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Alife Digest Number 068
Alife Digest, Number 068
Tuesday, December 31st 1991
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Today's Topics:
Calendar of Alife-related Events
Cog Sci 92 Call for Papers
L-Systems Software on IBM compatible PCs
New Holism Conference
Principia Cybernetica Symposium-CFP
Massive Parallelism for the Masses
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Dec 91 18:23:18 -0800
From: liane@CS.UCLA.EDU (Liane Gabora)
Subject: Calendar of Alife-related Events
**********************************************************************
CALENDAR OF ALIFE-RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Canadian AI Conference, Vancouver May 11-15, 1992
Artificial Life III, Santa Fe June 15-19, 1992
10th National Conference on AI, San Jose Jul 12-17, 1992
14th Conf of the Cognitive Science Soc, Bloomington IN July 29-Aug 1, 1992
ECAI 92, 10th European Conference on AI Aug 3-7, 1992
13th International Congress on Cybernetics, Belgium Aug 24-28, 1992
Parallel Problem Solving from Nature, Brussels Sep 28-30, 1992
(Send announcements of other activities to alife@cognet.ucla.edu)
**********************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 91 09:49:16 EST
From: Cognitive Science Conference 1992 <COGSCI92@ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Cog Sci 92 Call for Papers
please post
=================================================================
CALL FOR PAPERS:
The Fourteenth Annual Conference of
The Cognitive Science Society
July 29 -- August 1, 1992
Indiana University
THE CONFERENCE:
---------------
The Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society brings
together researchers studying cognition in humans, animals or
machines. The 1992 Conference will be held at Indiana
University. Plenary speakers for the conference are:
Elizabeth Bates John Holland
Daniel Dennett Richard Shiffrin
Martha Farah Michael Turvey
Douglas Hofstadter
The Conference will also feature evening entertainments: a
welcoming reception (Wed), banquet (Thurs), poster reception
(Fri), and concert (Sat).
PAPER SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
-----------------------------
Paper and poster submissions are encouraged in the areas of
cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, linguistics,
cognitive anthropology, connectionist models, cognitive
neuroscience, education, cognitive development, philosophical
foundations, artificial life, as well as any other area of
relevance to cognitive science.
Authors should submit five (5) copies of their papers in hard
copy form to
Cognitive Science 1992 Submissions
Attn: Candace Shertzer
Cognitive Science Program
Psychology Building
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
All accepted papers will appear in the Conference Proceedings.
Presentation format (talk or poster) will be decided by a review
panel, unless the author specifically requests consideration for
only one format. Electronic and FAX submissions cannot be
accepted.
David Marr Memorial Prizes for Excellent Student Papers:
-------------------------------------------------------
To encourage even greater student participation in the
Conference, papers that have a student as first author are
eligible to compete for one of four David Marr Memorial Prizes.
Student-authored papers will be judged by reviewers and the
Program Committee for excellence in research and presentation.
Each of the four Prizes is accompanied by a $300 honorarium.
The David Marr Prize is funded by an anonymous donor.
Appearance and length:
----------------------
Papers should be a maximum of six (6) pages long (excluding cover
page, described below), have at least 1 inch margins on all
sides, and use no smaller than 10pt type. Camera-ready versions
will be required only after authors are notified of acceptance.
Cover page:
-----------
Each copy of the paper must include a cover page, separate from
the body of the paper, that includes (in order):
1. Title of paper.
2. Full names, postal addresses, phone numbers and e-mail
addresses (if available) of all authors.
3. An abstract of no more than 200 words.
4. The area and subarea in which the paper should be reviewed.
5. Preference of presentation format: Talk or poster; talk only;
poster only.
6. A note stating whether the first author is a student
and should therefore be considered for a Marr Prize.
Papers submission deadline:
---------------------------
Papers must be *received* by March 2, 1992.
Notification of acceptance or rejection will be made by April 10.
Camera ready versions of accepted papers are due May 8.
SYMPOSIA:
---------
Symposium submissions are also encouraged. Submissions should
specify: 1. A brief description of the topic. 2. How the
symposium would address a broad cognitive science audience.
3. Names of symposium organizer(s) and potential speakers and
their topics. 4. Proposed format of symposium (e.g., all formal
talks; brief talks plus panel discussion; open discussion; etc.).
Symposia should be designed to last 1 hr 40 min.
Symposium submission deadline:
-----------------------------
Symposium submissions must be received by January 13, 1992, and
should be sent as soon as possible. Note that the deadline for
symposium submissions is earlier than for papers.
