perm filename E85.IN[LET,JMC] blob
sn#807000 filedate 1985-09-30 generic text, type C, neo UTF8
COMMENT ⊗ VALID 00503 PAGES
C REC PAGE DESCRIPTION
C00001 00001
C00053 00002 ∂01-Jul-85 0901 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA visit date
C00056 00003 ∂01-Jul-85 0921 RA cs105
C00057 00004 ∂01-Jul-85 1152 RA Beverly Hilton
C00058 00005 ∂01-Jul-85 1215 AI.WOODY@MCC.ARPA re: next visit
C00060 00006 ∂01-Jul-85 1616 RA [Reply to message recvd: 01 Jul 85 16:06 Pacific Time]
C00061 00007 ∂01-Jul-85 1838 BAMPI@SU-SIERRA.ARPA re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00064 00008 ∂02-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00065 00009 ∂02-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00066 00010 ∂02-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00067 00011 ∂02-Jul-85 0954 RA Fred Riss, IBM
C00068 00012 ∂02-Jul-85 1042 SG My father-in-law / Sorry.
C00069 00013 ∂02-Jul-85 1222 RA Mark Leepson from Congressional Quarterly
C00070 00014 ∂02-Jul-85 1320 VAL my paper on CWA and circumscription
C00071 00015 ∂02-Jul-85 1446 CLT
C00072 00016 ∂02-Jul-85 1604 juliao@Gregorio re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00074 00017 ∂02-Jul-85 1713 RA Ed Feigenbaum
C00075 00018 ∂02-Jul-85 1737 RWW
C00076 00019 ∂02-Jul-85 1816 TREITEL@SU-SUSHI.ARPA re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00078 00020 ∂02-Jul-85 1951 ME Prancing Pony Bill
C00080 00021 ∂03-Jul-85 1047 avg@diablo re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00083 00022 ∂03-Jul-85 1058 avg@diablo Re: reply hack and OTHER-BBOARDS@SAIL
C00085 00023 ∂03-Jul-85 1142 TREITEL@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: reply hack
C00087 00024 ∂03-Jul-85 1525 RA KQED national special
C00088 00025 ∂03-Jul-85 1649 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA Xeroxing for Summer School/ASL Meeting
C00090 00026 ∂05-Jul-85 0242 @seismo.CSS.GOV:munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo
C00093 00027 ∂06-Jul-85 2305 @MIT-MC.ARPA:MINSKY@MIT-OZ interview by Slater
C00095 00028 ∂07-Jul-85 2018 @seismo.CSS.GOV:munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo
C00097 00029 ∂08-Jul-85 0553 HST business-class prize
C00098 00030 ∂08-Jul-85 0828 LEEKE@SU-SIERRA.ARPA Inconsistency in the Bible
C00099 00031 ∂08-Jul-85 0856 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00100 00032 ∂08-Jul-85 0857 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00101 00033 ∂08-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00102 00034 ∂08-Jul-85 1000 JMC
C00103 00035 ∂08-Jul-85 1040 HEDGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA Visit of John Claude Latombe (Robotics Candidate)
C00104 00036 ∂08-Jul-85 1051 VAL equilateral triangle
C00105 00037 ∂08-Jul-85 1057 VAL five couples
C00106 00038 ∂08-Jul-85 1332 RA Robert Slater
C00107 00039 ∂08-Jul-85 1420 RDG Private msg
C00110 00040 ∂08-Jul-85 1921 GRAY@SU-SUSHI.ARPA re: fundamentalist Christians reveal anti-Semitic bias (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00113 00041 ∂09-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00114 00042 ∂09-Jul-85 0918 PAT@IMSSS Quantum mech. papers
C00115 00043 ∂09-Jul-85 1000 JMC
C00116 00044 ∂09-Jul-85 1141 RA search committee lunch
C00117 00045 ∂09-Jul-85 1359 VAL Party
C00118 00046 ∂09-Jul-85 1504 RA Bob Slater
C00119 00047 ∂09-Jul-85 1553 SJG charades this weekend?
C00120 00048 ∂09-Jul-85 1839 kerch@lll-tis-b Fw: Returned mail: User unknown
C00123 00049 ∂09-Jul-85 2210 crash!bblue@Nosc Message from Jerry Pournelle
C00125 00050 ∂09-Jul-85 2344 LIBRARY@SU-SCORE.ARPA Reviews of "Not in Our Genes."
C00129 00051 ∂10-Jul-85 0022 @MIT-MC.ARPA:PGS@MIT-MC.ARPA
C00130 00052 ∂10-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00131 00053 ∂10-Jul-85 0901 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA [The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>: Message of 10-Jul-85 08:51:19]
C00134 00054 ∂10-Jul-85 1050 GLB
C00135 00055 ∂11-Jul-85 0947 RA Consulting for SF firm
C00136 00056 ∂11-Jul-85 1142 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Visit of Peter Will
C00138 00057 ∂11-Jul-85 1205 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA Interview
C00141 00058 ∂11-Jul-85 1213 RA lunch
C00142 00059 ∂11-Jul-85 1344 RA [Reply to message recvd: 11 Jul 85 12:31 Pacific Time]
C00143 00060 ∂11-Jul-85 1423 ME system
C00144 00061 ∂11-Jul-85 1457 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
C00145 00062 ∂12-Jul-85 0647 HST gwai
C00146 00063 ∂12-Jul-85 1131 ME NS fixed
C00147 00064 ∂12-Jul-85 1321 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Advanced Copies of your Talks
C00149 00065 ∂12-Jul-85 1654 RA
C00151 00066 ∂12-Jul-85 2123 RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA
C00152 00067 ∂14-Jul-85 1526 ucscc!beeson%ucscd.ucscc.UUCP@Berkeley reply to your comments on my work
C00162 00068 ∂14-Jul-85 1858 KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA visit by senator glenn
C00164 00069 ∂14-Jul-85 2121 ucscc!beeson%ucscd.ucscc.UUCP@Berkeley one more remark
C00166 00070 ∂15-Jul-85 0041 VAL Gelfond's talk
C00167 00071 ∂15-Jul-85 0813 JK
C00168 00072 ∂15-Jul-85 0935 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA MJH coffee/cocoa update
C00169 00073 ∂15-Jul-85 0953 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA [KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA: visit by senator glenn]
C00184 00074 ∂15-Jul-85 1154 RA J.W. Lloyd
C00185 00075 ∂15-Jul-85 1419 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Faculty Retreat
C00191 00076 ∂15-Jul-85 1441 RA J.W.Lloyd
C00192 00077 ∂15-Jul-85 1617 RA Austin trip
C00193 00078 ∂15-Jul-85 1625 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Peter Will
C00194 00079 ∂15-Jul-85 1703 RA Doris Hyde, Inference
C00195 00080 ∂15-Jul-85 1735 VAL Party
C00196 00081 ∂15-Jul-85 1823 CLT collaboration
C00197 00082 ∂16-Jul-85 1000 JMC
C00198 00083 ∂16-Jul-85 1126 hasan%logic.DEC@decwrl.ARPA Help!
C00201 00084 ∂16-Jul-85 1141 RA telephone interview
C00202 00085 ∂16-Jul-85 1150 RA going out for lunch
C00203 00086 ∂16-Jul-85 1323 SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: AI Faculty Retreat
C00205 00087 ∂16-Jul-85 1330 @MIT-MC.ARPA:tk@MIT-MC.ARPA Pournelle
C00208 00088 ∂16-Jul-85 1416 RA NY Times article
C00209 00089 ∂16-Jul-85 1440 RA J.W. Lloyd
C00210 00090 ∂16-Jul-85 1500 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
C00211 00091 ∂16-Jul-85 1621 RA Lloyd's talk
C00212 00092 ∂16-Jul-85 1640 RA Re: NY Times article
C00213 00093 ∂16-Jul-85 2138 dswise%indiana.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa L&FP '87
C00217 00094 ∂17-Jul-85 1023 fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley parallel computers
C00218 00095 ∂17-Jul-85 1532 ME HOT
C00219 00096 ∂18-Jul-85 0409 HST gwai85
C00220 00097 ∂18-Jul-85 1358 RA Robert Jastrow
C00221 00098 ∂18-Jul-85 1604 RA Gordon Bell
C00222 00099 ∂18-Jul-85 1659 RA Gordon Bell
C00223 00100 ∂18-Jul-85 2221 RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA the value of life
C00224 00101 ∂19-Jul-85 0000 JMC
C00225 00102 ∂19-Jul-85 0902 JK
C00227 00103 ∂19-Jul-85 1040 RA Dinner with Gordon Bell
C00228 00104 ∂19-Jul-85 1120 RA reaching Sarah Macarthy
C00229 00105 ∂19-Jul-85 1122 RA Bonni Granger
C00230 00106 ∂19-Jul-85 1547 POSER@SU-CSLI.ARPA re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00234 00107 ∂19-Jul-85 1700 RA George Marotta
C00235 00108 ∂19-Jul-85 2200 JMC
C00236 00109 ∂19-Jul-85 2326 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Umesh Vazirani
C00241 00110 ∂20-Jul-85 0229 @SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA:rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM nusum
C00246 00111 ∂20-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00247 00112 ∂20-Jul-85 0900 JMC
C00249 00113 ∂22-Jul-85 0222 HST gwai85
C00250 00114 ∂22-Jul-85 0752 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA 35mm
C00251 00115 ∂22-Jul-85 0800 JMC
C00252 00116 ∂22-Jul-85 0818 RA airline tickets
C00253 00117 ∂22-Jul-85 0906 RA J.W.Lloyd
C00254 00118 ∂22-Jul-85 0941 RA confidential letter
C00255 00119 ∂22-Jul-85 0944 EMMA@SU-CSLI.ARPA Thank-you note
C00257 00120 ∂22-Jul-85 1111 RA Sandra Cook, SRI
C00258 00121 ∂22-Jul-85 1125 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00259 00122 ∂22-Jul-85 1308 RA Dr. Jastro
C00260 00123 ∂22-Jul-85 1504 VAL circumscription seminar
C00261 00124 ∂22-Jul-85 1544 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00262 00125 ∂22-Jul-85 1735 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA August dues
C00263 00126 ∂22-Jul-85 2138 DCH@SU-SCORE.ARPA Grading JMC's writing
C00265 00127 ∂23-Jul-85 1420 RA Joe Engleberger looking for ideas
C00267 00128 ∂23-Jul-85 1437 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA ICAI workshop
C00268 00129 ∂23-Jul-85 1608 SANDRA@SRI-KL.ARPA MAD and Inference
C00270 00130 ∂24-Jul-85 1230 SANDRA@SRI-KL.ARPA schedule
C00271 00131 ∂24-Jul-85 1232 mack%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa McCarthy's RE lecture
C00273 00132 ∂24-Jul-85 1313 RA Re: reservations to L.A. on Friday
C00274 00133 ∂24-Jul-85 1317 RA A b/w picture of you
C00276 00134 ∂25-Jul-85 1135 RA NSF 810 4877 final project report
C00277 00135 ∂25-Jul-85 1243 RA Re: NSF 810 4877 final project report
C00278 00136 ∂25-Jul-85 1244 RA trip to LA
C00279 00137 ∂25-Jul-85 1245 RA Robert Slater
C00280 00138 ∂25-Jul-85 1324 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Phone Message
C00281 00139 ∂25-Jul-85 1341 barwise.pa@Xerox.ARPA Common knowledge of common knowledge
C00284 00140 ∂25-Jul-85 1343 RA Sciences Magazine
C00285 00141 ∂25-Jul-85 1932 BJORK@SU-SCORE.ARPA re: wooden stoves
C00286 00142 ∂26-Jul-85 0236 GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Visit
C00287 00143 ∂26-Jul-85 1106 HURD@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: Split atoms, not wood.
C00288 00144 ∂26-Jul-85 1119 VAL Circumscription Seminar
C00290 00145 ∂26-Jul-85 1128 RA AI and voice speech project
C00291 00146 ∂26-Jul-85 1136 RA
C00292 00147 ∂26-Jul-85 1316 VAL STRIPS
C00294 00148 ∂26-Jul-85 1357 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: Split atoms, not wood.
C00295 00149 ∂27-Jul-85 1741 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Umesh Vazirani's schedule for Monday 7/29
C00297 00150 ∂28-Jul-85 1328 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley Checkhov excerpt about nightingales
C00299 00151 ∂28-Jul-85 1328 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley the actual excerpt
C00302 00152 ∂28-Jul-85 1640 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: STRIPS
C00306 00153 ∂28-Jul-85 2252 CLT
C00307 00154 ∂29-Jul-85 1138 RA Advice on AIindustry
C00308 00155 ∂29-Jul-85 1235 gnelson@decwrl.ARPA Re: The star wars computer system.
C00310 00156 ∂29-Jul-85 1327 RA LA trip
C00311 00157 ∂29-Jul-85 1419 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Retreat
C00313 00158 ∂29-Jul-85 1517 RA Ron Jackowitz
C00314 00159 ∂29-Jul-85 1530 SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00316 00160 ∂29-Jul-85 1541 gnelson@decwrl.ARPA re: The star wars computer system.
C00318 00161 ∂29-Jul-85 1550 Y.YEFF@[36.48.0.2] re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00320 00162 ∂29-Jul-85 1612 RA Howard Jacobson
C00321 00163 ∂30-Jul-85 0832 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Committee Meeting
C00322 00164 ∂30-Jul-85 1404 VAL circ'n seminar
C00323 00165 ∂30-Jul-85 1513 RA MCC
C00324 00166 ∂31-Jul-85 0503 WIEDERHOLD@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Course material for CS206
C00326 00167 ∂31-Jul-85 1051 JMC
C00327 00168 ∂31-Jul-85 1112 WANDA@SRI-AI.ARPA Files archived from directory <PS:<COMMONSENSE>>
C00328 00169 ∂31-Jul-85 1241 TW Discussion of AI Quals
C00339 00170 ∂31-Jul-85 1409 RA SDI letter
C00340 00171 ∂01-Aug-85 0002 LLW@S1-A.ARPA Letter Comments
C00348 00172 ∂01-Aug-85 0009 LLW@S1-A.ARPA Afterthought
C00350 00173 ∂01-Aug-85 0857 CLT calender items
C00351 00174 ∂01-Aug-85 0905 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA Riding times
C00352 00175 ∂01-Aug-85 0906 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Retreat
C00354 00176 ∂01-Aug-85 0953 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Retreat
C00357 00177 ∂01-Aug-85 2015 ME Prancing Pony Bill
C00359 00178 ∂02-Aug-85 0844 RA Meeting at MAD
C00360 00179 ∂02-Aug-85 1123 RA Bob Flast, American Express
C00361 00180 ∂02-Aug-85 1142 joanna@krakatoa
C00362 00181 ∂02-Aug-85 1146 joanna@krakatoa C.S. Search
C00364 00182 ∂02-Aug-85 1210 RA Inference advisory board
C00365 00183 ∂02-Aug-85 1212 RA Chuck Williams
C00366 00184 ∂02-Aug-85 1213 RA career advice
C00367 00185 ∂02-Aug-85 1215 VAL Circumscription Seminar
C00369 00186 ∂02-Aug-85 1406 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00370 00187 ∂02-Aug-85 1705 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA [The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>: Message of 2-Aug-85 16:11:43]
C00374 00188 ∂03-Aug-85 1258 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: C.S. Search
C00376 00189 ∂04-Aug-85 1722 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley last year's panel discussion
C00379 00190 ∂04-Aug-85 1801 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley
C00473 00191 ∂04-Aug-85 1839 KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA gio presentation
C00479 00192 ∂04-Aug-85 2001 JJW Renaming the machine?
C00480 00193 ∂04-Aug-85 2211 MAILER-DAEMON@Berkeley Returned mail: Host unknown
C00483 00194 ∂04-Aug-85 2221 Mailer failed mail returned
C00485 00195 ∂05-Aug-85 0956 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA august dues
C00486 00196 ∂05-Aug-85 1141 RA Mr. Halbrecht
C00487 00197 ∂05-Aug-85 1344 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA event
C00488 00198 ∂05-Aug-85 1647 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Udi Shapiro
C00489 00199 ∂05-Aug-85 2112 minker@maryland COLING88
C00511 00200 ∂06-Aug-85 0948 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA thanks
C00512 00201 ∂06-Aug-85 1023 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
C00513 00202 ∂06-Aug-85 1113 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00514 00203 ∂06-Aug-85 1138 RA Aaron Floman
C00515 00204 ∂06-Aug-85 1146 RA Jane Materazzo
C00516 00205 ∂06-Aug-85 1144 VAL STRIPS
C00517 00206 ∂06-Aug-85 1223 RA be gone for 2 hours
C00518 00207 ∂06-Aug-85 1554 RA sdi letter
C00519 00208 ∂07-Aug-85 0900 JMC
C00520 00209 ∂07-Aug-85 1018 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00521 00210 ∂07-Aug-85 1027 VAL reply to message
C00522 00211 ∂07-Aug-85 1300 JMC
C00523 00212 ∂07-Aug-85 2214 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA [Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: talk]]
C00528 00213 ∂08-Aug-85 0218 DON@SRI-AI.ARPA Files archived from directory <PS:<COMMONSENSE>>
C00529 00214 ∂08-Aug-85 1139 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00530 00215 ∂08-Aug-85 1229 RA leave early
C00531 00216 ∂08-Aug-85 1300 JMC
C00532 00217 ∂08-Aug-85 1324 pr@diablo Rosenbloom vs. Rosenblum
C00533 00218 ∂08-Aug-85 1400 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA
C00534 00219 ∂08-Aug-85 1517 CLT collaboration events
C00537 00220 ∂08-Aug-85 2016 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: Reagan, profanity, liberal clap-trap (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00539 00221 ∂08-Aug-85 2116 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: travel plans]
C00542 00222 ∂09-Aug-85 1338 RA Prof. Algazi
C00543 00223 ∂09-Aug-85 1425 RA check
C00544 00224 ∂09-Aug-85 1510 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00545 00225 ∂09-Aug-85 1524 RA mail
C00546 00226 ∂09-Aug-85 1851 KAKUNO@SU-SUSHI.ARPA request for meeting
C00547 00227 ∂09-Aug-85 2310 KARNICKY@SU-SCORE.ARPA Your bboard message on smoking
C00550 00228 ∂10-Aug-85 0926 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: incredibly funny story about the Reagan administration (from SAIL's BBOARD)
C00553 00229 ∂10-Aug-85 1012 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Glenn Visit
C00560 00230 ∂10-Aug-85 1020 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: travel plans]
C00562 00231 ∂10-Aug-85 1245 DEK diophantine equations with sums of squares
C00563 00232 ∂10-Aug-85 1309 CLT dvi wins this time
C00565 00233 ∂10-Aug-85 1511 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: bboard goof
C00567 00234 ∂10-Aug-85 1723 CLT wednesday
C00568 00235 ∂10-Aug-85 1734 CLT wednesday
C00569 00236 ∂10-Aug-85 1758 CLT collaboration events
C00571 00237 ∂12-Aug-85 0814 REULING@SU-SCORE.ARPA [LAUBSCH%hplabs.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa: jhl@sail account]
C00574 00238 ∂12-Aug-85 0900 JMC
C00575 00239 ∂12-Aug-85 0900 JMC
C00576 00240 ∂12-Aug-85 0926 CLT appointment with montgomery
C00577 00241 ∂12-Aug-85 1000 JMC
C00578 00242 ∂12-Aug-85 1000 JMC
C00579 00243 ∂12-Aug-85 1030 VAL Wiktor Marek
C00580 00244 ∂12-Aug-85 1216 CLT today
C00581 00245 ∂12-Aug-85 1356 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Request to cancel 2 pm appt for today
C00582 00246 ∂12-Aug-85 1432 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: Request to cancel 2 pm appt for today
C00583 00247 ∂12-Aug-85 1520 VAL Axioms for activities
C00584 00248 ∂12-Aug-85 1614 RA Scott Ladd
C00585 00249 ∂12-Aug-85 1654 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00586 00250 ∂13-Aug-85 1038 VAL Roald Zelichonok's Trial
C00595 00251 ∂13-Aug-85 1109 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA visit
C00597 00252 ∂13-Aug-85 1321 VAL New definition of circumscription
C00602 00253 ∂13-Aug-85 1418 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA [John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>: re: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems (from SAIL's BBOARD) ]
C00605 00254 ∂13-Aug-85 1539 VAL Postscript to the previous message
C00606 00255 ∂13-Aug-85 1551 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA re: [John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>: re: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems (from SAIL's BBOARD) ]
C00608 00256 ∂13-Aug-85 1550 RA Joel Sheurkin from News and Publication
C00609 00257 ∂13-Aug-85 2213 DCO
C00611 00258 ∂13-Aug-85 2326 DCO
C00612 00259 ∂14-Aug-85 0738 KACZMAREK@USC-ISIF.ARPA IJCAI
C00615 00260 ∂14-Aug-85 0916 CLT
C00616 00261 ∂14-Aug-85 0936 KACZMAREK@USC-ISIF.ARPA re: IJCAI
C00617 00262 ∂14-Aug-85 1135 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA Planning
C00618 00263 ∂14-Aug-85 1440 RA Chuck Williams
C00619 00264 ∂14-Aug-85 1449 STUART@SRI-AI.ARPA Central America and IJCAI
C00622 00265 ∂14-Aug-85 1646 BARWISE@SU-CSLI.ARPA Reminder
C00623 00266 ∂14-Aug-85 1646 KUO Address
C00624 00267 ∂14-Aug-85 1731 VAL IJCAI talk
C00625 00268 ∂14-Aug-85 1759 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: IJCAI as a forum
C00627 00269 ∂14-Aug-85 1932 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Prof. Shapiro's visit
C00629 00270 ∂15-Aug-85 0017 KARP@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Verifying SDI software
C00632 00271 ∂15-Aug-85 0853 PATASHNIK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: IJCAI as a forum
C00636 00272 ∂15-Aug-85 0857 GEOFF@SRI-CSL.ARPA Re: IJCAI as a forum
C00638 00273 ∂15-Aug-85 0903 RA [Reply to message recvd: 14 Aug 85 23:52 Pacific Time]
C00639 00274 ∂15-Aug-85 0955 VAL Ed Pednault
C00640 00275 ∂15-Aug-85 1201 SG My Email address in Japan
C00642 00276 ∂15-Aug-85 1238 BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA IJCAI and politics (au sens large)
C00644 00277 ∂15-Aug-85 1238 BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA IJCAI and politics (au sens large)
C00646 00278 ∂15-Aug-85 1400 JMC
C00647 00279 ∂15-Aug-85 1643 Mailer failed mail returned
C00648 00280 ∂15-Aug-85 1647 RA Joel Shirkin, News and Publications
C00649 00281 ∂15-Aug-85 1850 GARY@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Speaking Out On SDI
C00652 00282 ∂15-Aug-85 1928 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley your seminar
C00654 00283 ∂16-Aug-85 1025 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA Appointment of Carolyn
C00655 00284 ∂16-Aug-85 1049 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Schedule for Prof. Shapiro
C00656 00285 ∂16-Aug-85 1050 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Schedule for Prof. Shapiro
C00657 00286 ∂16-Aug-85 1102 HULL@SU-SCORE.ARPA Statement at IJCAI
C00659 00287 ∂16-Aug-85 1141 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA An application of postponability
C00661 00288 ∂16-Aug-85 1208 RA names of staff members
C00662 00289 ∂16-Aug-85 1212 AI.LENAT@MCC.ARPA meeting tomorrow
C00664 00290 ∂16-Aug-85 1410 VAL slides
C00665 00291 ∂16-Aug-85 1416 RA
C00666 00292 ∂16-Aug-85 1515 KUO
C00667 00293 ∂16-Aug-85 1614 RA jastrow
C00668 00294 ∂16-Aug-85 1615 RA tickets
C00679 00295 ∂16-Aug-85 2141 MAILER-DAEMON@sprite Returned mail: unknown mailer error 13
C00681 00296 ∂16-Aug-85 2146 JJW Sequent
C00689 00297 ∂17-Aug-85 0157 yg%ciprnet.umich-ciprnet.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa Re: Roald Zelichonok's Trial
C00691 00298 ∂17-Aug-85 0352 @SU-SCORE.ARPA:GEORGEFF@SRI-AI.ARPA Planning Workshop/Conference
C00693 00299 ∂17-Aug-85 0846 FMF@SU-SIERRA.ARPA bboard to helens and sprite
C00694 00300 ∂17-Aug-85 1152 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA SDI
C00698 00301 ∂17-Aug-85 1806 VSINGH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Auditron found
C00699 00302 ∂19-Aug-85 0751 JK leave of absence
C00700 00303 ∂19-Aug-85 0822 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
C00701 00304 ∂19-Aug-85 1046 avg@diablo Re: arrogant unix programmers
C00703 00305 ∂19-Aug-85 1126 avg@diablo Re: sdi and infeasibility
C00705 00306 ∂19-Aug-85 1248 EVAN@SU-CSLI.ARPA SDI and proving correctness
C00708 00307 ∂20-Aug-85 1552 COWER@SU-CSLI.ARPA chez
C00709 00308 ∂23-Aug-85 1011 CHURD@SU-SCORE.ARPA HONORS
C00710 00309 ∂23-Aug-85 1432 PLUMMER@SU-SIERRA.ARPA Visit of Senator Glenn
C00714 00310 ∂23-Aug-85 1438 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA [Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>:]
C00717 00311 ∂23-Aug-85 1509 RA CS306 text for a visually impaired student
C00718 00312 phw@mc
C00722 00313 ∂25-Aug-85 1321 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: Visit of Senator Glenn
C00725 00314 ∂26-Aug-85 0857 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00726 00315 ∂26-Aug-85 1355 ai.boyer@MCC.ARPA Next Visit
C00728 00316 ∂26-Aug-85 1636 RA Inf. about AI group
C00729 00317 ∂26-Aug-85 1641 RA Miro called
C00730 00318 ∂26-Aug-85 1643 SJG counterfactual argument
C00731 00319 ∂26-Aug-85 1715 postmaster@aerospace Undeliverable mail
C00733 00320 ∂26-Aug-85 2251 DEK congratulations
C00734 00321 ∂30-Aug-85 1259 SATZ@SU-SIERRA.ARPA Re: arrogant unix programmers
C00736 00322 ∂30-Aug-85 1333 tolat@su-star meeting
C00737 00323 ∂30-Aug-85 1402 RA Industrial lecturers
C00738 00324 ∂30-Aug-85 1416 RA leave early
C00739 00325 ∂30-Aug-85 1405 ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA industrial lecturers
C00740 00326 ∂30-Aug-85 1423 RA Re: Industrial lecturers
C00741 00327 ∂30-Aug-85 1425 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Would you like to be on the distribution list, or just BBOARDed?
C00820 00328 ∂30-Aug-85 1524 sato@SU-Russell Greetings
C00822 00329 ∂30-Aug-85 1533 ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA Industrial lecturers for the coming year
C00823 00330 ∂30-Aug-85 1536 ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA Dr. Chow from ACAL
C00824 00331 ∂30-Aug-85 1545 SJG circumscription paper
C00825 00332 ∂30-Aug-85 1553 MCCARTHY@SU-SCORE.ARPA intrell
C00826 00333 ∂30-Aug-85 1613 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
C00827 00334 ∂31-Aug-85 1158 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA
C00828 00335 ∂31-Aug-85 1246 CLT opera
C00829 00336 ∂31-Aug-85 1916 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA September money due
C00830 00337 ∂01-Sep-85 0251 KUO
C00831 00338 ∂01-Sep-85 1059 RWW qlambda
C00832 00339 ∂01-Sep-85 2100 JMC
C00833 00340 ∂02-Sep-85 1238 KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA Re: Chudnovsky proposal
C00835 00341 ∂03-Sep-85 0811 AI.ELLIE@MCC.ARPA September Visit
C00836 00342 ∂03-Sep-85 0850 RA Invitation
C00837 00343 ∂03-Sep-85 0900 JMC
C00838 00344 ∂03-Sep-85 1000 JMC
C00839 00345 ∂03-Sep-85 1028 JJW Prancing Pony Bill
C00841 00346 ∂03-Sep-85 1059 joanna@krakatoa
C00843 00347 ∂03-Sep-85 1124 SJG last msg
C00844 00348 ∂03-Sep-85 1140 mack%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa IJCAI Expenses
C00846 00349 ∂03-Sep-85 1140 RA summer pay
C00847 00350 ∂03-Sep-85 1148 VAL Halpern's conference
C00849 00351 ∂03-Sep-85 1221 A.SANDY@SU-GSB-HOW.ARPA An invitation...
C00854 00352 ∂03-Sep-85 1320 LEIB@SU-SCORE.ARPA Greetings!
C00855 00353 ∂03-Sep-85 1432 MAZZETTI@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
C00856 00354 ∂03-Sep-85 1540 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Letters
C00872 00355 ∂03-Sep-85 1606 RA tape for Monitor radio
C00873 00356 ∂03-Sep-85 1707 JJW Some restored files to be deleted
C00877 00357 ∂04-Sep-85 0236 JJW Files to be deleted
C00879 00358 ∂04-Sep-85 0241 DEK happy
C00880 00359 ∂04-Sep-85 0803 perlis@maryland sets for commonsense
C00882 00360 ∂04-Sep-85 0906 SJG DAI workshop
C00884 00361 ∂04-Sep-85 0923 RA Re: IJCAI Expenses
C00885 00362 ∂04-Sep-85 0920 SJG DAI workshop
C00886 00363 ∂04-Sep-85 1210 VAL
C00887 00364 ∂04-Sep-85 1225 RA typing your notes
C00888 00365 ∂04-Sep-85 1441 ULLMAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA NSF survey
C00890 00366 ∂04-Sep-85 1754 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA
C00891 00367 ∂04-Sep-85 1930 MRC@SU-SCORE.ARPA happy birthday
C00892 00368 ∂04-Sep-85 2040 tum%germany.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa From Wolfgang Bibel
C00895 00369 ∂05-Sep-85 0959 CLT
C00896 00370 ∂05-Sep-85 1100 JMC
C00897 00371 ∂05-Sep-85 1153 AI.ELLIE@MCC.ARPA Reservation change for September visit
C00898 00372 ∂05-Sep-85 1616 VAL Abstract for Halpern's conference
C00904 00373 ∂05-Sep-85 1647 RA Re: IJCAI Expenses
C00905 00374 ∂06-Sep-85 0800 JMC
C00906 00375 ∂06-Sep-85 0954 RA Trips to Austin and LA
C00907 00376 ∂06-Sep-85 1000 JMC
C00908 00377 ∂06-Sep-85 1005 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00909 00378 ∂06-Sep-85 1139 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00910 00379 ∂06-Sep-85 1318 SIEGMAN@SU-SIERRA.ARPA JMC ON EURO-TV
C00912 00380 ∂06-Sep-85 1556 RA MAD
C00913 00381 ∂06-Sep-85 1631 SMC events
C00914 00382 ∂06-Sep-85 1720 Postmaster@csnet-relay.arpa Undeliverable mail
C00916 00383 ∂06-Sep-85 1900 JMC
C00917 00384 ∂07-Sep-85 0911 CLT laundry
C00918 00385 ∂07-Sep-85 1601 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA Files
C00920 00386 ∂07-Sep-85 2328 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Re: The risks of not using some technology
C00921 00387 ∂07-Sep-85 2329 SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: Centre Mondial
C00923 00388 ∂08-Sep-85 1020 ns@cmu-cs-h.arpa Risks of omissions
C00927 00389 ∂08-Sep-85 1254 LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA The risks of not using some technology
C00933 00390 ∂08-Sep-85 1311 LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA The risks of not using some technology
C00935 00391 ∂08-Sep-85 1432 Ayers.PA@Xerox.ARPA Keep up the good work ...
C00936 00392 ∂09-Sep-85 0831 DAC
C00937 00393 ∂09-Sep-85 0831 DAC
C00938 00394 ∂09-Sep-85 0847 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA re: Files
C00939 00395 ∂09-Sep-85 0942 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA
C00940 00396 ∂09-Sep-85 1002 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C00941 00397 ∂09-Sep-85 1051 RA Voice of America
C00942 00398 ∂09-Sep-85 1239 AI.JMC@MCC.ARPA generality of situation calculus
C00945 00399 ∂09-Sep-85 1421 VAL re: abstract
C00947 00400 ∂09-Sep-85 1442 RPG
C00948 00401 ∂09-Sep-85 1637 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA Re: remarks on your report
C00951 00402 ∂09-Sep-85 1821 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA re: remarks on your report
C00954 00403 ∂10-Sep-85 1050 SJG 1985 DAI workshop announcement
C00957 00404 ∂10-Sep-85 1102 RA Mr. Hanu from Voice of America
C00958 00405 ∂10-Sep-85 1143 CLT mazda
C00959 00406 ∂10-Sep-85 1257 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA
C00960 00407 ∂10-Sep-85 1501 LES Qlisp funding
C00962 00408 ∂10-Sep-85 1500 VAL monadic predicate logic
C00963 00409 ∂10-Sep-85 1637 LES Qlisp tasking
C00964 00410 ∂10-Sep-85 1703 RA Reviews of not in our genes
C00965 00411 ∂10-Sep-85 1835 fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley Re: Qlisp funding
C00967 00412 ∂11-Sep-85 0426 GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA gwai and phone
C00969 00413 ∂11-Sep-85 1122 JMC
C00970 00414 ∂11-Sep-85 1122 JMC
C00971 00415 ∂11-Sep-85 1126 VAL Message to Pednault
C00972 00416 ∂11-Sep-85 1139 RA GBD
C00973 00417 ∂11-Sep-85 1322 RA going out
C00974 00418 ∂11-Sep-85 1456 WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA offices
C00979 00419 ∂11-Sep-85 1557 SJG siglunch
C00980 00420 ∂11-Sep-85 1608 SJG Siglunch
C00981 00421 ∂11-Sep-85 1734 @SU-CSLI.ARPA:Kay.pa@Xerox.ARPA Re: offices
C00985 00422 ∂12-Sep-85 1007 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA Symposium in Japan
C00987 00423 ∂12-Sep-85 1123 RA Austin trip
C00988 00424 ∂12-Sep-85 1133 WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA offices again
C00992 00425 ∂12-Sep-85 1214 LES use of sequent
C00995 00426 ∂12-Sep-85 1308 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA [LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA: Next week's PLANLUNCH -- notice change in date, place]
C00999 00427 ∂12-Sep-85 1320 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA re: [LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA: Next week's PLANLUNCH -- notice change in date, place]
C01000 00428 ∂12-Sep-85 1331 RA leave early
C01001 00429 ∂12-Sep-85 1407 VAL Mental situations
C01005 00430 ∂12-Sep-85 1459 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Phone Message
C01006 00431 ∂12-Sep-85 1629 VAL Halpern's conference
C01007 00432 ∂12-Sep-85 1710 LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA SDI
C01009 00433 ∂12-Sep-85 2045 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA
C01018 00434 ∂13-Sep-85 0233 GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA gwai@germany
C01021 00435 ∂13-Sep-85 0847 RA be late
C01022 00436 ∂13-Sep-85 0851 John←A.←McNelly.OsbuSouth@Xerox.ARPA Re: RISKS-1.11
C01024 00437 ∂13-Sep-85 1147 VAL re: Halpern's conference
C01026 00438 ∂13-Sep-85 1309 RA Price of a rountrip ticket to Germany
C01027 00439 ∂13-Sep-85 1326 RICH%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
C01030 00440 ∂13-Sep-85 1355 RA Louis Lerman
C01031 00441 ∂13-Sep-85 1515 LERMAN@SRI-KL.ARPA Re: AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
C01034 00442 ∂13-Sep-85 1659 epi-dc!shore@nrl-css.arpa whose words in whose mouth?
C01039 00443 ∂13-Sep-85 1711 jefferso@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU Parallel Lisp
C01043 00444 ∂14-Sep-85 0342 freksa%germany.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA Your talk in Munich
C01046 00445 ∂14-Sep-85 1016 JOSEPH@MIT-XX.ARPA Re: whose words in whose mouth?
C01048 00446 ∂14-Sep-85 1025 ALTMAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: Need to Copy Slides FAST.
C01049 00447 ∂15-Sep-85 0000 JMC
C01050 00448 ∂15-Sep-85 2330 HST gwai & stuttgart
C01051 00449 ∂16-Sep-85 0235 HST gwai/schedule
C01053 00450 ∂16-Sep-85 0800 JMC
C01054 00451 ∂16-Sep-85 0900 JMC
C01055 00452 ∂16-Sep-85 1000 JMC
C01056 00453 ∂16-Sep-85 0958 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Re: clarification
C01058 00454 ∂16-Sep-85 1023 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA re: clarification
C01059 00455 ∂16-Sep-85 1030 REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: cs306 TA
C01060 00456 ∂16-Sep-85 1052 RA tickets to Germany
C01061 00457 ∂16-Sep-85 1103 RA an 11:00 meeting
C01062 00458 ∂16-Sep-85 1132 RA Nafeh from MAD
C01063 00459 ∂16-Sep-85 1137 RA Bob Floyd
C01064 00460 ∂16-Sep-85 1153 REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA re: cs306 TA
C01066 00461 ∂16-Sep-85 1217 CLT
C01067 00462 ∂16-Sep-85 1424 RA trip to Germany
C01068 00463 ∂17-Sep-85 0034 Tenenbaum@SRI-KL.ARPA Re: AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
C01071 00464 ∂17-Sep-85 0830 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Chris Goad
C01073 00465 ∂17-Sep-85 1004 Ayers.PA@Xerox.ARPA FYI: On RISKS-1.14
C01074 00466 ∂17-Sep-85 1040 mooremj@EGLIN-VAX Rejected Message Request
C01075 00467 ∂17-Sep-85 1402 SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: Confederation Recommendation
C01078 00468 ∂17-Sep-85 1606 RTC Could I talk to you ...
C01079 00469 ∂18-Sep-85 0927 JROBINSON@SRI-AI.ARPA Martha (?)
