no more than 15 double spaced pages. Submissions are
to be sent to one of the Co-Chairmen:
For Europe: Pierre Lescanne, RTA-87, Centre de Recherche en
Informatique de Nancy, Campus Scientifique, BP 239,
54506 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy Cedex, FRANCE.
For other countries: David Plaisted, RTA-87,
Department of Computer Science,
New West Hall 035-A,
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill,
Chapel Hill NC 27514, USA.
Paper selection will be done by circulating abstracts to all members of the
program committee, with each full paper assigned to several committee members
having appropriate expertise. In addition to selected papers, a few invited
lectures will be given by well-known researchers who have made major
contributions in the field:
INVITED LECTURERS
J-P. Jouannaud, University of Paris-Sud, France,
D. Musser, GE Research and Development Laboratory, Schenectady, USA,
M. O'Donnell, University of Chicago, Illinois, USA.
SCHEDULE
Paper submission deadline is December 15, 1986.
Acceptance/Rejection by January 25, 1987.
Camera ready copy by March 9.
Proceedings will be distributed at the conference and published by Springer
Verlag in the LNCS series.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
B. Buchberger, University of Linz, Austria,
R. Book, University of Santa Barbara, USA,
B. Courcelle, University of Bordeaux, France,
N. Dershowitz, University of Illinois, USA,
J. Guttag, MIT, USA,
D. Kapur, General Electric, USA,
P. Lescanne, (Program co-Chairman) CRIN, France,
R. Loos, University of Karlsruhe, FRG,
D. Plaisted, (Program co-Chairman), University of North Carolina, USA
G. Plotkin, University of Edinburgh, UK,
M. Stickel, SRI-International, USA.
LOCAL COMMITTEE
B. Courcelle, R. Cori, M. Claverie
For information send mail on UUCP to: mcvax!inria!crin!lescanne
or on ARPAnet to: pierre@larch.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 04 Aug 86 23:47:37 -0500
From: sriram@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Conference - 1st Eurographics Intelligent CAD Systems
CALL FOR PAPERS
FIRST EUROGRAPHICS WORKSHOP ON
INTELLIGENT CAD SYSTEMS
APRIL 22-24, 1987
NOORDWIJKERHOUT, THE NETHERLANDS
ORGANIZED BY
CENTRE FOR MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
SPONSORED BY
EUROGRAPHICS
AIM
Today, one of the main strengths in CAD research has become so-called
intellectualization of CAD systems, primarily, as an application of
knowledge engineering. This research may contain two aspects:
intellectualization of CAD systems by intelligence for helping
designers and intellectualization by problem solving ability. The
former approach may be achieved by developing intelligent user
interface concept, for instance, so that the designer can perform
his/her full ability, whereas the latter may be achieved by developing
systems, like expert systems, which can solve various engineering
problems.
However, it is obvious that either of these two approaches can alone
fulfill requirements to future CAD systems. It is necessary to
develop an integrated environment for intelligent CAD systems using
intelligent interactive techniques. Therefore, we pursue integration
of these two approaches in order to build intelligent CAD systems, and
we discuss issues such asL
- configuration of intelligent CAD systems,
- tools and techniques for developing those systems,
- methodology for developing.
We plan a series of three workshops beginning in 1987
- 1987: Theoretical and methodological aspects in developing
an intelligent CAD system.
- 1988: Architecture of an intelligent CAD system.
- 1989: Practical experiences and evaluation of an intelligent
CAD system.
SCOPE OF THE FIRST WORKSHOP IN 1987
1. Principle and configuration of intelligent CAD systems
2. Theory and methodology of development
3. Available tools for development, such as intelligent user
interace management systems and tools for problem solving
in design
4. Use and role of intelligent user interface systems in an
intelligent CAD environment
STYLE OF WORKSHOP
Approximately 10 invited papers and 10 refereed papers will be
presented. Participants will be limited roughly 50. In this workshop,
theoretical and methodological aspects are emphasized. The result of
this workshop will be published by Springer-Verlag.
