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AIList Digest Volume 1 Issue 086
AIList Digest Monday, 31 Oct 1983 Volume 1 : Issue 86
Today's Topics:
Complexity Measures - Request,
Obituary - Alfred Tarski,
Seminars - Request for Synopses,
Discourse Analysis - Representation,
Review - JSL Review of GEB,
Games - ACM Chess Results,
Software Verification - VERUS System Offered,
Conferences - FGCS Call for Papers
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 24 October 1983 17:02 EDT
From: Karl A. Nyberg <KARL @ MIT-MC>
Subject: writing analysis
I am interested in programs that people might know of that give word
distributions, sentence lengths, etc., so as to gauge the complexity of
articles. I'd also like to know if anyone could point me to any models
that specify that complexity in terms of these sorts of measurements.
Let me know if any programs you might know of are particular to any text
formatter, programming language, or operating system. Thanks.
-- Karl --
[Such capabilities are included in recent versions of the Unix
operating system. -- KIL]
------------------------------
Date: Sun 30 Oct 83 16:46:39-CST
From: Lauri Karttunen <Cgs.Lauri@UTEXAS-20.ARPA>
Subject: Alfred Tarski
[Reprinted from the UTexas-20 bboard.]
Alfred Tarski, the father of model-theoretic semantics, died last
Wednesday at the age of 82.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 83 21:29:41 pdt
From: sokolov%Coral.CC@Berkeley
Subject: Re: talk announcements in net.ai
Ken, I would like to submit this message as a suggestion to the
AIlist readership:
This message concerns the rash of announcements of talks being given
around the country (probably the world, if we include Edinburgh). I am
one of those people that like to know what is going on elsewhere, so I
welcome the announcements. Unfortunately, my appetite is only whetted
by them. Therefore, I would like to suggest that, WHENEVER possible,
summaries of these talks should be submitted to the net. I realize
that this isn't always practical, nevertheless, I would like to
encourage people to submit these talk reviews.
Jeff Sokolov
Program in Cognitive Science
and Department of Psychology
UC Berkeley
sokolov%coral@berkeley
...!ucbvax!ucbcoral:sokolov
------------------------------
Date: 29 Oct 83 1856 PDT
From: David Lowe <DLO@SU-AI>
Subject: Representation of reasoning
I have recently written a paper that might be of considerable interest
to the people on this list. It is about a new form of structuring
interactions between many users of an interactive network, based on an
explict representation of debate. Although this is not a typical AI
problem, it is related to much AI work on the representation of language
or reasoning (for example, the representation of a chain of reasoning in
expert systems). The representation I have chosen is based on the work
of the philosopher Stephen Toulmin. I am also sending a version of this
message to HUMAN-NETS, since one goal of the system is to create a
lasting, easily-accessed representation of the interactions which occur
on discussion lists such as HUMAN-NETS or AIList.
A copy of the paper can be accessed by FTP from SAIL (no login required).
The name of the file is PAPER[1,DLO]. You can also send me a message
(DLO @ SAIL) and I'll mail you a copy. If you send me your U.S. mail
address, I'll physically mail you a carefully typeset version. Let
me know if you are interested, and I'll keep you posted about future
developments. The following is an abstract:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE REPRESENTATION OF DEBATE AS A BASIS
FOR INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
By David Lowe
Computer Science Department
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
Abstract
Interactive computer networks offer the potential for creating a body
of information on any given topic which combines the best available
contributions from a large number of users. This paper describes a
system for cooperatively structuring and evaluating information through
well-specified interactions by many users with a common database. A
working version of the system has been implemented and examples of its use
are presented. At the heart of the system is a structured representation
for debate, in which conclusions are explicitly justified or negated by
individual items of evidence. Through debates on the accuracy of
information and on aspects of the structures themselves, a large number of
users can cooperatively rank all available items of information in terms
of significance and relevance to each topic. Individual users can then
choose the depth to which they wish to examine these structures for the
purposes at hand. The function of this debate is not to arrive at
specific conclusions, but rather to collect and order the best available
evidence on each topic. By representing the basic structure of each field
of knowledge, the system would function at one level as an information
retrieval system in which documents are indexed, evaluated and ranked in
the context of each topic of inquiry. At a deeper level, the system would
encode knowledge in the structure of of the debates themselves. This use
of an interactive system for structuring information offers many further
opportunities for improving the accuracy, accessibility, currency,
conciseness, and clarity of information.