TRAVEL:
-------
By air, fly to Indianapolis (not Bloomington) where pre-arranged,
inexpensive charter buses will take you on the 1-hour drive to
Bloomington. Discount airfares are available from the conference
airline, USAir, which has flights from Europe and Canada as well
as within the continental US. Full details regarding travel,
lodging and registration will be given in a subsequent
announcement.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
-----------------------------
John K. Kruschke, Conference Chair
e-mail: cogsci92@ucs.indiana.edu
Candace Shertzer, Cognitive Science Program Secretary
phone: (812) 855-4658
e-mail: cshertze@silver.ucs.indiana.edu
Cognitive Science Program
Psychology Building
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
=================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 05 Dec 91 15:44:14 EST
From: Bill Paterson <BAD305@UKCC.uky.edu>
Subject: L-Systems Software on IBM compatible PCs
In the Alife Digest 067 Dec. 4, 1991, Chris Langton inquired about
L-systems software for Apple Macintoshes. Does anyone know about similar
software running on IBM compatible PCs?
Thanks!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1991 21:28 EST
From: LEFORE@zodiac.rutgers.edu
Subject: New Holism Conference
MEANING HOLISM
NEW SUMMER SEMINAR
Directors: JERRY FODOR & ERNIE LEPORE
Location: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Dates: June 29 - August 14, 1992 (seven weeks)
Holism about meaning and intention content has shaped much of what is most
characteristic of contemporary philosophy of language and philosophy of mind.
The seminar is devoted to the question whether the individuation of the
contents of thoughts and linguistic expressions is inherently holistic. For
example, we will discuss arguments that are alleged to show that the meaning of
a scientific hypothesis depends on the entire theory that entails it, or that
the content of a concept depends on the entire belief system of which it is a
part. Implications of holistic semantics for other philosophical issues
(intentional explanation, translation Realism, skepticism, connectionism, etc.)
will also be explored. Authors to be read include Quine, Davidson, Lewis,
Block, Field, Dummett, Dennett, Churchland and others. In addition, we will use
Holism: a Shopper's Guide, Fodor, J. and E. LePore, 1992, Basil Blackwell.
The National Endowment for the Humanities will provide a summer stipend of
$3,600 for travel, book and living expenses, to those selected as participants
in this seminar. Applications must be postmarked not later than 2 March, 1992.
For further information and for application forms, please write to:
Meaning Holism Seminar
Philosophy Department
Davidson Hall
Douglass Campus, Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ 08903 (USA)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1991 17:40:06 +0100
From: fheyligh@VNET3.VUB.AC.BE(Francis Heylighen)
Subject: Principia Cybernetica Symposium-CFP
CALL FOR PAPERS
*********************************************************
* SYMPOSIUM: THE PRINCIPIA CYBERNETICA PROJECT *
* computer-supported cooperative development *
* of an evolutionary-systemic philosophy *
*********************************************************
as part of the
13th International Congress on Cybernetics
NAMUR (Belgium), August 24-28, 1992
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Symposium Theme
_______________
The Principia Cybernetica Project (PCP) is a collaborative attempt to
develop a complete and consistent cybernetic philosophy. Such a
philosophical system should arise from a transdisciplinary unification and
foundation of the domain of Systems Theory and Cybernetics. Similar to the
metamathematical character of Whitehead and Russell's "Principia
Mathematica", PCP is meta-cybernetical in that we intend to use cybernetic
tools and methods to analyze and develop cybernetic theory.
These include the computer-based tools of hypertext, electronic mail,
and knowledge structuring software. They are meant to support the process
of collaborative theory-building by a variety of contributors, with
different backgrounds and living in different parts of the world.
As its name implies, PCP will focus on the clarification of fundamental
concepts and principles of the cybernetics and systems domain. Concepts
include: Complexity, Information, System, Freedom, Control,
Self-organization, Emergence, etc. Principles include the Laws of Requisite
Variety, of Requisite Hierarchy, and of Regulatory Models.
The PCP philosophical system is seen as a clearly thought out and
well-formulated, global "world view", integrating the different domains of
knowledge and experience. It should provide an answer to the basic
questions: "Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going to?". The PCP
philosophy is systemic and evolutionary, based on the spontaneous emergence
of higher levels of organization or control (metasystem transitions)
through blind variation and natural selection. It includes:
a) a metaphysics, based on processes or actions as ontological primitives,
b) an epistemology, which understands knowledge as constructed by the
subject, but undergoing selection by the environment;
c) an ethics, with survival and the continuance of the process of
evolution as supreme values.