SCHEDULE FOR THE WORKSHOP
December 1, 1986: Deadline for extended abstracts upto 1000 words
January 1987: Notification of acceptance
March 1987: Acceptance of participation
April 22-24, 1987: Workshop (Full papers are submitted on site)
July 1987: Deadline for final manuscripts for publication
ORGANIZATION
Co-charimen P. J. W. ten hagen (CWI, NL)
T. Tomiyama (CWI, NL)
Secretary P. J. Veerkamp (CWI, NL)
Program Committee
F. Arbab (USC, USA)
P. Bernus (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H)
A. Bijl (University of Edinburgh, UK)
J. Encarnacao (TH Darmstadt, D)
S. J. Fenves (CMU, USA)
D. Gossard (MIT, USA)
F. Kimura (The University of Tokyo, J)
T. Kjelberg (Royal Institute of Technology, S)
M. Mac an Airchinnigh (University of Dublin, IR)
K. MacCallum (University of Strathclyde, UK)
F. J. Schramel (Philips, NL)
D. Sriram (MIT, USA)
T. Takala (Helsinki Technical University, SF)
F. Tolman (TNO, NL)
H. Yoshikawa (The Unviersity of Tokyo, J)
INFORMATION
Please submit an extended abstract up to 1,000 words to:
Ms. Marja Hegt
Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science
Kruislaan 413, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel: (Overseas) +31-20-592-4058
Usenet: marja@mcvax.UUCP
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Sat Aug 9 20:59:08 1986
Date: Sat, 9 Aug 86 20:59:03 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #178
Status: R
AIList Digest Saturday, 9 Aug 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 178
Today's Topics:
Queries - Hitachi Software Design ES & 3-D Geometry Theorem Prover,
Expert Systems - OPS5 Manual & Government Systems,
Humor - Geometric Placement and Gerrymandering,
Review - Computing with Neural Circuits,
Publishing - Petrocelli Books,
Programming Languages - Functional Programming Bibliography,
Philosophy - Conservation of Information & Rhetoric
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon 4 Aug 86 20:35:31-CDT
From: CMP.BARC@R20.UTEXAS.EDU
Subject: Query: Hitachi Software Design ES
I looking for information on an expert system called MDL/MAD for large-
scale software design. I've heard a little bit about it already. It has
about 1500 rules concerned with relationships among design data, the design
decision-making procedure and the format for expressing design information.
It has been claimed to reduce design errors by 40% and specification/
correction time by 80%. It is still under development at Hitachi's Software
Development Laboratory and is two years away from commercial release.
The questions are: What does it really do and how does it work?
I would also be interested in related systems ICAS (Hitachi), DEA/I (NEC)
and SDEM/SDSS (Fujitsu).
Dallas Webster
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 8 Aug 86 19:15:11 pdt
From: dan@ads.ARPA (Dan Shapiro)
Subject: looking for a theorem prover in 3D geometry
A friend of mine is looking for pointers to work on the topic of theorem
proving in 3D geometry. The application is in AI applied to the
ellucidation of crystal structures within organic chemistry.
He would also be interested in pointers to CAD-like programs that
allow construction and visualization of repetative lattice structures.
If anyone has information that would help out, please respond to
me directly as Dan@ads-unix.Arpa
Dan Shapiro
------------------------------
Date: 4 Aug 86 17:21:13 EDT
From: Lee.Brownston@A.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: OPS5 manual
Write to the Department of Computer Science, Carnegie-Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 to request the OPS5 User's Manual. Another source of
OPS5 information is "Programming Expert Systems in OPS5" by Brownston,
Farrell, Kant, and Martin (Addison-Wesley, 1985).
------------------------------
Date: Mon 4 Aug 86 22:38:23-PDT
From: Laws@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA
Subject: Expert Systems - The New Cop on the Beat
The FBI has developed Big Floyd, an expert system to assist in criminal
investigations. Similar programs are being developed to catch drug
smugglers and target potential terrorists. The EPA wants to identify
polluters; the Treasury Department is looking for money-laundering
banks; the Energy Department would like to find contractors who cut
corners; the Customs service is after drug smugglers; the IRS is
developing a system to spot tax cheaters; the Secret Service is working
on a classified system to point out potential presidential assassins;
and the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes is
developing expert systems to identify potential serial killers,
arsonists, and rapists. Systems to target counterfeiters and bombers
are also being built. -- Michael Schrage, The Washington Post National
Weekly Edition, Vol. 3, No. 40, August 4, 1986, p. 6.