C01080 00470 ∂18-Sep-85 1209 SJG first order counterfactuals
C01082 00471 ∂18-Sep-85 1238 SAMUEL@SU-SCORE.ARPA editor based OS based on common-lisp
C01083 00472 ∂18-Sep-85 1431 RINDFLEISCH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Stanford Video Journal - AI Volume
C01086 00473 ∂18-Sep-85 1440 spar!hayes@decwrl.ARPA
C01089 00474 ∂18-Sep-85 1444 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
C01090 00475 ∂18-Sep-85 2359 FEIGENBAUM@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: Stanford Video Journal - AI Volume
C01092 00476 ∂19-Sep-85 1250 RA Gardner Lindzey
C01093 00477 ∂19-Sep-85 1251 RA Robert Jastrow
C01094 00478 ∂19-Sep-85 1555 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA List of References
C01096 00479 ∂19-Sep-85 2123 GLB
C01097 00480 ∂20-Sep-85 2133 PHayes@SRI-KL.ARPA
C01098 00481 ∂21-Sep-85 1818 @SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA:rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM macsyma
C01099 00482 ∂23-Sep-85 1022 JROBINSON@SRI-AI.ARPA Re: martha coulton
C01101 00483 ∂23-Sep-85 1502 FBRYAN@SRI-KL.ARPA
C01104 00484 ∂23-Sep-85 1605 RA lunch with Mike Genesereth
C01105 00485 ∂23-Sep-85 1624 RA auditing your class
C01106 00486 ∂24-Sep-85 0000 JMC Expired plan
C01107 00487 ∂24-Sep-85 1158 SJG counterfactual question
C01109 00488 ∂25-Sep-85 0914 CLT TAs
C01111 00489 ∂25-Sep-85 1235 RA e visitorsLa Fiesta
C01112 00490 ∂25-Sep-85 1334 GIVAN@SU-SUSHI.ARPA CS306
C01114 00491 ∂25-Sep-85 1441 LAUBE@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: cs206
C01115 00492 ∂25-Sep-85 1531 JMC
C01116 00493 ∂25-Sep-85 1640 MikeDixon.pa@Xerox.ARPA re: maps to new student lunch
C01117 00494 ∂25-Sep-85 1704 RA
C01118 00495 ∂26-Sep-85 0536 THOMASON@C.CS.CMU.EDU Want to talk?
C01119 00496 ∂26-Sep-85 0555 THOMASON@C.CS.CMU.EDU re: Want to talk?
C01120 00497 ∂26-Sep-85 1124 HANRAHAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA re-keying
C01121 00498 ∂26-Sep-85 1150 RA lunch with genesereth
C01122 00499 ∂26-Sep-85 1255 LES Qlisp negotiation
C01124 00500 ∂26-Sep-85 1405 RA I need to leave at 4:00 today and 3:00 tomorrow for
C01125 00501 ∂26-Sep-85 1557 VAL Mental situations and planning
C01128 00502 ∂26-Sep-85 1746 LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA PLANLUNCH
C01130 00503 ∂26-Sep-85 1942 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Someone to buy cocoa
C01131 ENDMK
C⊗;
∂01-Jul-85 0901 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA visit date
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Jul 85 09:01:07 PDT
Date: Mon 1 Jul 85 08:59:39-PDT
From: Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: visit date
To: udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA
cc: Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Ashok@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
Papa@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Yao@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Dear Professor Shapiro,
Thanks for your message. I will go ahead and arrange a talk for you on
August 26, and schedule appointments for you to meet people in the Department
for that day. I will make reservation of hotels for you for the nights of
August 25 and 26. Please let me know your arrival time if you come by plane,
so that I can meet you at the airport (San Jose or San Francisco will be good).
If you come by car, I will send you a local map.
Please let me know if there is any additional arrangements I can make for
you. I am looking forward to seeing you.
Sincerely,
Andrew C. Yao
Professor
-------
∂01-Jul-85 0921 RA cs105
Any objections to my taking CS105? I started last week. The class
meets four days a week 10:00-11:00 and a discussion group Wed. 2:15.
∂01-Jul-85 1152 RA Beverly Hilton
The confirmed reservation is on your desk.
∂01-Jul-85 1215 AI.WOODY@MCC.ARPA re: next visit
Received: from MCC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Jul 85 12:15:06 PDT
Date: Mon 1 Jul 85 14:14:52-CDT
From: Woody Bledsoe <AI.Woody@MCC.ARPA>
Subject: re: next visit
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, AI.LENAT@MCC.ARPA
cc: AI.Woody@MCC.ARPA, ai.barbara@MCC.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sun 30 Jun 85 01:39:00-CDT
John,
These dates (July 23-24) are fine with us. We will make the usual reservations
(unless you tell us that you want to change hotels or something).
I suggest that we wait until you arrive to discuss the wording of the
contract. I have asked Dick Hill to go over it with you; I will
get into the act when and if it is necessary.
We look forward to seeing you.
Woody
-------
∂01-Jul-85 1616 RA [Reply to message recvd: 01 Jul 85 16:06 Pacific Time]
The time difference is 10 hours.
Zohar's office number is (8) 475 784 (The 8 is the area code for Rehovot)
Home number (in Rehovot) (8) 483 545
In case you can't find him in the above, he might be staying chez his
mother in Haifa: (4) 672 445.
To dial direct, you dial (011) (972) (city code) (number)
∂01-Jul-85 1838 BAMPI@SU-SIERRA.ARPA re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SU-SIERRA.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Jul 85 18:37:44 PDT
Date: Mon 1 Jul 85 18:37:03-PDT
From: Sergio Bampi <BAMPI@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>
Subject: re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: OTHER-SU-BBOARDS@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Mon 1 Jul 85 17:21:00-PDT
Geee !
What kind of twisted, self-righteous reasoning is that in which
playing a "fair" policeman in foreign policy is more appropriate than
building alliances?
First, the only fairness you can expect from U.S. foreign policy is
obviously (could it be different ??!!) one in which the U.S. is fair to its
own interests.... It is naive to expect anything else.
Second, building alliances is already part and parcel of the western
policeman role the U.S. has taken on since WWII. I'm not talking only about
alliances with nations; there were and there are alliances with guerrilla
movements ( counter-revolutionaries in Nicaragua, Unita in Angola, etc),
military and oligarchy thugs/dictators ( Pinochet, Somoza, Duvallier,
and tens of lesser known ), even nazi fugitives who became allied spies after
1945.
Your proposal of supporting militias in Lebanon is not anything new.
Israel has done it and it is much more convenient for the U.S. to act through
a client regional power. At least Israel can claim legitimacy for invading
neighboring countries, and even imprisioning local civilian resistants.
Some type of fairness isn't it?
Sergio
-------
∂02-Jul-85 0900 JMC
Woody and Claudia
∂02-Jul-85 0900 JMC
montgomery
∂02-Jul-85 0900 JMC
Claudia and Woody.
∂02-Jul-85 0954 RA Fred Riss, IBM
I set July 9, 11:00am for you to meet Fred Riss; if the time is ok with
you, please let me know.
∂02-Jul-85 1042 SG My father-in-law / Sorry.
To: JMC
CC: SG
I heard from my father-in-law that he missed meeting you in Tokyo.
Because he left JSPS in April, he could not know the schedule of
NSF-JSPS seminar in detail.
He is very sorry he could not reach you during your stay in Japan.
Shigeki
∂02-Jul-85 1222 RA Mark Leepson from Congressional Quarterly
Leepson is doing a story on AI; would like to ask you a few questions.
He called a few times trying to reach you. In case you want to call
him, his num. is (212) 887 8633. He will be in his office until 2:30pm our
time.
∂02-Jul-85 1320 VAL my paper on CWA and circumscription
It has been accepted for publication in "Artificial Intelligence". Do I
understand it correctly that everyhing I publish should include the
acknowledgement of partial support by DARPA?
∂02-Jul-85 1446 CLT
ive gone home in search of quiet
∂02-Jul-85 1604 juliao@Gregorio re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SU-GREGORIO.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 2 Jul 85 16:04:07 PDT
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 85 16:02:38 pdt
From: Jorge Juliao <juliao@Gregorio>
Subject: re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@Sail, OTHER-SU-BBOARDS@Sail
Why is it so hard for you to understand that what is needed is not to
defeat terrorrists. When there are terrorists its because of something.
The idea is to behave in such a way that you don't create resentments.
What those people want is no interference with their struggles. If
the U.S. is an ally of what these people consider is an enemy ( Israel ),
then there will be resentment against the U.S. If the U.S. threatens
the Nicaraguan government, there will be resentment against the U.S.
in that region too. Why not leave people top solve their local crisis
without any involvement of any superpower? Everyone has to mind his/her
own business and not be nosing around in other's affairs. Terror is
the consequence of desperation against someone you cannot fight
directly. They feel like that because something caused it.
∂02-Jul-85 1713 RA Ed Feigenbaum
Ed called wanted to talk to you about your trip to Japan.
∂02-Jul-85 1737 RWW
To: FY, JMC
A more interesting function (!!!!!!) for proving corrrect and ...
(defun zip (n &optional (c 0))
(cond ((= 1 n) (print c))
((> n 1) (let ((random (random n)))
(zip (- n random) (+ c random))
(zip random c))) ))
What does it do and why do it this way!!!!! (without running it of course!!!)
1. "&optional (c 0)" means if you dont give a value to "c" then its becomes 0.
2. random is used bath as a variable and a function name.
3. random is an integer valued function that returns a value between
0 and n-1 (inclusive)
Richard
∂02-Jul-85 1816 TREITEL@SU-SUSHI.ARPA re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 2 Jul 85 18:16:40 PDT
Date: Tue 2 Jul 85 18:15:01-PDT
From: Richard Treitel <TREITEL@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: juliao@SU-GREGORIO.ARPA
cc: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, OTHER-SU-BBOARDS@SU-AI.ARPA, treitel@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Jorge Juliao <juliao@Gregorio>" of Tue 2 Jul 85 16:06:22-PDT
"The idea is to behave in such a way that you don't create resentments."
Fine. Now we have reduced the problem of ending terrorism to the problem of
doing something which neither Socrates nor Jesus nor Gandhi nor Michael Jackson
(much less Jesse Jackson) was able to do. I feel better already.
- Richard
-------
∂02-Jul-85 1951 ME Prancing Pony Bill
Prancing Pony bill of JMC John McCarthy 2 July 1985
Previous Balance 5.10
Monthly Interest at 1.5% 0.08
Current Charges 0.45 (vending machine)
-------
TOTAL AMOUNT DUE 5.63
Please deliver payments to Rutie Adler, room 358, Jacks Hall.
Make checks payable to: STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
To ensure proper crediting, please include your Pony account name on your check.
Bills are payable upon presentation. Interest of 1.5% per month will be
charged on balances remaining unpaid 25 days after bill date above.
You haven't paid your Pony bill since 5/85.
Accounts with balances remaining unpaid for more than 55 days are
considered delinquent and are subject to reduction of credit limit.
Please pay your bill and keep your account current.
∂03-Jul-85 1047 avg@diablo re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SU-AIMVAX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Jul 85 10:47:29 PDT
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 85 10:48:37 pdt
From: Allen VanGelder <avg@diablo>
Subject: re: yet another letter to the president (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
"I will claim that our policy in Lebanon made attempts to be fair at the
cost of hindering our partial ally Israel from accomplishing its objectives.
It seems to me that this was a mistake."
I agree, and would look for a stronger word than "mistake." I think the
U.S. should have publicly made lots of noises about how terrible
Israel's behavior was and how we wanted to get in there and play
peace-keeper, but privately assured Israel that no severe reprisals would
be forthcoming. And while we would negotiate furiously, somehow we would
never quite work out a satisfactory deal that involved our military
participation. Thus our real role would be limited to acting as moderator
among mid-east factions, but letting them work out their own settlement
(and keep fighting if they couldn't). Also, we would stare at Russia,
to keep them from getting any funny ideas.
The rhetorical part of my suggestion reminds me of that game for which you
proposed the name "So Long, Sucker."
∂03-Jul-85 1058 avg@diablo Re: reply hack and OTHER-BBOARDS@SAIL
Received: from SU-AIMVAX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Jul 85 10:58:26 PDT
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 85 10:59:29 pdt
From: Allen VanGelder <avg@diablo>
Subject: Re: reply hack and OTHER-BBOARDS@SAIL
To: JMC@Sail, me@sail, su-bboards@diablo
I think it would be nice if a sail program took care of getting things
in step with the rest of the community, instead of asking the
community to adjust to sail's idiosyncrasy. Specifically, whatever
program exports mail from sail to other machines should replace
OTHER-BBOARDS@SAIL by SU-BBOARDS@SCORE whenever it occurs in the
reply field. What do you think, Marty?
∂03-Jul-85 1142 TREITEL@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: reply hack
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Jul 85 11:42:24 PDT
Date: Wed 3 Jul 85 11:40:58-PDT
From: Richard Treitel <TREITEL@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: reply hack
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: su-bboards@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Tue 2 Jul 85 20:59:00-PDT
I claim that the problem is either with the SAIL mail handler or with the REPLY
command in MM, most likely the former. Another way of putting this is that,
if SAIL users value their ability to put things on their own BBoard which don't
appear on anyone else's, then they should not beef too loudly when, as a
side-effect, the rest of the world has the ability to put messages on all
BBoards except SAIL's.
Of course, if it were really important that the whole world see my message, I
might bother to edit the TO field. But it is not that important.
- Richard
-------
∂03-Jul-85 1525 RA KQED national special
Avram Davis from KQED called re
KQED's special on AI and 5th genertion computers in the US
and Japan. Would like to come here next week and have a preliminary
interview with you and may be later a telvised interview.
If you want to call him back his num. is 523 2141. You can also ask
for James Katz. Davis will call back this afternoon.
∂03-Jul-85 1649 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA Xeroxing for Summer School/ASL Meeting
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Jul 85 16:48:56 PDT
Date: Wed 3 Jul 85 16:47:37-PDT
From: Ingrid Deiwiks - 497-3084 <INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: Xeroxing for Summer School/ASL Meeting
To: Moss@SU-CSLI.ARPA, Briansmith@XEROX.ARPA, John@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
stan@SRI-AI.ARPA, Israel@SU-CSLI.ARPA, SF@SU-CSLI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: ingrid@SU-CSLI.ARPA
If you would like to have any handouts for your courses/talks during
the summer school/asl meeting photocopied, please let me know at least
24 hours in advance (for small handouts) and 48 hours in advance (for
longer ones). Thank you very much.
Ingrid
-------
∂05-Jul-85 0242 @seismo.CSS.GOV:munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo
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Return-Path: <munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo>
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Date: Fri, 5 Jul 85 18:54:01 EST
From: munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo (John Lloyd)
Message-Id: <8507050854.17075@mulga.OZ>
To: jmc@su-ai.arpa
I'm leaving for Vancouver (UBC) on Tuesday morning, so I will be hard to
contact from then on.
I'm still not clear when our proposed meeting is on. I got a
letter from your secretary a couple of days ago suggesting Tuesday 23rd.
This would be fine with me except your later e-mail message says
that you can only make Monday. Can you please let me know before Tuesday
what is most convenient for you. My current arrangements are to give a
seminar at IBM San Jose at 2pm on Monday 22nd. That leaves either very
early meeting Monday morning or very late Monday afternoon for a meeting.
Obviously I would prefer the Tuesday if it can be arranged.
Thanks, John Lloyd
∂06-Jul-85 2305 @MIT-MC.ARPA:MINSKY@MIT-OZ interview by Slater
Received: from MIT-MC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 6 Jul 85 23:05:44 PDT
Received: from MIT-OZ by MIT-MC.ARPA via Chaosnet; 7 JUL 85 02:05:52 EDT
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 1985 02:05 EDT
Message-ID: <MINSKY.12125012925.BABYL@MIT-OZ>
From: MINSKY%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA
To: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Cc: minsky%oz@MIT-MC.ARPA
Subject: interview by Slater
In-reply-to: Msg of 4 Jul 1985 01:41-EDT from John McCarthy <JMC at SU-AI.ARPA>
No, I do not think he is deep enough to do a good profile. I let him
do one and then he sent me a draft which was so horrible that I have
asked him to drop me from the book. Stick to Pamela.
∂07-Jul-85 2018 @seismo.CSS.GOV:munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo
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Return-Path: <munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo>
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id AA09248; Mon, 8 Jul 85 12:39:55 EST
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id AA08837; Mon, 8 Jul 85 12:39:39 EST
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 85 12:39:39 EST
From: munnari!mulga.oz!jwl@seismo (John Lloyd)
Message-Id: <8507080239.8837@mulga.OZ>
To: jmc@su-ai.arpa
Yes, I will be at the Computer Science Department at UBC until Sunday 14th.
You could leave a message with the head of department Jim Varah:
ubc-vision!cs.ubc.cdn!varah
or phone CIAR secretary May Vink on 228 6281
∂08-Jul-85 0553 HST business-class prize
hi john.the thing is ok,however,they tell me here that i could get a business
class trip for $2598.(and there are suggestions that it could be even cheaper
in the us.)- this would be using lufthansa.if you don't want any trouble i
coulkd do the booking for you - or find out some better prizing.may be you
want to fly with your favorite line but i would like to save some money.
∂08-Jul-85 0828 LEEKE@SU-SIERRA.ARPA Inconsistency in the Bible
Received: from SU-SIERRA.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Jul 85 08:28:15 PDT
Date: Mon 8 Jul 85 08:28:12-PDT
From: Steven D. Leeke <LEEKE@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>
Subject: Inconsistency in the Bible
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
JMC:
Any examples?
Steve Leeke (LEEKE@SIERRA)
-------
∂08-Jul-85 0856 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Jul 85 08:56:24 PDT
Date: Mon 8 Jul 85 08:55:53-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Brett Fromson of Fortune Magazine phoned. Please call.
212 841-2669.
Tina
-------
∂08-Jul-85 0857 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Jul 85 08:57:51 PDT
Date: Mon 8 Jul 85 08:57:34-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Mary Simonton of Research Lirbraries Group phoned. Please call. 328-0920.
Tina
-------
∂08-Jul-85 0900 JMC
Nils about Lloyd and Carolyn
∂08-Jul-85 1000 JMC
planlunch
∂08-Jul-85 1040 HEDGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA Visit of John Claude Latombe (Robotics Candidate)
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Jul 85 10:40:10 PDT
Date: Mon 8 Jul 85 10:39:40-PDT
From: Karen Hedges <HEDGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Visit of John Claude Latombe (Robotics Candidate)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Dr. McCarthy,
Will you be attending the Search Committee Meeting/Luncheon with Latombe
at 12:00 tomorrow (July 9) at the Faculty Club?
Please let me know.
Thanks.
Karen
-------
∂08-Jul-85 1051 VAL equilateral triangle
It is possible to have 5 integers among the 6 coordinates of the vertices:
for instance, take two of the vertices to be (-1,0) and (1,0). Problem: prove
that in every such triangle one of the sides is parallel to one of the
coordinate axes.
∂08-Jul-85 1057 VAL five couples
Here is the problem I mentioned to you in our last conversation. Five couples
come to a party, and some introductions are made. After that one of the guests,
a sociologist, asked the other nine how many people each of them had met. The
answers he got were all numbers from 0 to 8 (which are clearly the only
possible answers). What was the answer given by the wife of the sociologist?
∂08-Jul-85 1332 RA Robert Slater
Robert Slater will call you from Israel tomorrow morning at 10:45 re
a book he is writing about major figures in CS. He will be here the
week of July 23rd and would like to meet with you.
∂08-Jul-85 1420 RDG Private msg
To: "@BD.DIS[1,RDG]"@SU-AI.ARPA
Our own Matt is turning 30, semi-immediately.
We're now arranging a SURPRISE party for him,
Tuesday evening (his Bday is really Wed).
Here's the plan:
We all (minus Matt) will converge at Yuen Yung
[415 323-7759, 639 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park
(near where El Camino meets Santa Cruz; around the corner from Su Hong)]
Tuesday night at 6PM.
*Those of you with recognizable cars should not park too nearby.*
Matt and Steve K will arrive at about 6:30, to meet a "business associate".
Surprise!
[Co-conspirator Mike is vice-president in change of specifics of this
surprise. He may have further details...]
- Please RSVP, to help us get a head count.
Address this, as well as any questions, to both Mike and me.
The heading should be something like "Private msg".
- Tell anyone else you think might be interested.
In particular, I didn't know anyone on his baseball team.
- Any ideas about trickets to present him?
Perhaps a cane, to indicate his advance age?
Or Grecian formula <whatever>, to help dye his whiting hair, or ...
- Remember, Matt is very crafty. For this surprise to be successful,
we all must be very careful.
See you tommorrow,
Russ
∂08-Jul-85 1921 GRAY@SU-SUSHI.ARPA re: fundamentalist Christians reveal anti-Semitic bias (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Jul 85 19:21:24 PDT
Date: Mon 8 Jul 85 19:19:48-PDT
From: Cary Gray <GRAY@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: re: fundamentalist Christians reveal anti-Semitic bias (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: GRAY@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sun 7 Jul 85 23:50:00-PDT
I've often heard people refer to the rampant internal inconsistencies
in the Old and New Testaments, but no one has been able to deliver--they
just "know they're there."
If you really do know of such inconsistencies, I'd be very interested in
references to them so that I, too, may see them.
Cary
-------
∂09-Jul-85 0900 JMC
p. 29
∂09-Jul-85 0918 PAT@IMSSS Quantum mech. papers
Received: from IMSSS by SU-AI with PUP; 09-Jul-85 09:17 PDT
Date: 9 Jul 1985 0913-PDT
From: Pat@IMSSS
Subject: Quantum mech. papers
To: JMC@SU-AI
cc: Shaw@IMSSS
In response to your message, I`m sending them.
-------
∂09-Jul-85 1000 JMC
other reviews
∂09-Jul-85 1141 RA search committee lunch
Do you intend to attend the search committee lunch for robotics today?
∂09-Jul-85 1359 VAL Party
We are planning a party for a few friends who are coming to town in connection
with the ASL meeting, tentatively for Wednesday or Thursday night next week
(July 17 or 18). Would you and Carolyn be able to come on any of those nights?
∂09-Jul-85 1504 RA Bob Slater
This msg. is from the recepionist desk:
Slater will call on Tues. (after he arrives to the US) to make
an arrangement to see you or speak to you on the phone.
∂09-Jul-85 1553 SJG charades this weekend?
To: "@CH.DIS[1,SJG]"@SU-AI.ARPA
Hi guys:
I'm thinking of setting up another charades thing this weekend; are
people interested? If so, please let me know whether you prefer
Friday or Saturday ...
Hope to see you then!
Matt
∂09-Jul-85 1839 kerch@lll-tis-b Fw: Returned mail: User unknown
Received: from LLL-TIS-B.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Jul 85 18:39:08 PDT
Received: by lll-tis-b.ARPA; Tue, 9 Jul 85 18:40:20 pdt
Resent-Message-Id: <8507100140.AA27574@lll-tis-b.ARPA>
Resent-Date: Tue Jul 9 18:40:19 1985
Resent-From: kerch@lll-tis-b (Berry Kercheval)
Subject: Fw: Returned mail: User unknown
Resent-To: jmc@sail
Return-Path: <Postmaster>
Received: by lll-tis-b.ARPA; Mon, 8 Jul 85 21:54:33 pdt
Date: Mon Jul 8 21:54:31 1985
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <Postmaster@lll-tis-b>
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
Message-Id: <8507090454.AA17637@lll-tis-b.ARPA>
To: kerch@lll-tis-b
Status: N
(forwarding comment)
--------------------------
Hmm, this bounced once. Let's try again
--berry
--------------------------
(original message follows)
----- Transcript of session follows -----
>>> RCPT To:<JMC@SAIL.ARPA>
<<< 550 I'm not host "SAIL.ARPA", in "RCPT To:<JMC@SAIL.ARPA>"
550 JMC@SAIL.ARPA... User unknown
----- Unsent message follows -----
Received: by lll-tis-b.ARPA; Mon, 8 Jul 85 21:54:33 pdt
Message-Id: <8507090454.AA17633@lll-tis-b.ARPA>
Date: Mon Jul 8 21:54:31 1985
>From: kerch (Berry Kercheval)
Subject: Jerry Pournelle
To: JMC@SAIL.ARPA
Status: N
Jerry Pournelle has asked me to ask you to call him at home (land-line)
please.
--berry
∂09-Jul-85 2210 crash!bblue@Nosc Message from Jerry Pournelle
Received: from NOSC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Jul 85 22:10:05 PDT
Received: from cod.ARPA by nosc.ARPA (4.17/4.7)
id AA11554; Tue, 9 Jul 85 22:06:54 pdt
From: <crash!bblue@Nosc>
Received: by cod.ARPA (4.17/4.7)
id AA17091; Tue, 9 Jul 85 22:10:55 pdt
Message-Id: <8507100510.AA17091@cod.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 85 21:23:47 PDT
To: noscvax!jmc@sail
Subject: Message from Jerry Pournelle
"...and ask him to call Jerry Pournelle at home on land line, please..."
John - this was a request from Jerry. He lost his MIT account and has
no arpanet access at this time.
--Bill Blue
∂09-Jul-85 2344 LIBRARY@SU-SCORE.ARPA Reviews of "Not in Our Genes."
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Jul 85 23:44:28 PDT
Date: Tue 9 Jul 85 23:43:08-PDT
From: C.S./Math Library <LIBRARY@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Reviews of "Not in Our Genes."
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12125806251.30.LIBRARY@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Dear John,
A reference librarian at the Green Library checked "Book Review Digest"
and "Book Review Index" for me. She did not check the New York Times database
as she thought that these indexes would cover the same ground. I also checked
the on-line version of "Book Review Index" (DIALOG file #137). These sources
list the following reviews for "Not in Our Genes":
America. v.151 (August 18, 1984), p.82
Booklist. v.80 (May 15, 1984), p.1279
Best Sellers. v.44 (August 1984), p.195
Choice. v.22 (September 1984), p.196
Humanist. v.44 (November 1984), p.39
Instructor. v.94 (September 1984), p.158
Kirkus Reviews. v.52 (March 1, 1984), p.242
Natural History. v.93 (August 1984), p.66
Nature. v.310 (July 19, 1984), p.255
Newsweek. v.103 (May 28, 1984), p.84
New York Review of Books. v.31 (August 16, 1984), p.30
New York Times Book Review. v.89 (May 20, 1984), p.9
Psychology Today. v.18 (August 1984), p.77
Publishers Weekly. v.225 (March 9, 1984), p.102
Wilson Quarterly. v.8 (August 1984), p.152
Women's Review of Books. v.2 (January 1985), p.7
None of these appears to be a Marxist publication. I could probably come up
with more non-Marxist reviews, but I believe it was particularly a "communist"
review that you were interested in. I will see if one of the librarians at
Hoover can help me and also check with our Russian and East European Curator.
- Richard
-------
∂10-Jul-85 0022 @MIT-MC.ARPA:PGS@MIT-MC.ARPA
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Date: Wed, 10 Jul 85 03:17:27 EDT
From: Patrick G. Sobalvarro <PGS@MIT-MC.ARPA>
To: JMC@MIT-MC.ARPA
Message-ID: <[MIT-MC.ARPA].569918.850710.PGS>
He wasn't flushed for favoring sdi
∂10-Jul-85 0900 JMC
Gus Simmons, 505 844-1349, Head Math dept. Sandia Labs
S. Brent Morris, OCREAE at nsa
∂10-Jul-85 0901 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA [The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>: Message of 10-Jul-85 08:51:19]
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 10 Jul 85 09:01:31 PDT
Date: Wed 10 Jul 85 09:01:05-PDT
From: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: [The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>: Message of 10-Jul-85 08:51:19]
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Telephone: (415) 328-3123
Postal-Address: 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Date: Wed 10 Jul 85 08:54:03-PDT
From: The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
To: AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Subject: Message of 10-Jul-85 08:51:19
Message failed for the following:
JMC-List@SU-AI.ARPA.#Internet: 550 I don't know anybody named JMC-List
------------
Date: Wed 10 Jul 85 08:51:19-PDT
From: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: publication committee meeting
To: Publications-committee: ;
cc: aaaI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Telephone: (415) 328-3123
Postal-Address: 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
We're planning on holding this meeting on Thursday, August 22 at
either 7:30 or 8:00 am (pls note that the Invited Talk at 9:00am
will be "Building a Bridge between AI and Robotics").
If you could relay your preferred time, then we will be able to
finalize the time and location.
Thanks, Claudia
-------
-------
-------
∂10-Jul-85 1050 GLB
Prof. McCarthy, I would like to talk to you about my work with Jussi. Essentially,
we have now three formulations of the exercise on permutations, and the length of
the proofs changes very significantly with different representations.
∂11-Jul-85 0947 RA Consulting for SF firm
Mark Lawshe who is with Harding Lawson Associates in SF (543 8422)
called on behalf of Dr. J.P. Singh (also with the firm) re doing consulting
for them on AI projects.
∂11-Jul-85 1142 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Visit of Peter Will
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 11 Jul 85 11:42:26 PDT
Date: Thu 11 Jul 85 11:39:43-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Visit of Peter Will
To: cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, bscott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12126198846.23.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Peter Will (Robotics Candidate) will be at Stanford on July 23 to meet
with the Faculty and Search Committee.
The Search Committee will meet with him for lunch at 12:00 at the Faculty
Club on the 23rd. Please let me know if you will be able to attend the
luncheon.
Thanks.
Anne Richardson
-------
∂11-Jul-85 1205 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA Interview
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 11 Jul 85 12:03:03 PDT
Date: Thu 11 Jul 85 11:59:36-PDT
From: Ingrid Deiwiks - 497-3084 <INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: Interview
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, barwise@SU-CSLI.ARPA, meseguer@SRI-AI.ARPA,
israel@SU-CSLI.ARPA, sjg@SU-AI.ARPA, briansmith@XEROX.ARPA,
genesereth@SU-SCORE.ARPA, lenat@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
cc: ingrid@SU-CSLI.ARPA
Kenneth Blochowiak of Knowledge Ventures is one of the attendees of the
CSLI Summer School and ASL Meeting. He is doing a survey and would like
to interview each of you sometime between now and the end of next week.
He would probably take up less than an hour of your time. Below is a
description of his project. Would you please let me know if and when you
could see him? Thank you very much.
Ingrid
THE GROWTH OF KNOWLEDGE
-----------------------
Research Question: What does it mean for knowledge to grow?
The Framework: A set of types of shifts from a lesser state
of knowledge to a greater state of knowledge
Purpose of Interview: To collect examples of such shifts from the
experiences of people who have made significant
contributions to the growth of knowledge
To test the framework
Inspiration: Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Based Systems,
Philosophy of Science, History of Science, and
History of Ideas
Researcher: Ken Blochowiak
Knowledge Ventures
-------
∂11-Jul-85 1213 RA lunch
I am going out for lunch; be back in about an hour.
∂11-Jul-85 1344 RA [Reply to message recvd: 11 Jul 85 12:31 Pacific Time]
I did not get an answer yet; if I don't get an answer by Monday, I will
call them.
∂11-Jul-85 1423 ME system
∂11-Jul-85 1225 JMC
There are long disk queues at low loads, suggesting disk trouble.
ME - There was some disk trouble then, but it went away around 12:30
apparently.
∂11-Jul-85 1457 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 11 Jul 85 14:57:27 PDT
Date: Thu 11 Jul 85 14:56:03-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Robotics Search Committee
To: reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, bscott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: richardson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12126234588.34.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Bob Cannon has called a meeting on 7/31/85 at 10:00 am for the Robotics
Search Committee in the Chairman's conference room. Please put this on
your calendar.
Thanks, Anne
-------
∂12-Jul-85 0647 HST gwai
if the baisse of the dollar gets to be stable i can pay you a private plane.
john, egbert lehmann asks if you would like to giva a talk in munich.
i got the feeling that you had a lot of other plans and they were disturbed.
how long do you plane to come to europa?are you interested to get additional
dates?
∂12-Jul-85 1131 ME NS fixed
To: ROD@SU-AI.ARPA, YOM@SU-AI.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
A disk file had been clobbered (we're having some disk trouble),
but is now fixed, so NS should work fine now.
∂12-Jul-85 1321 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Advanced Copies of your Talks
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Date: Fri 12 Jul 85 13:11:53-PDT
From: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Advanced Copies of your Talks
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, ai.woody@MCC.ARPA, Levesque@SRI-KL.ARPA
cc: aaaI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Telephone: (415) 328-3123
Postal-Address: 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Message-ID: <12126477769.33.AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I've been asked by the UCLA Public Affairs Office to assist them
in getting copies of your talks during IJCAI. They want to distribute
them to the press ahead of your presentation.
They also asked if you could ask your own (either corporate or university)
public affairs office to prepare a 2-3 page news release noting the
high points in your talk. This release would again be distributed to
the press during the conference.
If you could send me your copies, I would appreciate it.
Thanks, Claudia
-------
∂12-Jul-85 1654 RA
This is the letter I sent J.W. Lloyd. At the time Nils informed me that
he was going to be out of town on the 22nd and 23rd of July and Andy decided
to set the date for the 23rd. It turns out that Nils is going to be in town
on the 22nd. Do you want me to change the date in which you meet with Lloyd
to the 22nd?
*The letter*:
Prof. John McCarthy is out of town, but he asked me to let you know
that he would definitely like to see you if you pass by Stanford.
Prof. Andy Yao would like to meet with you as well and
we set July 23 as a tentative date for your meeting
with Prof. McCarthy and Prof. Yao.
Please let Prof. McCarthy know about your plans and
whether the tentative date is
convenient for you.
∂12-Jul-85 2123 RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA
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Date: Fri 12 Jul 85 21:20:31-PDT
From: Chuck Restivo <RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12126566723.26.RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
[cwr] what is the value of a human life?
-------
∂14-Jul-85 1526 ucscc!beeson%ucscd.ucscc.UUCP@Berkeley reply to your comments on my work
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Date: Sun, 14 Jul 85 14:27:19 pdt
From: ucscc!beeson%ucscd.ucscc.UUCP@Berkeley (20012000)
Message-Id: <8507142127.AA14236@ucscd.UCSC>
To: jmc@su-ai@Berkeley
Subject: reply to your comments on my work
I have finally had a chance to go over my paper in the light of your
criticisms. It seems to me that some of your criticisms are based on
an incomplete understanding of my system (in some cases the incomplete
understanding was mine); in any case I believe these objections will
not arise after the exposition is improved. One of your objections
was more fundamental, namely that the system does not provide a way to
interrupt execution when new input is provided, decide if replanning is
necessary, and start up again. That will have to be left for the future.
I shall not ask you to look at another draft, but rather
just say a few words about your criticisms here.
1. You say that my rules are not non-monotonic because I have to list
all the exceptions in advance. Actually, I only list all the
KNOWN exceptions, along with what to do in the exceptional cases.
If we happen upon a previously unknown exception, something will go
wrong and we won't know what to do. It is true that something beyond
my system would be required to make intelligent modifications to the
rules at that point, creating a new exception. But so long as things
do NOT go wrong, you don't even check the exceptions, so it doesn't
matter if you have listed them all or even know them all, which I still
think is the essence of non-monotonic reasoning. You say, "as long as
all the exceptions have to be built into the rules in advance, there is
no significant difference from putting the negations in the positive part".
Declaratively, of course that is so. Procedurally, it is not so.
2. You say, "quite different programs can use the same facts", and
object to my saying that a control structure must be specified. There
is nothing in my system to prevent the same facts from being used in
different ways in different situations. In fact, that would naturally
happen! You also mention "we can have facts that we don't as yet have
any way of using". While that doesn't arise in any of the examples I
have considered so far, there's nothing in the sytem that prevents it
from having a bunch of apparently irrelevant rules or facts, which might
be kept at the highest level of generality (the "operating situation")
for lack of a better place to put them, and thus inherited by every
subsituation, where they might eventually prove useful. That seems
quite natural to me.
3. The fanatical Mormon who would rather die than drink coffee.
The rule in question may be:
if the poison was barbituates etc.;
then have the victim drink coffee.
This rule should be written
if the poison was barbituates etc.;
then have the victim drink coffee or tea;
except if true then true.
The "if true then true" clause could be read "continue". It has the
effect of saying that failure of this rule should not cause failure of
the whole rule in whose then-part it occurs. Suppose the Mormon
refuses the coffee. Then the procedure "have the victim drink coffee"
fails. Now the except clause comes into play. We check its if-part,
which is true, and so we fire the then-part, which is true, i.e.
automatic success. Hence the whole rule succeeds and we can go on,
despite the refusal of the coffee.
This is an interesting feature of if-then-except rules, that it
provides a natural mechanism for marking those rules whose execution
is not essential to the overall plan.
4. Unification and reasoning about a situation with a variable.
Nothing in my system forbids the planning program from working with
variables. However, you can't actually DO the situation until you
are IN it. You might plan to tip the waiter without knowing who it is,
but you can't actually tip him until you have identified him.
I believe that my present draft is weak on the distinction between
reasoning about actions and actually performing them. I agree 100%
with what you say about using predicates in PROLOG to make the program act;
it depends on fortuitious parallelism. I am not satisfied either with
my system or anyone else's on the connection between reasoning and
action.
5. Scripts vs. situations. Yes, complaining and going to the men's room
are subsituations. There is a script for going to the men's room and
one could write the rules for it (the entry conditions are the most
subtle part). The situation of complaining is probably not a script,
since the possible developments are not too predictable. If it is
not a script, then including it as a subsituation of the restaurant
situation would mean that the entire restaurant situation no longer meets
the definition of a script, which requires that all subsituations also
be scripts. But since that subsituation would rarely arise, in most
instances an execution of the restaurant situation would be script-like.
This is an interesting illustration of the fact that there is actually
a continuum of different sorts of situations, with the completely
determinate "scripts" at one end, and more varied situations like
chess at the other.
6. Planning and building towers of blocks. I presume you refer to
the example on p. 534 of the Handbook of AI, vol. 3. I shall treat that
example in detail in my paper; I think my system can handle it nicely, but
I don't have it written out at present.
∂14-Jul-85 1858 KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA visit by senator glenn
Received: from USC-ISI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Jul 85 18:58:40 PDT
Date: 14 Jul 1985 21:58-EDT
Sender: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
Subject: visit by senator glenn
From: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
To: feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Cc: kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA
Message-ID: <[USC-ISI.ARPA]14-Jul-85 21:58:39.KAHN>
Ed, John
Senator glenn has arranged to visit stanford on 27 august
to learn about darpa efforts and other
activities on the campus. Dick reynolds has been handling
the visit directly with jim gibbons and jim meindl
and asked me to recommend an agenda for the efforts
that we have been supporting. Im working
the schedule with nils on behalf of all the departmental
activities, but wanted to alert ythe two of you directly
so you'ld have at least a month lead time. We werent
involved in picking the dates so im merely trying to
accomodate the senators expressed wishes.
My understanding is that he plans only to visit cal tech
and stanford (of the universtiies) and perhaps livermore.
