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AIList Digest Volume 6 Issue 033
AIList Digest Monday, 15 Feb 1988 Volume 6 : Issue 33
Today's Topics:
Neuromorphic Systemd - Genetic Algorithms,
Education - Becoming CAI Literate,
Psychology - Psychnet,
Nanotechnology - STM Engineering & Speedup,
Expert Systems - Interviewing Experts
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Date: 13 Feb 88 22:13:47 GMT
From: jason@locus.ucla.edu
Subject: becoming literate with genetic algorithms
John Holland was here recently giving talks on genetic algorithms. I found the
concept rather intriguing. After hearing his lectures, I realized I needed to
do some introductory reading on the subject to fully appreciate its potential.
I am particularly interested in getting some references in the following areas:
(1) introductory theory behind GA
(2) its application to rule-based learning systems
(3) its relation to and implementation as neural nets
Thanks,
Jason Rosenberg Mira Hershey Hall
801 Hilgard Avenue
jason@cs.ucla.edu Los Angeles, CA 90024
{ihnp4,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!jason (213) 209-1806
------------------------------
Date: 11 Feb 88 19:34:52 GMT
From: umich!dwt@umix.cc.umich.edu (David West)
Subject: Re: Cognitive System using Genetic Algorithms
In article <1062@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> g451252772ea@deneb.ucdavis.edu.UUCP
(PUT YOUR NAME HERE) writes:
>The author discusses neural nets,
>simulated annealing, and one example of GA, all applied to the TSP, but
>comments that "... a thorough comparason ... _would be_ very interesting"
[...]
>As noted, the TSP is a canonical candidate.
I believe the TSP is popular because it is easy and compact to program.
The performance of a general method such as GAs can be strongly influenced
by the problem representation, and it turns out that the most straightforward
representations for genetic operations are particularly badly matched to the
most straightforward representations for TSPs. This makes the TSP a rather
unfortunate choice of introductory example for people who are unfamiliar
with GAs.
>Finally, I noted above that the production rules take system inputs as
>bit-strings. This representation allows for induction,...
It is *one* way of getting a form of induction, and has the property that
only very simple operations on the internal representation are used; the
extent to which this is useful depends, again, on the joint appropriateness
of the representations of the genetic operators and the world.
An "appropriate" representation has the property that the expected
fitness of the result of (say) a crossover is not severely worse than
that of its parents. This is something that must be ensured by the experimenter
if (as is most common) the representational mapping itself is not subject to
genetic selection.
-David West
------------------------------
Date: 8 Feb 88 16:05:43 GMT
From: bwk@mitre-bedford.arpa (Barry W. Kort)
Subject: Re: Becoming CAI literate
Benjamin Armstrong asks about computers in education.
Sherry Turkle of MIT has written an excellent book on this subject
entitled The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit. I found
her book to be well-researched and well-written, sensitive, insightful,
and thoroughly entertaining. I highly recommend it.
She explores computer-mediated learning at all levels from pre-school
(Merlin and Speak 'n' Spell) through primary-level software (e.g. Logo)
to graduate level AI projects. Her main thesis is that computers are
changing the way we think, and the way we think about the process of
thinking.
On Saturdays, I work at Computer Place at the Boston Museum of Science.
Computer Place is a resource center where youngsters can explore the
world of personal computers, with emphasis on educational software.
A common theme in educational software is to set up the learning
experience as a game, with amusing graphics and sound effects. I
especially like the world geography lesson packaged as "Where in
the World is Carmen Sandiego".
Computers are accurate, infinitely patient, and highly interactive.
In this regard, they surpass classroom teachers. I foresee the day
when computers will mediate 80% of the learning, freeing educators
to focus on special problems and enrichment beyond standard curricula.
--Barry Kort
------------------------------
Date: 9 Feb 88 14:59:53 GMT
From: decvax!sunybcs!rapaport@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (William J.
Rapaport)
Subject: Re: Becoming CAI literate
In article <817@aucs.UUCP> 870158a@aucs.UUCP (Benjamin Armstrong) writes:
>...direct me to a newsgroup where such discussions take place.
Try comp.ai.edu
------------------------------
Date: 9 Feb 88 15:01:56 GMT
From: decvax!sunybcs!rapaport@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (William J.
Rapaport)
Subject: Re: Becoming CAI literate
In article <822@aucs.UUCP> 870158a@aucs.UUCP (Benjamin Armstrong) writes:
> [Query about AI in education.]
You also might want to subscribe to news.announce.newusers, which,
among other things, has a complete list of newsgroups.
------------------------------
Date: 11 Feb 88 21:14:12 GMT
From: umich!dwt@umix.cc.umich.edu (David West)
Subject: Re: Becoming CAI literate
In article <23938@linus.UUCP> bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort) writes:
>Computers are accurate, infinitely patient, and highly interactive.
>In this regard, they surpass classroom teachers.
Well, yes, but the things computers are best at teaching humans are,
by and large, things that humans used to have to do only because they
didn't have computers. Why train humans to emulate machines if
you have adequate machines?
-David West
------------------------------
Date: 9 Feb 88 15:05:50 GMT
From: decvax!sunybcs!rapaport@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (William J.
Rapaport)
Subject: Re: sci.psychology (was sci.psych) voting results
In article <1536@uhccux.UUCP> todd@uhccux.UUCP (The Perplexed Wiz) writes:
>
>I believe that this should be sufficient to establish sci.psychology.
Don't you folks know about Psychnet, the psychology bulletin board?
>From: EPSYNET@UHUPVM1 (Robert C. Morecock)
Subject: Announcement of new bboard named psychnet
Date: 30 Jun 86 17:34:27 GMT
[Forwarded from Arpanet-BBoards by Laws@SRI-AI.]