PCP is to be developed as a dynamic, multi-dimensional conceptual
network. The basic architecture consists of nodes, containing expositions
and definitions of concepts, connected by links, representing the
associations that exist between the concepts. Both nodes and links can
belong to different types, expressing different semantic and practical
categories.
Philosophy and implementation of PCP are united by their common
framework based on cybernetical and evolutionary principles: the
computer-support system is intended to amplify the spontaneous development
of knowledge which forms the main theme of the philosophy.
About the Symposium
___________________
After the succesful organization of a symposium on "Cybernetics and Human
Values" at the 8th World Congress of Systems and Cybernetics (New York,
June 1990), and of the "1st Workshop of the Principia Cybernetica Project"
(Brussels, July 1991), the third official activity of the Principia
Cybernetica Project will be a Symposium held at the 13th Int. Congress on
Cybernetics.
The informal symposium will allow researchers potentially interested in
contributing the Project to meet. The emphasis will be on discussion,
rather than on formal presentation. Contributors are encouraged to read
some of the available texts on the PCP in order to get acquainted with the
main issues (Newsletter available on request from the Symposium Chairman).
Papers can be submitted on one or several of the following topics:
The Principia Cybernetica Project
Cybernetic Concepts and Principles
Evolutionary Philosophy
Knowledge Development
Computer-Support Systems for Collaborative Theory Building
About the Congress
__________________
The International Congresses on Cybernetics are organized triannually
(since 1956) by the Intern. Association of Cybernetics (IAC), whose
founding members include W.R. Ashby, S. Beer and G. Pask. The 13th Congress
takes place in the "Institut d'Informatique, Facultes Universitaires
Notre-Dame de la Paix, 21 rue Grandgagnage, B-5000 Namur, Belgium". The
official congress languages are English and French.
Namur is a quiet little city on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre
rivers, at the foot of a hill supporting impressive medieval
fortifications. The congress atmosphere is relaxed and informal, with a lot
of small symposia going on in parallel in adjacent rooms. There will be a
welcome cocktail, a congress dinner, and a meeting room available for
coffee breaks. Participants are responsible for making their own hotel
reservations, but, if necessary, student's rooms will be available.
Registration fee :
members of the IAC and authors of papers: 6000 BF (about $180)
other participants: 10000 BF (about $300)
Young researchers under 30 years 2000 BF (about $60)
(with certificate of their university)
The fee covers congress attendance, preprints and coffee-breaks.
Partial Congress Programme
__________________________
The Congress will feature over 30 symposia, including the following:
(CHAIRPERSON Subject)
ACALUGARITEI G. (Roumania)
Evolutions and Metaevolutions from the Point of View of the Invariants
Associated to the Transformation Groups
BAHG C. (China)
Complex Systems and their Evolution
COLLOT F-C. (France)
Les notions de temps et d' e'volution en Cyberne'tique
FRANCOIS C. (Argentina)
Les syst`emes humains home'ostatiques ou e'mergents
HEYLIGHEN F. (Belgium)
The Principia Cybernetica Project : Computer-supported Cooperative
Development of an Evolutionary-systemic Philosophy
JDANKO A. (Israel)
- Cybernetic Systems Approach to History
- Cybernetic Systems Interpretation of the Religious Idea : From the
Primitive to the Monotheist
GASPARSKI W. (Poland)
Cybernetics and Human Behaviour
GELEPITHIS P.(United Kingdom)
Invariants of Cognitive Science : Scope, Limits, Implications
STEG D. (USA)
Determinacy and Indeterminacy in Complex Systems
VANDAMME F. (Belgium)
Cognitive Modelling for Knowledge and Information Technology : Manual
and Automatic Tools
Submission of papers
____________________
People wishing to present a paper in the Principia Cybernetica symposium
should quickly send the filled-in application form below, together with an
abstract of max. 1 page, to the addresses of the Symposium chairman
(Francis Heylighen) and of the Congress secretariat (IAC) below.
Submissions or request to the chairman can be done by email only, but for
the secretariat it is advisable to send an application in paper form. In
principle, all applications should be received by December 31, 1991, but it
may be possible to come in late. People wishing to present a paper in a
different symposium can directly submit their abstract to the secretariat.
You will be notified about acceptance not later than 2 months after
receipt of the abstract, and will receive instructions for the preparation
of the final text. Final papers (max. 5 pages) should be ready by the end
of the congress. The Proceedings will normally be published by the IAC
about 1 year after the congress.