Ill send a draft agenda to nils to handle coordination.
bob
∂14-Jul-85 2121 ucscc!beeson%ucscd.ucscc.UUCP@Berkeley one more remark
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From: ucscc!beeson%ucscd.ucscc.UUCP@Berkeley (20012000)
Message-Id: <8507150231.AA16039@ucscd.UCSC>
To: jmc@su-ai
Subject: one more remark
Cc: beeson%ucscd.ucscc.UUCP@Berkeley, clt@su-ai
You asked why a plan should be a sequence of rules instead of allowing
conditionals. But it does allow conditionals, since remember that
according to my definition of rules we can have rules like
if A then if B then C
if D then E
if F then if G then H
if I then J
This refers to section 11 in the draft I sent you, and your second-to-
last comment.
∂15-Jul-85 0041 VAL Gelfond's talk
Contrary to what the abstract says, Gelfond's talk at 4:35 on Monday will be
about circumscription.
∂15-Jul-85 0813 JK
Re: Will to fail.
Some thoughts that came to mind in this connection:
(1) I find the statement "program x is unverifiable"
somewhat incredible -- it's been 200 years after the days of David Hume.
His position on mysticism (which is what this statement really represents)
of this sort is worth quoting.
(2) There is the perhaps more general issue of "loss of nerve"
that Bronowski et al talked about.
JK
∂15-Jul-85 0935 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA MJH coffee/cocoa update
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Date: Mon 15 Jul 85 09:32:03-PDT
From: Joan Feigenbaum <JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: MJH coffee/cocoa update
To: su-bboards@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
cc: coffee-drinkers: ;
The coffeepool's cocoa supply has been replenished. Sorry for the lapse.
The Kona coffee in the freezer is not really Peet's--Barry Hayes brought it
back from Hawaii.
-------
∂15-Jul-85 0953 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA [KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA: visit by senator glenn]
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Date: Mon 15 Jul 85 09:25:45-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: [KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA: visit by senator glenn]
To: feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, tob@SU-AI.ARPA, buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
rindfleisch@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, earnest@SU-AI.ARPA,
cheriton@SU-PESCADERO.ARPA, ullman@SU-SCORE.ARPA, luckham@SU-SIERRA.ARPA
Message-ID: <12127223035.23.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Kahn/Nilsson msgs re Senator Glenn's proposed visit (in time order).
Ed, I'd be glad to have you coordinate this from the CSD side if you
would like. You will be one of the featured speakers. -Nils
---------------
1) 14-Jul KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA visit by senator glenn
2) 15-Jul To: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARP Re: visit by senator glenn
3) 14-Jul KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA draft agenda for Sen. Glenn visit
4) 15-Jul To: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARP Re: draft agenda for Sen. Glenn visit
Message 1 -- ************************
Return-Path: <KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA>
Received: from USC-ISI.ARPA by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Sun 14 Jul 85 18:36:17-PDT
Date: 14 Jul 1985 21:37-EDT
Sender: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
Subject: visit by senator glenn
Subject: [REYNOLDS@USC-ISI.ARPA: VISIT BY SENATOR GLENN'S PARTY ON 2...]
From: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
To: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Cc: kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA
Message-ID: <[USC-ISI.ARPA]14-Jul-85 21:37:18.KAHN>
Nils,
Darpa was asked by senator glenns office to arrange a visit to
stanford and cal tech in late august and they suggested the dates
of fri 23 aug for cal tech and tues 27 aug for stanford. Dick
Reynolds of Darpa/DSO has been given the overall responsibility
for handling the arrangements here at darpa. Please see his
attached note to Jim Gibbons and Jim Meindl.
Ive been asked to put together the agenda for 115 minutes of
darpa/ipto presentations including 5 minutes for me to overview
what were not formally presenting by the stanford faculty.
This is over a month away, but i realize that vacations, summer
plans or other schedule conflicts could still cause problems. In
any event, id appreciate it if you could determine exactly who
can be available to talk to senator glenn on the 27th. I even
recommend rearranging plans, if they can be easily rearranged.
If they cant, well we will have to work around it somehow.
Jim Gibbons or Meindl may have talked to you about this already.
In any event, ill send along a draft agenda for you to comment on
in my next message. Feel free to suggest an alternate
arrangement if you think a different cut would be more effective.
My strategy is to include the better speakers, more immediately
relevant research and biggest projects in roughly the inverse
oder i presented them. I may have missed something.
Id appreciate your reactions. bob
Begin forwarded message
Received: By USC-ISI.ARPA via direct-append with Hermes; 5 Jul 85 12:54:49-EDT
Date: 5 Jul 1985 12:54-EDT
From: REYNOLDS@USC-ISI.ARPA
To: GIBBONS@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, MEINDL@SU-SIERRA.ARPA
Cc: reynolds@USC-ISI.ARPA,
WYATT@USC-ISI.ARPA, ROOSILD@USC-ISI.ARPA, KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA, BUFFALANO@USC-ISI.ARPA
Subject: VISIT BY SENATOR GLENN'S PARTY ON 27 AUG.
Message-ID: <[USC-ISI.ARPA] 5-Jul-85 12:54:44.REYNOLDS>
Sender: REYNOLDS@USC-ISI.ARPA
THE SENATOR'S PARTY WILL ARRIVE FROM SAN FRANCISCO AT 0830 AND
MUST DEPART FOR MOFFETT FIELD BY 1300 FOR A 1330 AF PLANE PICKUP.
THUS WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 270 MINUTES FOR THE REVIEW. IN KEEPING
WITH GUIDANCE FROM PHIL UPSCHULTE OF SEN. GLENN'S STAFF, MOST OF
THE TIME IS DEVOTED TO DARPA PROJECTS, BUT SOME HAS BEEN SET
ASIDE FOR WHATEVER RESEARCH PROJECTS/ISSUES STANFORD WOULD LIKE
TO PRESENT.
THE FY85 DATA BASE SHOWS ATOTAL OF 40 LINES FOR STANFORD
APPORTIONED THUSLY: IPTO-20, DSO-15, EAO-4, AND STO-1. TOTAL
FUNDING ON THESE LINES IS $17.9M, SPREAD THUSLY: IPTO-$10.9M,
DSO-$5.9M, EAO-$0.8M, AND STO-$0.3M. I SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING
SCHEDULE WHICH DEVOTE ABOUT 3.5 OF THE 4.5 HOURS TO DARPA, WITH
THE DARPA TIME SPLIT APPROXIMATELY BY RELATIVE AMOUNT OF FUNDING
AMONG THE OFFICES. I ALSO SUGGEST LEAVING OUT THE ONE STO
CONTRACT FOR INDIVIDUAL REVIEW. NOTE THAT THE 4.5 HOURS IS TO
INCLUDE A WORKING LUNCH.
0830-0840 STANFORD OVERVIEW(PRESIDENT?)
0840-0845 DSO OVERVIEW OF CONTRACTS NOT REVIEWED
0845-0945 DSO HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS(SEE BELOW)
0945-1000 COFFEE BREAK
1000-1005 IPTO OVERVIEW OF CONTRACTS NOT REVIEWED
1005-1155 IPTO HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS
1155-1205 EAO ROBOTICS OVERVIEW
1205-1220 PICK UP LUNCH (BUFFET?)
1220-1300 STANFORD TOPICS OF SELECTED INTEREST
1300 LEAVE FOR MOFFETT FIELD.
FOR THE DSO HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS, I PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING AT
APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES EACH: PLUMMER (SUPREM,ETC.), HARRIS
(ULTRASMALL STRUCTURES-GAAS-MBE), QUATE (TUNNELING
MICROSCOPE/MEMORY), AND SPICER (CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS OF
SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACES).
BOB KAHN WILL PROVIDEAN AGENDA FOR THE IPTO SESSION.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL SPEAKERS MUST STAY ON TIME AS THE 1300
CLOSEOUT IS ABSOLUTE. SEN. GLENN IS VERY FAVORABLY DISPOSED
TOWARD A STRONG FEDERAL RESEARCH EFFORT; TALKS SHOULD PRESENT
TECHNOLOGY AT THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN LEVEL, AND INCLUDE LONG
TERM BENEFITS OF THE RESEARCH TO BOTH THE MILITARY AND CIVILIAN
SECTORS.ANY CLEVER "FEELIES" TO PASS AROUND DURING THE
DISCUSSIONS WOULD PROBABLY BE EFFECTIVE.
I AM AT THE MATERIALS RESEARCH COUNCIL MEETING IN LA JOLLA, AND
CAN BE REACHED BY ARPANET OR BY PHONE
yvg|ggvy≤||||yy|y|y≤d≤||ya||}| |ydAy1tg εAT (619) 459-3207.
PLEASE LET ME HAVE YOUR RESPONSES TO THE SUGGESTED SCHEDULE SO
THAT I CAN GET A FINAL VERSION TO PHIL UPSCHULTE BY WEDS. 10
JULY.
THX
DICK
P.S.: SORRY ABOUT THE ENCRYPTED INPUT--THE PHONE LINE IS NOISY.
--------------------
End forwarded message
Message 2 -- ************************
Mail-From: NILSSON created at 15-Jul-85 09:10:11
Date: Mon 15 Jul 85 09:10:11-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: visit by senator glenn
To: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
cc: NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: <[USC-ISI.ARPA]14-Jul-85 21:37:18.KAHN>
Message-ID: <12127220202.23.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Bob, the Glenn schedule looks fine with me. I would propose we have
Ed/Bruce give overviews of KSL projects; JohnMcC/Les Earnest a brief
presentation on the new QLISP project; Tom Binford on vision/robotics; I
give a short summary of the CSD in general. About Hennessy/Meindl and
other outside of CSD work, I presume Gibbons/Meindl will coordinate this?
Anyway, I've marked the am of Aug 27 and am notifying appropriate others
in the department. -Nils
-------
Message 3 -- ************************
Return-Path: <KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA>
Received: from USC-ISI.ARPA by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Sun 14 Jul 85 19:42:16-PDT
Date: 14 Jul 1985 22:43-EDT
Sender: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
Subject: draft agenda for Sen. Glenn visit
From: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
To: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, meindl@SU-SIERRA.ARPA
Cc: kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA, gibbons@SU-SIERRA.ARPA
Cc: reynolds@USC-ISI.ARPA
Message-ID: <[USC-ISI.ARPA]14-Jul-85 22:43:04.KAHN>
Nils, Jim
Here is a first draft of an agenda for the Senator
Glenn visit on 27 August. Im not sure who is likely
to be available on that date - but im strting with
the assumption that schedules are rearrangeable, if necessary.
Heres how id apportion the 110 minutes that
Dick reynolds allotted for presentation of IPTO supported
activities on the campus. Those omitted from
formal presentation will be summarized by me in a five
minute introduction.
Kahn - KB vlsi, Cooperating agents, Regular expression silicon compilation,
real-time analysis and modelling, distributed information theory
and vision (unless its covered in the robotics presentation).
- 5 minute summary only
Meindl - 30 minutes - Foundry automation/CIS re Fast Turnaround & integrated
System aspects, MIPS & design tools (Hennessy results)
Feigenbaum - 25 Minutes - Knowledge Systems & Advanced Architecture
McCarthy - 25 Minutes - Formal reasoning, Qlisp, logic programming
benchmarking (gabriel results), adaptive storage structures (wiederhold results)
Ullman - 10 Minutes - Parallel Computation
Luckham - 10 minutes - Ada Verification
Cheriton - 10 Minutes - Partitionable Systems
Id appreciate any comments or alternate suggestions, especially
if some of the packaging doesnt quite fit.
thanks
bob
Message 4 -- ************************
Mail-From: NILSSON created at 15-Jul-85 09:13:23
Date: Mon 15 Jul 85 09:13:23-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: draft agenda for Sen. Glenn visit
To: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
cc: meindl@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, gibbons@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, reynolds@USC-ISI.ARPA,
NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: <[USC-ISI.ARPA]14-Jul-85 22:43:04.KAHN>
Message-ID: <12127220782.23.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Bob, I hadn't seen this msg when I answered the last one. I'll await
discussions w/ others re proposed schedule, but looks good. -Nils
-------
-------
∂15-Jul-85 1154 RA J.W. Lloyd
I called May Vink at UBC (the name and number in your msg. file) and was
told that Lloyd left yesterday. He did not leave a number where he can
be reached. She is going to see if she can find his whereabouts for me.
∂15-Jul-85 1419 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Faculty Retreat
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 15 Jul 85 14:19:10 PDT
Date: Mon 15 Jul 85 14:08:41-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: AI Faculty Retreat
To: Feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, TW@SU-AI.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Rosenbloom@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
TOB@SU-AI.ARPA, Shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
cc: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12127274540.20.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I have made tentative arrangements to hold our retreat at "The Family
Farm" in Woodside/Portola Valley. Let's plan to start at 9am. I'll
arrange to have a continental breakfast ready there. We'll also
have lunch there. Confirmation of that site and a map will be
available presently. (I hope everyone has saved August 2 for this
momentous event. That's a Friday.)
People might be thinking a bit about agenda items. Here are some
possibilities:
Possible Agenda Topics
AI Faculty Retreat
Friday August 2, 1985
Place to be announced
*Long range plans for growth in AI. Should we be looking for new AI
professors [including professors (research)]? If so, in what sub-areas?
(Or, more concretely and therefore better, who is on our list of people
in AI that we should be trying to attact to Stanford? Please bring your
favorite list along.)
*Curriculum. Is our current set of AI courses sufficient (even
necessary)? What changes ought to be made? Is our current scheme for
deciding who teaches what working?
*PhD advising. I think that the workload of advising AI PhD students is
rather unevenly shared by the AI faculty at present. Can or should
anything be done to remedy this?
*The AI Comprehensive and Qualifying Exams. Are they doing what they
should be doing?
*What will be the impact, if any, of CSD's move into Engineering?
*What will be the impact of starting an undergraduate major?
*Can CSLI help the department better cover some areas of AI that we are
not now covering?
*Suppose there were such a thing as a "collaborometer" (which we could
use to measure how much Stanford AI people are collaborating). Could we
benefit from more collaboration in our research? Less? Or should we
↑throw the meter away?
* Organization: Some departments (such as E.E.) are internally organized
into "laboratories" which are mutually exclusive and exhaustive subsets
of the faculty in the department. CSD's internal structure (if such it
can be called) is more complicated. Some of the faculty do belong to
the Computer Systems Laboratory which acts as kind of standing committee
for appointments and curriculum matters in the systems area. As the CSD
grows there may be reason to designate subsets of the faculty as "labs"
for purposes of splitting up the administrative workload of the
department. Should there be some overarching AI Lab entity consisting
of all CSD AI professors? [For example, here's a proposed model:
Analysis of Algorithms and MTC, Systems, AI and Robotics, and Scientific
Computing (incorporating numerical analysis).] Such a subdivision is
compatible with an overlay of multidisciplinary "Centers." Dividing CSD
in this way and organizing something called the AI Lab subdivision of
CSD need not have any impact on the continued thriving of such entities
as KSL (considered as a "Center"), CSLI, SIMA, CIS, etc., etc., ad
infinitum.
-Nils
-------
∂15-Jul-85 1441 RA J.W.Lloyd
Lloyd is now at the Symposium on Logic Programming in the Sheraton Boston
Hotel and Tower. He is not staying there; a notice was put on the board telling
him to call me; I hope he reads the notice board.
∂15-Jul-85 1617 RA Austin trip
Your reservation is as follows:
June 22:
United 424 leaves 2:58pm arrives Denver 6:13pm; United 250 from Denver leaves
7:25pm, arrives Austin 10:19pm.
June 24:
United 365 Leaves Austin 6:15pm, arrives Denver 7:20pm; United 169 leaves
Denver 8:14pm, arrives SJ 9:37pm.
Do you need a car or hotel reservation?
∂15-Jul-85 1625 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Peter Will
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 15 Jul 85 16:25:40 PDT
Date: Mon 15 Jul 85 16:13:42-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Peter Will
To: Cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, Reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Bscott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12127297300.44.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
As there is a conflict of schedule, the Search Committee meeting with
Peter Will has been rescheduled for 10-11:30 on July 23.
Thanks, Anne
-------
∂15-Jul-85 1703 RA Doris Hyde, Inference
Doris claims that you still owe her some papers which you were supposed to
sign and mail to her; if you misplaced them let me (or her) know;
her no. (213) 390 8611). If you send them already, let me know too.
∂15-Jul-85 1735 VAL Party
Address: 1050 Miller Ave., San Jose.
Time: Wednesday, July 17, 7pm.
Food and wine will be served.
Directions: Follow 280 to Cupertino and take the Wolfe exit. Drive south for
about 1.5 miles until you cross Bollinger and the road becomes one lane.
(It will have become Miller by that time). There will be a few townhouses on
the left side, and this is one of them.
∂15-Jul-85 1823 CLT collaboration
To: "@S.DIS[1,CLT]"@SU-AI.ARPA
Beginning next week we will have a series of
seminars given by our collaborators from Japan.
The first seminar will be given by
Masahiko Sato on Qute and related work.
The proposed time for these seminars is 4pm Thursdays.
If anyone has major objections, or proposals for
alternative times please let me know.
These seminars will be public and I will send an announcement
late this week giving details.
∂16-Jul-85 1000 JMC
call oyste - overhaul, brakes, window, seatbelts,
∂16-Jul-85 1126 hasan%logic.DEC@decwrl.ARPA Help!
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id AA10549; Tue, 16 Jul 85 11:27:12 pdt
Message-Id: <8507161827.AA10549@decwrl.ARPA>
Date: Tuesday, 16 Jul 1985 11:26:50-PDT
From: hasan%logic.DEC@decwrl.ARPA
To: jmc@sail.ARPA
Subject: Help!
I am a Phd student at Stanford , at DEC for the summer.
I would really appreciate it if you could answer a question
which has been troubling me.
Thanks
Waqar
-----------------------------------------------------------
This is a question about why logic was divided into
"levels" - 1st order, 2nd order etc.
From what I remember from CS206, the problem was Russell's paradox i.e
H(P) <-- not P(H) ( <-- means "defined as" ) (1)
created a paradox when one took P to be H. So it was
decided to eliminate this possibility by stipulating that
predicates of order k could take only predicates upto
order k-1 as arguments.
But couldnt the viewpoint be taken that this was a bad
definition of a predicate. You can write a contradiction in
any language. I suppose that "good definitions" (those that
do not lead to contradictions) are possible in "mixed-order"
logic.
Consider the 1st order definition:
P(x) <-- not P(x) (2)
What is the essential difference between (1) and (2)?
Is it that the contradiction is not "obvious" in (1).
But (2) can be made more nonobvious by trying to hide the
contradiction in an if-then-else for example.
∂16-Jul-85 1141 RA telephone interview
Frank Benassi from Automation News would like to have a telephone
interview with you tomorrow, July 17, at 2:00pm. If it's ok with you,
let me know; he will call later to confirm.
∂16-Jul-85 1150 RA going out for lunch
I am going out for lunch; be back around 1:15.
∂16-Jul-85 1323 SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: AI Faculty Retreat
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Jul 85 13:23:07 PDT
Date: Tue 16 Jul 85 13:20:25-PDT
From: Ted Shortliffe <Shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Re: AI Faculty Retreat
To: NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: Feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, TW@SU-AI.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Rosenbloom@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
TOB@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: <12127274540.20.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Office: Room TC-135, Stanford Med Center; Phone: (415) 497-6979
Message-ID: <12127527899.38.SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
The agenda looks stimulating and complete, Nils, although I'd
hope there might be opportunitites for discussing interdisciplinary
collaborations as AI begins to find useful applications in a wide variety
of disciplines represented elsewhere within the University.
The place and schedule is also fine for me. I have other plans
for that evening, however. Has the idea of a group dinner been dropped?
Regards,
Ted
-------
∂16-Jul-85 1330 @MIT-MC.ARPA:tk@MIT-MC.ARPA Pournelle
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Date: Tue, 16 Jul 85 16:02 EDT
From: Thomas Knight <tk@MIT-MC.ARPA>
Subject: Pournelle
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, TK@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: The message of 10 Jul 85 02:45-EDT from John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Message-ID: <850716160249.3.TK@ELVIS>
Date: 09 Jul 85 2345 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
What's this I hear about Pournelle being zapped at MC for favoring SID?
I haven't been involved in this, but from what I hear, Pournelle has been
making coy references to how `important' he is as a result of having an
account on the arpanet (MC) in print (specifically in his Byte magazine
column). Several people have told him that we consider it in bad taste to
discuss his access to things like the SF-LOVERS mailing list on the arpanet,
in print, and in public, because of the previous political flaps about
mis-use of the arpanet. He hasn't taken the hint. Finally, after the Nth
time of him ignoring it, we told him he would either cool it or lose his
account. His response was juvenile, at best, in effect daring us to do it.
Who is Sid?
∂16-Jul-85 1416 RA NY Times article
Do you want me to send a copy to Lowel Wood?
Also, do you want to have the telephone interview with Frank Benassi
from Automation News tomorrow at 2:00pm?
Replying-To: RA
Reply-Subject: re: NY Times article
Reply-Text:
[In reply to message rcvd 16-Jul-85 14:16-PT.]
∂16-Jul-85 1440 RA J.W. Lloyd
I just talked to Lloyd; he will give the talk on Monday, July 22nd, 10:00am.
He is staying at the Midtown Hotel on Huntington Ave. in Boston and his tel.
is (617) 262 1000 ext. 2164. If the time is ok with you I will let Nils and
Andy know about it.
∂16-Jul-85 1500 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Jul 85 15:00:04 PDT
Date: Tue 16 Jul 85 14:38:04-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Robotics Search Committee
To: cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, bscott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12127542035.29.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
The Committee meeting originally scheduled for 10:00 am on 7/31/85 has
been rescheduled for 2:00 pm the same day.
Anne
-------
∂16-Jul-85 1621 RA Lloyd's talk
Shall I reserve a room for his talk on Monday?
∂16-Jul-85 1640 RA Re: NY Times article
[Reply to message recvd: 16 Jul 85 14:22 Pacific Time]
You now have a file called parnas.nyt[e85,jmc]
∂16-Jul-85 2138 dswise%indiana.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa L&FP '87
Received: from CSNET-RELAY.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Jul 85 21:38:33 PDT
Received: from indiana by csnet-relay.csnet id aa04245; 17 Jul 85 0:34 EDT
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 85 12:22:54 est
From: "David S. Wise" <dswise%indiana.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
To: boyer@utexas-20.ARPA, cl.schneider@utexas-20.ARPA,
dfried%indiana.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa,
mit-xx!jes%indiana.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa, jmc@su-ai.ARPA, rpg@su-ai.ARPA,
steele@tl-20b.ARPA, williams%ibm-sj.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
Subject: L&FP '87
Cc: johnson%hplabs.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa,
maida%YKTVMT.bitnet%indiana.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
I am sending this memo to various people that I know have been closely
involved with the ACM Symposia on LISP and Functional Programming.
Non-recipients should not be offended, but are also invited to respond.
In 1984 in Austin there was discussion about making L&FP an
annual meeting. Dick Gabriel is making some changes to the style of the
1986 meeting, which might have affected that sentiment.
Nevertheless, we should now consider whether or not to propose a 1987 L&FP.
1980 Lisp Conference in Palo Alto venued with AAAI
1981 ACM Functional Programming Lanuguages and Architectures,
in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
1982 ACM L&FP in Pittsburgh venued with AAAI
1984 ACM L&FP in Austin venued with AAAI
1985 IFIP Functional Programming Lanuguages and Architectures,
in Nancy, France
1986 ACM L&FP in Boston independently scheduled
I have added in the indented information, because the latter was
originally scheduled for 1984, but graciously postponed by its organizers to
avoid 1985 L&FP conflict. Thus, I argued in Austin against going annual with
L&FP before 1986 so that we would return their courtesy.
Also relevant here is the long-hoped-for British L&FP meeting.
If the next meeting is to be in Britain, then 1988 may be better than
1987, because the 1987 January ACM POPL meeting is definitely to be in Europe.
There is a significant intersection of the two audiences.
After all this, the question is: "Should we find chairs for a 1987
L&FP meeting?" An affirmative answer requires action in the next six months,
because the TechnicalMeetingRequestForm must be prepared BEFORE the
1986 meeting. The decision to proceed with planning may wait until after
the September meeting in Nancy, but I would appreciate an informal reaction
before then.
∂17-Jul-85 1023 fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley parallel computers
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id AA29674; Wed, 17 Jul 85 10:23:59 pdt
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 85 10:23:59 pdt
From: fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley (Richard Fateman)
Message-Id: <8507171723.AA29674@ucbdali.ARPA>
To: clt@su-ai, jmc@su-ai, rpg@su-ai
Subject: parallel computers
Encore seemed to be able to demonstrate something at NCC.
∂17-Jul-85 1532 ME HOT
∂11-Jul-85 2134 JMC
Would it be much trouble to give AP the whole of the HOT screen?
ME - OK, done.
∂18-Jul-85 0409 HST gwai85
hi john. please tell me your proposal for a titel of your talk. please tell
me more about your plans (see last mail).herbert
∂18-Jul-85 1358 RA Robert Jastrow
Called (603) 298 8686; said you'd know what it's about.
∂18-Jul-85 1604 RA Gordon Bell
Called you; will call again.
∂18-Jul-85 1659 RA Gordon Bell
Gordon called again; will call back tomorrow.
∂18-Jul-85 2221 RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA the value of life
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 18 Jul 85 22:21:09 PDT
Date: Thu 18 Jul 85 18:01:11-PDT
From: Chuck Restivo <RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: the value of life
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12128103298.32.RESTIVO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
[cwr]
Could it be the same as mine is to me?
-------
∂19-Jul-85 0000 JMC
marotta
∂19-Jul-85 0902 JK
Here's a possible additional paragraph:
It seems to us that the issue of the scientific merit
of the SDI initiative has been confused with its
political desirability. We look forward to the time
when the technical issues brought up can
be discussed with the same professional detachment as any
other challenging "leading edge" research in computer science.
To simply claim that large scale program verification is
undoable is to consign major parts of computer science to the
realm of mysticism. This runs counter to the basic principles
of scientific inquiry, on which our western culture is built
and nourished ever since the days of Rene Descartes and David Hume.
∂19-Jul-85 1040 RA Dinner with Gordon Bell
Gordon wanted to know whether you can have dinner with him tonight
or tomorrow night; his tel: 857 0333; in case he calls again while
you are out, what shall I tell him?
∂19-Jul-85 1120 RA reaching Sarah Macarthy
Betty wanted to know where Sarah can be reached; Betty would like
her to do some work for Gene Golomb.
∂19-Jul-85 1122 RA Bonni Granger
from SAI called (818) 906 1776 would like you to call her re information
about AI.
∂19-Jul-85 1547 POSER@SU-CSLI.ARPA re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 19 Jul 85 15:45:11 PDT
Date: Fri 19 Jul 85 15:45:11-PDT
From: Bill Poser <POSER@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: OTHER-SU-BBOARDS@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Wed 17 Jul 85 19:05:00-PDT
I'm a linguist and I've never heard the myth that authorities
can't improve language by prescribing improved usage. There are two
related beliefs, however, which taken together mean it is not very often
that this will work. One is that the kinds of "improvements" envisaged
by prescriptive authorities are often matters of no functional significance.
The other is the fact that it is very hard to get people to observe
prescriptive rules. I can think of examples where prescriptive changes
have taken effect and have resulted in improvement (e.g. reduction
in ambiguity). One would be the Japanese orthographic reform after the
Second World War that resulted, for example, in the elimination of
the ambiguity that had previously existed between the verbs ikiru "to
live" and naru "be ripe". This particular rule seems to be obeyed. But
other standardizations that were part of the same reform result
in no improvement (e.g. the rule governing the choice of characters
for writing various derived forms of the verb "begin"), and other aspects
of the orthographic reform are
ignored except in official documents (e.g. the limitation to a standard
list of 1900 characters). So it seems to me that the "myth" is almost,
though not entirely, true.
By the way, I am curious about the improvement putatively
wrought by Samuel Johnson. What was it, and how did he do it?
Was it by prescription, or was it by serving as a model?
I suspect that the latter is a much more effective means of
influencing language than the former.
-------
∂19-Jul-85 1700 RA George Marotta
Returned your call; you can call him tonight or on the weekend at
home: 494 2955
∂19-Jul-85 2200 JMC
Gordon Bell
∂19-Jul-85 2326 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Umesh Vazirani
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 19 Jul 85 23:26:30 PDT
Date: Fri 19 Jul 85 23:25:16-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Umesh Vazirani
To: gill@SU-SCORE.ARPA, pratt@SU-NAVAJO.ARPA, yao@SU-SCORE.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
Umesh Vazirani will be with us on the 29th of July. His talk, at 10 am
in Margaret Jacks Hall 352, is titled ``Random polynomial time is equal to
slightly-random polynomial time''. The abstract follows.
I should appreciate it if you could let me know what your schedules are like
that afternoon, so that he can meet with each of you.
ashok
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract:
Random Polynomial Time is Equal to Slightly-random Polynomial Time.
An important goal of theoretical computer science is to capture
theoretically the notion of a *tractable* computational problem.
It is currently well-accepted that a problem is tractable if there is a
polynomial time algorithm for it, having the ability of flipping a
fair coin at each step. This formalization is theoretically
appealing, and captures important problems such as primality testing,
which are not known to be efficiently solvable without randomization.
However, it is beset with a difficulty: the available sources of
randomness such as Zener diodes, and Geiger counters are imperfect.
They do not output unbiased, independent coin-flips. We introduce a
general model for such imperfect sources of randomness: the
"slightly-random source". Determining the usefulness of such a
source is of theoretical as well as practical importance. Consider
the class Slightly-random Polynomial Time (SR sub p ), the class of
functions computable in polynomial time using a slightly-random
source. ``Is R sub p = SR sub p?'', where R sub p is the class
of problems solvable in polynomial time, using a fair coin. We give
an affirmative answer to this question. Our result is constructive:
given an R sub p algorithm for a problem, we show how to obtain an
SR sub p algorithm for it.
The above result is surprising in view of the following theorem:
One Slightly-random source cannot be used to obtain even a single
random bit. Thus proving SR sub p = R sub p may be a step towards
answering the ``P = R sub p ?'' question. We can further show that
two independent slightly-random sources can be used to efficiently
obtain high quality random sequences.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
∂20-Jul-85 0229 @SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA:rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM nusum
Received: from SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 20 Jul 85 02:29:27 PDT
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Date: Sat, 20 Jul 85 02:27 PDT
From: Bill Gosper <rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM>
Subject: nusum
To: bsg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM
cc: hst@SU-AI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <850720022756.1.RWG@TEKKA-MAKI.SPA.Symbolics.COM>
I don't have much in the way of emailable description of NUSUM. I still have some
reprints of the old Proc Nat Acad Sci paper, if Herb is as physically nearby as his
From: header suggests. (Of course, somewhere in the bowels of Jacks Hall are the
archive tapes with the POX "galleys" of that paper!)
Perhaps he could use a transcript of some sample calls. I could email a few of them,
which would involve MACSYMA's yucky teletypoid display typography, or maybe physmail
him some screen hardcopies that at least have Sigma signs and division bars. I will
probably visit SU tomorrow anyway, so if Herb actually there, he should tell me where.
He seemed interested in the source code. It has grown long and unreadable by virtue
of my last year's extension to mixed summands and to infinte sums and products of rational
functions.
These extensions are not yet being distributed by our Macsyma group, who may
wince at my randomly sending them out. Mainly for lack of TeX (thru corporate idiocy),
I haven't written up any of the new stuff. There are a couple of neat stunts involving
suppression of polygammas if at all possible, illegally rearranging conditionally
convergent series and then quantifying and redressing the error, and handling divergent
series in the exponents of constants in offsettingly divergent infinite products.
If Herb is handy to JMC, he could try to find a few slips of LGP output of selected
examples which I left between the pages of JMC's copy of Knopp's summation book when
I returned it.
Also, he says his Vaxoid macsyma is broken, so I don't know what he could do with the
source code except try to read it, which I'd guess is futile.
He *could* run it on JMC's 3600, except that the bureaucrats in SMI (Cambridge) are holding
up JMC's Rel 6 permission because they need paperwork sequestered by MLB. (Maybe I can
unstick this crap when I see RN tomorrow.)
∂20-Jul-85 0900 JMC
marotta
∂20-Jul-85 0900 JMC
intens[e85,jmc]
∂22-Jul-85 0222 HST gwai85
hi john i propose: "What is Common Sense and how can it be formalized"
i got a call from someone at TU Munich (i.e. either via Bibel or via Bauer)
askeing me for a talk of you in Munich.Will you have time? (Before or after)
∂22-Jul-85 0752 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA 35mm
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 22 Jul 85 07:52:05 PDT
Date: Mon 22 Jul 85 07:51:59-PDT
From: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: 35mm
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: aaaI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Telephone: (415) 328-3123
Postal-Address: 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Message-ID: <12129040972.17.AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
John,
I've been asked to convey to you the need to use 35mm slides (no glass)
for your talk in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday, Aug 21, 9:00am.
Thanks, Claudia
-------
∂22-Jul-85 0800 JMC
prescription
∂22-Jul-85 0818 RA airline tickets
Were the tickets delivered Friday?
Also, Sarah needs a check for $150 for storage for June. She said you
can leave it at home or here.
∂22-Jul-85 0906 RA J.W.Lloyd
Lloyd is here; when are you going to come in? Also, a reminder that he
gives his seminar at 10:00
∂22-Jul-85 0941 RA confidential letter
I put a confidential letter on your desk.
∂22-Jul-85 0944 EMMA@SU-CSLI.ARPA Thank-you note
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 22 Jul 85 09:44:27 PDT
Date: Mon 22 Jul 85 09:44:26-PDT
From: Ken Blochowiak
Subject: Thank-you note
Sender: EMMA@SU-CSLI.ARPA
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Reply-To: jamie@su-csli
Tel: 497-3479
Thank you for taking the time to participate in my study. When
listening to the tape I noticed that the concept of sharpness showed
up in several different contexts. Sharpness of question, sharpness of
example, and the achievement of a sharp formulation of the question
being followed quickly by the solution of the problem.
Thank you again for your participation,
Ken Blochowiak
-------
∂22-Jul-85 1111 RA Sandra Cook, SRI
Sandra Cook from SRI 859 5478 is considering a job at Inference or MAD;
would like to talk to you about the companies.
∂22-Jul-85 1125 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 22 Jul 85 11:22:50 PDT
Date: Mon 22 Jul 85 11:21:08-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12129079046.19.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Debbie Laffery of Addison & Wesly publishing. Please phone 617 246-5100.
Tina
-------
∂22-Jul-85 1308 RA Dr. Jastro
Please call him (603) 298 8686 re letter you are writing together; it's
essential that you call him today.
∂22-Jul-85 1504 VAL circumscription seminar
Teodor Przymusinski is working on a PROLOG-type procedure for computing special
cases of circumscription, and I'd like to invite him to speak at our seminar
about it. Is Wed. July 31 OK?
∂22-Jul-85 1544 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
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Date: Mon 22 Jul 85 15:36:30-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12129125536.18.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Sandra Cook phoned. Please call. 859-5478 or 428-1601.
Tina
-------
∂22-Jul-85 1735 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA August dues
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Date: Mon 22 Jul 85 17:33:37-PDT
From: Joan Feigenbaum <JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: August dues
To: coffee-drinkers: ;
I will be out of town until August 5th and will collect August coffee pool
dues then.
-------
∂22-Jul-85 2138 DCH@SU-SCORE.ARPA Grading JMC's writing
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Date: Mon 22 Jul 85 21:37:51-PDT
From: Daniel Chapiro <DCH@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Grading JMC's writing
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, su-bboards@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12129191317.23.DCH@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Dear John:
Your spelling is very good. Now, you can focus on your syntax, and perhaps you
could try to be a little bit more terse. Keep up the good work!
Professor Lucie
PS: I'm sure that someday your Natural English will be a flame of inspiration
for uncountable foreign students.
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∂23-Jul-85 1420 RA Joe Engleberger looking for ideas
Asking your help for ideas for research in robot field -- design, AI,
or applications research. The secretary of Commerce asked for his support
in a luncheon to which executives from large corporations (eg. GE, GM)
are invited. In the luncheon, the secretary will try to convice the
executives to jointly sponsor generic RND. Englebereger's job is to suggest
what can be done in the US. Would like you to think what you would
do--if you had a pot of money--to futher US competitive position vis-a-vis
Japan (for example). Would like you to write a short note with your thoughts.
This must reach him before August 10.
His tel.: (203) 796 1203; his address: 15 Durant Avenue, Bethel, Conn. 06801.
∂23-Jul-85 1437 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA ICAI workshop
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Date: Tue 23 Jul 85 14:36:25-PDT
From: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: ICAI workshop
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: aaaI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Telephone: (415) 328-3123
Postal-Address: 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Message-ID: <12129376742.47.AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
John,
I guess I sent you a letter from John Self about sponsorhip of a ICAI
workshop in the UK. have you had the opportunity to review his request
yet?
Claudia
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∂23-Jul-85 1608 SANDRA@SRI-KL.ARPA MAD and Inference
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Date: Tue 23 Jul 85 16:09:04-PDT
From: SANDRA@SRI-KL.ARPA
Subject: MAD and Inference
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: sandra@SRI-KL.ARPA
Dear Professor McCarthy,
I am currently considering positions at each of these firms, and
coincidentally, you are a technical adviser to each of them.
I would like to have an opportunity to discuss this with you at
your very earliest convenience. I understand you will be back
on Thursday. As I am at SRI, I could be on the Stanford campus
at very short notice. It is important to me to be able to see
you sometime this week (Thursday or Friday). Please let me know
what suits you. For backup, I am going to phone you on Thursday.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Sandra Cook
-------
∂24-Jul-85 1230 SANDRA@SRI-KL.ARPA schedule
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Date: Wed 24 Jul 85 12:30:21-PDT
From: SANDRA@SRI-KL.ARPA
Subject: schedule
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: sandra@SRI-KL.ARPA
Thanks for responding. I will phone you early Thursday afternoon.
I have a meeting at 1:30, so I'll try to reach you between
1:00 and 1:30. Ideally, I'd like to schedule a meeting with
you for later that afternoon. If you know you will have any time
free, say, at 4 p.m., we could arrange to meet then.
--Sandra
-------
∂24-Jul-85 1232 mack%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa McCarthy's RE lecture
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From: Alan Mackworth <mack%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
To: Ray Reiter <reiter%utai%utcsri.uucp%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
Cc: John McCarthy <jmc@SU-AI.ARPA>
Message-Id: <1913:mack@vision.ubc.cdn>
Subject: McCarthy's RE lecture
Ray,
Would you be willing to introduce John McCarthy's Research Excellence
Award lecture at IJCAI? As his nominator it would be most appropriate
for you to do it.