------------------------------
Date: 4 Aug 86 09:48:56 edt
From: Walter Hamscher <hamscher@ht.ai.mit.edu>
Subject: Humor: Re: [Query - Geometric Placement]
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 86 14:27:33 PDT
From: trwrb!orion!gries@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Harry A. Gries)
> Query: Does anyone know about any expert system (developed
> or under development) that relates to the placement
> of geometric objects in a plane? [* * *]
Another application would be in creating district boundaries for
congressional representatives. [* * *]
What's that rustling sound I hear from across the river, up there on
Beacon Hill? It must be Governor Gerry doing pinwheels in his grave,
and the entire Masschusetts House of representatives trembling in
their boots... (We better keep this quiet, or they're liable to pass
a law against AI :-)
------------------------------
Date: 4 Aug 86 23:57:30 GMT
From: decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!hes@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Henry Schaffer)
Subject: Re: Computing with Neural Circuits:
A paper, "Computing with Neural Circuits: A Model" by John J.
Hopfield and David W. Tank is in the 8 Aug. 1986 issue of
Science (pp. 625-633.)
"A new conceptual framework and a minimization principle together
provide an understanding of computation in model neural circuits.
The circuits consist of nonlinear graded-response model neurons
organized into networks with effectively symmetric synaptic
connections. The neurons represent an approximation to biological
neurons in which a simplified set of important computational properties
is retained. Complex circuits solving problems similar to those
essential in biology can be analyzed and understood without the need
to follow the circuit dynamics in detail. Implementation of the model
with electronic devices will provide a class of electronic circuits of
novel form and function." (Abstract)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 06 Aug 86 15:21:54 EDT
From: BENJY%VTVM1.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA
Subject: Petrocelli Books
I recently received an advertisement for an AI book published by
Petrocelli Books, Inc. I assume Petrocelli will be publishing more
AI books, so I would like to post a warning to potential authors.
I wrote two books for this company, and I've never received a royalty
check without asking for it although the contract I signed states that
statements would be sent twice a year. Last time I asked for a
statement, I was told that PBI had cash flow problems and had to wait
several months after their grace period for a meager sum.
Ben Cline
Virginia Tech
BENJY@VTVM1.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: 8 Aug 86 15:30:13 GMT
From: ucbcad!nike!lll-crg!seismo!cmcl2!lanl!ls@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
(Lauren L Smith)
Subject: Functional Programming Bibliography
Andy Cheese's Functional Programming bibliography is ready for distribution
again. It covers all sorts of references relating to functional languages,
architectures for functional languages, to theory of, to garbage collecting,
to functional programming and multiprocessing, to logic programming &
functional combinations, to (well, you get the idea!). It has
been extensively updated since the last major distribution of it.
If you would be interested in receiving a copy (ONE request per site PLEASE!),
please contact the appropriate person.
North America: Lauren Smith
ARPA: ls@lanl
UUCP: {cmcl2,ihnp4}!lanl!ls
Everywhere Else: Andy Cheese
abc%computer-science.nottingham.ac.uk@Cs.Ucl.AC.UK
The bibliography is 24 files long, since it is too large to send as one
big file.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 4 Aug 86 14:31:48 EDT
From: "Col. G. L. Sicherman" <colonel%buffalo.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Conservation of Info, etc.
In article <8608010557.AA11269@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, larry@JPL-VLSI.ARPA writes:
> The ability to quantify and measure pattern and shape has profound implica-
> tions for the study of formerly mystical topics such as intelligence. It
> means we can develop conservation laws for information, without which you
> can't construct an essential ingredient of mathematics, equations.
While I agree with much of the article, this assumption looks superfluous
to me. Computer programs are a kind of mathematics, and they use assign-
ments and functions rather than equations.
More generally, I should like to see discussed what "information" means
in the abstract sense. After all, anything can be said to contain all
conceivable information about itself. Is "information" meaningful apart
from communication?
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 4 Aug 86 15:30:05 EDT
From: "William J. Rapaport" <rapaport%buffalo.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: follow-up on philosophy articles
Newsgroups: mod.ai
Subject: Re: philosophy journals
References: <8607211801.AA17444@ellie.SUNYAB>
<8608010555.AA11229@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Sender: William J. Rapaport (rapaport@buffalo.csnet)
Reply-To: rapaport@sunybcs.UUCP (William J. Rapaport)
Followup-To: The Colonel's complaint
Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science
In article <8608010555.AA11229@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
colonel@buffalo.CSNET ("Col. G. L. Sicherman") writes:
>In article <8607211801.AA17444@ellie.SUNYAB>, rapaport@buffalo.CSNET
>("William J. Rapaport") writes:
>
>> The original version of the ... problem may be found in:
>> Jackson, "Epiphenomenal Qualia," _Philosophical Q._ 32(1982)127-136.