==Deadlines==
* for summaries (1 page max): December 31, 1991
* for paper submission: March 31, 1992
* for final texts (max 5 pages): August 28, 1992
.........................................................................
For submissions of papers or further information about the Principia
Cybernetica project, contact the symposium chairman:
==================================================================
Dr. Francis Heylighen
PO-PESP, Free Univ. Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Phone +32 - 2 - 641 25 25 Email fheyligh@vnet3.vub.ac.be
Fax +32 - 2 - 641 24 89 Telex 61051 VUBCO B
==================================================================
For congress registration or further information about the congress
contact the secretariat:
===================================================================
International Association for Cybernetics
Palais des Expositions, Place Ryckmans, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
Phone +32 - 81 - 73 52 09 Email cyb@info.fundp.ac.be
Fax +32 - 81 - 23 09 45
===================================================================
____________________________________________________________________
Application Form
Symposium "The Principia Cybernetica Project"
in the framework of the
13th Int. Congress on Cybernetics (Namur, 24-28 August, 1992)
Name : .......................................................
First name(s) :...............................................
Profession and titles:........................................
Institution: .................................................
..............................................................
Address : ....................................................
..............................................................
Nationality:..................................................
Phone : (office)..................... (home)..................
Fax:..........................................................
E-mail :......................................................
o I would like to receive more information about the Congress
o I would like to attend the Congress
o I would like to receive more information about the Principia
Cybernetica Project (Newsletter)
o I submit a paper for presentation at the Symposium "The
Principia Cybernetica Project" (abstract sent to the Symposium
chairman AND to the congress secretariat)
Title of Paper :.............................................
..............................................................
Date : Signature:
___________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 91 16:14:00 est
From: "Mitchel Resnick" <mres@altdorf.ai.mit.edu>
Subject: Massive Parallelism for the Masses
*LOGO: MASSIVE PARALLELISM FOR THE MASSES
*Logo, the first massively-parallel programming language designed
especially for nonexpert programmers, is now available for the
Connection Machine (model CM2).
With *Logo (pronounced starlogo), even people with limited programming
experience can create and experiment with massively-parallel
simulations. *Logo is particularly well-suited for "artificial life"
simulations, since it is easy to use *Logo to program thousands of
"artificial creatures." For example, you can write programs for
thousands of individual "ants," then observe the colony-level
behaviors that emerge from the interactions.
Many other types of simulations are also possible. *Logo has already
been used to simulate the interaction of cars in a traffic jam, the
interaction of atomic particles in a fission reaction, and the
interaction of buyers and sellers in an economic market.
*Logo is an extension of the popular Logo programming language, which
is now used in about one-third of all elementary schools in the United
States. Many students learn Logo programming through "turtle graphics"
-- they create drawings by giving commands to a graphic "turtle" on
the computer screen.
*Logo extends this idea by allowing you to control thousands of
graphic turtles at once. In addition, *Logo makes the turtles' world
computationally active, so that you can write programs not just for
thousands of turtles, but also for the thousands of "patches" that
make up the turtles' environment.
You can use the *Logo turtles in several ways. As in traditional
versions of Logo, you can use the turtles to draw on the screen. But
there is also a new form of turtle graphics: You can create graphics
out of the turtle themselves. For example, you can arrange hundreds of
turtles into a circle -- and then tell the turtles to move so that the
circle shrinks or expands. More significantly, you can treat the
turtles not as "graphic turtles" but as "behavioral turtles." For
example, you can make the turtles "sniff" around the world, and change
their behaviors based on what they sense.
*Logo (including documentation and sample programs) is available by
anonymous ftp from Thinking Machines. Just do the following:
ftp think.com
Name: anonymous
Password: <your login name>
cd cm/starlogo
get STARLOGO-install.txt
binary
get starlogo.tar
quit
Then read the file STARLOGO-install.txt for further instructions.
*Logo was designed and implemented by Mitchel Resnick of MIT, with
help from Ryan Evans (of MIT) and JP Massar and Mario Bourgoin (of
Thinking Machines). Students from Boston-area high schools used *Logo
(and provided useful feedback) during the development process. Work on
*Logo has been supported by the MIT Media Laboratory, Thinking
Machines Corporation, the National Science Foundation, the LEGO Group,
the McArthur Foundation, and Nintendo Japan.
------------------------------
End of ALife Digest
*******************