Alan
∂24-Jul-85 1313 RA Re: reservations to L.A. on Friday
[Reply to message recvd: 24 Jul 85 12:02 Pacific Time]
Jose-LA flight 202 depart 8:25 arrive 9:29
LA-San Jose flight 235 depart 9:20pm arrive 10:16
All on PSA.
Do you need a car?
∂24-Jul-85 1317 RA A b/w picture of you
Jan Stevens from Stevens Consulting in Dallas is editing a book for
Texas Insturments on AI and needs a B/W picture of you. Their tel: (214) 739 0092.
Address: 6628 Cheby Chase, Dallas, TX 75225.
She will call Friday to find out whether you got a picture.
∂25-Jul-85 1135 RA NSF 810 4877 final project report
I got a call from sponsored research re final report; when do you think
it will be ready? Please let me know because they need to know by the end
of today.
∂25-Jul-85 1243 RA Re: NSF 810 4877 final project report
[Reply to message recvd: 25 Jul 85 12:12 Pacific Time]
The project name is BASIC RESEARCH IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
∂25-Jul-85 1244 RA trip to LA
Tickets for tomorrow's trip on your desk.
∂25-Jul-85 1245 RA Robert Slater
Slater wanted me to let him know when you are in so that he can call
you; his tel: (518) 644 9736. Let me know when you want to talk to him
and I will call him.
∂25-Jul-85 1324 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Phone Message
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Date: Thu 25 Jul 85 13:22:12-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Phone Message
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: ra@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12129887520.44.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Sandra Cook called.859-5478
Anne
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∂25-Jul-85 1341 barwise.pa@Xerox.ARPA Common knowledge of common knowledge
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Date: 25 Jul 85 13:41 PDT
From: barwise.pa@Xerox.ARPA
Subject: Common knowledge of common knowledge
To: jmc@su-ai.ARPA
cc: barwise.pa@Xerox.ARPA
Message-ID: <850725-134204-1246@Xerox>
John, I am writing up a paper on common knowledge. Who, as far as you
know, first made the point, which I learned from you, that common
knowledge of X implies common knowledge of common knowledge of X, and
that the iterated attitude appraoch does not imply this? Is it in a
paper of yours? Jon
∂25-Jul-85 1343 RA Sciences Magazine
Robert Right from Sciences Magazine, NY Academy of Sciences would like
to talk to you re a book he is writing. His tel: (212) 838 0230.
∂25-Jul-85 1932 BJORK@SU-SCORE.ARPA re: wooden stoves
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Date: Thu 25 Jul 85 19:31:29-PDT
From: Steven Bjork <BJORK@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: re: wooden stoves
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12129954744.22.BJORK@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I have also noticed that on days such as labor day that there are so many
cookouts that by the end of the day the sky is hazy and my eyes are sting-
ing from all of the smoke... --Steve
-------
∂26-Jul-85 0236 GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Visit
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Date: Fri 26 Jul 85 02:36:36-PDT
From: Gunther Goerz <GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Visit
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: Goerz@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Message-ID: <12130032136.10.GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Dear Prof. McCarthy,
I will be at the CSLI in Stanford between Aug. 15 and Sep. 15.
If there is a chance to see you, please let me know
Many thanks in advance, regards from Herbert Stoyan,
-Guenther Goerz
-------
∂26-Jul-85 1106 HURD@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: Split atoms, not wood.
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Date: Fri 26 Jul 85 11:05:43-PDT
From: Elizabeth Nowicki <HURD@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Split atoms, not wood.
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Thu 25 Jul 85 18:30:00-PDT
The long-term solution to controlling air pollution is to control
the number of people who can cause the pollution -- by
encouraging birth control, sealing our southern borders, and
fighting Reagan's bid to illegalize abortion.
-------
∂26-Jul-85 1119 VAL Circumscription Seminar
To: "@CS.DST[1,VAL]"@SU-AI.ARPA
An Application of A Query Evaluation Procedure to Computing Circumscription
Teodor C. Przymusinski
University of Texas at El Paso
2:00 PM, Wednesday, July 31
MJH 252 (new place!)
We introduce a minimal model query evaluation procedure (MQEP) which, given
a database DB and a query Q, verifies whether there exists a minimal model of
DB in which Q is satisfied.
In view of the fact that circumscription relative to DB implies a formula F
iff F is satisfied in all minimal models of DB, the procedure MQEP can be used
to evaluate queries in circumscriptive theories. Similarly, since the generalized
closed world assumption (GCWA) as defined by Minker can be viewed as a weak form
of circumscription, our procedure can also be used to evaluate queries under
the GCWA.
When applied to a Horn database, the procedure MQEP coincides with Clark's
query evaluation procedure QEP.
∂26-Jul-85 1128 RA AI and voice speech project
Ron Jackowitz (201) 786 5884 called re a project on voice-speeh. He was
referred to you by Dr. Lindell. Ron will call again Monday.
∂26-Jul-85 1136 RA
John,
Jan called again re the msg. below. They will put a caption and send it to
you for approval. I told her to call you on Monday.
∂24-Jul-85 1317 RA A b/w picture of you
To: JMC
Jan Stevens from Stevens Consulting in Dallas is editing a book for
Texas Insturments on AI and needs a B/W picture of you. Their tel: (214) 739 0092.
Address: 6628 Cheby Chase, Dallas, TX 75225.
She will call Friday to find out whether you got a picture.
∂26-Jul-85 1316 VAL STRIPS
To: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
I wonder whether anything prevented Shakey from constructing plans that
included going to places which were *known* to be occupied by other objects.
I don't see how to express this restriction in STRIPS: it would require
maintaining information about the places that are "clear", and there are two
problems with it. First, there are too many of them (and STRIPS does not
implement the CWA). Second, some actions, such as pushing an object "next to"
something, do not allow us to give a complete description of the positions of
all objects after the event.
∂26-Jul-85 1357 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: Split atoms, not wood.
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Date: Fri 26 Jul 85 13:54:34-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Split atoms, not wood.
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: su-bboards@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Thu 25 Jul 85 18:30:00-PDT
Split atoms, not hairs.
-------
∂27-Jul-85 1741 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Umesh Vazirani's schedule for Monday 7/29
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Date: Sat 27 Jul 85 17:40:00-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Umesh Vazirani's schedule for Monday 7/29
To: yao@SU-SCORE.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
gill@SU-SCORE.ARPA, pratt@SU-NAVAJO.ARPA
cc: vazirani@UCBERNIE.ARPA, ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
Umesh Vazirani's schedule for Monday the 29th of July :
9 am Meeting with Prof. Pratt
10 am Talk in MJH 352
11:30am Meeting with Prof. Nilsson
2 pm Meeting with Prof. Gill
3 pm Meeting with Prof. Yao
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ashok
-------
∂28-Jul-85 1328 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley Checkhov excerpt about nightingales
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Date: Sun, 28 Jul 85 09:03:37 pdt
From: ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley (20012000)
Message-Id: <8507281603.AA06077@ucscd.UCSC>
To: jmc@su-ai
Subject: Checkhov excerpt about nightingales
Cc: clt@su-ai
The following excerpt may enrich your fund of examples about birds flying.
Note in addition that it attributes a mental image of their own
actions to the birds and goal-directed behavior.
∂28-Jul-85 1328 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley the actual excerpt
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Date: Sun, 28 Jul 85 09:04:47 pdt
From: ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley (20012000)
Message-Id: <8507281604.AA06082@ucscd.UCSC>
To: jmc@su-ai
Subject: the actual excerpt
Cc: clt@su-ai
``Why aren't the nightingales singing this evening?'' I asked.
Savka turned slowly toward me. His features were large but well
formed and expressive and gentle as a woman's. He looked with
kind, pensive eyes, first at the wood and then at the thicket, then
quietly took a little pipe from his pocket, put it to his lips, and
blew a few notes like a hen nightingale. At once, as if answering his
call, a rail-bird ``chucked'' from the opposite shore.
``There goes a nightingale for you!'' laughed Savka. ``Chuck-chuck!
chuck-chuck! as if it were jerking at a hook, and yet it thinks it
is singing!''
``I like those birds,'' I said. ``Do you know that when the time comes
for migrating the rail doesn't fly but runs along the ground? It only
flies across rivers and the ocean and goes all the rest of the way
on foot.''
...They are hatched here and here they raise their young. This is
their native land, and they only fly away to escape being frozen to death.
-from Chekhov's short story Agatha, p. 25
in Anton Checkhov's Short Stories, ed. by
Matlaw, R.E., Norton, NY, 1979.
∂28-Jul-85 1640 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: STRIPS
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Date: Sun 28 Jul 85 16:39:26-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: STRIPS
To: VAL@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Vladimir Lifschitz <VAL@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 26 Jul 85 13:16:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12130709856.23.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I've forgotten what we did in that case, but I could rummage around to
try to find out. I'm not sure we could give to STRIPS any problem with
the goal of having the robot go to a place described by geometric
coordinates. I think we avoided the problem by specifying places like
"next to this or that". STRIPS always assumed that such a goal was
achievable, and the lower-level routines (during plan execution)
found a putative clear spot satisfying this description. These lower-level
routines had a digitized map of a sort that noted all filled (that is,
inaccessible) areas. So, I think, if we gave the robot the goal of
getting next to a place entirely surrounded by a wall of blocks, I guess
STRIPS would just keep on planning to get inside, and the execution routine
would keep on failing to do so. (As I write, this does begin to sound a
bit strange--so maybe I better try to remember it better. By the way,
I wrote up a story about all of this from excerpts of old reports, etc.
in an SRI report called "Shakey the Robot." My secy has copies if you don't.)
We might have had "an evaluable predicate" CLEARPATH as a precondition for
a STRIPS "goto." CLEARPATH could have looked at the geometric map to see
if there was a clear path. If there wasn't the operator couldn't be
invoked. The geometric map involved a kind of CWA. Any cell in the
map that wasn't listed as explicitly "filled" was assumed to be empty.
Well, all of that was a long time ago.
-Nils
-------
∂28-Jul-85 2252 CLT
what do you mean Sarah will assist too?
"assister" means "be present". It doesn't mean "assist".
∂29-Jul-85 1138 RA Advice on AIindustry
Anthony Fsher (415) 435 2831 called re advice on AI industry.
∂29-Jul-85 1235 gnelson@decwrl.ARPA Re: The star wars computer system.
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From: gnelson@decwrl.ARPA (Greg Nelson)
Message-Id: <8507291816.AA29180@magic.ARPA>
Date: 29 Jul 1985 1116-PDT (Monday)
To: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Cc: gnelson@decwrl.ARPA
Subject: Re: The star wars computer system.
In-Reply-To: Your message of 28 Jul 85 1801 PDT.
<8507290103.AA04007@decwrl.ARPA>
I have put a copy in the mail for you. Dave and I would appreciate
any comments or criticism that you have. I also enclosed a copy
of David Parnas's resignation letter and accompanying memoranda.
Greg Nelson
∂29-Jul-85 1327 RA LA trip
PSA does not have a flight from SJ to LA around 11:00am. There is
a 9:45 flight which I booked you on; If you want to change it and
try a different airline, let me know. You are now booked on PSA 206 SJ to LA
leaves 9:45, arrives 10:49AM; PSA 229 LA-SJ, leaves 6:05pm, arrives 7:02.
∂29-Jul-85 1419 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Retreat
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Date: Mon 29 Jul 85 14:16:54-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: AI Retreat
To: feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, rosenbloom@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
genesereth@SU-SCORE.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, tob@SU-AI.ARPA,
winograd@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12130946053.40.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
This is to confirm the AI Retreat on August 2 at 9:00 am at The Family Farm
in Portola Valley (maps to follow). There will be coffee and sweetrolls
provided in the am, lunch, and wine and cheese provided in the pm. If people
would like to gather informally afterward with spouses at the Portola Valley
Kitchen (specializing in sea food) for dinner, please let me know.
Thanks, Anne
-------
∂29-Jul-85 1517 RA Ron Jackowitz
Called (201) 786 5884 re: voice in speech.
∂29-Jul-85 1530 SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 29 Jul 85 15:30:02 PDT
Date: Mon 29 Jul 85 15:29:59-PDT
From: Christopher Schmidt <SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, SU-BBoard@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Wed 17 Jul 85 19:05:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12130959358.64.SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
The bi-/semi- confusion has irked me as well.
But on the other hand, most people in CS are guilty using
"mega-" to mean 2↑20 except when decimal digits to the right of a
decimal point can be expressed as a NYSE fraction.
1 megabyte = 2↑20 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes
1.5 megabytes = 1 1/2 megabytes = 1,572,864 bytes
0.75 megabytes = 3/4 megabytes = 786,432 bytes
1.1 megabytes = 1,100,000 bytes
8 megabytes = 2↑23 bytes = 8,388,608 bytes
8.1 megabytes = 8,100,000
which implies (what all CS types understand intuitively) that
8 megabytes > 8.1 megabytes.
No wonder the public accuses us of being obtuse!
--Christopher
-------
∂29-Jul-85 1541 gnelson@decwrl.ARPA re: The star wars computer system.
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From: gnelson@decwrl.ARPA (Greg Nelson)
Message-Id: <8507292239.AA05145@magic.ARPA>
Date: 29 Jul 1985 1538-PDT (Monday)
To: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: re: The star wars computer system.
In-Reply-To: Your message of 29 Jul 85 1409 PDT.
<8507292111.AA20383@decwrl.ARPA>
Oops. Dave is David Redell, my coauthor.
∂29-Jul-85 1550 Y.YEFF@[36.48.0.2] re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
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Date: Mon 29 Jul 85 15:47:33-PDT
From: Jeff Soesbe <Y.YEFF@[36.48.0.2]>
Subject: re: using english good (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
cc: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, SU-BBoard@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Christopher Schmidt <SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>" of Mon 29 Jul 85 15:29:16-PDT
I'm not so sure about the definition of mega- given here. As I remember, and
as was given on my "Computer-Term-A-Day" calender, mega- is defined
as 1,000K...so a megabyte is 1000Kbytes, which is 1,024,000 bytes...
how this affects the decimal stuff, I'm not sure
jeff sharing his limited knowledge
-------
∂29-Jul-85 1612 RA Howard Jacobson
Howard called; he is going to meet Feigenbaum tomorrow and wanted
to come and talk to you re his sharing a panel in IJCAI on US Japan
relations; Dr. Fuchi will be on there too (I guess the 'there' refers
to the panel); His tel: (714) 759 9513;
if he doesn't talk to you beforehand, he'll call Wed. or Thur.
∂30-Jul-85 0832 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Committee Meeting
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Date: Tue 30 Jul 85 08:31:52-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Robotics Committee Meeting
To: cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, bscott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12131145386.46.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
This is to reconfirm that there will be a Robotics Committee Meeting
on 7/31/85 at 2:00.
Anne
-------
∂30-Jul-85 1404 VAL circ'n seminar
Nils missed the talk of Gelfond and Halina Przymusinska at the ASL meeting and
asked me to invite them to our seminar. How about Aug. 7?
∂30-Jul-85 1513 RA MCC
The MCC invoice goes to Woody Bledsoe, right?
∂31-Jul-85 0503 WIEDERHOLD@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Course material for CS206
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Date: Wed 31 Jul 85 05:03:27-PDT
From: Gio Wiederhold <WIEDERHOLD@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Course material for CS206
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: jutta@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12131369589.43.WIEDERHOLD@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
We have a partially sighted student entering the MS program this fall.
The University has people who will record class material for him.
Could you leave with your secretary books or references to books, and notes
you have and will be using. Jutta will follow up. Thanks. Gio
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∂31-Jul-85 1051 JMC
teller
∂31-Jul-85 1112 WANDA@SRI-AI.ARPA Files archived from directory <PS:<COMMONSENSE>>
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 31 Jul 85 11:11:52 PDT
Date: 31 Jul 1985 0832-PDT
From: Wanda at SRI-SPRM.ARPA
Subject: Files archived from directory <PS:<COMMONSENSE>>
To: COMMONSENSE
COMMONSENSE.PEOPLE.3 1 page
1 file 1 page
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∂31-Jul-85 1241 TW Discussion of AI Quals
To: "@RET.DIS[1,TW]"@SU-AI.ARPA
The following correspondence is relevant to our discussion on Friday.
I am circulating to all, since not everyone was on the initial list.
--t
--------
∂14-Jun-85 1248 LAMPING@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Qual
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Jun 85 12:48:09 PDT
Date: Fri 14 Jun 85 12:47:53-PDT
From: John Lamping <LAMPING@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: AI Qual
To: Buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
TW@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: lamping@SU-SCORE.ARPA
I was trying to figure out, yesterday, why I wasn't happier about
passing the AI qual. (One explanation is because I didn't pass it
last year, but I will ignore that for the sake of argument). What I
noticed was that while I felt that I did better this year than last, I
didn't have any better idea of whether I had passed after this qual
than I did after last year's. The point, I think, is that I had no
real idea of exactly what was to be covered, or what level of
competence was expected. I have talked with a few other students who
took the qual recently, and they had the same feeling. If the qual
is, in fact, intended to test our preparation to do research, then it
is important that the faculty communicate with us what knowledge is
necessary to be prepared for research. The current qual system is
closer to providing one bit of feedback per year. (Actually, Bruce's
comments to me last year were very helpful). The AI literature is
large and not as well structured as one would like. Especially as the
AI Handbook starts to become outdated, it is important for students to
have more guidance.
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∂14-Jun-85 1309 TW Re: AI Qual
To: lamping@SU-SCORE.ARPA
CC: TW@SU-AI.ARPA, nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
John,
Thank your for your note. As you know from your role as student
bureaucrat, I am in charge of a committee next fall to review the entire
situation of comps, quals, etc. for PhD students. I plan to begin the
process by actively soliciting student comments, like yours. As you may
not know, there is a plan for the AI faculty to have a retreat this summer
to discuss a variety of issues. I think one of the major ones should be
the whole question of how we educate AI students. This includes more
coherent qual requirements and also the question of what kind of
additional courses, meetings, or something would get students to do deeper
thinking and synthesis of what they have learned, rather than amassing
details at the handbook level and then diving into a sub-specialty area.
The quals this year convinced me there is a real lack. If you have any
further thoughts on this, please come talk or send around a note. --t
∂14-Jun-85 1607 BUCHANAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: AI Qual
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Jun 85 16:07:21 PDT
Date: Fri 14 Jun 85 16:06:50-PDT
From: Bruce Buchanan <BUCHANAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Re: AI Qual
To: TW@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: lamping@SU-SCORE.ARPA, nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Terry Winograd <TW@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 14 Jun 85 13:09:00-PDT
John,
I largely agree with Terry. But there is value, too, in knowing the
facts & details at the Handbook level. As former-President (of Stanford)
Sterling once said, "You can't think about the facts unless you can
remember them".
But we also expect some synthesis, some thinking to integrate the
details into a larger picture. What are the issues, what are the
good ideas, where are things going?
bgb
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∂14-Jun-85 2103 LAMPING@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: AI Qual
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Jun 85 21:03:44 PDT
Date: Fri 14 Jun 85 21:04:05-PDT
From: John Lamping <LAMPING@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: AI Qual
To: TW@SU-AI.ARPA, Buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Thank you, Terry and Bruce, for the prompt and encouraging responses.
I am leaving tommorrow for a summer at Bell Labs, so I won't drop by.
However, I would like to follow events by electronic mail. Also,
Peter Karp has set up a mailing list, AIPS@SU-AIMVAX, of students
interested in AI. It was set up to improve communication among AI
students, but it would also be a convenient way to solicit student
opinion before or after the faculty retreat.
In the mean time, I'll throw in a few bits of clarification. For me,
at least, understanding some of the issues is to some extent a
pre-requisite for remembering the details. Otherwise there is no
framework by which to remember the details. This certainly applies
for any details remembered after the day of the qual. But getting an
understanding that goes beyond details means reading papers. Given
the combined thickness of even just the IJCAI's, AAAI's, and Machine
Intelligence's, it is important to have guidance toward papers which
are clear, readable, and make important points. This is the kind of
information that one solicits from collegues after then have gone to a
conference by asking, "What were the good papers?" The Webber&Nilsson
collection provides a start, but isn't comprehensive. A concise list
of quality papers, with perhaps an abstract for each, putting it in
historical perspective, would be extremely useful.
Some of AI culture consists of a collection of techniques, and these
can be found in papers. But much of AI culture also consists of
lessons learned about when techniques work, and what their limits are.
This knowledge, in turn, has a major impact on where research is
proceeding. In the expert systems area, there has been quite a bit of
discussion (sometimes heated) of where the current techniques do and
don't work, but I have found it more difficult to find such
discussions in other areas. The tendency is for papers to say "See,
I've solved this problem." If we, as students, are to avoid repeating
the mistakes of the past, it is important to know what has been tried
and failed, and why, as well as what has succeeded. I see no way by
which the department currently provides an effective way to learn this
kind of information. 229B, as it is currently constituted, certainly
doesn't, except when guest lecturers provide it.
PS. I picked the four of you as recipients of my original message
because I thought you might be interested and because I remembered
your electronic addresses. I would be happy to have these messages
sent to anyone else.
∂31-Jul-85 1409 RA SDI letter
The SDI letter I typed today is in SDI1[e85,jmc].
∂01-Aug-85 0002 LLW@S1-A.ARPA Letter Comments
Received: from S1-A.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Aug 85 00:01:49 PDT
Date: 01 Aug 85 0002 PDT
From: Lowell Wood <LLW@S1-A.ARPA>
Subject: Letter Comments
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
CC: LLW@S1-A.ARPA
[Dear John: The letter below appears to be cogent, comprehensive and
balanced--a really outstanding piece! I expect that it will have a major
impact in the politicotechnical debate over SDI. I'll follow your mailing
of it with great interest. There are two typos which I spotted in the
"background" block at the very end. Lowell]
∂31-Jul-85 1758 JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Received: from SU-AI.ARPA by S1-A.ARPA with TCP; 31 Jul 85 17:58:21 PDT
Date: 31 Jul 85 1804 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
To: llw@S1-A.ARPA
The letter got delayed while Bob Jastrow got some facts about the
AT&T program, but here's the current draft. He is consulting
Abrahamson's office about where to send it. Maybe tomorrow, I hope.
@make(letter)
@style(indent 0)
@begin(center)
John McCarthy
846 Lathrop Drive
Stanford, CA 94305
@end(center)
@tabclear
@tabdivide(3)
@b[Telephone (415) 857-0672@\@>July 31, 1985]
@begin(address)
Mr. .....
@end(address)
@begin (body)
@greeting(Dear Sir:)
A number of scientists have recently claimed that the computer
programs needed to realize the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) are impossible
to make reliable, and therefore the project must be abandoned. As far as I can
see, these scientists are speaking beyond their competence in order to lend
support to the anti-SDI cause.
The computing arguments they have raised are of a general character. The
Fletcher report on ballistic missiles defense says a program with 6 to 10
million instructions will be required.* This would indeed be a very large
program. But that doesn't justify the assertion by these scientists that
the program cannot be written, and if written, could not be verified.
Even larger programs have been written and put into immediate successful
use.
For example, the program put into use by AT&T when the nation changed over to
electronic switching has 50 million lines of code. Furthermore, it has
14,000 interconnections between nodes, compared to an estimated 4500
interconnections in the SDI program.
In other words, the telephone program is bigger and in many respects more
complex than SDI requirements. Yet the program worked well from the
moment it was put into operation.
The argument against SDI continues by asserting that the only way to make the
program reliable is to have a nuclear war in order to test all parts of it. This
is a mistake. Many present programs are designed to deal with emergencies too
dangerous or expensive to allow them to happen for test purposes. Yet techniques
are available to make these programs reliable. The mammoth AT&T program worked
when it was turned on although it had never been tested in "battle".
These techniques for checking large programs include the following.
First mathematical techniques exist for proving parts of a program
correct and checking those proofs by computer.
Second,
simulated battle conditions can be created that are even more complex and more
stressing than a real attack.
*Report of the Study on Eliminating the Threat Posed by Nuclear Ballistic Missiles,
Volume 5 (Battle Management, Communications and Data Processing), p. 43.
@newpage
My conclusion, based on 35 years of research in computing and artificial
intelligence, is that
those who oppose Strategic Defense or "Star Wars" have no basis in computer science
for predicting its failure. They must rely on the general principle, "Where
there is a will to fail, obstacles can always be found."
Like the other scientific and engineering problems associated with SDI,
the computer problems are likely to be challenging.
@end(body)
Sincerely
John McCarthy
Professor of Computer Science
Stanford University
[John McCarthy is one of the leaders of American computer science. He was
one of the originators of artificial intelligence research, developed
the programming language LISP most used in AI, originated the concept
of computer time-sharing that is the basis of present computer operating
systems, and originated some of the main methods of mathematically proving
that computer programs meet their specifications. He founded the Stanford
Artificial Intelligenc Laboratory and has served as President of the
American Association for Artificlal Intelligence.]
∂01-Aug-85 0009 LLW@S1-A.ARPA Afterthought
Received: from S1-A.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Aug 85 00:09:09 PDT
Date: 01 Aug 85 0009 PDT
From: Lowell Wood <LLW@S1-A.ARPA>
Subject: Afterthought
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
CC: LLW@S1-A.ARPA
John, if your letter will be at all widely distributed (as it must be in
order to be maximally effective), it is probably a sub-optimal choice to
affix your home telephone number to it, both because you'll miss daytime
calls which you might want to answer when you're at your office and
because you may get calls at night at your home which you'll wish your
secretary had screened. I suggest that you use your office phone number
(below with your home address) and put "(day)" after it. This way, you
can get the inevitable crank mail at your home, and your CSD secretary
will defend you from the crank phone calls. Lowell]
∂01-Aug-85 0857 CLT calender items
sat 3-aug 20:00 Andrea vanRaam dink
sun 4-aug 18:00-21:00 Godel party at chez feferman
20:00 Herbert Nanney Memchu
∂01-Aug-85 0905 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA Riding times
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Aug 85 09:05:04 PDT
Date: Thu 1 Aug 85 09:01:11-PDT
From: Sarah McCarthy <SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Riding times
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12131675011.56.SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
My dressage time is 4:52pm on Friday. I will be riding in the arena
farthest away and farthest to the right as tou face CTETA from Sand Hill Rd.
My cross-country time is 12:25pm on Sat. I don't know yet where the best
vantage point will be, but I'll try to let you know.
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∂01-Aug-85 0906 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Retreat
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Aug 85 09:06:35 PDT
Date: Thu 1 Aug 85 09:02:33-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: AI Retreat
To: feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, rosenbloom@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
genesereth@SU-SCORE.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, binford@SU-AI.ARPA,
winograd@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12131675260.37.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
This is to reconfirm the AI Retreat on 8/2 at The Family Farm. Sweetrolls
will be available at 8:30 and discussion will begin at 9:00. (Lunch is
included.)
Maps have been distributed. Let me know if you have not received yours.
Anne
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∂01-Aug-85 0953 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA AI Retreat
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 1 Aug 85 09:53:11 PDT
Date: Thu 1 Aug 85 09:48:58-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: AI Retreat
To: feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, rosenbloom@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
genesereth@SU-SCORE.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Binford@SU-AI.ARPA,
winograd@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12131683710.37.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I have received response to the effect that some of you have not yet
received your maps. So, here are some verbal directions.
Take Sand Hill Road exit west off I-280 and stay on it until it turns into
Portola Road south. The exit for "Family Farm" is 1 mile south of the
Searsville exit. (Do NOT take the "Family Farm Road" exit which is 3/10
of a mile south of the Searsville exit.) The entrance to Family Farm is
designated by two stone posts and a sign on the left side indicating that
it is NOT "Family Farm Road". (It is, however, the "Family Farm" road.)
Drive in past the area designated "parking" until the road turns to the
left. Don't turn left, but park in the grassy field near the woodpiles
and walk two blocks searching for Cabin 46.
Anne
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∂01-Aug-85 2015 ME Prancing Pony Bill
Prancing Pony bill of JMC John McCarthy 1 August 1985
Previous Balance 5.63
Monthly Interest at 1.5% 0.08
Current Charges 1.05 (vending machine)
-------
TOTAL AMOUNT DUE 6.76
Please deliver payments to Rutie Adler, room 358, Jacks Hall.
Make checks payable to: STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
To ensure proper crediting, please include your Pony account name on your check.
Bills are payable upon presentation. Interest of 1.5% per month will be
charged on balances remaining unpaid 25 days after bill date above.
You haven't paid your Pony bill since 5/85.
Accounts with balances remaining unpaid for more than 55 days are
considered delinquent and are subject to reduction of credit limit.
Please pay your bill and keep your account current.
∂02-Aug-85 0844 RA Meeting at MAD
Sandra Covin from MAD called to invite you to a meeting set for Tue. August
13 at 10:00am. The subject of the meeting is INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS DESIGN
SPECS. Nafeh would appreciate you presence. Other members of the board
will also be present: Dr. Gabriel, Mr. White, Mr. John Navitsky and other
members of MAD. Please let me know if you can make it.
∂02-Aug-85 1123 RA Bob Flast, American Express
Bob Flast (201) 232 4714 calld; followed suggestion of Inference re
rechnical reference.
∂02-Aug-85 1142 joanna@krakatoa
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Received: by krakatoa with TCP; Fri, 2 Aug 85 11:41:52 pdt
Date: Fri, 2 Aug 85 11:41:52 pdt
From: Joanna Golden <joanna@krakatoa>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, NILSSON@SU-SCORE, Reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA
Talked with Marc Raibert today. He said that if MIT made him an offer he'll
probably go there. I will call him next week.
Will be unable to reach Peter Will until next week.
---Bob Cannon
∂02-Aug-85 1146 joanna@krakatoa C.S. Search
Received: from KRAKATOA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 2 Aug 85 11:46:34 PDT
Received: by krakatoa with TCP; Fri, 2 Aug 85 11:46:33 pdt
Date: Fri, 2 Aug 85 11:46:33 pdt
From: Joanna Golden <joanna@krakatoa>
Subject: C.S. Search
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
TOB@SU-AI.ARPA
Talked with M. Raibert yesterday, he said that if MIT made him an offer he would
probably go there. I will call him next week.
Will be unable to reach Peter Will until next week.
Also, when I was talking with Marc Raibert he mentioned that Bob Sproull may
be more interested in a move now than he was 6 months ago. Should we have
Jim Gibbons talk with him?
Now that so much time has gone by since Lou Paul has moved to Penn., should we
give him another call? It seems he was high on our list and dropped because
of his move.
---Bob Cannon
∂02-Aug-85 1210 RA Inference advisory board
Richard Schroeppel called re advisory board. Is Sept. 13 ok with you?
You currently don't have anything on your cal. for this date.
∂02-Aug-85 1212 RA Chuck Williams
It is important that you call him (213) 417 7997.
ART
∂02-Aug-85 1213 RA career advice
Anthony fisher 435 2831 called re career advice.
∂02-Aug-85 1215 VAL Circumscription Seminar
To: "@CS.DST[1,VAL]"@SU-AI.ARPA
Circumscription and The Negation As Failure Rule:
Two Approaches to The Formalization of The Closed World Assumption
Michael Gelfond and Halina Przymusinska
University of Texas at El Paso
2:00 PM, Wednesday, August 7
MJH 252
The Closed World Assumption for predicates P1,...,Pn in a database DB
states that the information about these predicates given in DB is complete
in the sense that it consists of all and only the relevant facts. There
are several approaches to the formalization of this assumption. The two
most interesting ones are McCarthy's circumscription, or the minimal model
approach, and generalizations of Reiter's CWA -- a proof-theoretic approach.
We investigate the relations between these approaches and discuss the
consequences of those relations to query evaluation in databases obtained
by circumscription.
∂02-Aug-85 1406 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 2 Aug 85 14:06:26 PDT
Date: Fri 2 Aug 85 14:05:57-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12131992634.46.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Robert Jastrow phoned.
Tina
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∂02-Aug-85 1705 AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA [The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>: Message of 2-Aug-85 16:11:43]
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 2 Aug 85 17:05:27 PDT
Date: Fri 2 Aug 85 16:49:19-PDT
From: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: [The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>: Message of 2-Aug-85 16:11:43]
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Telephone: (415) 328-3123
Postal-Address: 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Message-ID: <12132022375.19.AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Date: Fri 2 Aug 85 16:22:52-PDT
From: The Mailer Daemon <Mailer@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
To: AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Subject: Message of 2-Aug-85 16:11:43
Message failed for the following:
JMC-LIst@SU-AI.ARPA.#Internet: 550 I don't know anybody named JMC-LIst
------------
Date: Fri 2 Aug 85 16:11:43-PDT
From: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: 1985 Election Results
To: officers: ;
cc: aaai-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Telephone: (415) 328-3123
Postal-Address: 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Message-ID: <12132015529.19.AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I'm pleased to announce the election results for 1985. We had a total
of 1,766 votes (out of 8,923) or 19% of the membership voting.
Raj Reddy was confirmed as President-elect by 89% (1571) of the vote.
With 8% (145) voting for write-ins. Nils Nilsson and Doug Lenat received
the highest number of write-in votes (4 each).
For the position of Councilor (1985-1988), the four councilors will be
John Seely Brown (70%/1245 votes), Tom Mitchell(63%/1113 votes), Fernando
Pereira (47%/826 votes), and Ryszard Michalski (41%/717 votes). I should
mention that the four place for councilor was almost a three way tie
with Aravind Joshi (40%/709 votes) and Chuck Williams (40%/702 votes).
We will be introducing the new officers during the Executive Council
Meeting on Thursday, August 22, 1:00pm in the Chancellor's Room,
Pauley Pavilion.
Regards,
Claudia
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∂03-Aug-85 1258 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: C.S. Search
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Aug 85 12:58:05 PDT
Date: Sat 3 Aug 85 12:56:58-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: C.S. Search
To: joanna%Krakatoa@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA,
NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Joanna Golden <joanna@krakatoa>" of Fri 2 Aug 85 11:46:52-PDT
Message-ID: <12132242221.26.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Yes to Bob Sproull (for "systems" slot) and I'd be glad to call Lou Paul.
Did Marc say when he would know what's up with MIT? If we are going to
have Jim call Bob, we better get him to do so before he goes away (when
is that?). -Nils
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∂04-Aug-85 1722 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley last year's panel discussion
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Date: Sun, 4 Aug 85 12:42:56 pdt
From: ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley (20012000)
Message-Id: <8508041942.AA15446@ucscd.UCSC>
To: jmc@su-ai, ornstein@xerox.pa, tw@su-ai
Subject: last year's panel discussion
Cc: ucscd.ucscc!beeson@Berkeley
Attached is an edited transcript of it. I edited it only to
clean up the syntax, not to change the content. I would like
to send it somewhere for publication, e.g. to BYTE or someplace
else with a fairly large readership. The reasons for publishing it
are two: (1) the content is interesting; (2) to help set a precedent
for discussing social implications of scientific work in print.
(E.g. Scientific American has a de facto ban on such discussions
in their letters to the editor column). Would you give permission
for such publication? Would you give an opinion where it should be
sent? Would you like to make any changes in the transcript before
it is sent in?
∂04-Aug-85 1801 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley
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Date: Sun, 4 Aug 85 12:43:50 pdt
From: ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley (20012000)
Message-Id: <8508041943.AA15456@ucscd.UCSC>
To: jmc@su-ai, ornstein@xerox.pa, tw@su-ai
the attached transcript
\centerline{\bf Survival and Prosperity:}
\centerline{\bf How Should Computers Help Us?}
\vglue 1in
{\it
What follows is a slightly edited transcript of a panel
discussion that took place at San Jose State University
in October, 1984. The participants are three of the
most respected researchers in computer science, who happen
to disagree on many political issues.}
{\it Moderator:} ``Survival and prosperity: how should
computers help us?'' I chose that title for the panel discussion
because survival and prosperity are absolutely unarguable goals.
Everyone on the planet wants to survive and prosper. I promised
my students that I would say a few words at the beginning about
why I organized this discussion. I thought that perhaps the
best way to do that is to mention a couple of the issues I'm
worried about. I was in Karlsruhe, West Germany, a year ago
at the 1983 International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence.
There was considerable discussion at that conference about the
missiles which the US is installing in West Germany. I became
aware that the guidance systems of those missiles incorporate
new computer technology that gives them unprecedented accuracy.
A television image of what is below them while they are descending
on a target is compared with a stored photographic image of that
target. These stored photographs are obtained from reconnaissance
satellites. A course correction is then calculated on board
the descending warhead. Roughly speaking, these missiles can
go right down a smokestack. That changes the strategic game
because you can no longer afford, say the strategic thinkers,
to wait out the other side's attack and {\it then} decide how and
when to retaliate. It becomes a case of ``use 'em or lose 'em''.
The intended recipients of the attack of those Pershing missiles
have only seven minutes to detect the incoming missiles, get a
message to headquarters, decide whether to fire back, return the
instructions, ready their missiles for firing, and let them go.
Here is one case where computer technology is changing the
name of the game in defense.
Another illustration of the kind of development that led me to
convene this discussion, is that {\it Business Week} estimates that
of the 23\% of American jobs that are now in manufacturing only
10\% will remain in the year 2000. That's only 16 years from now.
13% of American jobs, which is more than half the jobs in manufacturing,
are going to be lost to automation. I don't hear a lot of discussion
in the public media about what's going to happen to those workers, and
what's going to happen to the economy as a whole, as a result of the
progress of automation.
Technology is having a slow but steady influence on our lives, and
in ways that are not necessarily under our immediate control. Rather
than go on enumerating examples, I'll let the panelists discuss the
issues in the way they see fit.
I want to introduce the panel members. On my far right we have
Professor John McCarthy. John was one of the founders of the MIT
Artificial Intelligence Lab, together with Marvin Minsky, in the late
1950's. He later went to the West Coast and founded the Stanford
Artificial Intelligence Lab. And, somewhere in between, he invented
the programming language LISP, which has been the heart and soul of
artificial intelligence programming.
{\it John:} Indiana.
{\it Moderator:} That's where it was? Next to him is Terry Winograd,
Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science at Stanford University.
Terry finished his Ph. D. at MIT in 1970 and has become famous for
writing computer programs that enable the computer to converse in
ordinary language.
Next to him is Severo Ornstein. Severo was involved
in the development of the first microcomputer in the early 60's and
also played a key role in the development of the ARPAnet, which is the
computer network that connects the major universities and research centers
in computer science in this contry. Severo was a senior scientist at
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. He has taken an early retirement from
that position to serve as the national director of Computer Professionals
for Social Responsibility.