>> with replies in:
>> Churchland, "Reduction, Qualia, and the Direct Introspection of
>> Brain States," _J. of Philosophy_ 82(1985)8-28.
>> Jackson, "What Mary Didn't Know," _J. of Philosophy_ 83(1986)291-95.
>> (One of the reasons I stopped reading net.philosophy was that its
>> correspondents seemed not to know about what was going on in philosophy
>> journals!)
>
>Out of curiosity I hunted up the third article on the way back from lunch.
>It's aggressive and condescending; any sympathy I might have felt for
>the author's argument was repulsed by his sophomoric writing. I hope it's
>not typical of the writing in philosophy journals.
I don't quite understand what "aggressive and condescending" or
"sophomoric writing" have to do with philosophical argumentation.
One thing that philosophers try not to do is give ad hominem arguments.
A philosophical arguement stands or falls on its logical merits, not its
rhetoric.
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************
From csnet_gateway Thu Aug 14 00:15:14 1986
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 86 00:15:10 edt
From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA)
To: ailist@sri-stripe
Subject: AIList Digest V4 #179
Status: RO
AIList Digest Wednesday, 13 Aug 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 179
Today's Topics:
Administrivia - Vacation,
Queries - AI Expert & Expert Systems and Maintenance Planning,
Expert Systems - ACE,
Games - 'Go' Challenge
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue 12 Aug 86 00:44:30-PDT
From: Ken Laws <Laws@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA>
Reply-to: AIList-Request@SRI-AI.ARPA
Subject: Administrivia - Vacation
I'm off to Singapore and Malaysia for a month. AIList will
resume in mid September.
-- Ken Laws
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 86 17:08:36 est
From: munnari!trlamct.oz!andrew@seismo.CSS.GOV (Andrew Jennings)
Subject: AI expert
I've just received a small ad for "AI expert" : the first commercial
magazine ever. Has anybody seen a copy : comments ?
_____________________________
ACSNET: andrew@trlamct.trl VOICE: +1 61 3 5416241
UUCP: ...!{seismo, mcvax, ucb-vision, ukc}!munnari!trlamct.trl!andrew
ARPA: andrew%trlamct.trl.oz@seismo.css.gov
Dr. Andrew Jennings , Section Head, Applied Mathematics and Computer
Techniques Section,
Telecom Australia Research Laboratories,
P.O. Box 249
Clayton, Victoria 3168, AUSTRALIA.
------------------------------
Date: 7 Aug 86 13:14:48 GMT
From: ucbcad!nike!sri-spam!mordor!lll-crg!seismo!mcvax!kvvax4!rolfs@uc
bvax.berkeley.edu (Rolf Skatteboe)
Subject: expert systems and maintenance planning
Hello:
I'm just starting on a project which main goal is to evaluate the
possibilities of combining the use of knowledge based systems with
maintenance planning.
So far, I have found very little work done in this field so everything
will be of interest. It is however, maintenance planning of rotating
machinery which is the main interest group.
I like to get hold on everything: articles, program descriptions and things
like that. If someone is interested in further information about the
project, please let me know.
Thank you ---Grethe
------------------------------
Date: 11 Aug 86 16:35:00 GMT
From: hplabs!hplabsb!wiemann@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Alan Wiemann)
Subject: Re: expert systems and maintenance planning
Grethe, Bell Labs developed a system for maintenance of cable which I think
was called ACE. Try there for starters.
Alan L. Wiemann
HP Labs
------------------------------
Date: 8 Aug 86 18:16:34 GMT
From: nbires!vianet!devine@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Bob Devine)
Subject: 'Go' challenge
Here is a news item that was published in August 5th "PC Week":
You can be $1 million richer if you're the first
person to devise a Go program that can beat a human
expert.
MultiTech Inc., Taiwan's largest manufacturer of
personal computers, is sponsoring the contest in
conjuction with the Taiwanese Ing Chang-chi Weich'i
Educational Foundation.
MultiTech says that its motives are:
1. to create an awareness of the Chinese origins of the
game Go and to increase interest in the game;
2. to spur development of computer hardware, software
and artificial intelligence; and
3. to increase international awareness of progress in
the Taiwanese computer industry.
The contest was inspired by a similar one that began about
30 years ago and which promised to award its prize to the
author of the first chess program that could be a human
master. That contest lasted for six years before the
prize was won -- a whopping 2,000 pounds sterling (about
$10,000).
The computer/Go contest will be staged annually from now
until the end of the century, according to MultiTech.
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
********************