------------------------------
Date: 28 Oct 83 19:06:50 EDT (Fri)
From: Bruce T. Smith <bts%unc@CSNet-Relay>
Subject: JSL review of GEB
The most recent issue (Vol. 48, Number 3, September
1983) of the Journal of Symbolic Logic (JSL) has an
interesting review of Hofstadter's book "Godel, Escher,
Bach: an eternal golden braid.". (It's on pages 864-871, a
rather long review for the JSL. It's by Judson C. Webb, a
name unfamiliar to me, amateur that I am.)
This is a pretty favorable review-- I know better than
to start any debates over GEB-- but what I found most
interesting was its emphasis on the LOGIC in the book. Yes,
I know that's not all GEB was about, but it was unusual
to read a discussion of it from this point of view. Just to
let you know what to expect, Webb's major criticism is
Hofstadter's failure, in a book on self-reference, to dis-
cuss Kleene's fixed-point theorem,
which fuses these two phenomena so closely together.
The fixed-point theorem shows (by an adaptation of
Godel's formal diagonalization) that the strangest ima-
ginable conditions on functions have solutions computed
by self-referential machines making essential use of
their own Godel-numbers, provided only that the condi-
tions are expressible by partial recursive functions.
He also points out that Hofstadter didn't show quite how
shocking Godel's theorems were: "In short, Godel discovered
the experimental completeness of a system that seemed almost
too weak to bother with, and the theoretical incompleteness
of one that aimed only at experimental completeness."
Enough. I'm not going to type the whole 7.5 pages. Go
look for the newest issue of the JSL-- probably in your
Mathematics library. For any students out there, membership
in the Association for Symbolic Logic is only $9.00/yr and
includes the JSL. Last year they published around 1000
pages. It's mostly short technical papers, but they claim
they're going to do more expository stuff. The address to
write to is
The Association for Symbolic Logic
P.O.Box 6248
Providence, RI 02940
============================================
Bruce Smith, UNC-Chapel Hill
...!decvax!duke!unc!bts (USENET)
bts.unc@CSnet-Relay (from other NETworks)
------------------------------
Date: 27 October 1983 1130-EDT
From: Hans Berliner at CMU-CS-A
Subject: ACM chess results
[Reprinted from the CMU-C bboard.]
The results of the ACM World computer CHess Championship are:
CRAY BLITZ - 4 1/2 1st place
BEBE - 4 2nd
AWIT - 4 3rd
NUCHESS - 3 1/2 4th
CHAOS - 3 1/2 5th
BELLE - 3 6th
There were lots of others with 3 points. Patsoc finished with a
scoreof 1.5 - 3.5. It did not play any micros and was usually
outgunned by 10 mip mainframes. There was a lot of excitement in the
last 3 rounds. in round 3 NUCHESS defeated Belle (the first time
Belle had lost to a machine). In round 4 Nuchess drew Cray Blitz in
a long struggle when they were both tied for the lead and remained so
at 3 1/2 points after this round. The final round was really wild:
BEBE upset NUCHESS (the first time it had ever beaten Nuchess) just
when NUCHESS looked to have a lock on the tournament. CRAY Blitz won
from Belle when the latter rejected a draw because it had been set to
play for a win at all costs (Belle's only chance, but this setting
was a mistake as CRAY BLITZ also had to win at all costs). In the
end AWIT snuck into 3 rd place in all this commotion, without having
every played any of the contenders. One problem with a Swiss pairing
system used for tournaments where only a few rounds are possible is
that it only brings out a winner. The other scores are very much
dependent on what happens in the last round.
Belle was using a new modification in search technique which based on
the results could be thought of as a mistake. Probably it is not
though, though possiby the implementation was not the best. In any
case Thompson apparently thought he had to do something to improve
Belle for the tournament.
In any case, it was not a lost cause for Thompson. He shared this
years Turing award with Ritchie for developing UNIX, received a
certificate from the US chess federation for the first non-human
chess master (for Belle), and a $16,000 award from the Common Wealth
foundation for the invention award of the year (software) for his
work on UNIX, C, and Belle. Lastly, it is interesting to note that
this is the 4th world championship. They are held 3 years apart, and
no program has won more than one of them.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 83 10:41:19 CDT
From: wagner@compion-vms
Subject: Announcement: VERUS verification system offered
Use of the VERUS Verification System Offered
--------------------------------------------
VERUS is a software design specification and verification system
produced by Compion Corporation, Urbana, Illinois. VERUS was designed
for speed and ease of use. The VERUS language is an extension of
of the first-order predicate calculus designed for a software
engineering environment. VERUS includes a parser and a theorem prover.