The format of today's discussion will be that each of the three
speakers will give an individual presentation. After that, there
will be a period of discussion between the three panelists, and
after that there will be questions from the floor. The first
speaker will be Severo Ornstein.
{\it Severo}: I want to begin by reading four quotes that have come
to my attention in the last couple of months, which I think raise
some issues we will want to discuss. The first quote comes from a
document called {\it Strategic Computing}. This is a new program
that was initiated by the Department of Defense, which has funded
over the years a fair amount of computer science in this country
through an outfit called Defense Advance Research Projects Agency.
Last fall, it issued a rather new kind of document that prescribes
more specific applications-oriented work than I think it had previously
sponsored, and I'll only give you one quote from that now, a document
that gives me considerable concern. It says here,
\beginquote
Commanders, in particular, remain considerably concerned about the
role autonomous systems would play during the transition from peace
to hostility. An extremely stressing example of such a case is the
projected defense against strategic nuclear missiles. Systems must
react so rapidly that it is likely that almost complete reliance
will have to be placed on automated systems. At the same time,
the complexity an unpredictability of factors affecting the decisions
will be very great.*
\endquote
Now, that's pretty serious talk, it seems to me. I'm not really sure
what they're referring to here. I think this anticipates Star Wars,
because it talks about defense rather than retaliation. The thing
that's new about Star Wars, most of you may not know, is that we're
now talking about a boost-phase defense. Today's missiles break up,
after the boost phase, into ten or more small pieces. Each of these
separate pieces has a warhead and can be independently directed to a
target. Some of the pieces are decoys and some are real warheads.
In the boost phase, they are still carried by one large missile,
and that missile gives off a lot of heat, so it is easily detected
by infrared detectors. It takes about three minutes for a missile
to get to the point where it starts dispersing its individual warheads.
If you believe you're going to try to do anything about it in that phase,
you have about two minutes, maybe as much as five minutes sometimes.
It is certainly true that if anybody wants to do anything like that,
decisions will have to be made in minutes. Now, when we talk about
retaliation and mutual assured deterrence, the decisions are also
relatively short term, especially when you talk about the defense
of Europe. That's one quote.
The next quote I want to read comes out of this ({\it holding a
brochure aloft}). This is a brochure advertising a series of seminars
that are being given in cities around the country, in San Diego,
Los Angeles, San Jose, and on the East Coast, in Washington, New York,
and Boston. This is a two-day seminar. You pay $500 to go for two days,
and you find out things like the following: ``leading edge applications
for autonomous vehicle control, target acquisition and engagement,
communications and intelligence, high-pay applications for AI robotics,
weapons systems, impact on air-land battle 2000''---that's the way wars
are supposed to be fought in the year 2000---``battlefield artificial
intelligence and robotics: who are the key players, should man be removed
from the loop, what's feasible now, where are we headed, what weapons
systems upgrade options robotics makes possible, when will performance
equal profit?'' Number two.
Number three is really quite different. It comes from the front page of
the manual for a small personal computer you can buy. It reads as
follows:
\beginquote
The company makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect
to this manual or with respect to the software described in this manual,
its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for any
particular purpose. The software is sold or licensed as is: the
entire risk as to quality and performance lies with the buyer,
not the company. The buyer assumes the entire cost of all necessary
servicing, repair, or correction, and any incidental or
consequential damages. In no event will the company be liable for
direct or indirect incidental or consequential damages resulting from
any defect in the software, even if the company has been advised of
the possibility of such damages.
\endquote
I think that contrasts with the first two quotes.
The last quote is, to me, the saddest of all. It comes from a
{\it Washington Post} ABC news poll. It reads as follows:
\beginquote
One issue appears to be determining voter choices in the 1984 presidential
election---financial self-interest. Voters say they think they
personally will be better off under President Reagan, and probably
are supporting him now regardless of how they feel on most other
issues. Many voters say that Mondale would be better than Reagan at
reducing the threat of nuclear war, but that they personally would be
better off financially under Reagan. How would these people vote as
of now? By 568\% to 31\% they back Reagan. Many voters say they
think that Mondale, more than Reagan, would see to it that
government programs are fair to everyone, but that they personally
would be better off financially with Reagan as president. How would
they vote? By 71\% to 20\% in support of Reagan. About one-quarter
of registered voters think that the nation's economy is getting worse
instead of better. Most of them support Mondale. The ones in
that category, who think that they personally will be better off
financially under Reagan, back the president 70\% to 27\%.
\endquote
It is their personal financial status, not the nation's economy,
that counts most. Pretty grim stuff.
It's very hard for me to talk about prosperity when it seems to me
that our survival is really very much in jeopardy. I've put myself
on the line with Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
in order to devote myself completely to this issue, becuase it seems
that we are in considerable danger. The moderator has already raised
the issue of what part computers are playing in this. It is certainly
true that the increased precision of missiles, which is due almost
completely to computer technology, is changing the character of the
nuclear arms race. It is putting things more and more on a hair
trigger. Today the question of building larger bombs is no longer
of such relevance or interest. People have figured out that you
could do a lot more damage by distributing a larger number of
smaller bombs, and furthermore, you can place them precisely, so
that you can begin to think about hitting the other side's missiles
themselves. That's exactly what we see happening. The talk we
hear out of the Defense Department is increasingly of a first strike,
of being prepared to fight and take out the other side's missiles.
I'm very concerned because I believe that the quote I read from
the computer manufacturer represents the situation the world is
facing. The fantasies that people have about what we might be able to
build as Star Wars systems are really just that---just fantasies.
They don't take into account the serious problems that we have
with all the computer systems we use today. Systems of any magnitude,
as we all probably know, suffer problems of one sort or another.
They slow down or they stop working consistently. I went to my bank
today, and the automated teller machine wasn't working. Anybody who
goes to his bank has that happen to him sooner or later. It seems
to me to relate to what goes on in planning for a defense system.
I think we Americans have come to belive that technology can do
amost anything. Scientists are more usually wrong when they say
you can't do something than when they say you {\it can} do something.
It is very difficult to be negative about things. On the other hand,
there were a lot of people who tried to promote the law of perpetual
motion in the last century. Finally, it turned out that we had to accept
the second law of thermodynamics, which says you can't build
perpetual motion machines. Nobody really likes the second law very
well because it says you can't do something that you ought to be able
to sneak up on. We tend to feel that technology can solve all our
problems because it has solved so many in the past. I don't believe
that any longer. I think we are grasping at straws now. We are
getting closer and closer to crossroads where we're really going to have
to decide whether we are going to act like selfish, greedy, arrogant,
antagonistic people, or whether we are going to dominate that side
of our character with concern about society as a whole. I think that
that time is really here. Computer people are part of society, and
our technology is very heavily embedded in the arms race. I represent
that portion of the professional community that thinks we should really
start raising questions like this and ask what we as individuals can
do.
{\it John McCarthy}: That was quite an emotional address, and
I'm not very capable of responding, nor do I wish to respond, in kind.
I want to talk about survival, and I also want to talk about
prosperity. I'll talk about survival first. The problem of
nuclear war has been with us for thirty-nine years. We have
survived so far with a wide variety of governmental adminstrations
who advocate a wide variety of policies. (Although what they advocate
when they're out of office tends to be more drastic in one direction
or another than what they do when they are in office). However,
when somebody says we should make a drastic change, then he is really
taking a risk. Whether this drastic change is in the direction
of war---armament, or a more militant policy---or whether this change
is in the direction of unilateral disarmament, he's saying, well,
somehow the situation has become desparate. Now in Severo's talk
there were various notes of ``the situation has become desparate,
and we should start questioning'', and so on. Well, this whole
thing, including most of the arguments on both sides, has been
around for at least 30 of the 39 years, and perhaps all of them even
started in 1945 between the atomic bombing of Japan and the end of
that year.
There are of course, some questions about: something
may have changed recently. One thing that may have changed,
at least some people have argued that it has, is the balance of
nuclear and conventional power. If, indeed, it's true that an
imbalance has appeared, then it is probably an improvement to
rectify it. One of the things I want to mention there has
something to do with the moderator's remarks about the US
installing missiles in Germany. One has to recall that the
then-Chancellor of West Germany requested President Carter to
do something about the SS20 missiles. One has to remember what
kind of event started it.
I'm going to speak a little bit about the Strategic Computing
inititative. This has, in the minds of its congressional supporters
and in the minds of the DOD people who put together the package,
two purposes. The first one is straightforward defense research
support. Many defense plans depend heavily on computing, and we can
save a lot of money in social turmoil if we could maintain our
technological lead over the Soviet Union in as many areas as possible.
We have no draft at present. They have three years of essentially
unpaid compulsory military service, and spend a substantial fraction
of the GNP on the military. If we are not in a position to maintain
our lead then we may have to restore the draft.
The second purpose of the Strategic Computing initiative seems to
be to offer some response to the highly-publicized Japanese Fifth
Generation Computing project. With regard to
competition with Japan, I have some problems with the Strategic
Computing Initiative myself. These stem from its focus on hardware
and its focus on short-term applications. My opinion is that
progress in artificial intelligence, including the AI which is
applicable to defense problems, will be faster if there is more
emphasis on basic research. This opinion is based on the belief
that current systems technology is inadequate to achieve many of the goals
that people are hoping it will. Moreover, the problems that I
see are fundamental and not merely going to be solved by throwing
more money and power on them. However, I can't put the
fault for this mainly on Congress and the DOD. The mistake
in over-emphasis on short-term goals affects the computer
science community also.
With regard to defense, we have to think about what kind of world
we are living in. My opinion is that Reagan was correct when
he referred to the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire.
Fortunately, he seems capable, unlike some people, of keeping
two ideas in his head at once. We should not forget that the
Soviet Union is an Evil Empire. He also emphasizes that we
we have to negotiate with it and reduce the probability of war.
Maybe we can even negotiate an agreement that will reduce our and
their expenditures on armaments. Maybe we can even keep military
service voluntary.
Now I want to go to the other topic, which is prosperity.
There is a lot of talk about the social responsibility of
computer scientists. As we see what form this is
taking, it is only peripherally related to computer science.
In my opinion, there are some areas where computer scientists and
computer professionals have a responsibility which is more directly
related to their competence. I want to mention some of these.
First of all, everybody grumbles, and has grumbled for years, about
bad service from computer systems. You complain about a wrong bill,
somebody promises to fix it, and they don't, and you get a bill with the
same error the next month. Now, does that have something to do
specifically with computer technology? It does. It has to do with
the computer technology prevalent twenty years ago, and still often
used today, in which the records of a business are kept on tape, and
so when this person takes your telephone call and proposes to change
your record, a card has to be punched, something has to be entered,
and if there is any mistake in that correction card, or whatever it
was, then the thing gets kicked out, and lo and behold you get the
same bill next month. Now this is something, in my view, that
your scientists have some responsibility for.
The second thing computer scientists have some responsibility for
is what I call ``fascist computer programs''. These are programs
promoting the idea that the user is an idiot and must be
carefully controlled and prevented from possibly doing anything
wrong. I believe that when these programs are put in a computer
science environment like mine they are moderately harmful, but
people can, after all, refuse to use them.
When they are sold to personal computer users, they can try to
get a different program. When they have to be used by
people who have no control over their direct job then they can be
really harmful and can make the job a lot more unpleasant.
It is the responsibility of the computer scientists and computer
professionals to say that this characteristic of programs is
unnecessary. In fact, one wants to go in another direction. One
wants to make programs that will enhance jobs
by making it possible for people to have more of the
information required for their job. They should have access to
the files and be able to change them when it's necessary, and there
should be an adequate audit trail to show who changed it, so that you can
let just anybody change it.
The next thing I want to mention is the possible use of computer
technology to ensure, one might say, an additional right we don't have
already. For example, no institution should be allowed to ask the people,
to require from a person an answer to a question when it already has
the answer in its records. They should be required to ask at most
that you confirm it, and ask only once that you confirm it.
My next topic is prosperity and productivity. We have had substantial
degrees of technological innovation since around 1600. There have
been increases in productivity since then. Worries about the increases
in productivity causing general unemployment have been raised since almost
that time. However, economists have never been able to find any
correlation, within a country, between the periods of fast
technological advance, and the degree of unemployment. Nor have
they been able to find correlations between technology and unemployment
by comparing different countries. It is simply not true that the
countries with less technology have less unemployment. In fact, they
tend, on the whole, to have more. We can ask ourselves the question:
Is the automation and computerization that is taking place today
something qualitatively different, or is it more of the same? I
believe that it is, up to now, more of the same. That it is of a piece
with the previous increases of productivity which have, in fact, led
to an increase in prosperity.
The final thing I want to mention in this
list of things which are the responsibility of the computer community
is that computer technology has not been used anywhere nearly to the
extend that it can be to make freedom of information effective.
There is the Freedom of Information Act which requires the government
to put certain things in reading rooms in Washington, where certain
relatively well-to-do organizations, whether they be companies or
whether they be environmental organizations, can look at it. But in
terms of requiring them to put it in a computerized data base where anybody
in the country can call up from his home terminal and get the information,
this hasn't happened. It is the responsibility of the computer
community, who else, to point out that this is feasible, and that we
can make this right more effective. This is in my opinion the
list of opportunities that the computer community actually has to
exercise its social responsibilities. I think we ought to have an
organization for this. We could cal it something like Computer
Professionals for Social Responsibility.
{\it Terry Winograd}: I want to talk for a few minutes about the
Strategic Computing proposal which was one motivating factor for this
discussion. Certainly it has motivated a lot of discussion within
CPSR and the press. I'll just give a little history of it, which was
alluded to earlier, but I'll fill it in. About two or three years ago
a group of researchers in Japan put out a document describing what they
called the Fifth Generation Computer. That document talks about new
advances in computer technology, in particular artificial intelligence,
and expert systems are going to make a major change, a major increase
in human prosperity, and it goes on in quite flowery style about all the
wonderful things computers can do in the world. Along with that, they
put a lot of money into a particular program of research.
They invited the world to conferences and said, ``Come aong with us.
It's the new Fifth Generation of Computers that will really be much
better for people than the old ones.'' People in other countries,
in some ways, said ``Yes, that's wonderful'', and others, at the same
time, said ``You'd better be careful because if it's really as good
as they say it is, the Japanese are going to come in first again,
just like they did in cars, microcomputer chips, cameras, and electronics.
In the end they will win and we will lose, in the economic sense at
least.'' Various people in various countries, including the U.S.,
England, and France, wrote pieces, books, articles, and held
conferences, saying we'd better get in and do something fast or we're
going to be in trouble. Governments of these countries each
responded in their own ways; they set up committees, did studies, and
came up with the money. The U.S. was interesting in that, rather than
doing it through some kind of a broad science funding organization such as
a Board or Ministry for Technology, it was picked up by the Defense
Department. In particular, by the Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA). The Strategic Computing Initiative is very careful never to
mention the Japanese, but what's between the lines is that the
Japanese are right about this being a great technology, and we can
use it to build smart weapons systmes that will put us in a much
stronger position. Therefore, we should support it as a military
project to apply Fifth Generation techniques to the development of
automated intelligent weaponry. It's quite explicit in the sense
that it lists projects: pilot-assist systems for the Air Force,
a battle management planner for the Navy,
and an automated driverless walking tank for the Army. There
were various responses to this in the academic community. A number of
people found it quite uncomfortable, in that ARPA has been sponsoring
artificial intelligence research for many years, since the beginning
of the field. But it's always been done in the spirit, ``Let's
sponsor good basic research, and when it works out well it will be to
the advantage of the military as well as everybody else. You people in
universities could go on doing what you consider basic research, and what
your students, and your administration, feel comfortable with. When
the results come out, we will then put them into industrial labs and
let them go ahead and turn it into weapons.
The Strategic Computing initiative marks a direct attempt to create an
explicit partnership between the universities and the more basic
research labs and the actual contractors who are out there making
weapons, the people who would go to the conferences and seminars
like the one whose advertisement Severo read aloud.
This raises, once again, the question that has lain dormant since
the Viet Nam war: What is appropriate for those of us who consider
ourselves more basic scientists, researchers, those who are in academia,
what is our responsibility with respect to who pays for the research,
what it's getting used for, and how it's being directed?
I think it would be misleading to see this particular proposal as a
major shift in that whole question. The total budget for Strategic
Computing is relatively small, compared to the overall defense budget,
or even to the overall university science budget. Much of the money will
end up not in universities, but in companies who pay for those
expensive AI seminars. The net result is not going to be that all
of a sudden university computer science departments are turning to war
machines. But it raised again, in a fairly sharp way, the basic question
of what responsibility do we have as scientists for the work that we do
and the directions in which it is being used---even though we ourselves
are not actually out there building military applications?
What impact does military funding have on the people who do the
research---even in projects proposed by a faculty member, not a
project pushed by the DOD like this one? What impact does military
funding have on the way the research gets done, on the conduct of
the university? There is a whole range of issues which go beyond
any specific proposal.
In order to answer the question, ``Why shouldn't I be
perfectly happy to take money from ARPA to do strategic computing if I
believe that what they are funding is in fact good science that has
non-military applications?'', it is important to take a step back to
a very basic issue that I think John was addressing, and on which I
have a different view. The issue is, where we stand and where we
are heading. Are we in a present danger? Are things more or less
stable and going this way for forty years, and why shouldn't they
stay that way? Or, are there things happening which call for
immediate action? I think the technological and social trends are
in fact accelerating. It is not simply a stable situation.
I'm talking about short response times, less ability to consider
things, less ability to take into account what is really happening,
pressure to act quickly or lose your chance.
I think all of those things are accelerating rapidly and have a
very serious impact on the possibility that somebody will, in a moment
of crisis, push the button. Saying that we've gone 39 years and
nothing's happened yet is like saying to a terminal cancer patient,
``Look, you've lived this long and you haven't died yet.''
The fact that it hasn't happened yet is hardly comforting if you look
into history, and find that wars have happened many times after a
long build-up during which nothing has happened---yet, there is some
spark, and there it goes. In the past it has always been just a few
local vicinities that got wiped out. There's a qualitative difference
now. I think politically we're in a cycle and this is certainly
nothing new in history. Some people, including Reagan, believe that
the way to solve your problems is to win, to be stronger, to be patriotic,
to be tougher than the other guy, to get out there and battle it out,
and come out on top. Again, this is not something new in history.
It takes on a different flavor now, however, when the winner is the
one who dies with the most toys. The whole concept which worked perfectly
well for millions of years of evolution, when you had one person
or a small number of people, fighting each other, and the fittest would
survive, is just outmoded today.
I'm not about to change human nature; nevertheless, we either go along
and accept that kind of psychology, or we do some things which in
some ways catch some people short, make them more aware. For
instance, take the talk about keeping our technological lead over
the Evil Empire. What it means is, keep a technological lead so that
when the fight comes, we will be the winners, we will kill them first.
We see an increasing sense of dependence on the military. The success
of the military is equated with the success of the country, prosperity,
and happiness.
One of the things that makes a difference is not going along with it.
Having said, ``I won't do that'', we still have to ask the question,
what is our responsibility other than to say we don't want to be
involved in military work? There is a substantial number of people
for whom this is an important question. I can see that from the way
CPSR has grown. It is having the kind of impact we need in places where
people who are members are having discussions with people in their
work places. These are feelings which are often unexpressed, although
they are widespread.
John raised an important issue: what would it mean to have computer
science which pushed in the direction of creating conditions where
someone who worked in a bank or a factory would have legitimate
realistic input into what kinds of conditions of work were created
by the system? We could ask, for instance, what would it take to
design systems which are more responsive to people, instead of the
question, what would it take to design circuit chips which operate at
very high speed under high radiation conditions.
{\it John McCarthy}: Terry mentioned Viet Nam. People did a lot about
Viet Nam, and eventually they succeeded in changing U.S. polociy, and
we got out. The result was a tremendous tragedy. More people died
in Viet Nam, in the five years after we got oout, than died in the
previous thirty years. The people in South Viet Nam, almost all of
them, didn't get out with us. They thought they could live there.
It took two or three years before people began to get desparate and
started trying to get away in small boats. I think the point I'm
getting at here is that one can have errors of both kinds, and in my
view we committed such an error and may commit another.
I want to mention a project for which I am currently applying for
a grant. One of the slogans we hear today is that we want faster
computers, and everybody seems to agree that the way to do that is
to make them run in parallel. There are proposals to make multiprocessor
computers, with as many as 500 or 1000 processors, and some people
even talk about 10,000 processors, and one of the major applications
that is proposed is artificial intelligence. All sorts of people are
proposing to make thousands-of-processor systems to do things
that haven't even been done with two. So this makes me a little
nervous. What I have proposed to them is that they buy currently
available multiprocessor systems. There are two vendors competing
to sell it to us. We put on it a LISP for multiprocessing that has
recently been developed, or rather the ideas for it have been
developed, by Dick Gabriel and myself. In order to check out the
parallelism, that this language is good for writing parallel programs,
we want to put on it MACSYMA, which is a system for doing algebraic
computations. It has a wide variety of algorithms in it, and so we'll
get a wide variety of problems in making these algorithms parallel.
It looks like the defense department, that is ARPA, is taking a
favorable view of this project and they may give us a million and a
half dollars to buy this computer and an additional sum of money to support
people who do all these things. Now, they believe, and I hope correctly,
that doing this will help them eventually, in good time, with the
application of artificial intelligence techniques and parallel computations
to military problems.
Now, I should remark that the interest of the defense department in
pushing things in the direction of applications is not new, nor is it
even at its most intense phase. Its most intense phase was in the
early seventies. That came about through an interesting alliance of
liberals and conservatives. The liberals thought that the defense department
shouldn't be supporting university work because it would corrupt them.
The conservatives thought they should get more bang for the buck, and
so the Mansfield Amendment to the Defense Appropriation Act was passed,
which said that the military had to certify that each piece of research
they were supporting had a direct military application. Then they went
around asking people, ``How will this stuff have a direct military
application?'', and of course, some large fraction of what they were
already funding could be said to have direct military application, even
if that hadn't been said when the work was originally set up. So the
disaster wasn't as bad as it might have been, but still it was fairly bad.
Now another remark on defense funding: in 1960 we spent 10\% of our
GNP on defense, and in the late seventies it was down to 5\%, and
Reagan wants to raise it to 7\%. So it isn't as though defense
costs are about to overwhelm us.
Terry talked about having a computer science that helped people,
but I found his remarks rather vague. What I would like to see is
some specific projects that would help, and I want to mention one
that I have been pushing for many years. This is an electronic
***Vietnam
library. I wrote my first paper about it in the late seventies.
It was at that time, and has been since, technically feasible to
have one giant computer library containing everything that has been
published in the world. Anybody could get access to what would
amount to the Library of Congress from his home terminal, at any
hour of the day or night. Back in 1971 or '72, I went to see Ed
Davidson, Nison's Science Advisor (now vice-president of Exxon).
At that time, the U.S. had two and a half billion dollars worth
of Indian rupees, which couldn't be converted into dollars and
taken out of India, left over from famine aid in '66. I proposed
that we use some of these rupees to hire people to type in parts of
the world literature. Mr. Davidson just said, ``Well, I haven't got
any power,'' which turned out to be true, since a few weeks later
the President fired him. So that was one attempt.
A more recent attempt has showed some signs of success. The French
government has set of a world center for informatics and human resources
which is supposed to do good for the Third World. They like this project,
and they're going to do a prototype in Marseilles, put some French
literature, as much as they can afford, on it and start out as a
small public computer library. What I claim is that people that do
things like that actually do some good, more good than those who talk
about ``re-orienting computer science''. I believe that the
Scandinavians, who have a deep enthusiasm for re-orienting computer
science, have not really made striking accomplishments. At least
I don't know about any computer services available in Scandinavia that
we want to copy. The desire to copy things seems to run the other way.
{\it Severo Ornstein}: As far as Viet Nam is concerned, it's
not clear to me who stopped the Viet Nam war. I suspect a large part
was played by the large number of children of the people in Congress
who were starting to get killed. It's not clear to me that people were
concerned about the slaughter, or should be blamed for the war either.
I think most of the bad decisions were made in the late fifties and
early sixties. We chose to suport one dictator after another in
South Viet Nam and built up a regime there that was hated by a large
part of the Vietnamese population. We had opportunity after opportunity
to mend our ways there, and we chose not to. The blame for the
giant slaughter and the terrible things that happened since we
left is not to be laid entirely on the peace movement of the sixties.
Working my way backward through the list, I find that I don't
completely disagree with you, John. I find that I absolutely agree with
you that we need more basic research in computer science, and I
would probably agree with you that the DOD has, through DARPA, over
the years funded research in a way that practically no other
institution in the government would have been able to do. I have
enormous admiration for the people who headed DARPA over the years.
I worked with most of them, and I think that the state of
computer science in this country today is in no small part due to the
quality of the funding that's come from DARPA. Furthermore, I believe
that there are a lot of people in the Defense Department
who are as concerned about the issue of nuclear war as I am,
perhaps even more so, because they know more about it.
So I don't take just one piece of the government to task.
I think we all bear a responsibility, and that's what Computer
Professionals for Social Responsibility is all about. I think we
all have a piece to play.
I was talking the other day to a chap who was, until relatively
recently, in charge of what is know as the Star Wars program in the
Air Force. It's a long-standing program---although the term has been
used to describe President Reagan's plans, there has been a program
of space technology in the Air Force for a substantial period of time,
and there's a fellow by the name of Bowman who has been in charge of
it for a number of years. He's got a Ph. D. from Cal Tech, and he
is now in charge of an institute in Washington, and spends his
time traveling around the country, and in fact, around the world,
speaking out against the Star Wars program, arguing that it is a waste of
money, and extremely dangerous for arms control talks. So there is
someone who was absolutely at the center of the program, who is now
arguing hard against it. He made a comment which I think is
appropriate about the `Soviet threat'.
He said, ``You know, there's really not enough Soviet threat to go
around among all the programs we're trying to fund in Congress. We
have to divvy it up very carefully these days.''
{\it McCarthy}: Is that an argument or just a wisecrack?
{\it Ornstein}: I think it's a wisecrack which has something behind it.
{\it McCarthy}: {\it What} does it have behind it?
{\it Ornstein}: Well, let me say a little more. Many of you may not
know that in 1945, Harry Truman set a photographer over to Japan to
record the damage at Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombs were dropped,
and the human suffering. That fellow brought back films which were
immediately taken by Truman, classified, and tucked away in archives.
That fellow was very disturbed by what he had seen. He spent from
1945 to 1979 attempting to obtain from one administration after another the
right to show those films publically, and was in every case refused.
Finally, the films were declassified quietly in 1979, and it took them a
couple of years to find that out, but in the meantime the damage had
been done. You might ask yourselves the question, ``Why was it felt
necessary to keep those films heavily classified?'' It wasn't an accident,
this chap wrote to President after President. He spent a large part of his
life trying to get that material released, because he felt it was so
important for the public to see it. Yet the government, in one
administration after another, refused to release it. The only possible
anser I can come up with is that the government had another agenda it
intended for the public.
I guess I believe that Dr. Bowman's comment about the Soviet threat
should be well received. The Soviet threat is usually exaggerated.
People who use this argument the most, usually know the least about
what actually happens inside the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is
certainly corrupt. It treats its people terribly, and has a terrible
policy in Europe. There is just no question of that. People in
glass houses should be just a tiny bit careful, however. It seems
to me that while we have considerable freedom in this country, our
behaviour throughout the world has not in general been admirable.
We have looked rather hard after our own self-interest. I think you
have to be careful when you hold up the Soviets as THE Evil Empire,
to worry about the old adage about people in glass houses, because
I think that we have our own problems to worry about.
I agree with you about a wider scope of concern for Computer
Professionals for Social Responsibility. I am personally
principally concerned about nuclear war, because it seems the
most important thing to worry about. Nonetheless, I have
participated in meetings having to do with issues of civil
liberties, technology, and privacy legislation that were chaired
by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Washington.
We went to some meetings there last winter, and more recently to
an American Bar Association meeting in Chicago, where we were
discussing the problems of individual liberty and privacy and the
Privacy Act of 1974, which desparately needs updating. They debated
for two days on the definition of privacy, which I thought was a
little much, but they share our concern with the issue. I agree
with you that CPSR should be concerned with other issues than
nuclear war. I point out that we {\it are}. If you feel strongly
about that, I happen to have here an application blank for
membership in CPSR.
{\it McCarthy}: You seem to believe that the best way to make
social progress is to forbid suffering. To find something that is
bad, and forbid it. Now that's better than the primitive view---
that the best way to make social progress is to kill somebody. But
still, it's less good than that the best way to make social progress
is to build something. What we have here is simply the question,
``What computer science should be forbidden?'' If that's your
notion of social responsibility, then I don't want in.
{\it Winograd}: I don't believe that anything in computer science
should be forbidden. We are talking about {\it applications}.
{\it McCarthy}: Your point is that what social responsibility consists
of is finding out what applications should be forbidden---and forbidding
them. Rather than what is positive and {\it should} be done.
{\it Ornstein}: I don't know how to use computers to make people
better, which seems to be the fundamental problem. I do know how
to use the computer to kill people. I think we ought to forbid that.
{\it Winograd}: You all came here under the impression that this was
going to be a discussion about computers, and most of what you
heard is about wars, Viet Nam, and weapon systems---issues which,
although computers relate to them, are not about computers. That's
telling.
Computers aren't the problem and computers aren't the solution.
They may raise points, they exacerbate, they make things more urgent,
or they play a role in the balance, but ultimately the meaningful
questions about computers are questins about society in which computers
play a role.
You might ask why Severo and I are part of an organization. Why have
an organization specifically organized around computers? Why not go to
the Democratic Party, or the Socialists, or the John Birch Society,
which are explicitly political groups. I think the answer is, that
we are members of a profession.
As a member of a profession, whether medicine or computer science,
any profession that has a public role in creating the understanding
of the world around us, you are responsible for putting forth
an understanding which leads in the political and social direction
which you feel is right. As a computer scientist, you can get up and
talk about things like the reliability of early warning systems, to take
an immediate example. You can say things which can have a real impact
on the public understanding and discussion about what kind of system
we want, that somebody who doesn't have the same background cannot.
Politics isn't a matter for cocktail-party debate, or watching TV
at home. In the end it comes down to what you do where you work
and where you are, and the people you work with. The things we
do in our work are related to computers, and the kind of question that
needs to be raised in that context is, ``How is what I'm doing on
a day-by-day basis, in its own little way, leading in a direction
that I like or I don(t like, or that I think is right, or that I think
is wrong?''
I think John makes a very important point. I may disagree with a lot
of the consequences he draws from it, but ultimately the question needs
to be ``What can I do that works?'', and not ``How can I stop this?'',
although, you need to ask that, too. If the house is burning down,
you don't want to ask, ``Gee, how can I build fireproof houses?''
You want to put out the fire first. Then, maybe the right question is,
``How can I build fireproof houses?'' As a matter of fact, that's
obviously a good question to ask.
Part of what we at CPSR are doing is to begin asking both kinds
of questions. We recognize that we(re not going to end wars and
poverty by coming up with the right computer program. On the
other hand, we can choose directions. We can choose things
that are more relevant to the satisfaction of people in their jobs,
for example. So, in talking about re-orienting computer science,
I'm not disagreeing with John; but I don't think putting the Library
of Congress on easy access will make a significant difference in the
quality of life.
{\it McCarthy}: Well, there is a direct social benefit of making
the world library available on a computer file. That is, if you have
that kind of disk capacity, anybody can publish anything just by putting
it in a file and declaring it to be public. This will give everyone
an effective right of reply. If you listen to the radio and Reagan
says something you don't like, then you don't have any immediate chance
***what do the Democrats think ....
of saying, ``Well now, how do the Democrats think about that?'' In
a system of the kind I'm thinking about, you would go to your
terminal and ask, ``What do the Democrats think about that?'' and
probably if you wait half an hour there would be something.
One of the enormous discoveries of politics in the last fifty years
is that you don't have to actually respond to the other guy's point,
you can just pick up something from your campaign speech and utter it.
In the old days of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, one of them would
ask a complicated question, and the other guy would actually feel
obliged to answer it. Now what I would like to do, being a reactionary,
is to restore that situation by making the right of reply effective.
This project was only one of several concrete proposals I made,
and I'd like to have some discussion of the others.
{\it Ornstein}: Let me just say that we're talking aout a workshop
for exactly those issues, namely, what is it that society might be
doing with its dollars for computer research and applications, if it
weren't spending so heavily on military problems. That is, if that
money were available to you, starting from scratch, what do we think
society should spend its money on? There are problems in medicine that
one could address if one put money into that. There are problems in
education that could be addressed. I think there is a variety of things,
and CPSR intends to address those questions.
{\it McCarthy}: Now, if you would just avoid this silly business
of wanting to take the money away from the military, and simply say,
``How can we combine military and civilian money and get these projects
done?'', that would be better. I mean, you spend all your time
trying to get the money away from them, rather than trying to
spend it, trying to get some money for getting these things started.
{\it Ornstein}: I think you have the wrong image. The game is not
to get the money away from them. The game is to stay alive. That's
what realy motivates me. I genuinely believe that, if I and a bunch
of you other people don't get out there and do the kind of thing
I'm doing, we're all going to be dead in thirty or forty years.
{\it McCarthy}: That's what people said thirty years ago.
{\it Ornstein}: As Terry said, just because we've survived till now
doesn't mean we'll survive forever.
{\it McCarthy}: But you see, I don't even believe that the {it sign}
of what you're doing is correct. What you're doing is making it
{\it more} likely that we'll get bombed, rather than {\it less}.
{\it Ornstein}: That's a legitimate question, and I'll be happy to
debate that with you, but I don't think we have time. Everything one
does has to be done with a certain caveat. This game of nuclear chicken
with the Soviets is indeed a delicate game, and nobody proposed making
drastic changes. We proposed thinking about it very hard. I see
a lot of people doing things without thinking about it very hard, and I see
a lot of people doing things in that arena for reasons I think are
inadequate. I'm proposing that we all ought to be thinking very hard
about the issues and telling our government precisely what we think after
we think about it very hard.
{\it McCarthy}: I'm going to challenge you on this ``nuclear chicken''
thing. I don't think that describes the behaviour of either the U.S.
or the Soviet Union. Each party is very much afraid of nuclear war.
We do not have the situation we had before World War I and before
World War II where you had prominent political leaders glorifying
war as something that brings out the manhood in the country. You
don't have a Mussolini pounding the table or a Hitler writing a
{\it Mein Kampf}. The nuclear weapons have indeed succeeded in
scaring just about everybody out of that, except maybe a few movie
makers.
{\it Ornstein}: I don't think I believe that. I'm sorry.
I think that people don't understand what we're faced with very well
at all. I think that we are faced with a man who wraps himself
in the flag and likes nothing better that having the F-15's go
flying by. A man who believes that is what keeps us alive and that
more of those are necessary. Everybody agreed in the early days
that with a hundred well-placed atomic bombs you could blow the hell
out of either country, and so you have to ask yourself, ``Why have
we been building more all the time?'' That's what I meant by
``nuclear chicken''. What has happened is that these weapons
have become symbols of power in their own right. That the more you
have is what matters, whether it makes sense or not. What is going
on is a substantial macho game of trying to scare the devil out of the
other guy. The governments on each side are playing a very, very
dangerous game. It simply can be reduced to two teenage boys
out there on the lot shaking their fists at one another, and each
one is trying to scare the other more, swinging a little bit
closer to the other guy's nose. Sooner or later, by accident, it
seems to me, somebody will probably draw blood, and ultimately,
we will all be dead. It's a very simple scenario and I think that
it is really what's happening.
I myself am pretty much convinced that we are done for. I think
we're watching the last of the species here. I think, paleontologically
speaking, we're a relatively unsuccessful species. The ants have
a much better understanding of what's required for a social system
than we have. We're much too focussed on our own individual needs
and problems---not well-focussed on the needs of the society and
not prepared at all to sacrifice our individual needs and desires for
the society. I think that disappointing quote I read you earlier is
proof of it.
I think we are done for. I think that's really what's going to
happen. But it seems to me that one has every obligation
to try and stop it as long as one is alive. That's what I'm doing.
{\it McCarthy}: The view that people are too individualistic and
are not sufficiently inclined to sacrifice their own interests for
the interest of the community has an obverse side to it. The obverse
side is that those who know what the good of the community is have
the right to coerce the remainder into sacrificing for the good of the
community. This has turned out pretty badly. I don't know whether I
can accuse you of that, because you don't have any power.
{\it Ornstein}: I'm pushing, you see, for democracy. I think we've
lost a large part of our democracy in this country. Democracy goes
away when people don't take the responsibility on their shoulders
to uphold it. Just going to the polls doesn't mean we have democracy.
I am simply encouraging people to become concerned about issues because
I think we take our survival and our prosperity too much for granted.
{\it McCarthy}: But suppose somebody is listening to the arguments here,
and he's still not quite made up his mind as to who's right? What's to
do then?
{\it Ornstein}: The best that he or she can. That's all we can ask
of any human being. I don't think we're getting the best from most
people. I'm trying to encourage them because I'm worried.
It's as simple as that.
{\it McCarthy}: But, do you think that there is some correlation
between the amount which people have thought and the extent to which
they agree with you about what ought to be done?
By the way, it just occurred to me that you haven't said what ought
to be done! Let me ask you a very concrete question. Gromyko said,
``What we want from the Americans are deeds, not words''. Now,
one thing we could do is make some kind of unilateral concession on
one of the issues, like we could say ``All right, Russians, in order
to improve the atmosphere, we'll agree that we won't test any
Star Wars stuff'', and the Russians could say, ``Well, that shows
a little bit of realism.'' (All you ever get credit for from the
Russians is realism.) ``But we want a real deed.'' Well now, what
do have in mind we should do now?
{/it Ornstein}: The thing that is fundamentally wrong is the mind set
and attitudes of the people. We have an enormous amount of
opportunity in the overkill we have available. We've got enough
to blow them off the earth and they have enough to blow us off.
If you study the arms race, you see that what has happened over
the years, is that the Soviets have mostly mimicked our behaviour.
They have led relatively rarely, and in very few areas. Practically
every significant event in the nuclear arms race has been initiated
by the U.S., and then five years late the Soviets do the same stupid
things, and then later we all regret that. For example, MIRV-ing
our missiles, which everybody now agrees was a terribly bad idea.
Now it seems to me, given that kind of behavior, that there is
the possibility of making a good wise move, as well as a bad move.
So it seems to me that one of the things one could do is to make
some fairly substantial cuts without giving away a thing of
significance. You give away only symbols, and in giving away
symbols, you acknowledge the fact that we have to sit on this
earth together, and you don't do anything dangerous in the process.
{\it McCarthy}: Do you remember the gesture of unilateral disarmament
that Nixon made?