PSYCHNET (tm) Psychology Newsletter and Mailing List EPSYNET@UHUPVM1
The Psychnet mailing list and Newsletter sends out information and
news to those who sign up. Within Bitnet, Psychnet is also a 24-hour
server machine which mails out files to users who first send the
PSYCHNET HELP command to userid UH-INFO at node UHUPVM1. OUTSIDE
BITNET Psychnet is a mailing list and Newsletter only. Once per week
ALL members receive the latest Psychnet Newsletter and Index of files
available on the server machine. Outside Bitnet, if a file looks
interesting send an E-mail request to userid EPSYNET (NOT uh-info) at
node UHUPVM1 and the file will be shipped out to you. Persons within
may also sign up for the mail list and will get the Newsletter and
Index along with other news. Users within Bitnet should get their
files directly from the server machine. An Exec file is available for
CMS users and COM files are available for VAX users within Bitnet.
If you have a file or idea you wish distributed to members of the
list you may send it to userid EPSYNET at node UHUPVM1 and it will be
sent out for you, usually with the week's Psychnet Newsletter. An
initial formal purpose of Psychnet is distribution of academic papers
in advance of this year's (1986) APA convention. Other purposes will
develop according to the needs and interests of the profession and
Psychnet users.
All requests to be added to or deleted from the mailing list, or to
have files distributed should be sent to:
Coordinator: Robert C. Morecock, Psychnet Editor, EPSYNET@UHUPVM1
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 88 10:35:44 PST
From: uazchem!dolata@arizona.edu (Dolata)
Subject: AIList V6 #27 - Nanotechnology
The reports of the significance of Foster and Formmers work (Nature, 331,
p324 (1988)) are a bit overstated. To wit;
F&F placed drops of di(2-ethylhexyl) pthalate on the carbon surface.
They then >SWEPT< the area with the scanning tunneling electron microscope,
causing a chemical reaction when the voltage applied to the electrode tip
was greater than 3.5 volts. After this, they then examined the surface,
and found lumps that correspond in size and shape to di(2-ethylhexyl)
pthalate molecules. If they then increase the tip voltage, they can
blast the stuff off of the surface. At intermediate voltages, they
"believe" that they can cause intermediate level cleavages and rearrangments.
Note that the process involves SCANNING of whole areas, and not
individual pinning. This is nothing new, it can be done by standard electro
chemical techniques. The ability to then alter individual molecules is
not very exciting either, people have been doing that chemically with
polymer bound systems for a long time. The exciting possibility was not
strictly addressed; the ability to selectively alter moelcules in a
spatially regular fashion. I.e., convert one to state 1, convert the
next to state 2, etc...
I don't mean to completely pooh-pooh their work. It does indicate
an exciting new direction. However, I caution people from either claiming
that they did something that they didn't, or from being swept up in over
strong claims. Chemists have long had the ability to pin molecules to a
surface, and then modify them, even in one's and two's at a time. What
they haven't had much luck doing was using mechanical means to create
spatially interesting patterns of altered molecules. What F&F has done is
to point the way, but they missed the biggy.
------------------------------
Date: 11 Feb 88 18:04:41 GMT
From: Martin Taylor <mmt%dciem.uucp@RELAY.CS.NET>
Reply-to: Martin Taylor <mmt%dciem.uucp@RELAY.CS.NET>
Subject: Re: Intelligent Nanocomputers
> ... such a machine could then just be allowed to run, and
>should be able to accomplish a century of progress in one hour.
I think we already do that, and have over the course of evolution managed
such a speedup several times. No reason why it shouldn't happen again.
The building of structure (information, organization ...) is recursive.
The more you have, the easier it is to get more (a bit like money, come
to think of it, and for much the same reason). BUT...humans will not
participate in this greatly augmented progress, any more than green algae
participate in human progress (except perhaps to be damaged by the side-
effects, analogous to pollution and destruction of habitat with which
we destroy those that have not shared our "progress").
--
Martin Taylor
...uunet!{mnetor|utzoo}!dciem!mmt
mmt@zorac.arpa
Magic is just advanced technology ... so is intelligence. Before computers,
the ability to do arithmetic was proof of intelligence. What proves
intelligence now? Obviously, it is what we can do that computers can't.
------------------------------
Date: 8 Feb 88 22:08:59 GMT
From: hpcea!hpnmd!hpsrla!hpmwtla!garyb@hplabs.hp.com (Gary
Bringhurst)
Subject: Re: interviewing experts
(for the nasty line eating bug)
Warning: flaming ahead
As a (modest) computer scientist, I always find it disturbing to read
condescending remarks like those of professors Wood and Ford, who have, by
their own admission, been involved in AI only a short time (two years).
>We
>do, however, believe that it is important for practicing
>knowledge engineers to attend to methodologies developed outside
>of AI so that they can spend their time refining and extending
>their application to AI rather than "reinventing the wheel."
I agree with this statement, as I believe any professional should try to expand
his area of expertise as far as possible. Would I be out of place to ask
that cognitive psychologists who wish to contribute to AI study a little
computer science in return?
I have actually taken a class from Dr. Wood, and unless his depth of knowledge
in the field of computer science has increased significantly since early 1987,
I would find it very hard to give much weight to anything he says.
>Larry E. Wood John M. Ford
>woodl@byuvax.bitnet fordjm@byuvax.bitnet
I suppose I'm just tired of well meaning zealots jumping into the foray.
The AI bandwagon is loaded heavily enough as is. Let's lighten the load
a little.
Gary L. Bringhurst
(DISCLAIMER: My opinions do not, in general, bear any resemblance at all
to the opinions of my employer, which actually has none.)
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End of AIList Digest
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