Compion now offers use of VERUS over the MILNET/ARPANET. Use is for a
maximum of 4 weeks. Each user is provided with:
1. A unique sign-on to Compion's VAX 11/750 running VMS
2. A working directory
3. Hard-copy user manuals for the use period.
If you are interested, contact Fran Wagner (wagner@compion-vms).
Note that the new numerical address for compion-vms is 10.2.0.55.
Please send the following information to help us prepare for you
to use VERUS:
your name
organization
U.S. mailing address
telephone number
network address
whether you are on the MILNET or the ARPPANET
whether you are familiar with VMS
whether you have a DEC-supported terminal
desired starting date and length of use
We will notify you when you can log on and send you hard-copy user
documents including a language manual, a user's guide, and a guide
to writing state machine specifications.
After the network split, VERUS will be available over the MILNET
and, by special arrangement, over the ARPANET.
__________
VERUS is a trademark of Compion Corporation.
DEC, VAX, and VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation.
------------------------------
Date: 26 Oct 1983 19:34:39-EDT
From: mac%mit-vax @ MIT-MC
Subject: FGCS Call for Papers
CALL FOR PAPERS
FGCS '84
International Conference on Fifth Generation Computer Systems, 1984
Institute for New Generation Computer Technology
November 6-9, 1984 Tokyo, Japan
The scope of technical sessions of this conference encompasses
the technical aspects of new generation computer systems which
are being explored particularly within the framework of logic
programming and novel architectures. This conference is intended
to promote interaction among researchers in all disciplines re-
lated to fifth generation computer technology. The topics of in-
terest include (but are not limited to) the following:
PROGRAM AREAS
Foundations for Logic Programs
* Formal semantics/pragmatics
* Computation models
* Program analysis and complexity
* Philosophical aspects
* Psychological aspects
Logic Programming Languages/Methodologies
* Parallel/Object-oriented programming languages
* Meta-level inferences/control
* Intelligent programming environments
* Program synthesis/understanding
* Program transformation/verification
Architectures for New Generation Computing
* Inference machines
* Knowledge base machines
* Parallel processing architectures
* VLSI architectures
* Novel human-machine interfaces
Applications of New Generation Computing
* Knowledge representation/acquisition
* Expert systems
* Natural language understanding/machine translation
* Graphics/vision
* Games/simulation
Impacts of New Generation Computing
* Social/cultural
* Educational
* Economic
* Industrial
* International
ORGANIZATION OF THE CONFERENCE
Conference Chairman : Tohru Moto-oka, Univ of Tokyo
Conference Vice-chairman : Kazuhiro Fuchi, ICOT
Program Chairman : Hideo Aiso, Keio Univ
Publicity Chairman : Kinko Yamamoto, JIPDEC
Secretariat : FGCS'84 Secretariat, Institute for New
Generation Computer Technology (ICOT)
Mita Kokusai Bldg. 21F
1-4-28 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108, Japan
Phone: 03-456-3195 Telex: 32964 ICOT
PAPER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Four copies of manuscripts should be submitted by April 15, 1984 to :
Prof. Hideo Aiso
Program chairman
ICOT
Mita Kodusai Bldg. 21F
1-4-28 Mita, Minato-ku
Tokyo 108, Japan
Papers are restricted to 20 double-spaced pages (about 5000
words) including figures. Each paper must contain a 200-250 word
abstract. Papers must be written and prensented in English.
Papers will be reviewed by international referees. Authors will
be notified of acceptance by June 30, 1984, and will be given in-
structions for final preparation of their papers at that time.
Camera-ready papers for the proceedings should be sent to the
Program Chairman prior to August 31, 1984.
Intending authors are requested to return the attached reply card
with tentative subjects.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Date : November 6-9, 1984
Venue : Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Host : Institute for New Generation Computer Technology
Outline of the Conference Program :
General Sessions
Keynote speeches
Report of research activities on Japan's FGCS Project
Panel discussions
Technical sessions (Parallel sessions)
Presentation by invited speakers
Presentation of submitted papers
Special events
Demonstration of current research results
Technical visit
Official languages :
English/Japanese
Participants: 600
Further information:
Conference information will be available in December, 1983.
**** FGCS PROJECT ****
The Fifth Generation Computer Systems (FGCS) Project, launched in
April, 1982, is planned to span about ten years. It aims at
realizing more user-friendly and intelligent computer systems
which incorporate inference and knowledge base management func-
tions based on innovative computer architecture, and at contri-
buting thereby to future society. The Institute for New Genera-
tion Computer Technology (ICOT) was established as the central
research institute of the project. The ICOT Research Center be-
gan its research activities in June, 1982 with the support of
government, academia and industry.
------------------------------
End of AIList Digest
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