{\it Ornstein}: No.
{\it McCarthy}: You can't. So that's what comes of it.
Nixon completely gave up our ability to wage bacteriological warfare
as a unilateral gesture, and what we discovered is that the Russians
did not follow this.
{\it Ornstein}: There are no guarantees associated with this.
{\it McCarthy}: But it was tried, you see, and found wanting.
Replying-To: "ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson"@Berkeley
Also-to: ornstein@xerox.pa
Also-to: tw
Reply-Subject: reply to message
Reply-Text:
[In reply to message from ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley sent Sun, 4 Aug 85 12:43:50 pdt.]
∂04-Aug-85 1839 KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA gio presentation
Received: from USC-ISI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 4 Aug 85 18:39:21 PDT
Date: 4 Aug 1985 21:41-EDT
Sender: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
Subject: gio presentation
Subject: [Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>: Glenn Visit]
From: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <[USC-ISI.ARPA] 4-Aug-85 21:41:15.KAHN>
john,
nils indicates that you would prefer that i talk about
gio's work in place of you. Thats ok with me, but i
will need to ahve a few minutes extra to fit that in.
To do that i will need about five more minutes than i
have currently budgeted. Can you fit your presentation into
20 minutes instead of 25?
bob
Begin forwarded message
Received: FROM SU-SCORE.ARPA BY USC-ISI.ARPA WITH TCP ; 4 Aug 85 16:44:55 EDT
Date: Sun 4 Aug 85 13:42:27-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
To: kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA
Cc: meindl@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, gibbons@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, plummer@SU-SIERRA.ARPA,
nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Subject: Glenn Visit
Return-Path: <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Message-ID: <12132512646.15.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Bob, I have talked with several people involved in the Glenn presentation
and have the following info (you wanted me to get back to you with my
reactions to your proposed agenda):
All the "presenters" on your agenda have been contacted and will be there
and ready to go as per the agenda--with two exceptions noted below:
1. As you know, Jim Meindl will be away. I presume someone is pinch-hitting
for him, but I haven't tracked that one.
2. John McCarthy would rather you (or someone else) talk about Wiederhold's
work.
Are you planning to cover "robotics/vision." I notice Tom Binford is
not on your proposed agenda. (I think he will be out of the country during
that day, so maybe couldn't attend anyway.)
I will be away (even away from netmail) during Aug 12 thru Aug 25, so I
will just be getting back the day before the Glenn visit. I presume you
have someone here to contact (Jim Plummer?) regarding any last minute
changes, etc. I also presume that someone is arranging a meeting place
and will be sending reminders out to those who are on the agenda. (No
need to remind me; I'll show up at wherever the mtg is to be held bright
and early Tuesday morning, Aug. 27. Could whomever is setting up
the meeting room pse let my secy know? Richardson@score.)
If volunteer work is needed during this next week (Aug 5-9) for
organization, finding rooms, etc that I can help with, please let me
know.
Here is your agenda with my comments in ALL CAPS:
Kahn - KB vlsi, Cooperating agents, Regular expression silicon compilation,
real-time analysis and modelling, distributed information theory
and vision (unless its covered in the robotics presentation).
WIEDERHOLD WORK.
- 5 minute summary only (I DON'T SEE HOW YOU'LL DO ALL THE ABOVE IN 5 MINS.)
Meindl - 30 minutes - Foundry automation/CIS re Fast Turnaround & integrated
System aspects, MIPS & design tools (Hennessy results)
(I PRESUME JIM MEINDL IS ARRANGING FOR SOMEONE TO GIVE THIS PRESENTATION SINCE
HE WILL BE AWAY.)
Feigenbaum - 25 Minutes - Knowledge Systems & Advanced Architecture
McCarthy - 25 Minutes - Formal reasoning, Qlisp, logic programming
benchmarking (gabriel results)
(AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH JMC, I TOOK WIEDERHOLD
MATERIAL OUT OF THIS.)
Ullman - 10 Minutes - Parallel Computation
Luckham - 10 minutes - Ada Verification
Cheriton - 10 Minutes - Partitionable Systems
Best wishes, -Nils
-------
--------------------
End forwarded message
∂04-Aug-85 2001 JJW Renaming the machine?
To: JMC, LES, CLT, RPG, RTC
Three of the four Symbolics machines in MJH were recently renamed:
Gold --> Garish
Silver --> Spurious
Iguana --> Ignorant
Coax --> ?
To follow the trend, we should choose a mildly derogatory adjective
starting with "C". Any suggestions?
∂04-Aug-85 2211 MAILER-DAEMON@Berkeley Returned mail: Host unknown
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id AA20945; Sun, 4 Aug 85 22:12:18 pdt
Date: 04 Aug 85 2210 PDT
From: MAILER-DAEMON@Berkeley (Mail Delivery Subsystem)
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To: <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
----- Transcript of session follows -----
421 ucscd.tcp... Deferred: Error 0
550 <ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@UCB-VAX.ARPA>... Host unknown
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Message-Id: <8508050512.AA20943@UCB-VAX.ARPA>
Date: 04 Aug 85 2210 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: reply to message
To: ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@BERKELEY
[In reply to message sent Sun, 4 Aug 85 12:43:50 pdt.]
∂04-Aug-85 2221 Mailer failed mail returned
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In processing the following command:
MAIL
The command was aborted because these Host Name(s) are Unknown:
XEROX.PA
------- Begin undelivered message: -------
∂04-Aug-85 2221 JMC reply to message
To: ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@UCB-VAX.ARPA, TW@SU-AI.ARPA
[In reply to message from ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley sent Sun, 4 Aug 85 12:43:50 pdt.]
Except for a few typos, I'll let what I said stand if the others let theirs
stand. "Vietnam" is one word. Use the American spelling "behavior"
consistently. Nixon's Science Adviser was Dr. Edward David. I first
wrote about the electronic library in the late 1960s. You have "The
best way way to make progress is to forbid suffering". I said "
forbid something". There are more typos.
------- End undelivered message -------
∂05-Aug-85 0956 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA august dues
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 5 Aug 85 09:56:20 PDT
Date: Mon 5 Aug 85 09:55:17-PDT
From: Joan Feigenbaum <JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: august dues
To: coffee-drinkers: ;
I have just returned from a two-week trip. August coffee pool money is due
as soon as possible. Leave it in an envelope in my mail folder or give it
to me in person.
Thanks,
Joan
-------
∂05-Aug-85 1141 RA Mr. Halbrecht
Please return Mr. Halbrecht call (203) 327 5630. He was referred to you
by Nafeh.
∂05-Aug-85 1344 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA event
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Date: Mon 5 Aug 85 13:43:17-PDT
From: Sarah McCarthy <SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: event
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12132774940.18.SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Stop by so I can tell you about the event.
-------
∂05-Aug-85 1647 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Udi Shapiro
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 5 Aug 85 16:47:19 PDT
Date: Mon 5 Aug 85 16:42:19-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Udi Shapiro
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: ra@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12132807532.28.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Can you advise me whether or not anyone has arranged for Udi Shapiro to
give a talk here the day of his visit (8/26/85)?
Thanks, Anne
-------
∂05-Aug-85 2112 minker@maryland COLING88
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Received: by maryland.ARPA (4.12/4.7)
id AA05860; Tue, 6 Aug 85 00:10:33 edt
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 85 00:10:33 edt
From: Jack Minker <minker@maryland>
Message-Id: <8508060410.AA05860@maryland.ARPA>
To: "BELLCORE\!WALKER"@BERKELEY, BELLCORE\!WALKER@maryland, Kay.pa@Xerox
Subject: COLING88
Dear Martin and Don,
I had been planning to write a letter to the SIGART Newsletter
concerning the events that happened surrounding the IJCAI held
in Tblisi, Georgia, USSR ten years ago. While preparing the
letter I heard that the Soviets have requested that COLING88
be held there. I have included comments on COLING88 in the
letter to SIGART. Enclosed is a copy of the letter.
I hope that you both will support my position and reject the
Soviet Union's bid for the conference. I sincerely doubt that
they will reverse their position and release the scientists
who would like to emigrate.
Should I send the letter, or a suitably modified one to the
Journal of Computational Linguistics? What might we do to
put pressure on the Soviet Union in this regard?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Jack Minker
Tblisi 1975 - A Retrospective Review
by
Jack Minker
University of Maryland
In 1975 the International Joint Conference on Artificial
Intelligence IJCAI was held in Tblisi, Georgia, USSR. A
major controversy, initiated by this writer, arose concern-
ing the holding of the conference in the Soviet Union. Ten
years have passed and it is appropriate to review what hap-
pened then, and during the interim ten years to some of the
Soviet individuals who played roles in that incident, and to
other Soviet cyberneticians/artificial intelligence investi-
gators.
My objections to holding the IJCAI conference in the
Soviet Union were stated in a letter to the SIGART
Newsletter, Number 47, August 1974, 4-5. Two major objec-
tions were:
(1) Soviet researchers who were relevant to the confer-
ence, but in disfavor with their government, would not
be permitted to attend the conference.
(2) Individuals from countries which did not have
diplomatic relations with the USSR would be barred from
attending the conference. In particular I had research-
ers from Israel in mind.
I believed then, as I do now, that international
conferences must be held according to agreed international
standards. Any country that violates these standards should
not have the privilege of hosting a conference. That the
latter two concerns were real is evidenced by events
recounted in my letter following the conference (SIGART
Newsletter, Number 55, December 1975, 1-2.). Dr. Aleksandr
Lerner, who had been invited to participate as a panelist
was denied permission to travel from Moscow to Tblisi by the
KGB. And Dr. Yoram Yakimovsky, an Israeli citizen who had a
paper accepted for the conference, was denied a visa to
attend the conference.
It was only through pressure by the IJCAI organizing
committee, and in particular by Dr. John McCarthy, Dr. Erik
Sandewall, and Dr. Patrick Henry Winston, that the Soviet
government reversed itself on both issues.
Why is it necessary to review this incident now? My
purposes are to bring the status of some AI/cybernetics
researchers in the Soviet Union to the attention of the
artificial intelligence community and to reiterate my con-
cern about AI-related conferences being considered for the
Soviet Union.
Let me begin by discussing the status of Aleksandr
Yankelovich Lerner, Isai Goldstein, Grigory Goldstein, Ana-
toly Shcharansky, Eugene Grechanovsky, Viktor Kipnis, Gri-
gory Minc, Viktor Brailovsky, Nadezda Fradkova and Haim
Kilov. Three of these scientists, Lerner and the Goldstein
brothers, attended the 1975 IJCAI conference. Dr. Alan Mack-
worth, acting on behalf of the 1985 IJCAI invited all of
these scientists, with the exception of Brailovsky and Frad-
kova to attend this year's conference. All are refuseniks
who have, over many years, requested exit visas from the
Soviet Union so that they may emigrate.
Aleksandr Lerner, who is nearing his seventy-second
birthday has been denied an exit visa from the Soviet Union
for over thirteen years. The Soviet IJCAI-75 organizing
committee "hinted" the information that Lerner was to be
released "soon". The year was 1975. Ten years later, Lerner
still remains in the Soviet Union. Several years ago his
wife died, and he was denied permission to have her body
buried in Israel. Lerner, in spite of his age and problems,
continues to do research. What harm can come to the Soviet
Union by releasing him?
The Goldstein brothers, who live in Tblisi, were able
to attend the 1975 IJCAI Conference through the intervention
of the organizing committee. Many attendees visited them in
their home. Since 1975 they have been subjected to extreme
pressure by the Soviet government. Grigory Goldstein was
sent to the Gulag on a "Catch-22" charge. Unable to find
work because he was dismissed from his job, and not permit-
ted to work in his field, he was convicted of "parasitism".
Over the past ten years the brothers have shuttled through a
series of menial jobs, all of which they lost when employers
learned of their refusenik status. In June of this year
their homes were searched, and they were interrogated and
threatened with arrest and criminal prosecution - a cruel
irony. For in sole reality, their "crime" is their wish to
emigrate. Why aren't they permitted to do so?
The case of Anatoly Shcharansky, who wrote a MS thesis
on chess-playing by computers, arose following IJCAI-75.
Shcharansky, then in his twenties, also wished to emigrate.
His wife, Avital, was permitted to emigrate the day after
they were married, with the expectation that Anatoly would
follow shortly. Shcharansky, however, was not permitted to
emigrate, but was subsequently accused, tried and convicted
of being a "spy" for the United States. He was sentenced to
13 years in prison. President Jimmy Carter, in an unpre-
cedented action affirmed that Shcharansky had not been a
spy. At the recent Helsinki meeting commemorating the 10th
anniversary of the Helsinki accord, Secretary of State
George Shultz again stated the United States position that
Shcharansky is being held in prison on a false charge.
Indeed, how could someone whose every move was observed by
the KGB, engage in espionage? Shcharansky has been subjected
to brutal treatment in prison. Reports are that he has
angina pectoris and is also losing sight in one eye.
Because he was not permitted to receive mail from his fam-
ily, a right embodied in the Soviet constitution, he went on
a four-month hunger strike. The hunger strike was stopped
when his mail was reinstated and he was also permitted to
receive visits from his mother.
Viktor Brailovsky, a researcher in pattern recognition,
hosted the weekly "Moscow Scientific Seminars" in his home
to help scientists denied access to official Soviet science
maintain their professional skills. In retaliation,
Brailovsky was tried and convicted of defaming the Soviet
state and was sentenced to five years internal exile. A phy-
sician who visited the Brailovsky's recently reports that
the family is in very poor condition. Brailovsky's son, who
was accepted as a student at the University of Pennsylvania,
has not been permitted to leave the Soviet Union. He has
become a stutterer. Brailovsky's young daughter was brutal-
ized emotionally by her teachers and fellow students when he
was exiled. An extremely bright child, she now has a read-
ing impediment and impaired vision, probably caused by a
nervous disorder. The Brailovskys have been denied an exit
visa on the pretext that Irina Brailovsky may have overheard
state secrets while a programmer at Moscow State University,
a job she lost in 1972 upon applying for emigration. Mrs.
Brailovsky states that she never had access to any classi-
fied information. Again, the Brailovskys are another
instance of the "Catch 22" syndrome.
Eugene Grechanovsky presented a paper on robotics at
IJCAI 1983 in Karlsruhe, Germany in abstentia. His paper
went through the normal review process and was accepted for
presentation. However, Grechanovsky was denied permission
to attend the conference. Grechanovsky has written several
papers with a colleague, Viktor Kipnis, who has also
requested an exit visa from the Soviet Union.
Grigory Minc is one of the leading researchers in
automatic theorem proving in the well-known Leningrad group.
Again, because of his decision to emigrate he was forced to
resign. He had difficulties obtaining a job in a related
field. However, recently, he found work and is doing
research in the foundations of logic programming in the city
of Tallinn. Minc's family life was disrupted when his wife,
faced with the prospect of the years of waiting and depriva-
tions as a refusenik, announced that she did not want to
emigrate. The family has recently reconciled and his wife
now wishes to emigrate. The move to Tallinn, however, is
without his family. Hence, it appears that to be able to do
research, he has been forced to separate from his family.
Nadezda Fradkova wrote an MS thesis in mathematical
linguistics in Leningrad. She has engaged in numerous
hunger strikes in an attempt to force the government to give
her an exit visa. She was forcibly removed from her home,
placed in a psychiatric hospital and force-fed. We have
recently learned that she is now serving a two year sentence
in a labor camp.
Haim Kilov works more in the field of database research
than artificial intelligence. He has been waiting many
years to emigrate. While he has been dismissed from his
teaching position because he seeks to emigrate, he is now
working as a researcher.
The common thread in all of these stories is that the
individuals concerned are Jewish and wish to leave the
Soviet Union. International treaties to which the Soviet
Union is a signatory, permit every person the right to emi-
grate from his/her country if he/she so desires. Why have
these researchers in the field of cybernetics/artificial
intelligence been deprived of this fundamental human right?
They know no state secrets, have engaged in no espionage, do
not wish to change the Soviet form of government; they sim-
ply wish to emigrate. It is deplorable that ten years after
the Helsinki accord was signed, and after IJCAI 1975 was
held in Tblisi, these scientists still have not been permit-
ted to emigrate.
The National Academy of Sciences is now engaged in dis-
cussions with the Soviet Union to reinstate exchange agree-
ments. I support open exchanges of science between all
nations. However, I would strongly urge that minimal inter-
national standards pertaining to human rights be adhered to
by the Soviets before we engage them in other agreements
that they may not comply with. It is unclear that the
National Academy of Sciences has extracted concessions from
the Soviets or have even tried to do so.
It has also come to my attention that the Soviet Union
has requested that the site of the international conference
on computational linguistics for 1988 (COLING88), be held in
Yerevan, Soviet Armenia. To give the Soviet Union such a
privilege without exacting a concession, is to essentially
say that scientists are not interested in human rights, and
the Soviets may do what they want with our beleagured col-
leagues. I believe that if an international conference is
to be approved in the Soviet Union, several conditions must
be met. First, there has to be written Soviet assurance
that international rules will be followed. Second, there
has to be a strong Western Committee to ensure that they
will do so. Third, scientists in computational linguistics,
cybernetics, and artificial intelligence who wish to leave
the Soviet Union should be granted emigration visas before
agreement is given to the conference site. A list of such
individuals appears in this letter. It would be appropri-
ate for any committee considering such an international
conference in the Soviet Union to discuss these matters with
those who propose the conference in the Soviet Union.
John McCarthy, Erik Sandewall and Patrick Winston have
shown that it is not necessary to compromise human rights
and scientific integrity. I believe that with the same
attitude, either the Soviet Union should be rejected as the
site of COLING88, or should be made to comply with human
rights. Should the Soviet Union comply with human rights
for our colleagues, I am prepared to support the site of the
Soviet Union, and provide every assistance I can to make
such a conference a success.
∂06-Aug-85 0948 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA thanks
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 6 Aug 85 09:45:46 PDT
Date: Tue 6 Aug 85 09:45:06-PDT
From: Sarah McCarthy <SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: thanks
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12132993725.8.SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
She reached me here, but thanks for the message.
-------
∂06-Aug-85 1023 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 6 Aug 85 10:22:55 PDT
Date: Tue 6 Aug 85 10:23:00-PDT
From: Devika Subramanian <SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Mon 5 Aug 85 16:36:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12133000623.16.SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Thursday at 2 is fine with me.
Thank you,
Devika
-------
∂06-Aug-85 1113 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 6 Aug 85 11:13:20 PDT
Date: Tue 6 Aug 85 11:12:44-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12133009679.11.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Avram Davis phoned. In regards to a interview they would like for you to do
on TV. Please call. 415 553-2250.
Tina
-------
∂06-Aug-85 1138 RA Aaron Floman
Floman (Cignitive Studies, Univ. of Sussex) is visiting. Will be here
until Aug. 14. Would like to visit you. His tel: 424 9436. Says you know
him.
∂06-Aug-85 1146 RA Jane Materazzo
Materazzo from American Academy of Arts and Sciences called (617) 492 8800,
re section panel in CS.
∂06-Aug-85 1144 VAL STRIPS
To: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
It might be an interesting addition to STRIPS to allow the use of the CWA in
the process of checking preconditions. Then STRIPS would be able to conclude
that a block is clear from the fact that nothing is given about objects
being on it. Has anybody tried that?
∂06-Aug-85 1223 RA be gone for 2 hours
I have a physical therapy appointment; will be back around 2:30.
∂06-Aug-85 1554 RA sdi letter
The messages from Lowell Wood in your msg. file do not include the names and
addresses of the two senators. Where else can I look?
∂07-Aug-85 0900 JMC
Jack Minker
∂07-Aug-85 1018 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 7 Aug 85 10:18:08 PDT
Date: Wed 7 Aug 85 10:15:54-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: McCarthy@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12133261477.22.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Jerry Luecke of Texas Instruments in Dallas phoned. Please call. 214 997-3952.
Tina
-------
∂07-Aug-85 1027 VAL reply to message
[In reply to message rcvd 07-Aug-85 00:22-PT.]
How about this:
∀x y.bird x ∧ activity y ∧ ¬ ab aspect2(x,y) ⊃ does(x,y)
activity flying
activity singing
................
∀x y.dead x ∧ activity y ⊃ ab aspect2(x,y)
∀x y.dead x ∧ activity y ∧ ¬ ab aspect7(x,y) ⊃ ¬ does(x,y)
∂07-Aug-85 1300 JMC
harman
∂07-Aug-85 2214 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA [Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: talk]]
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 7 Aug 85 22:13:33 PDT
Date: Wed 7 Aug 85 22:12:53-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: [Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: talk]]
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
I would appreciate suggestions on who you'd think Shapiro would like
to meet when he comes over .
Thanks
ashok
---------------
Mail-From: ASHOK created at 7-Aug-85 22:08:40
Return-Path: <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-SUSHI.ARPA with TCP; Wed 7 Aug 85 21:19:02-PDT
Date: Wed 7 Aug 85 21:18:15-PDT
From: Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: talk]
To: Ashok@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12133382053.10.YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
ReSent-Date: Wed 7 Aug 85 22:08:40-PDT
ReSent-From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
ReSent-To: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
Ashok, Professor Shapiro is a candidate that will visit us on August 26 (Monday). His research is in Logic of Programming. As before, could you set up a
seminar for him, and an appointment schedule? Since perhaps our AI faculty
will be most interested in talking to him, it may be a good idea to ask
John who you want particularly Shapiro to meet that day.
Thanks.
--Andy
---------------
Return-Path: <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>
Received: from WISCVM.ARPA by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Mon 5 Aug 85 13:43:20-PDT
Received: from (UDI)WISDOM.BITNET by WISCVM.ARPA on 08/05/85 at
15:44:44 CDT
From: Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 85 12:42:20 -0200
To: YAO@SU-SCORE.arpa ,
udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA
Subject: Re: talk
Prof Yao,
I enclose a title and abstract. Looking forward to the visit.
Udi
The Magic of Partial Evaluation,
or
Meta Interpreters for Real
Ehud Shapiro
The Weizmann Institute of Science
Abstract
Enhanced meta-interpreters can implement sophisticated functions within
complex software system. Examples are explanation facilities in expert
systems, algorithmic debuggers in programming environments, and layers of
protection and control in operating systems.
However, the execution overhead of the added layer of interpretation
is unacceptable in many applications.
Partial evaluation can eliminate the overhead of meta-interpreters.
A partial-evaluator can specialize an enhanced meta-interpreter
with respect to a given program,
generating a variant of this program which inherits the enhanced
functionality of the meta-interpreter, but not its overhead.
An application of a Concurrent Prolog partial evaluator
to operating system development will be shown.
-------
-------
∂08-Aug-85 0218 DON@SRI-AI.ARPA Files archived from directory <PS:<COMMONSENSE>>
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Aug 85 02:18:47 PDT
Date: 8 Aug 1985 0211-PDT
From: Don at SRI-SPRM.ARPA
Subject: Files archived from directory <PS:<COMMONSENSE>>
To: COMMONSENSE
COMMONSENSE.PEOPLE.3 1 page
1 file 1 page
-------
∂08-Aug-85 1139 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Aug 85 11:39:29 PDT
Date: Thu 8 Aug 85 10:59:24-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12133531539.23.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Adam Wachetel phoned. Please call 212 747-0066.
Tina
-------
∂08-Aug-85 1229 RA leave early
I have to leave at 3:30 today. If there is anything urgent you want done
today, please let me know.
Thanks,
Rutie
-----
∂08-Aug-85 1300 JMC
Rutie copying
∂08-Aug-85 1324 pr@diablo Rosenbloom vs. Rosenblum
Received: from SU-AIMVAX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Aug 85 13:24:35 PDT
Date: 8 Aug 1985 13:18-PDT
From: Paul Rosenbloom <pr@diablo>
Subject: Rosenbloom vs. Rosenblum
To: jmc@su-ai
Message-Id: <85/08/08 1318.220@diablo>
John: I don't know if it was a typo or an identity confusion in your
recent bboard message on Reagan, but I hope you realize that the person
you are disagreeing with on the bboard is not me, but (David)
Rosenblum. -- Paul Rosenbloom
∂08-Aug-85 1400 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Aug 85 14:00:44 PDT
Date: Thu 8 Aug 85 14:01:36-PDT
From: Ed Pednault <PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Thu 8 Aug 85 13:53:00-PDT
My number is 859-4419 -- Ed
-------
∂08-Aug-85 1517 CLT collaboration events
To: "@S.DIS[1,CLT]"@SU-AI.ARPA
Propose events
(1) an informal meeting (round table?) of our group
to be held Thursday August 15 - 4pm 252 mjax
a proposed topic - feasability of extracting programs from proofs
(a) feasibility of writing down or generating suitable proofs
(b) extracting feasibility programs
What do current formal and computer systems have to offer?
What is lacking?
Is there any hope?
other suggestions for topics of discussion are welcome.
If the discussion turns out to be a success, we can
schedule further meetings later.
I do not plan to make a public announcement of this meeting,
but feel free to invite your colleagues if they are interested.
(2) going out to dinner together (spouses etc. welcome)
suggested times -- tuesday (Aug 13) or wednesday (Aug 14) 7pm
suggested places -- The Cauldron (Salvadorean) Mountain View
-- La Fiesta -- Mexican Mountain View
-- Park Plaza Italian Seafood - on California Av PA
please let me know
(a) what days you could come for dinner
(b) any preferences as to where
additional suggestions welcome
i will make an arbitrary decision
let you all know and make a reservation
∂08-Aug-85 2016 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: Reagan, profanity, liberal clap-trap (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Aug 85 20:16:20 PDT
Date: Thu 8 Aug 85 20:16:17-PDT
From: Mark Crispin <Crispin@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: re: Reagan, profanity, liberal clap-trap (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: OTHER-SU-BBOARDS@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Thu 8 Aug 85 11:32:00-PDT
Postal-Address: 725 Mariposa Ave. #103; Mountain View, CA 94041-1869
Phone: 1 (415) 968-1052
Message-ID: <12133632917.37.CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
It is fine for JMC to talk about inflation being down and unemployment
being "somewhat down". JMC will probably not be alive by the time the
true cost of the economic policies of Reagan (and of his predecessors
since Nixon or LBJ) become apparent. I will be nearing retirement by
that time (and I am not counting on Social Security to be any help!).
I think it is very short-sighted to mortgage the future for a temporary
respite of an economic crisis. There will be little for future
generations to do other than to curse their parents and grandparents.
-------
∂08-Aug-85 2116 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: travel plans]
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Aug 85 21:15:56 PDT
Date: Thu 8 Aug 85 21:14:50-PDT
From: Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: travel plans]
To: Ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
Papa@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12133643576.13.YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Although the formal visit date for Shapiro is August 26 (Monday), here is
his travel plan in the Bay area, in case anyone wishes to do anything extra,
dinner, party, etc.
--Andy
---------------
Return-Path: <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>
Received: from WISCVM.ARPA by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Mon 5 Aug 85 11:54:00-PDT
Received: from (UDI)WISDOM.BITNET by WISCVM.ARPA on 08/05/85 at
13:54:59 CDT
From: Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 85 14:11:02 -0200
To: YAO@SU-SCORE.arpa ,
udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA
Subject: Re: travel plans
Cc: shimon@sri-kl.arpa
I plan to come to the Bay area on the weekend of August 24,
and leave Wednesday night.
I will stay with s friend, Shimon Cohen, from Fairchild AI Lab,
so you don't have to worry about hotel, transportation, etc.
Regards,
Ehud Shapiro
-------
∂09-Aug-85 1338 RA Prof. Algazi
Prof. Algazi from UC Davis (916) 752 1444 called re your help in
evaluating a faculty prospect.
∂09-Aug-85 1425 RA check
I put a check which you got in the mail on you desk; it is a reimbursement
for a tel. bill for $24.00
∂09-Aug-85 1510 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Aug 85 15:10:06 PDT
Date: Fri 9 Aug 85 15:08:56-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12133839108.18.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Prof. Aligazi phoned. Please phone. 916 752-1444.
Tina
-------
∂09-Aug-85 1524 RA mail
I put Federal Express mail on your desk.
∂09-Aug-85 1851 KAKUNO@SU-SUSHI.ARPA request for meeting
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Aug 85 18:51:42 PDT
Date: Fri 9 Aug 85 18:51:04-PDT
From: Shigeo Kakuno <KAKUNO@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: request for meeting
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Dear Professor McCarthy :
I am writing this mail in place of my friend, Dr.Seki who is a researcher
at ICOT,JAPAN.
He is visiting Stanford on Monday Aug.26 and has a hope to have
a chance to discuss with you on the latest topics of theorem proving.
He would appreciate if you could spare a little time for him. Thank you.
-------
∂09-Aug-85 2310 KARNICKY@SU-SCORE.ARPA Your bboard message on smoking
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Aug 85 23:10:20 PDT
Date: Fri 9 Aug 85 23:09:20-PDT
From: Joe Karnicky <KARNICKY@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Your bboard message on smoking
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12133926564.13.KARNICKY@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
John:
I've been considering writing this letter for some time now, and finally
decided to do it. It regards a message you sent to bboard maybe two
months ago. There was a lot of flaming about smoking going on at the time
and by chance I had the time to read some of it. Like most people, I
enjoy reading opinions that agree with my own. As my political views are
basically liberal, I am in the habit of typing "n" to the messages from
JMC. At that time however, I came across a message from JMC that,
according to the header, only had ~ app. 200 characters, so I read it.
In the message you made the statement that self-rightousness is worse
than smoking. The point of my message is simply to let you know that
I thought about this, the more I thought the more valid it seemed,
and, in fact, this brief statement significantly affected my thinking.
I wanted to let you know.
Sincerely,
Joe Karnicky
-------
∂10-Aug-85 0926 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: incredibly funny story about the Reagan administration (from SAIL's BBOARD)
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 10 Aug 85 09:26:39 PDT
Date: Sat 10 Aug 85 09:26:35-PDT
From: Mark Crispin <Crispin@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: re: incredibly funny story about the Reagan administration (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, BONNETAIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
cc: OTHER-SU-BBOARDS@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 9 Aug 85 21:54:00-PDT
Postal-Address: 725 Mariposa Ave. #103; Mountain View, CA 94041-1869
Phone: 1 (415) 968-1052
Message-ID: <12134038930.58.CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
In so far as the Freedom of Information Act goes, I agree that it
is difficult to say either way as to whether or not the government
official acted improperly.
However, as a government official (and especially as a Reagan
appointee), he showed remarkably poor judgement to the extent that his
performance in the Department of Education is called into question.
Does his religious views cloud his performance or his actions in his
position? Can he be expected to handle issues involving non-Christian
students (e.g. Jews, atheists, minority religions) fairly without bias?
Also important: for all of his strong viewpoints he seems strikingly
ignorant of actual Christian theology. He refers to "your creator, Jesus
Christ, who happens himself to be a Christian." Should such an ignorant
man be entrusted with high government office, especially in the government
department whose ostensible purpose is to combat ignorance?
I haven't heard of any response from Reagan about this incident, but
it should be to sack this loony.
-------
∂10-Aug-85 1012 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Glenn Visit
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 10 Aug 85 10:12:37 PDT
Date: Sat 10 Aug 85 10:11:38-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Glenn Visit
To: Feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, Ullman@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
Luckham@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, Cheriton@SU-PESCADERO.ARPA
cc: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12134047132.9.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Folks, As you know, we are expecting Senator John Glenn on Tuesday,
August 27 for a briefing on DARPA-sponsored projects at Stanford.
President Kennedy will welcome Glenn's party and stress the importance
of federally funded basic research to the nation. Glenn has a very
tight schedule at Stanford and MUST leave by 1:00pm (1300 as we say
in the military). People making presentations (especially those
later in the morning) should be prepared (on subtle signal from
Jim Plummer, the moderator) to shift to "Plan B," namely to give a 50% or
so shorter version of their talk--and still make it highly informative,
interesting, etc. Jim Plummer is hoping to keep everything moving along
as per schedule, but ... We are told that presentations should be at
the "Scientific American" level and that Senator Glenn is quite
favorably disposed toward university research. Obviously, it's important
that he take away from this briefing the fact that some extremely
significant research is being performed at Stanford. I'll be away
until Monday, Aug 26, but questions can be addressed to Plummer@sierra
in the meantime. Here's the agenda:
Briefing for Senator John Glenn
on
Stanford's DARPA-Sponsored Research
Tuesday, 27 August 1985
in the Conference Room, Center for Integrated Systems
8:30 - 8:40 President Kennedy
Introductory Remarks
8:40 - 8:45 Dr. R. Reynolds, DARPA
Overview of Defense Sciences Office
Research Contracts Not Reviewed
8:45 - 9:00 Professor J. Plummer
Computer Aided Simulation Tools for
Microcircuit Process Design
9:00 - 9:15 Professor J. Harris
Superlattice and Related Quantum
Electronic Devices
9:15 - 9:30 Professor C. Quate
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and
Ultrahigh Density Data Storage Concepts
9:30 - 9:45 Professor W. Spicer
Physics and Chemistry of Semiconductor
Surfaces and Interfaces
9:45 - 10:00 Coffee Break
10:00 - 10:10 Dr. R. Kahn, DARPA
Overview of Information Processing
Techniques Office Research Contracts Not
Reviewed
10:10 - 10:40 John Shott
Center for Integrated Systems, the
"Foundry" Concept, Fast Turnaround
Fabrication
10:40 - 11:05 Professor E. Feigenbaum
Knowledge Systems and Advanced
AI Architecture
11:05 - 11:25 Professor McCarthy
Formal Reasoning, QLISP, Logic Programming,
Benchmarking (Gabriel results)
11:25 - 11:35 Professor Ullman
Parallel Computation
11:35 - 11:45 Professor Luckham
ADA Verification
11:45 - 11:55 Professor Cheriton
Partitionable Systems
11:55 - 12:05 **
Overview of Robotics Research for
Engineering Applications Office
12:05 - 12:20 Serve Buffet
12:20 - 1300 Topics of Selected Interest to be Presented
by Stanford
1300 Depart for Moffett Field
-------
∂10-Aug-85 1020 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: travel plans]
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 10 Aug 85 10:20:00 PDT
Date: Sat 10 Aug 85 10:19:04-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: [Ehud Shapiro <udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA>: Re: travel plans]
To: YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: Ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Papa@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: <12133643576.13.YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Message-ID: <12134048484.9.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
If a lunch is planned during Udi's visit, I'd like to go. (Since
I will be away until the day of Udi's visit, please inform
Anne Richardson (richardson@score) of lunches, talks, etc. that
I should attend.) Thanks, -Nils
-------
∂10-Aug-85 1245 DEK diophantine equations with sums of squares
I'm sorry I was so rushed yesterday.
If the question you asked can be phrased as "are there points in
the plane with integer coordinates such that a given set of
equalities holds between the distances between certain pairs of points"
then I guess it boils down to a special class of Diophantine equations,
which is undoubtedly well studied in the Geometry of Numbers books,
but I don't recall much about them except that the `Hasse-Minkowsi theory'
was supposed to be important.
∂10-Aug-85 1309 CLT dvi wins this time
To: JMC, LES
Here is DEKs solution to the (non-)square problem
------------------------------------------------------------------
∂10-Aug-85 1213 DEK \sqr
To: CLT
CC: DRF, JDH, JJW, BB
Thanks for finding that bug; you win $2.56 for finding an error in
the answer to exercise 17.16 (page 320)!
The correct macro is
\def\sqr#1#2{{\vcenter{\vbox{\hrule ... as before ... .#2pt}}}}
In other words, I've inserted an extra level of \vboxing.
Why? Well (somewhat to my surprise, but TeX is frozen) ---
TeX adds the \scriptspace to the width of a subscript box
(rule 18d, page 446). Since that box (without the extra \vbox)
contains an \hrule whose width was left unspecified, this
hrule was also extended by the amount of \scriptspace.
In plain TeX, \scriptspace is .5pt, so the rules above and
below the "square" were made to stick out half a point at the right.
∂10-Aug-85 1511 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: bboard goof
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 10 Aug 85 15:11:07 PDT
Date: Sat 10 Aug 85 15:11:00-PDT
From: Mark Crispin <Crispin@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Re: bboard goof
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sat 10 Aug 85 10:29:00-PDT
Postal-Address: 725 Mariposa Ave. #103; Mountain View, CA 94041-1869
Phone: 1 (415) 968-1052
Message-ID: <12134101628.12.CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Actually, I would argue that SAIL did the wrong thing by composing
the mail header it did. The semantics of Reply are quite well-defined
by the network protocols these days (SAIL's implementation is perhaps
the kludgiest and should not be used as a model of how others work),
and since my mail reader filters out junk headers for me (I normally
view only "From" and "Subject") I wouldn't normally see the headers.
Anyway, I'll try and get my message on SAIL's BBoard.
-------
∂10-Aug-85 1723 CLT wednesday
I have a request from that the Japanese that we begin
the discussion with brief remarks from some of the Americans
so they know also what we are thinking.
They have heard Sol, I have also asked Beeson and JK to say a few words.
I think we should focus on topics among the following
(1) extracting programs from proofs
(2) on mechanical proofchecking in general
(3) on mechanical checking of properties of programs
Could you give a ten minute view of your ideas?
∂10-Aug-85 1734 CLT wednesday
∂10-Aug-85 1725 JMC re: wednesday
[In reply to message rcvd 10-Aug-85 17:23-PT.]
OK, I may say something about proof checking, but I think I'd like to say
more about commitment and related ideas.
--- [CLT]
These little talks are a diversion from the `round table' format
and I think they should be on proposed topic of disucssion.
I would prefer you save the comments about about commitment
for a later time.
We could have a second informal session on new programming ideas
where they would fit nicely.
∂10-Aug-85 1758 CLT collaboration events
To: "@S.DIS[1,CLT]"@SU-AI.ARPA
Event 1: a round table discussion
Time: Wednesday, August 14, 5pm
Place: 252 Margaret Jacks
The proposed topic is the issue of feasibility and other problems
related to
(1) extracting programs from proofs
(2) on mechanical proofchecking in general
(3) on mechanical checking of properties of programs
....
Event 2: supper
Time: Wednesday, August 14, 7pm
Probable Place: La Fiesta
240 Villa St
Mt View
Directions will be available at the discussion or ask CLT
Please let me (CLT@SU-AI) know by Monday evening,
if you plan to come to supper and if you plan to bring someone.
I will make reservations on Tuesday.
If you need a ride from Stanford to supper please let me know
and it will be arranged.
∂12-Aug-85 0814 REULING@SU-SCORE.ARPA [LAUBSCH%hplabs.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa: jhl@sail account]
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Aug 85 08:14:31 PDT
Date: Mon 12 Aug 85 08:13:33-PDT
From: John Reuling <Reuling@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: [LAUBSCH%hplabs.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa: jhl@sail account]
To: jmc@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: Reuling@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Stanford: 206 Margaret Jacks, (415) 497-3549
Message-ID: <12134549923.17.REULING@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Is this an account that you would like to around (i.e. pay for)?
Otherwise, I will go ahead and close it out.
Account: JHL@SU-AI
Billing: 1-FCZ601
Thank you.
-John Reuling
---------------
Return-Path: <LAUBSCH%hp-hulk.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
Received: from csnet-relay by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Fri 19 Jul 85 06:36:40-PDT
Received: from hplabs by csnet-relay.csnet id am16088; 19 Jul 85 9:35 EDT
Received: by HP-VENUS id AA01549; Thu, 18 Jul 85 23:31:41 pdt
Message-Id: <8507190631.AA01549@HP-VENUS>
Date: Thu 18 Jul 85 23:32:16-PDT
From: LAUBSCH%hplabs.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
Subject: jhl@sail account
To: reuling@su-score.ARPA
Source-Info: From (or Sender) name not authenticated.
I was given this account by John McCarthy, when visiting Stanford.
In December 84, I moved from the Univ of Stuttgart to HPLabs in Palo
Alto. I do not need that account except for reading mail that I still
receive there. If the account has to be terminated, could you please
arrange things so that the mail gets forwarded to laubsch@hplabs.
thank you.
joachim laubsch
-------
-------
∂12-Aug-85 0900 JMC
jury
∂12-Aug-85 0900 JMC
Call about making slides.
∂12-Aug-85 0926 CLT appointment with montgomery
wed 14-aug 15:00 Toby Montgomery
∂12-Aug-85 1000 JMC
VAL about dead birds
∂12-Aug-85 1000 JMC
VAL about top block
∂12-Aug-85 1030 VAL Wiktor Marek
He called me and said he'd like to come to visit some time next fall. He doesn't
need funds to pay for the trip, just an invitation to give a seminar. Can we
invite him?
∂12-Aug-85 1216 CLT today
i have to see sol at 2pm
shall we go looking around 2:30?
∂12-Aug-85 1356 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Request to cancel 2 pm appt for today
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Aug 85 13:56:34 PDT
Date: Mon 12 Aug 85 12:27:51-PDT
From: Devika Subramanian <SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Request to cancel 2 pm appt for today
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12134596216.47.SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Could you please reschedule it to Wed, Thurs or Fri this week?
Thank you,
Devika
-------
∂12-Aug-85 1432 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: Request to cancel 2 pm appt for today
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Aug 85 14:32:09 PDT
Date: Mon 12 Aug 85 14:31:19-PDT
From: Devika Subramanian <SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: re: Request to cancel 2 pm appt for today
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Mon 12 Aug 85 14:24:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12134618693.47.SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Thank you, Thursday 2pm is OK.
Devika
-------
∂12-Aug-85 1520 VAL Axioms for activities
is(x,bird) ⊃ is(x,animal)
is(x,man) ⊃ is(x,animal)
is(x,salesman) ⊃ is(x,man)
activityof(breathes,animal)
activityof(flies,bird)
activityof(thinks,man)
activityof(sells,salesman)
activityof(a,b) ∧ is(x,b) ∧ ¬ ab aspect2(x,a,b) ⊃ does(x,a)
dead x ∧ activityof(a,b) ∧ is(x,b) ⊃ ab aspect2(x,a,b)
dead x ∧ activityof(a,b) ∧ is(x,b) ∧ ¬ ab aspect7(x,a,b) ⊃ ¬ does(x,b)
∂12-Aug-85 1614 RA Scott Ladd
Ladd is writing a book on Neuroscience and new generation of computers.
Would like to talk to you. Would like to ask your recollection of a
1956 meeting in Dartmouth. His tel: (201) 797 5328. He will call again.
∂12-Aug-85 1654 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Aug 85 16:49:51 PDT
Date: Mon 12 Aug 85 16:48:56-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12134643744.29.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Scott Ladd phoned regarding the book your writing. Please call.
201 796-3748 or 201 797-5328.
Tina
-------
∂13-Aug-85 1038 VAL Roald Zelichonok's Trial
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, "reiter%utai@toronto.csnet"@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA,
"yg@umich.csnet"@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA
∂12-Aug-85 1655 minker@maryland Roald Zelichonok's Trial
Received: from MARYLAND.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Aug 85 16:54:15 PDT
Received: by maryland.ARPA (4.12/4.7)
id AA26987; Mon, 12 Aug 85 19:52:07 edt
Date: Mon, 12 Aug 85 19:52:07 edt
From: Jack Minker <minker@maryland>
Message-Id: <8508122352.AA26987@maryland.ARPA>
To: Amarel@RUTGERS, BORIS@MIT-MC, VAL@SU-AI.ARPA, barb@CCA-UNIX, findler@asu,
jc@brandeis, judea@ucla-cs, klinger@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA, leon@case,
webber@Upenn
Subject: Roald Zelichonok's Trial
Cc: vardi@su-aimvax.ARPA
From daemon Thu Aug 8 18:05:53 1985
Received: from csnet-relay (csnet-relay.arpa.ARPA) by maryland.ARPA (4.12/4.7)
id AA18126; Thu, 8 Aug 85 18:05:40 edt
Message-Id: <8508082205.AA18126@maryland.ARPA>
Received: from su-aimvax.arpa by csnet-relay.arpa id a000358; 8 Aug 85 13:54 EDT
Date: Thu, 8 Aug 85 10:50:08 pdt
From: Moshe Vardi <vardi@su-aimvax.ARPA>
Subject: Roald Zelichonok's Trial
To: fagin.ibm-sj@csnet-relay.arpa, minker%umcp@csnet-relay.arpa,
ullman@su-aimvax.ARPA
Status: RO
From JJF@SU-AI.ARPA Thu Aug 8 10:31:10 1985
Received: from SU-AI.ARPA by diablo with TCP; Thu, 8 Aug 85 10:31:06 pdt
Date: 08 Aug 85 1023 PDT
From: Jeff Finger <JJF@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: Roald Zelichonok Trial
To: "@IM.[1,YM]"@SU-AI.ARPA
I got the following note this morning from Prof. Jacques Goldberg at
the Technion and thought I would pass it on.
-- Jeff Finger --
======================================================================
7 August 1985
URGENT
======
Dear Colleague:
Nous apprenons aujourd'hui l'ouverture imminente du proces de notre
collegue Roald Zelichonok,arrete le 11 juin 1985.
Il occupait un poste d'ingenieur informaticien a l'Institut de
Cytologie de l'Academie des Sciences de Leningrad.
Il est accuse de "propagande et agitation antisovietique"(art 190-1 du
code penal de la RSFSR) et est menace de 3 ans de camp.Son "crime" est
de s'etre interesse a la culture Juive et d'avoir voulu enseigner
l'hebreu a ses amis.
We have just learned today of the imminent opening of the trial of our
colleague Roald Zelichonok, who was arrested on 11 June 1985.
Prior to his arrest he had been working as a computer engineer at the
Institute of Cytology of the Academy of Sciences in Leningrad.
He stands accused of "propaganda and anti-Soviet agitation" (article
190-1 of the criminal code of the RSFSR) and can be sentenced to three
years of labor in a Soviet prison camp. His "crime" is to have shown
interest in Jewish culture and to have attempted to teach Hebrew to
his friends.
We are kindly requesting your help as follows:
----------------------------------------------
1)Please read the Statement below,submitted for your consideration by
Conseil National Francais pour la Protection des Droits des
Juifs d'URSS. Comite Scientifique
Andre Lwoff - Laurent Schwartz - Claude Cohen Tanoudji
Francois Jacob - Pierre Gilles de Gennes
2)If you agree to add your name then please keep a copy of this file
for yourself and then
3)Set up a NOTE addressed to
GOLWS at CERNVM on BITNET
(Professor Jacques Goldberg will forward it further)
stating that you are willing to put your signature on that text
(please make no amendments this time,we have no time left for changes).
4)Make EVERY possible effort to send out at least 4 copies of the
file which we have sent you to Colleagues whom you think might join
this campaign.
========================================================================
********* S T A T E M E N T *************
APPRENONS AVEC EMOTION OUVERTURE IMMINENTE DU PROCES DE NOTRE COLLEGUE
ROLAD ZELICHONOK. CONNAISSONS SUFFISAMENT SON HONNETETE, SA RIGUEUR
ET SON RESPECT DE LA LEGALITE POUR ETRE ASSURES DE SON INNOCENCE.DEMANDONS
SA LIBERATION IMMEDIATE ET SON AUTORISATION A EMIGRER EN ISRAEL.
WE HAVE JUST BEEN SHOCKED TO LEARN OF THE IMMINENT OPENING OF THE TRIAL
OF OUR COLLEAGUE ROALD ZELICHONOK. WE WELL KNOW THAT THIS MAN IS HONEST,
SINCERE AND LAW-ABIDING, AND WE ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF HIS INNOCENCE.
WE HEREBY REQUEST THAT HE BE IMMEDIATELY LIBERATED AND AUTHORIZED TO
EMIGRATE TO ISRAEL.
=========================================================================
WE THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH.
Jean Paul Mathieu, Secretary of the Commitee
Note for IBM CMS Users : Save this note as is before doing anything else,
with the command SAVE APPEAL NOTE so that all you need to do to send
it further is SENDFILE APPEAL NOTE TO your friends's address.
∂13-Aug-85 1109 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA visit
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Aug 85 11:09:06 PDT
Date: Tue 13 Aug 85 11:07:32-PDT
From: Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: visit
To: udi%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA
cc: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA, Papa@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Yao@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
Shimon@SRI-KL.ARPA
Message-ID: <12134843739.24.YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Dear Professor Shapiro:
Your talk is scheduled at 9:00am on August 26. Please arrive at Stanford
Computer Science Department a little earlier than 9:00. I will be in my
office (Room 330).
The appointment schedule for your visit is not completed yet, but we expect
to have appointments for you in the morning and afternoon on that day.
I am looking forward to seeing you. If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Andrew C. Yao
-------
∂13-Aug-85 1321 VAL New definition of circumscription
Assume for simplicity that we minimize one unary predicate P. We declare
p≤q (where p,q are unary predicate variables or constants) to be an additional
kind of atomic formulas. Thus ≤ is used as a "third-order constant". To
define an interpretation for this extended language, we are supposed to
interpret, among others, the new constant, which should be done by defining
a binary relation on subsets of the universe. For instance, we can interpret ≤
as inclusion, which will correspond to simple circumscription.
A circumscriptive theory is defined by two sets of axioms. One is, as usual,
A(P,Z), where Z are the symbols allowed to vary; these axioms may not contain ≤.
The other is B(≤); these may not contain P or Z. (But they may contain symbols
which function as parameters, e.g., aspects). These axioms express our assumptions
about priorities. Circumscription is defined to be
A(P,Z) ∧ B(≤) ∧ ¬∃p,z(A(p,z)∧p<P), (1)
where p<P stands for p≤P ∧ ¬(P≤p).
Old circumscription is the special case when B(≤) is an explicit definition of ≤.
For instance, take B(≤) to be
∀p,q(p≤q ≡ ∀x(px ⊃ qx)). (2)
Then in every model of (1) we have to interpret ≤ as inclusion, and we get
exactly the models of simple circumscription. Or let H be a unary predicate
(intuitively, the set of objects on which P should be minimized at higher
priority; e.g., the range of one of the aspect functions). Take B(≤) to be
∀p,q(p≤q ≡ ∀x(Hx ∧ px ⊃ qx)) ∧ [∀x(Hx ∧ qx ⊃ px) ⊃ ∀x(px ⊃ qx)]. (3)
Then we get prioritized circumscription.
But the important fact is that we don't have to make B(≤) as strong as in (2) or
(3); B(≤) doesn't have to give a complete characterization of ≤. This is because
the choice of priorities is often inessential (or in other cases some priorities
are essential and some others aren't).
Example: Let A(P) be Pa∧Pb. Instead of using (2), define B(≤) to be the
conjunction of two formulas:
∀p,q(∀x(px ⊃ qx) ⊃ p≤q),
(4)
∀p,q(p≤q ∧ q≤p ⊃ ∀x(px≡qx)).
This is substantially weaker that (2); (3) satisfies these conditions as well. But
this weak B(≤) is all that is needed for the usual proof that circumscription
implies ∀x(Px ≡ (x=a ∨ x=b)).
By using (4) instead of (2) or (3), we express the idea that the choice of
priorities is inessential.
Notice that (1) depends on B(≤) monotonically. Adding new assumptions about
priorities may allow us to derive stronger results using circumscription, but we
never lose anything proved before. It appears then that it can be useful to make
B(≤) as weak as possible, to assume as little as possible about how we are going to
compare predicates. (4) seems to be close to the "absolute minimum" of necessary
assumptions.
Example: A(P) is Pa∨Pb, B(≤) is (4). Then (1) implies, as usual,
∀x(Px ≡ x=a) ∨ ∀x(Px ≡ x=b).
If we now decide to use the stronger formula (3) as B(≤), with x=a as Hx (to
express that a higher priority is given to minimizing P on {a} than on the
complement of {a}) then we get a stronger result, ∀x(Px ≡ x=b).
∂13-Aug-85 1418 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA [John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>: re: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems (from SAIL's BBOARD) ]
Received: from SRI-CSL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Aug 85 14:18:11 PDT
Date: Tue 13 Aug 85 14:19:14-PDT
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: [John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>: re: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems (from SAIL's BBOARD) ]
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
~John, what am I supposed to infer from
this doggerel piece of gibberish?
Peter
---------------
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Date: 07 Aug 85 2211 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: re: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems (from SAIL's BBOARD)
To: OTHER-SU-BBOARDS@SU-AI.ARPA
ReSent-Date: Fri 9 Aug 85 20:09:00-PDT
ReSent-From: Geoff Goodfellow <G.GEOFF@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
ReSent-To: neumann@SRI-CSL.ARPA
ReSent-Message-ID: <12133893734.8.G.GEOFF@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
jmc - What a pity that discussion of risks to the public in not using
on-line computer systems isn't solicited.
-------
∂13-Aug-85 1539 VAL Postscript to the previous message
Perhaps, the "simple" case of circumscription is not when it is parallel, as we
thought before. The simple case is when we don't care whether it's parallel or
not, when the database contains very few assumptions about how predicates are
compared for the purpose of minimization.
∂13-Aug-85 1551 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA re: [John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>: re: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems (from SAIL's BBOARD) ]
Received: from SRI-CSL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Aug 85 15:51:32 PDT
Date: Tue 13 Aug 85 15:52:23-PDT
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: re: [John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>: re: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems (from SAIL's BBOARD) ]
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: Geoff@SRI-CSLA.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Tue 13 Aug 85 15:21:00-PDT
John, Thanks for the clarification.
Clearly NOT USING a computer is one of the risks, and is quite properly
a subject for the forum. Should you care to
make a comment to RISKS@SRI-CSL to that effect,
I would be delighted to include it in Vol 1 no 2. (Sorry -- "that effect" was
intended to refer to YOUR message. I am
working from a miserable TRASH-80 and
do not feel like trying to edit.)
I hope you saw today's paper with the story on
the $1.25 million settlement against the
government because their weather predictionstation was not operative!
-------
∂13-Aug-85 1550 RA Joel Sheurkin from News and Publication
Joel wanted to talk to you re award you are getting next week.
His tel: 7-2558.
∂13-Aug-85 2213 DCO
John! Hi. As you may or may not know, I have spent the last several years
getting my MBA, working in venture capital and starting my own software
company. I have done really well, but want to get back into research. In
[articular, I have ideas based on the equivalence-class algorithms I
devbeloped five years ago on an alternative approach to expert systems-
production systems-rewrite rules, etc. It involves using equivalence classes
instead of syntactic objects. If I am right, it could offer an
alternative to present implementations of Prolog, etc. etc.
Anyway, I am interested in talking to whoever can make things happen
within Stanford. My goal wold be to be appointed Research Professor or
Adjunct Professor in the department on a part time basis initially (I
realize that I will have to obtain funding; Zohar has very nicely offered
tentative funding). There appears to be no problem with reappointing me
Senior Research Associate, but I am not too interested in that title.
Do you have any ideas on the above? Would you like to get together for
breakfast or lunch sometime ?
Derek
∂13-Aug-85 2326 DCO
Great, let's do it. I will send you a message after IJXAI.
∂14-Aug-85 0738 KACZMAREK@USC-ISIF.ARPA IJCAI
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Date: 14 Aug 1985 07:35:57 PDT
Subject: IJCAI
From: Tom Kaczmarek <KACZMAREK@USC-ISIF.ARPA>
To: JMc@SU-AI.ARPA
John,
I am a member of the local arrangements committee for IJCAI. One of my
responsibilities is press coverage and public relations. Since you the
recipient of the research excellence award and one of the founders of the
field you are an obvious choice for participation in a press conference.
The purpose for this message is to invite you to speak at one.
It occurred to me that it would be wonderful to get your evaluation of the
impact of IJCAI 85 on the last day of the conference, Friday August 23rd.
If you have another topic you would like to address or some other day would
be better, please tell me and we can arrange it.
For your information we are holding press conferences every morning at
10:00 in the press room which will be in the West Center at UCLA, but the
time is flexible. We plan on having two speakers each day. The press
conferences will last about an hour and the participants may choose to
either speak together or follow one another. Generally we expect a format
of a short statement followed by questions.
By the way, Aravind Joshi has already agreed to participate on Friday,
speaking as the program chairman.
I've tried to call several times but without much luck. Since time is now
becoming short, I thought I'd drop you a note telling you that I am
trying to get in touch with and why.
Thanks and congratulations on your award,
Tom Kaczmarek
(213) 822-1511
-------
∂14-Aug-85 0916 CLT
i will be in my office at 2:45 to go to tm's -- i have the papers
∂14-Aug-85 0936 KACZMAREK@USC-ISIF.ARPA re: IJCAI
Received: from USC-ISIF.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Aug 85 09:36:31 PDT
Date: 14 Aug 1985 09:31:57 PDT
Subject: re: IJCAI
From: Tom Kaczmarek <KACZMAREK@USC-ISIF.ARPA>
To: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
In-Reply-To: (Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of 14 Aug 85 0923 PDT)
Thanks, I'll get in touch with you during the conference.
Tom
-------
∂14-Aug-85 1135 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA Planning
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Aug 85 11:35:49 PDT
Date: Wed 14 Aug 85 11:36:26-PDT
From: Ed Pednault <PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: Planning
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
I left a draft of my forthcoming SRI tech note with your secretary,
along with a copy of the slides I used in my orals. Let me know if
you would like to meet for a discussion. Given the length of the
report, it would probably be more time effective to meet before you
read the report so that I could give you a quick overview and respond
to your immediate questions.
Ed
-------
∂14-Aug-85 1440 RA Chuck Williams
Needs to speak to you *today* re Eric Ostrom. Chuck's tel: (213) 417 7997.
∂14-Aug-85 1449 STUART@SRI-AI.ARPA Central America and IJCAI
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Date: Wed 14 Aug 85 14:49:52-PDT
From: Chris Stuart <STUART@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: Central America and IJCAI
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
I have just read Paul Asente's bboard message, and I saw yours (JMC's)
earlier, and am in the uneviable position of being grateful to both of
you. I took no offence at your message, and your assumption that I was
unfamiliar with BBOARD is both reasonable and stated in such a way to
give me the benefit of the doubt. The main point you make about use of
the net is something I appreciate very much, and in fact I have felt
the stanford BBOARD a most worthwhile forum. Your own contributions
are always of interest for an intelligent and reasoned statement of
views with which I often disagree. The tradition of free speech and
open discussion of sensitive issues is a source of hope for us all.
Paul is also a good friend, and his suggestion is a good one. I will
be rewording any statement with a view to being clear, inoffensive
(except that my position itself may be so), and with the absolute
minimum of disruption to the conference (which is not after all on
foreign policy).
I am not yet making any replies to BBOARD, but you may forward this or
request me to do so if you feel it appropriate for minimizing
animosity on the net.
Sincerely, Chris Stuart
-------
∂14-Aug-85 1646 BARWISE@SU-CSLI.ARPA Reminder
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Date: Wed 14 Aug 85 16:40:43-PDT
From: Jon Barwise <BARWISE@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: Reminder
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Israel@SU-CSLI.ARPA, STan@SRI-AI.ARPA, John@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
Meseguer@SRI-AI.ARPA
cc: Ingrid@SU-CSLI.ARPA
Please sned Ingrid or me or both a short list of references for
material covered by your talk, if you have not already done so. If
you have sent it to Ingrid, thanks. If you sent it to me, I did not
get it. Thanks, Jon
-------
∂14-Aug-85 1646 KUO Address
To: JMC, CLT
My address is:
43-B, Escondido Village
Stanford
857-1468
Thank you.
--Victor
∂14-Aug-85 1731 VAL IJCAI talk
I decided to include the discussion of the frame problem. The example I
prepared is so simple that, I hope, it can be explained in 10 minutes.
∂14-Aug-85 1759 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: IJCAI as a forum
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Aug 85 17:58:56 PDT
Date: Wed 14 Aug 85 17:57:41-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: IJCAI as a forum
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Wed 14 Aug 85 16:35:00-PDT
My opinion : I think it's appropriate for you to make a very short comment
about this topic during your speech, but to use up all your speech time
for this purpose would be highly inappropriate.
However, during the press conference, you could spend as much time as you wish
on this issue.
While refuting the claim that ".... is impossible", please do present
a complete picture ... ie, your position on the feasibility of SDI,
whether today's expert systems are in a position to do SDI, whether
you think anything like today's expert systems will be in a position
to do SDI in say, ten years' time, etc.
ashok
-------
∂14-Aug-85 1932 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Prof. Shapiro's visit
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Aug 85 19:32:02 PDT
Date: Wed 14 Aug 85 19:30:51-PDT
From: ashok
Subject: Prof. Shapiro's visit
Sender: ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, ullman@SU-AIMVAX.ARPA, feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
cc: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
Reply-To: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
This is in continuation of my message about Professor Shapiro's visit to
Stanford on Monday, the 26th of August. I have just received mail from him
requesting a meeting with each of you.
Please do let me know what times are good for you.
ashok
-------
∂15-Aug-85 0017 KARP@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Verifying SDI software
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Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 00:17:09-PDT
From: Peter Karp <KARP@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Verifying SDI software
To: su-bboard@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
cc: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, KARP@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Message-ID: <12135249628.73.KARP@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
John McCarthy: I argue CPSR's approach is reasonable as follows:
1) I assume you admit that bugs in the SDI software would be very
bad since this could quite conceivably leave our cities open
Soviet attack.
2) You concede software verification theory does not permit proof
of correctness of such complex programs. I concede this same
theory does not show such proofs are impossible.
3) The question to responsible computer professionals then becomes:
From your experience in developing and debugging complex computer
systems, how likely do you believe it is that currently possible
efforts could produce error-free software, or even software whose
reliability is acceptable given the risks in (1) ?
Clearly answering (3) requires subjective judgements, but computer
professionals are among the best people to ask to make such
judgements given their expertise.
I think it would be rather amusing if you told the press what you
told bboard: that you "hope they can get it to work".
-------
∂15-Aug-85 0853 PATASHNIK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: IJCAI as a forum
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Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 08:41:48-PDT
From: Oren Patashnik <PATASHNIK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: IJCAI as a forum
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Wed 14 Aug 85 16:35:00-PDT
I completely agree with you that those opposing SDI based on computer
science *principles* are in error. However, I believe there's a germ
of truth to what they claim. I think it's their computer science
*experience* (or perhaps more accurately, programming experience) that
leads them to believe that the programs used in an SDI system would be
have too many bugs to be safe. And given the state of the art of
programming and verification, I'd agree with them. Moreover, based on
my (admittedly not that well-informed) perceptions of how quickly
these areas are advancing, I'd say it will be decades (at least)
before they reach the point at which I'd have confidence that an
SDI system would work flawlessly.
And I think the CACM paper by DeMillo, Lipton, and Perlis (Social
processes and proofs of theorems and programs) is particularly
important here. Although I don't agree with everything they say,
their central thesis (as I remember it), that we'd really want more
than just some verification system claiming that SDI works, is
especially true when it comes to something as important as SDI.
Although I don't think it's impossible, I think it's highly unlikey
(say, p < .05) that we could build a working SDI system with
reasonable funding levels (say, what is currently being proposed),
within the next 20 years, that would have a reasonably small
probability of seriously malfunctioning (say, p < 1/100,000 per year).
Since I don't know enough about SDI to make good judgments about what
appropriate values are for various "reasonable" parameters, I'm not in
a position to give an informed opinion about how we should proceed
with it and how much we should fund it. But I think it's important
that some well-informed people make some honest, objective estimates
(well, as objective as possible) before spending huge amounts of
money. My gut feeling is that, unfortunately, this won't happen,
whichever way it turns out (if I had to guess, I'd say that probably
there's too much political opposition for SDI to get very far).
--Oren
-------
∂15-Aug-85 0857 GEOFF@SRI-CSL.ARPA Re: IJCAI as a forum
Received: from SRI-CSL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 15 Aug 85 08:57:38 PDT
Date: 15 Aug 1985 08:56-PDT
Sender: GEOFF@SRI-CSL
Subject: Re: IJCAI as a forum
From: the tty of Geoffrey S. Goodfellow <Geoff@SRI-CSL.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI
Message-ID: <[SRI-CSL]15-Aug-85 08:56:11.GEOFF>
In-Reply-To: The message of 14 Aug 85 1635 PDT from John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
i would hope that the press would be attending your speech and
use that as an opportunity to take copious notes for questions
they would later ask you during the press conference.
during your speech, i would certainly hope you would raise all of
the issues you mentioned with respect to these so called "claimed
authorities" of computer science principles on task impossibility
and that you repeat your statement that "you hope it can be made
to work."
when/where will you be receiving this award? anywhere in the bay
area or is this something that will be part of IJCAI?
g
∂15-Aug-85 0903 RA [Reply to message recvd: 14 Aug 85 23:52 Pacific Time]
I don't think you replied about French honorary degree.
∂15-Aug-85 0955 VAL Ed Pednault
My criticism was directed against the part of his contribution I'm
familiar with; I was not talking about his abilities and potential, which
may be quite high.
∂15-Aug-85 1201 SG My Email address in Japan
To: JMC, CLT
CC: MS, SG
My electric mail address in Japan is:
"hplabs!kddlab!nttmecl!ntt20!goto"@utah-cs
One of my friends at NTT, Hiroshi G. Okuno, is an expert at this long route.
(Hiroshi G. Okuno "hplabs!kddlab!nttmecl!ntt20!okuno"@utah-cs)
[PLAN]
1. We will soon have a direct link between Shasta (STANFORD) and NTT
Laboratory which replaces the long route. NTT will poll Shasta every day
through dial-up.
2. The CSNET executive committee will discuss the question of a Japanese
gateway at their next meeting, on September 30. If they decide to go
ahead, we will have a CSNET site in Japan.
-- Shigeki
∂15-Aug-85 1238 BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA IJCAI and politics (au sens large)
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 15 Aug 85 12:38:34 PDT
Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 12:37:04-PDT
From: Rene Bach <BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: IJCAI and politics (au sens large)
To: su-bboards@SU-SCORE.ARPA, jmc@SU-SCORE.ARPA, MCCARTHY@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12135384325.26.BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I believe we should be concerned how our scientific results are used.
I do not believe anybody has the right to place a diatribe in a scientific
paper, but I would accept ONE sentence expressing concerns and misgiving.
On the issue of Star Wars and Nicaragua, I would even encourage such
statement.
On the other hand, I would welcome a workshop sponsored by AAAI to study
the issues mentioned by Peter Karp (i.e. feasibility and reliability
of software with respect to vital projects (Star Wars, Space shuttle, ...)
which could end in a political or scientific statement which could be
considered an expression of the AI community.
Rene
-------
∂15-Aug-85 1238 BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA IJCAI and politics (au sens large)
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 15 Aug 85 12:38:34 PDT
Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 12:37:04-PDT
From: Rene Bach <BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: IJCAI and politics (au sens large)
To: su-bboards@SU-SCORE.ARPA, jmc@SU-SCORE.ARPA, MCCARTHY@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12135384325.26.BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I believe we should be concerned how our scientific results are used.
I do not believe anybody has the right to place a diatribe in a scientific
paper, but I would accept ONE sentence expressing concerns and misgiving.
On the issue of Star Wars and Nicaragua, I would even encourage such
statement.
On the other hand, I would welcome a workshop sponsored by AAAI to study
the issues mentioned by Peter Karp (i.e. feasibility and reliability
of software with respect to vital projects (Star Wars, Space shuttle, ...)
which could end in a political or scientific statement which could be
considered an expression of the AI community.
Rene
-------
∂15-Aug-85 1400 JMC
French degree
∂15-Aug-85 1643 Mailer failed mail returned
To: JMC
The following message was undeliverable to recipient(s):
smith@MCC.ARPA
Here is how the remote host replied to this mail address:
smith@MCC.ARPA
550 No such local mailbox as "smith", recipient rejected
------- Begin undelivered message: -------
∂15-Aug-85 1643 JMC
To: smith@MCC.ARPA
The laser printer output is for Doug Lenat if he doesn't have it.
------- End undelivered message -------
∂15-Aug-85 1647 RA Joel Shirkin, News and Publications
Joel wanted to know whether you have an advance text of the speech
which you will give in LA. His tel: 7-2558.
∂15-Aug-85 1850 GARY@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Speaking Out On SDI
Received: from SRI-CSL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 15 Aug 85 18:50:43 PDT
Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 18:50:46-PDT
From: Gary Martins <GARY@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: Speaking Out On SDI
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: geoff@SRI-CSL.ARPA, GARY@SRI-CSLA.ARPA
Dear Dr. McC -
In response to your BB announcement:
1. Given that IJCAI is by and large a forum for hucksters and crackpots
of various types, it is probably a poor choice of venue for the
delivery of thoughts which you'd like taken seriously by serious
folks.
2. Ditto, for tying your pro-SDI arguments in with "AI"; it can only
lower the general credibility of what you have to say.
3. You are certainlyu right that no-one can now prove that the creation of
effective SDI software is mathematically impossible, and that part of your
argument is beyond reproach, even if rather trivial. However, you then
slip into the use of the word "impractical", which is a very different
thing, with entirely different epistemological status. On this point,
you may well be entirely wrong -- it is an empirical matter, of course.
I take no personal stand on the desirability or otherwise of SDI, but
as a citizen I have a vested interest in seeing some discussions of
the subject that are not too heavily tainted by personal bias and
special pleading.
Gary R. Martins
Intelligent Software Inc.
-------
∂15-Aug-85 1928 ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley your seminar
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id AA09830; Thu, 15 Aug 85 18:01:20 pdt
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 85 18:01:20 pdt
From: ucscd.ucscc!ucscc!beeson@Berkeley (20012000)
Message-Id: <8508160101.AA09830@ucscd.UCSC>
To: jmc@su-ai
Subject: your seminar
I have to decide whether to be at Stanford MW or T-Th next
winter and spring. One factor to take into account is that
I want to attend your seminar and/or others which may be of
interest. Previously you told me the meeting time will be
decided by the participants; but I wonder if the meeting DAY
is perhaps already known.
∂16-Aug-85 1025 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA Appointment of Carolyn
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Date: Fri 16 Aug 85 10:21:28-PDT
From: Betty Scott <BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Appointment of Carolyn
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: BScott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12135621784.19.BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
John, since Nils will be reading his mail this weekend, I hope you won't mind
the slight delay until Monday in sending his message concerning Carolyn's
appointment. I will feel more comfortable if he has a chance to see it first.
Betty
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∂16-Aug-85 1049 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Schedule for Prof. Shapiro
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Aug 85 10:49:32 PDT
Date: Fri 16 Aug 85 10:48:10-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Schedule for Prof. Shapiro
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, mayr@SU-SCORE.ARPA, ullman@SU-AIMVAX.ARPA,
feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
cc: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
This is a tentative schedule. If it changes, I shall let you know. If
you get no further mail about this, this schedule stands.
ashok
-------
∂16-Aug-85 1050 ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Schedule for Prof. Shapiro
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Aug 85 10:50:38 PDT
Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 19:50:41-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Schedule for Prof. Shapiro
ReSent-Date: Fri 16 Aug 85 10:49:04-PDT
ReSent-From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
ReSent-To: mayr@SU-SCORE.ARPA, ullman@SU-AIMVAX.ARPA,
feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
9 am Talk in MJH
10 am Talk to students
11 McCarthy
12 Lunch
1:30 Mayr
2:30 Ullman
3:30 Yao
4:30 Feigenbaum
∂16-Aug-85 1102 HULL@SU-SCORE.ARPA Statement at IJCAI
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Aug 85 11:02:06 PDT
Date: Fri 16 Aug 85 10:54:13-PDT
From: Kent Hull <HULL@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Statement at IJCAI
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12135627746.34.HULL@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I applaud your intent to make a statement. I feel the issue at hand is
an ethical one: it's distinctly unethical to make specious claims of SDI
technical infeasibility. I believe you're unusually well-qualified [on the
basis of your work] to make such a statement, which need not be as brief
as some have suggested.
Two relevant fragments come to mind:
DoD hasn't been supporting research on self-correcting and -repairing
code and on program specification methods and languages just to support
someone's hobby interests,
Until it was actually done (X-1), a substantial "authoritative"
portion of the AE and physics communities were quite agitated at
"waste" of public $ to attempt supersonic flight which, after all,
"couldn't be done".
-Kent
-------
∂16-Aug-85 1141 SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA An application of postponability
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Aug 85 11:40:56 PDT
Date: Fri 16 Aug 85 11:40:55-PDT
From: Devika Subramanian <SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: An application of postponability
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12135636250.52.SUBRAMANIAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I think that the specification of a scheduling program with the
postponability heuristic as control will correspond to a specification
of a standard algorithm in OR (using PERT charts) which isolates
critical paths first and solves them.
Any constraint satisfaction problem which has an ordering on the
criticality of its constraints (like ABSTRIPS) can be specified
as logic + postponability heuristic for control.
Devika
-------
∂16-Aug-85 1208 RA names of staff members
You only gave me the name of the senator and the congressman.
∂16-Aug-85 1212 AI.LENAT@MCC.ARPA meeting tomorrow
Received: from MCC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Aug 85 12:11:58 PDT
Date: Fri 16 Aug 85 14:11:57-CDT
From: AI.LENAT@MCC.ARPA
Subject: meeting tomorrow
To: mcdermott@CMU-CS-A.ARPA, kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA,
feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, bledsoe@MCC.ARPA, brown@XEROX.ARPA
cc: lenat@MCC.ARPA
Just a final reminder about our meeting in Los Angeles tomorrow,
Saturday, from 9:30 - 5 (I'll be there at 9 in case you arrive early).
The guard on the first floor of the ISI building (on Admiralty Way)
will have your names and let you come up to the 11th floor conference
room. See you tomorrow morning.
Regards,
Doug
-------
∂16-Aug-85 1410 VAL slides
What did you decide, should I bring them to LA or will you ask Carolyn? If I
do that then how will I get them and whom can I contact in case of problems?
∂16-Aug-85 1416 RA
Jastrow
Talked to Jastrow and he said that since you first talked congress has been
in recess. Could not locate the staff. He thinks that you might want to
wait a couple of weeks to assure that the letters will indeed get to their
destination. He will call you this afternoon.
∂16-Aug-85 1515 KUO
Thank you very much for your coming last night! My wife and I already decided
to go the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia and we will leave at the
end of August. Thank you again for writing a letter of recommendation for me
to the Penn. and I really appreciate your help so much!
--Victor
∂16-Aug-85 1614 RA jastrow
Please call Jastrow.
∂16-Aug-85 1615 RA tickets
The tickets will be delivered before 5:00 today.
∂16-Aug-85 2141 MAILER-DAEMON@sprite Returned mail: unknown mailer error 13
Received: from SPRITE by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Aug 85 21:40:48 PDT
Received: from SU-AI.ARPA by sprite with TCP; Fri, 16 Aug 85 21:41:01 pdt
Date: 16 Aug 85 2130 PDT
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON@sprite>
Subject: Returned mail: unknown mailer error 13
To: <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
----- Transcript of session follows -----
/usr/spool/bboard/1: Permission denied
554 "|/usr/stanford/bin/bboard -s"... unknown mailer error 13
----- Unsent message follows -----
Return-Path: <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Date: 16 Aug 85 2130 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: arrogant unix programmers
To: su-bboards@SU-AI.ARPA
I would like a mail command that would allow sending to bboards with the
exception of unixes. Whoever programs them behaves in an arrogant and
uncivilized way returning messages for no good reason. Sprite and Helens
are particularly villainous.
∂16-Aug-85 2146 JJW Sequent
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, CLT@SU-AI.ARPA, LES@SU-AI.ARPA, RPG@SU-AI.ARPA,
cheriton@SU-PESCADERO.ARPA, Bosack@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Doug Bryan's recent BBoard message inquiring about Sequent reminded me
that I recently came across the name of a new mailing list, Info-Sequent,
maintained at UT-Sally. (Send mail to Info-Sequent-Request@UT-Sally to
get yourself added.) On the file SEQUEN.INF[1,JJW] is a copy of the
messages sent so far to this list. (The original is ~pub/ftp/info-sequent
at UT-Sally if you want to get it from there.) I've also seen one or two
of these machines appear in the Internet host table, so it seems like they
are getting fairly good acceptance in the academic/research community.
∂17-Aug-85 0157 yg%ciprnet.umich-ciprnet.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa Re: Roald Zelichonok's Trial
Received: from CSNET-RELAY.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Aug 85 01:57:16 PDT
Received: from umich-ciprnet by csnet-relay.csnet id ai00910; 17 Aug 85 4:52 EDT
Received: by eecs.UMICH (4.12/4.7)
id AA20363; Thu, 15 Aug 85 11:56:24 edt
Received: by (4.12/4.7)
id AA05206; Thu, 15 Aug 85 10:31:28 edt
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 85 10:31:28 edt
From: Yuri Gurevich <yg%ciprnet.umich-ciprnet.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
Message-Id: <8508151431.AA05206@>
To: "reiter%utai@toronto.csnet"@csnet-relay.arpa,
"yg@umich.csnet"@csnet-relay.arpa, JMC@su-ai.ARPA, VAL@su-ai.ARPA
Subject: Re: Roald Zelichonok's Trial
1. Done.
2. val@su-ai, what is your name in real life?
Thanks, Yuri Gurevich
∂17-Aug-85 0352 @SU-SCORE.ARPA:GEORGEFF@SRI-AI.ARPA Planning Workshop/Conference
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Aug 85 03:52:05 PDT
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Sat 17 Aug 85 03:50:54-PDT
Date: Fri 16 Aug 85 08:13:52-PDT
From: Michael Georgeff <georgeff@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: Planning Workshop/Conference
To: mccarthy@SU-SCORE.ARPA
John,
Following the planlunch seminars, Amy Lansky mentioned to me that you
would be interested in us setting up a workshop or conference in
planning and reasoning about action, and could possibly provide us a
grant from AAAI. Is that so? In fact, it is an excellent idea, as
there seems to be some good research in this area once again. Also, I
have a publisher that would be very interested in publishing selected
papers from such a workshop.
Mike.
-------
∂17-Aug-85 0846 FMF@SU-SIERRA.ARPA bboard to helens and sprite
Received: from SU-SIERRA.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Aug 85 08:46:16 PDT
Date: 17 Aug 1985 08:47 PDT (Sat)
Message-ID: <FMF.12135866792.BABYL@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>
From: "Frank M. Fujimoto" <FMF@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>
To: lougheed@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: tonia@SU-SIERRA.ARPA
Subject: bboard to helens and sprite
should work now (the problem was owner/group of the bboard directory)
∂17-Aug-85 1152 CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA SDI
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Aug 85 11:52:16 PDT
Date: Sat 17 Aug 85 11:52:24-PDT
From: Mark Crispin <Crispin@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: SDI
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Postal-Address: 725 Mariposa Ave. #103; Mountain View, CA 94041-1869
Phone: 1 (415) 968-1052
Message-ID: <12135900482.24.CRISPIN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I didn't want to comment on this to you. I think though that you
misunderstand the objections.
The problem isn't if SDI works. If SDI turns out to be the ultimate
defensive weapon that guarantees complete security, then it is a good
thing. Everybody should have it. It would be great if Nicaragua had
their own SDI system to defend against US attack (especially an
extended SDI that also defends against conventional forms of attack).
War would be eliminated.
Of course, that would preclude revolutions as well, as the governments
controlling the SDI systems could presumably use them to defend against
the revolutionaries. I fear that you and I have different viewpoints
as to which of the current revolutions would improve and which would
degrade the governments in question should they succeed. I think there
is some agreement that in some cases a revolution is needed to overthrow
a government that it unsuited to the needs of its people.
However, this isn't the problem.
If SDI does not work, if it is not the ultimate defensive weapon, then
it is merely another weapons project. If it doesn't work at all, then
it is a waste of billions of taxpayer dollars. I can think of more
important things for my share of the cost of SDI...such as my current
attempts to buy a house.
If SDI only partially works, then it is a new weapon, another step in
the arms race. Only now it's been expanded further. Would SDI technology
in fact make offensive nuclear assault even more deadly than it is now?
Perhaps.
Maybe free peoples are a bit jaded of hearing politicians claim that a
certain weapons technology is the ultimate that will ensure lasting peace.
Maybe free peoples have decided that politicians are either ignorant or
mendacious when it comes to weapons technology.
-------
∂17-Aug-85 1806 VSINGH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Auditron found
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Aug 85 18:05:53 PDT
Date: Sat 17 Aug 85 18:06:05-PDT
From: Vineet Singh <vsingh@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Auditron found
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, ra@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12135968509.13.VSINGH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I found jmc's auditron on the 3rd floor xerox machine about an hour
ago. Since I didn't think it was a good idea to leave it there, I've
taken the liberty to put it in an envelope and leave it in John
McCarthy's mailbox on the 2nd floor.
Vineet
-------
∂19-Aug-85 0751 JK leave of absence
I just spoke to Curtis at NSF --- 202-357-9747;
he saw no problems with a new leave of absence;
it has to be phrased as an extension.
The grant is due to expire February of next year.
A formal request for an extension of the grant
must be filed by you thru Stanford.
JK
∂19-Aug-85 0822 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 19 Aug 85 08:22:19 PDT
Date: Mon 19 Aug 85 08:21:08-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Robotics Search Committee
To: cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA,
Reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, BScott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12136386311.23.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
There will be a Robotics Search Committee meeting on August 30 at 4:00.
Please mark it on your calendars.
Thanks,
Anne
-------
∂19-Aug-85 1046 avg@diablo Re: arrogant unix programmers
Received: from SU-AIMVAX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 19 Aug 85 10:46:37 PDT
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 85 10:46:57 pdt
From: Allen VanGelder <avg@diablo>
Subject: Re: arrogant unix programmers
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
While I too have been frequently annoyed that messages to lists have
some copies returned, I can understand the rationale -- that if your
message did not arrive within the time you normally expect, the system
should notify you; it might matter to you. In fact, these messages seem
to get thru eventually, so I just delete these notices.
Maybe all mail programs should have a low-priority flag to tell the
system not to get excited so easily. However, I do not see where
arrogance is involved.
∂19-Aug-85 1126 avg@diablo Re: sdi and infeasibility
Received: from SU-AIMVAX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 19 Aug 85 11:25:58 PDT
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 85 11:26:22 pdt
From: Allen VanGelder <avg@diablo>
Subject: Re: sdi and infeasibility
To: JMC@Sail, su-bboards@diablo
Questions for JMC:
1. Have you ever been involved personally in a software project involving
20 or more programmers? How about 100? 1000?
2. Do you personally KNOW anyone who has been involved personally in a
software project involving 20 or more programmers? How about 100? 1000?
3. If so, did the software EVER reach the state that it just worked
correctly without ongoing human tinkering?
4. Can you imagine that NASA would ever dream of sending its programmers
on vacation during a space flight?
With SDI in place, we might as well send the programmers on vacation because
they won't have time to fix anything. "Infeasible" means "impracticable"
or "intractable," not "impossible." We are talking about the real world,
the real pentagon, the real defense contractors and lobbyists. Anyone who
looks at the F-20 mess is bound to be pessimistic about the quality of
any decisions in their hands.
∂19-Aug-85 1248 EVAN@SU-CSLI.ARPA SDI and proving correctness
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 19 Aug 85 12:47:56 PDT
Date: Mon 19 Aug 85 12:48:15-PDT
From: Evan Kirshenbaum <evan@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: SDI and proving correctness
To: su-bboard@SU-CSLI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
All of this talk about proving that sdi meets its specifications has got
me thinking about program proving in general. JMC's argument seems to
hinge on the theory that it is always possible (in theory at least) to tell
whether or not a program meets its specs. Drawing analogy to the halting
problem, I'm not sure that this is the case.
Assume that we have a machine M which accepts a specification and a
program (machine description) and says Yes iff the program meets the
specification. Now take the specification S=``Program P s.t. M(S,P)=No''.
Taking *any* program Q, it seems to me that M cannot say anything one way
or another about S and Q (if we assume Q doesn't meet S, then M says no in
which case Q meets S so M says yes in which case...).
The only reasonable conclusion I can draw from this is that there is no
machine that can accurately check any program against any spec (or
alternatively that there exist specifications which cannot be checked by
any program).
Of course, this is a pathological example, but SDI is going to be an
awfully complex program with horrendously complicated specs. It hardly
seems farfetched to think that something as nasty as this (if not as blatent)
might be embedded in them somewhere.
evan
-------
∂20-Aug-85 1552 COWER@SU-CSLI.ARPA chez
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 20 Aug 85 15:52:06 PDT
Date: Tue 20 Aug 85 15:51:01-PDT
From: Rich Cower <COWER@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: chez
To: jmc@SU-CSLI.ARPA
could you point us to the right person at ksl who might be able
to get us a copy of CHEZ? i've talked with the people who market
it it (Cadence Research) and they informed me Byron Davies has
a site license for it. We need it for our Vaxes here at CSLI.
thanks for any assistance you can offer...rich cower
-------
∂23-Aug-85 1011 CHURD@SU-SCORE.ARPA HONORS
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 23 Aug 85 10:11:23 PDT
Date: Fri 23 Aug 85 10:10:05-PDT
From: Cuthbert Hurd <CHURD@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: HONORS
To: MCCARTHY@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12137454722.27.CHURD@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Congratulations on your most recent honor. Your friends rejoice.
Have you read "Fall From Grace"?
Did you see Quintus Prolog running on the 1108?
We should have another of our famous lunches.
Regards. Cuthbert
-------
∂23-Aug-85 1432 PLUMMER@SU-SIERRA.ARPA Visit of Senator Glenn
Received: from SU-SIERRA.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 23 Aug 85 14:32:22 PDT
Date: Fri 23 Aug 85 14:30:35-PDT
From: James D. Plummer <PLUMMER@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>
Subject: Visit of Senator Glenn
To: Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: Plummer@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, Feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA,
Ullman@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Luckam@SU-AI.ARPA, Cheriton@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
Gibbons@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, Reynolds@USC-ISI.ARPA, Kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA
Nils:
Since you have been out of town for the past couple of weeks, I wanted
to bring you up to date on plans for Glenn's visit here next Tuesday. As you
know, the briefings are set to start at 8:30 AM in the main conference room
in the CIS building. Glenn will arrive with about 8 staff members by limo at
8:30. Don Kennedy will be here to greet him and to provide some introductory
remarks.
As you are well aware, the agenda is VERY tight since Glenn will be
leaving by limo for Moffet Field at exactly 1 PM to catch a 1:30 flight. There
is virtually no slop in the schedule to allow for speakers going over their
allotted time. I have arranged for a catered lunch to be brought in just before
noon. There will be plenty of food for all the speakers. We will have a
working lunch, as called for in the agenda.
Because of the VERY tight schedule and because of the importance DARPA
places on this visit, I have gone over the content and points of emphasis of
each of the DSO related talks. I think that high quality visual aids and
well formulated thoughts are essential if the presentations are to go smoothly.
(Incidentally, Dick Reynolds has requested that all speakers provide copies of
their visual aids before their talks. I have asked the DSO related speakers to
bring 20 copies.) Dick is also planning on being here at Stanford on Monday to
go over the talks of each of the DSO speakers (Plummer, Harris, Quate and
Spicer). I don't know if any similar plan exists for the IPTO related talks,
but I think that such coordination would really make the overall presentation
much more effective.
Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you in
coordinating the IPTO related talks. I think that all of us will benefit from
a successful review.
Jim
-------
∂23-Aug-85 1438 YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA [Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>:]
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 23 Aug 85 14:38:43 PDT
Date: Fri 23 Aug 85 14:37:21-PDT
From: Andrew Yao <YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: [Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>:]
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Papa@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
Ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA, Yao@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12137503374.23.YAO@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
This is the schedule that Ashok worked out for Shapiro's visit.
--Andy
---------------
Return-Path: <ASHOK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Fri 23 Aug 85 08:02:47-PDT
Date: Fri 23 Aug 85 08:02:41-PDT
From: Ashok Subramanian <ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
To: yao@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: ashok@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
Note that this schedule is slightly differentr from the one I last mailed you
-- Prof. Guibas has claimed his slot. He will also join us for lunch.
ashok
---------------
Here is the updated schedule for Prof. Shapiro's visit -- Monday, Aug. 26.
9 am Talk in MJH 352
... Discussion with students
10:30 Guibas
11 am McCarthy
Noon Lunch at Faculty Club
1:30 pm Mayr
2:30 pm Ullman
3:30 pm Yao
4:30 pm Feigenbaum
All faculty except Prof. Feigenbaum have offices in Margaret Jacks Hall;
Prof. Feigenbaum's office is in the Knowledge Systems Lab, 701 Welch Road,
near the Stanford Barn.
-------
-------
∂23-Aug-85 1509 RA CS306 text for a visually impaired student
Which text are you going to use for your course? Students` services would
like to get it inorder to record it for a Jim Schulz who is going to be
a student in the class.
phw@mc
My continuing as workshop-approver
Pat,
As you probably know, I have been serving as workshop-approver
at Woody's request. I started approving them when I was President. I
am agreeable to continuing, but I consider myself serving "at the pleasure
of the President". Would you like me to continue?
I have been considering the requests entirely informally and
have been authorized to approve up to $10K but typically $5K. When I
approve I copy Claudia and the current President. So far all the proposals
for genuine workshops have come from qualified people and I have approved
all of them. There have been some proposals for supporting large conferences
or other non-workshops on which I have passed the buck to the President.
Also I have done a certain amount of pump-priming and suggested that certain
people organize workshops, since the number of proposals is far smaller
than it ought to be.
I have imposed no specific rules on the form of workshop. The
organizer may establish whatever procedure he chooses for selecting
papers and participants and may provide a proceedings if he wishes.
There follows a proposal that I will approve forthwith
if you authorize me to continue the program.
John
∂25-Aug-85 0934 JC50@CMU-CS-A.ARPA Analytical Learning Workshop
Received: from CMU-CS-A.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 25 Aug 85 09:34:02 PDT
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 85 12:31 EDT
From: Jaime.Carbonell@CMU-CS-A.ARPA
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Subject: Analytical Learning Workshop
CC: mitchell@RUTGERS.ARPA, mostow@RUTGERS.ARPA, minton@CMU-CS-CAD.ARPA,
doyle@CMU-CS-C.ARPA
Message-Id: <25Aug85.123133.JC50@CMU-CS-A.ARPA>
John,
I'm starting to organize a small, informal workshop on analytical
methods for machine learning (e.g. the application of constraint-back
propagation, derivation-based generalization supported by a TMS, etc.)
The idea would be to have 2 intensive days and a small number of
participants (less than 20) who are actively working on this new
approach -- about 1/2 faculty & 1/2 graduate students.
My question is whether you think this would be appropriate for AAAI
sponsorship. The budget would be modest, say 6K, as it would be held
at University premises. But, it definitely would not be open to the
public, or even all AAAI members. So, this might disqualify it.
--Jaime
∂25-Aug-85 1321 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: Visit of Senator Glenn
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 25 Aug 85 13:20:55 PDT
Date: Sun 25 Aug 85 13:19:29-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Visit of Senator Glenn
To: PLUMMER@SU-SIERRA.ARPA
cc: Feigenbaum@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, Ullman@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
Luckam@SU-AI.ARPA, Cheriton@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Gibbons@SU-SIERRA.ARPA,
Reynolds@USC-ISI.ARPA, Kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA, NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "James D. Plummer <PLUMMER@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>" of Fri 23 Aug 85 14:30:47-PDT
Message-ID: <12138013487.12.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Jim, I agree about the importance of making high quality presentations this
Tuesday during the John Glenn visit. By copy of this msg, I will ask those
associated with the ipto part of the presentations (Ullman, Feigenbaum,
Cheriton, Luckham, McCarthy) to bring along 20 copies each of a handout
summarizing points made in their presentations. I have previously asked all
to be prepared (just in case) to condense their presentations if doing so is
required to stay on schedule. -Nils
-------
∂26-Aug-85 0857 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 26 Aug 85 08:57:14 PDT
Date: Mon 26 Aug 85 08:55:57-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12138227658.15.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Western Airlines of San Jose phoned they have your suit case. Please call.
408 286-9130
Tina
-------
∂26-Aug-85 1355 ai.boyer@MCC.ARPA Next Visit
Received: from MCC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 26 Aug 85 13:55:17 PDT
Received: from ATLAS by MCC.ARPA via Chaosnet; Mon 26 Aug 85 15:54:28-CDT
Date: Monday, 26 August 1985, 15:54-CDT
From: robert s. boyer <ai.boyer at MCC-AI>
Subject: Next Visit
To: JMC%SU-AI at MCC-AI
cc: AI.BLEDSOE at MCC-AI, AI.LENAT at MCC-AI
Fcc: MCC:PS:<AI.BOYER>XMAIL.BOYER
Message-ID: <850826155438.7.BOYER@ATLAS.MCC>
Hi. Congratulations on your greatly deserved IJCAI award.
Woody has asked me to negotiate with you the exact date for your next visit
here. How about Monday and Tuesday, September 9 and 10? Doug will be out of
town on the following Thursday and Friday; I understand you have the same
meeting as he for Friday. (There will be a minor collision with Luckham's
visit on Tuesday, but that shouldn't detract us from talking with you for more
than a couple of hours.)
Bob
P.S. I'd like to pick your brain on what the general subdivisions are among
the 10,000 facts one needs for mechanical common sense which you alluded to
in your talk.
∂26-Aug-85 1636 RA Inf. about AI group
Dr. John Yee would like to introduce a friend from the Univ. of Singapore.
Would like to set an appointment if possible in the next few days. His
tel: (408) 256 0181. He will call back tomorrow, so if you have any
msg. for him, please let me know.
∂26-Aug-85 1641 RA Miro called
Miro called. Will be tonight at (212) 864 0645.
∂26-Aug-85 1643 SJG counterfactual argument
How about dinner some time this week? [Please resist the temptation to
reply, "Even if I weren't busy, ..."]
See you soon.
Matt
∂26-Aug-85 1715 postmaster@aerospace Undeliverable mail
Received: from AEROSPACE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 26 Aug 85 17:14:52 PDT
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 85 17:13:10 PDT
From: The System Postmaster <postman@AEROSPACE.ARPA>
Subject: Undeliverable mail
In-Reply-To: Your message of 26 Aug 85 1708 PDT
To: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
===== POSTMAN output follows =====
"scrocker": not delivered (unknown user)
===== unsent message follows =====
Date: 26 Aug 85 1708 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: ijcai expenses and award
To: scrocker@AEROSPACE.ARPA
Claudia reminds me that you are writing the checks. Anyway the
letter from Allan Mackworth said that the Research Excellence Award
included $1,000 plus expense. You already paid my hotel bill, so
all that remains is $70 taxis and $100 meals. Airfare was paid
from other sources. I know you are going on vacation, but I don't
remember how long. If it seems to long before I get a reply from
you, I'll try Mackworth, but I'm in no hurry, not being broke.
∂26-Aug-85 2251 DEK congratulations
on the well-deserved AAAI award!
∂30-Aug-85 1259 SATZ@SU-SIERRA.ARPA Re: arrogant unix programmers
Received: from SU-SIERRA.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 12:54:38 PDT
Date: Wed 28 Aug 85 10:30:10-PDT
From: Greg Satz <SATZ@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>
Subject: Re: arrogant unix programmers
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: fmf@SU-SIERRA.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 16 Aug 85 21:30:00-PDT
Phone: (415) 497-1004
Return-Path: <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Received: from SU-AI.ARPA by SU-SIERRA.ARPA with TCP; Fri 16 Aug 85 21:34:21-PDT
Date: 16 Aug 85 2130 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: arrogant unix programmers
To: su-bboards@SU-AI.ARPA
I would like a mail command that would allow sending to bboards with the
exception of unixes. Whoever programs them behaves in an arrogant and
uncivilized way returning messages for no good reason. Sprite and Helens
are particularly villainous.
-------
If you have an example of the returned messages, we will fix the problem.
I am not sure it is fair to assume just because someone made a mistake
that they are arrogant. I think you uncovered a problem when we installed
bboards on those two systems. Thanks for pointing it out.
-------
∂30-Aug-85 1333 tolat@su-star meeting
Received: from SU-STAR.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 13:33:12 PDT
Date: 28 Aug 85 12:55:00 PDT
From: Viral Tolat <tolat@su-star>
Subject: meeting
To: "jmc" <jmc@sail>
Reply-To: Viral Tolat <tolat@su-star>
John,
I've recently talked with Harold Brown and Tom Rindfleisch about research
in AI. I would like to talk with you about the same. I'm interested
in finding work to aid in the development of a thesis for myself.
I am free anytime this week or next. Please lwt me know a convienent
time for you.
Thanks
Vip Tolat
------
∂30-Aug-85 1402 RA Industrial lecturers
I don't know if you got the msg. I sent you from score, but just
in case you didn't: Nils wanted to know who the industrial lecturers
are for the coming academic year.
∂30-Aug-85 1416 RA leave early
I have to leave at 2:45 today for physical therapy for my poor back.
Have a nice holiday.e
∂30-Aug-85 1405 ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA industrial lecturers
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 13:36:45 PDT
Date: Fri 30 Aug 85 13:30:28-PDT
From: Rutie Adler <ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: industrial lecturers
To: mccarthy@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12139326208.35.ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Nils wanted to know who the industrial lecturers are for the coming academic
year.
Thanks.
-------
∂30-Aug-85 1423 RA Re: Industrial lecturers
[Reply to message recvd: 30 Aug 85 14:08 Pacific Time]
I understand that Pereira is going to be here in the Fall, how about the
other ones?
∂30-Aug-85 1425 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Would you like to be on the distribution list, or just BBOARDed?
Received: from SRI-CSL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 14:25:17 PDT
Date: Wed 28 Aug 85 11:41:15-PDT
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: Would you like to be on the distribution list, or just BBOARDed?
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
28-Aug-85 00:23:14-PDT,50216;000000000000
Return-Path: <Neumann@SRI-CSL.ARPA>
Date: Wed 28 Aug 85 00:04:46-PDT
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: RISKS-1.2, 28 Aug 85
To: RISKS: ;,
FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Vol 1 No 2 -- 28 August 1985
Peter G. Neumann, moderator
(Contributions to RISKS@SRI-CSL.ARPA)
(Requests to RISKS-Request@SRI-CSL.ARPA)
(This vol/no can be FTPed from SRI-CSL:<RISKS>RISKS-1.2)
(The first issue, vol 1 no 1, is in SRI-CSL:<RISKS>RISKS-1.1)
Contents:
Introduction; three more risk items (Peter Neumann)
Mariner 1 Irony (Nicholas Spies)
RISKS Forum ... [Reaction] (Bob Carter)
RISKS Forum ... [An Air Traffic Control Problem] (Scott Rose)
Risks in AI Diagnostic Aids (Art Smith)
Warning! ... [A Trojan Horse Bites Man] (Don Malpass)
SDI (Martin Moore, Jim Horning, John McCarthy, Peter Karp, Dave Parnas,
Gary Martins, Tom Parmenter; panel at 8th ICSE in London)
The Madison Paper on Computer Unreliability and Nuclear War (Jeff Myers)
Can a Computer Declare War? (Cliff Johnson)
Caveat: Sorry if you have already seen some of this stuff elsewhere
on the net.
------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 27 Aug 1985 23:32:01-PST
Subject: Introduction, and more recent risk items
To: RISKS@SRI-CSL
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSL>
I was away during the previous three weeks, which made it difficult to put
out another issue. However, the newspapers were full of excitement relevant
to this forum:
* A Federal district judge awarded $1.25 million to the families of
three lobstermen who were lost at sea in a storm that the National
Weather Service failed to predict because its parent organization
(the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) had not repaired
a weather buoy for three months. [NY Times 13 Aug 85]
* Another Union Carbide leak (causing 135 injuries) resulted from a
computer program that was not yet programmed to recognize aldicarb
oxime, compounded by human error when the operator misinterpreted
the results of the program to imply the presence of methyl isocyanate
(as in Bhopal). A 20-minute delay in notifying county emergency
made things worse. [NY Times 14 and 24 Aug 85 front pages] (There
were two other serious Union Carbide incidents reported in August as
well, although only this one had a computer link.)
* An untimely -- and possibly experiment-aborting -- delay of the intended
25 August launch of the space shuttle Discovery was caused when a
malfunction in the backup computer was discovered just 25 minutes
before the scheduled launch. The delay threatened to seriously
compromise the mission. [NY Times 26 August 1985] The Times reporter
John Noble Wilford wrote, "What was puzzling to engineers was that the
computer had worked perfectly in tests before today. And in tests after
the failure, it worked, though showing signs of trouble." Arnold
Aldrich, manager of the shuttle program at Johnson, was quoted as saying
"We're about 99.5% sure it's a hardware failure." (The computers are
state of the art as of 1972 and are due for upgrading in 1987.) A
similar failure of just the backup computer caused a one-day delay in
Discovery's maiden launch last summer.
* More details are emerging on possible computer hanky-panky in elections,
including the recent Philippine elections. There has been a series of
articles in the past weeks by Peter Carey in the San Jose Mercury News
-- which I haven't seen yet but will certainly hope to report on.
I expect that future issues of this RISKS forum will appear at a higher
frequency -- especially if there is more interaction from our readership. I
will certainly try to redistribute appropriate provocative material on a
shorter fuse. I hope that we can do more than just recapture and abstract
things that appear elsewhere, but that depends on some of you contributing.
I will be disappointed (but not surprised) to hear complaints that we
present only one side of any particular issue, particularly when no
countering positions are available or when none are provoked in response; if
you are bothered by only one side being represented, you must help to
restore the balance. However, remember that it is often easier to criticize
others than to come up with constructive alternatives, and constructive
alternatives are at the heart of reducing risks. So, as I said in vol 1 no
1, let us be constructive.
------------------------------
Date: 16 Aug 1985 21:23-EST
From: Nicholas.Spies@CMU-CS-H.ARPA
Subject: Mariner 1 irony
To: risks@sri-csl
My late father (Otto R. Spies) was a research scientist at Burroughs when
the Mariner 1 launch failed. He brought home an internal memo that was
circulated to admonish all employees to be careful in their work to prevent
similar disasters in the future. (I don't recall whether Burroughs was
directly involved with Mariner 1 or not.) After explaining that a critical
program bombed because a period was substituted for a comma, the memo ended
with the phrase
"... no detail is to [sic] small to overlook."
My father would be deeply pleased that people who can fully appreciate this
small irony are now working on ways to prevent the misapplication of
computers as foible-amplifiers.
------------------------------
Date: 8 Aug 85 19:10 EDT (Thu)
From: ←Bob <Carter@RUTGERS.ARPA>
Subject: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems [Reaction]
To: RISKS@SRI-CSL
Thanks for the copy of Vol. I, No. 1. Herewith a brief reaction. This
is sent to you directly because I'm not sure whether discussion of the
digest is appropriate for inclusion in the digest.
1. Please mung RISKS so that it does not break standard undigestifying
software (in my case, BABYL).
[BABYL is an EMACS-TECO hack. It seems to be a real bear to use,
with lots of pitfalls still. But I'll see what I can do.
Alternatively, shorter issues might help. PGN]
2. I think RISKS is clearly an idea whose time has come, but I'm not
entirely sure it has been sufficiently thought through.
[I should hope not! It is a cooperative venture. I just
happen to be trying to moderate it. PGN]
(a.) You cast your net altogether too widely, and include some topics
that have been discussed extensively on widely-read mailing lists.
Star Wars, the Lin paper, the Parnas resignation, and related topics
have been constructively discussed on ARMS-D. I have considerable
doubt about the utility of replicating this discussion. (The
moderators of HUMAN-NETS and POLI-SCI have both adopted the policy
of directing SDI debate to that forum. Would it be a good idea to
follow that example?
[To some extent, yes. However, one cannot read ALL of the
interesting BBOARDs -- there are currently hundreds on the
ARPANET alone, many of which have some bearing on RISKS. Also,
browsers from other networks are at a huge disadvantage unless
they have connections, hours of spare time, money, etc. This is
a FORUM ON RISKS, and should properly address that topic. We
certainly should not simply reproduce other BBOARDS, but some
duplication seems tolerable. (I'll try to keep it at the end
of each issue, so you won't have to wade through it.) By the
way, I had originally intended to mention ARMS-D in RISKS vol 1
no 1, but did not have time to check it out in detail. For those
of you who want to pursue it, next following is the essence of
the blurb taken from the Network Information Center,
SRI-NIC.ARPA:<NETINFO>INTEREST-GROUPS.TXT. PGN]
[ ARMS-D@MIT-MC:
The Arms-Discussion Digest is intended to be a forum for
discussion of arms control and weapon system issues. Messages
are collected, edited into digests and distributed as the
volume of mail dictates (usually twice a week).
Old digests may be FTP'ed from MIT-MC(no login required). They
are archived at BALL; ARMSD ARCn , where n is the issue no.
All requests to be added to or deleted from this list, problems,
questions, etc., should be sent to Arms-D-REQUEST@MIT-MC.
Moderator: Harold G. Ancell <HGA@MIT-MC> ]
(b.) You do not cover the topics which, in my opinion, are going
to generate more law-making than anything you do touch on. In
particular, the health hazards (if any) of CRT use, and the working
conditions (including automated performance testing) of "pink-collar"
CRT users are going to be among the most important labor-relations
issues of the next few years. Many people think these more imminent
risks than those mentioned in the RISKS prospectus.
[Fine topic! PGN]
3. I think a digest is an animal that differs considerably from print
media, but is no less important. I get the feeling that you consider
yourself a country cousin of the ACM publications and of SEN. Wrong!
You're not inferior, you are just editing in a different medium and as
you put your mind to the task, I hope you come to take them with a
larger grain of salt. In particular,
! Chinese computer builder electrocuted by his smart computer after he
built a newer one. "Jealous Computer Zaps its Creator"! (SEN 10 1)
was a National Inquirer-style joke. The editor of SEN should not have
reprinted it, and you probably should not have included it in a
serious list of computer-related failures.
[The editor of SEN has sometimes been known to indulge in levity.
In this case it appears that a Chinese engineer was indeed
electrocuted -- and that is an interesting case of computer-related
disaster. On the other hand, if someone can believe that an
AI automatic programming routine can write many million lines of
correct code, then he might as well believe that a smart computer
system could express jealousy and cause the electrocution!
Actually, Bob used "PEN" throughout rather than "SEN", but
"Software Engineering Notes" was the only sensible interpretation
I could come up with, so I changed it. Do I have a "PEN" pal? PGN]
4. It seems to me that it is precisely in the area of serious hardware
and software failures that RISKS should make its mark. Directing
itself to that topic, it fills a spot no existing list touches on
directly, and treats a matter that concerns every computer
professional who is earning a decent living. Litigation about
defective software design and programming malpractice will be the
inevitable consequence of risks, and RISKS is the only place to
discuss avoiding them. Please consider focussing the list more closely
on that subject.
[Bob, Thanks for your comments. I heartily agree on the importance
of the last item. But, I do not intend to generate all of the
material for this forum, and can only smile when someone suggests
that this forum is not what it should be. I look forward to your
help! PGN]
[End of Bob Carter's message and my interspersions.]
-----------------------------------
Subject: RISKS forum [including An Air-Traffic Control Problem]
Date: 16 Aug 85 21:06:39 PDT (Fri)
From: Scott M. Rose <rose@uw-bluechip.arpa>
I had kind of hoped that somebody would submit something on the recent problem
in Aurora Illinois, whereby a computer cable was cut that brought
information from RADAR sensors to the regional air traffic control center
there. Supposedly, the system was designed to be sufficiently redundant to
handle such a failure gracefully, but this turned out not to be the case:
there were several close calls as the system went up and down repeatedly.
There was information about the problem in the New York Times and the
Chicago Tribune, at least... but not in very good detail.
I wonder if the forum is the right format for such a group. The problem is
that one may find oneself reluctant to report on such an incident that was
widely reported in the popular press, and was current, for fear that a dozen
others have done the same. Yet in this case, the apparent result is that
NOBODY reported on it, and I think such an event ought not pass without
note on this group. I might propose something more like the info-nets
group, where postings are automatically forwarded to group members. If
problems arose, then the postings could be filtered by the moderator... say,
on a daily basis? Just an idea...
-S Rose
[Please don't feel reluctant to ask whether someone has
reported an interesting event before you go to any
potentially duplicate effort. We'd rather not miss out
entirely.]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 85 12:23:25 EDT
From: Smith@UDel-Dewey.ARPA
To: RISKS@sri-csl.ARPA
Subject: Risks in AI Diagnostic Aids
I would enjoy a discussion on the legal and ethical problems that have
come up with the creation of AI diagnostic aids for doctors. Who takes the
blame if the advice of a program causes a wrong diagnosis? The doctor (if
so, then who would use such a program!?!?), the program's author(s) (if so,
then who would write such a program!?!?), the publishers/distributors of the
program (if so, then who would market such a program!?!?), .... These
nagging questions will have to be answered before anyone is going to make
general use of these programs
I would be very interested in hearing what other people think about this
question. It seems to me that it would be a suitable one for this bboard.
art smith
(smith@UDel-Dewey.ARPA)
****************************************************
** Following are several items on the Strategic **
** Defense Initiative and related subjects. **
****************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 85 11:05:48 edt
From: malpass@ll-sst (Don Malpass)
To: INFO-HZ100@RADC-TOPS20
Subject: WARNING !! [A Trojan Horse Bites Man]
Today's Wall St. Journal contained the following article. I think
it is of enough potential significance that I'll enter the whole thing.
In addition to the conclusions it states, it implies something about
good backup procedure discipline.
In the hope this may save someone,
Don Malpass
******************************************
(8/15/85 Wall St. Journal)
ARF! ARF!
Richard Streeter's bytes got bitten by an "Arf Arf," which isn't
a dog but a horse.
Mr. Streeter, director of development in the engineering department
of CBS Inc. and home-computer buff, was browsing recently through the
offerings of Family Ledger, a computer bulletin board that can be used by
anybody with a computer and a telephone to swap advice, games or programs -
or to make mischief. Mr. Streeter loaded into his computer a program that
was billed as enhancing his IBM program's graphics; instead it instantly wiped
out the 900 accounting, word processing and game programs he had stored in
his computer over the years. All that was left was a taunt glowing back
at him from the screen: "Arf! Arf! Got You!"
"HACKERS" STRIKE AGAIN
This latest form of computer vandalism - dubbed for obvious reasons
a Trojan Horse - is the work of the same kind of anonymous "hackers" who
get their kicks stealing sensitive data from government computers or invading
school computers to change grades. But instead of stealing, Trojan Horses
just destroy all the data files in the computer.
Trojan Horse creators are nearly impossible to catch - they usually
provide phony names and addresses with their programs - and the malevolent
programs often slip by bulletin-board operators. But they are becoming a
real nuisance. Several variations of the "Arf! Arf!" program have made
the rounds, including one that poses as a "super-directory" that
conveniently places computer files in alphabetical order.
Operators have begun to take names and addresses of electronic
bulletin-board users so they can check their authenticity. When a
computer vandal is uncovered, the word is passed to other operators.
Special testing programs also allow them to study the wording of
submitted programs and detect suspicious commands.
INTERFACER BEWARE
But while Al Stone, the computer consultant who runs Long Island
based Family Ledger, has such a testing program, he says he didn't have time
to screen the "Arf! Arf!" that bit Mr. Streeter. "Don't attempt to run
something unless you know its pedigree," he says.
That's good advice, because the computer pranksters are getting more
clever - and nastier. They are now creating even-more-insidious programs
that gradually eat away existing files as they are used. Appropriately
enough, these new programs are known as "worms".
(8/15/85 Wall St. Journal)
******************************************
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 85 13:56:21 CDT
From: mooremj@EGLIN-VAX
Subject: Software engineering and SDI
[FROM Soft-Eng Digest Fri, 23 Aug 85 Volume 1 : Issue 31]
Dr. David Parnas has quite accurately pointed out some of the dangers inherent
in the software to be written for the Strategic Defense Initiative. I must
take exception, however, to the following statement from the Boston Globe
story quoted in Volume 1, Issue 29, of this digest:
"To imagine that Star Wars systems will work perfectly
without testing is ridiculous. A realistic test of the
Strategic Defense Initiative would require a practice
nuclear war. Perfecting it would require a string of such wars."
There are currently many systems which cannot be fully tested. One example
is the software used in our present defense early warning system. Another
example, one with which I am personally familiar, is the Range Safety Command
Destruct system at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This system provides
the commands necessary to destroy errant missiles which may threaten populated
areas; I wrote most of the software for the central computer in this system.
The system can never be fully tested in the sense implied above, for to do so
would involve the intentional destruction of a missile for testing purposes
only. On the other hand, it must be reliable: a false negative (failure to
destroy a missile which endangers a populated area) could cause the loss of
thousands of lives; a false positive (unintentional destruction of, say, a
Space Shuttle mission) is equally unthinkable. There are many techniques
available to produce fault-tolerant, reliable software, just as there are for
hardware; the Range Safety system was designed by some of the best people at
NASA, the U. S. Air Force, and several contractors. I do not claim that a
failure of this system is "impossible", but the risk of a failure, in my
opinion, is acceptably low.
"But ANY risk is too great in Star Wars!"
I knew someone would say that, and I can agree with this sentiment. The only
alternative, then, is not to build it, because any system at all will involve
some risk (however small) of failure; and failure will, as Dr. Parnas has
pointed out, lead to the Ultimate Disaster. I believe that this is what Dr.
Parnas is hoping to accomplish: persuading the authorities that the risk
is unacceptable.
It won't work. Oh, perhaps it will in the short run; "Star Wars" may not
be built now, or ever. But sooner or later, some system will be given
life-and-death authority over the entire planet, whether it is a space
defense system, a launch-on-warning strategic defense system, or something
else. The readers of this digest are the present and future leaders in
the field of software engineering. It is our responsibility to refine the
techniques now used and to develop new ones so that these systems WILL be
reliable. I fear that some first-rate people may avoid working on such
systems because they are "impossible"; this will result in second-rate
people working on them, which is something we cannot afford. This is NOT
a slur at Dr. Parnas. He has performed an invaluable service by bringing
the public's attention to the problem. Now it is up to us to solve that
problem.
I apologize for the length of this message. The above views are strictly
my own, and do not represent my employer or any government agency.
Martin J. Moore
Senior Software Analyst
RCA Armament Test Project
P. O. Box 1446
Eglin AFB, Florida 32542
ARPAnet: MOOREMJ@EGLIN-VAX.ARPA
------------------------------
From: horning@decwrl.ARPA (Jim Horning)
Date: 21 Aug 1985 1243-PDT (Wednesday)
To: Neumann@SRI-CSLA
Subject: Trip Report: Computing in Support of Battle Management
[This is a relatively long report, because I haven't been able to come
up with a simple characterization of an interesting and informative day.]
Background:
On August 13 I travelled to Marina del Rey to spend a day with the
U.S. Department of Defense Strategic Defense Initiative Organization
Panel on Computing in Support of Battle Management (DoD SDIO PCSBM).
SDI is the "Star Wars" antiballistic missile system; PCSBM is the panel
Dave Parnas resigned from.
I wasn't really sure what to expect. As I told Richard Lau when he
invited me to spend a day with them, I'd read what Parnas wrote, but
hadn't seen the other side. He replied that the other side hadn't been
written yet. "Come on down and talk to us. The one thing that's certain
is that what we do will have an impact, whether for good or for ill."
Summary:
The good news is that the panel members are not crazies; they aren't
charlatans; they aren't fools. If a solution to SDI's Battle Management
Software problem can be purchased for five billion dollars (or even
ten), they'll probably find it; if not, they'll eventually recognize
that it can't.
The bad news is that they realize they don't have the expertise to
solve the problem themselves, or even to direct its solution. They
accept Dave Parnas's assessment that the software contemplated in the
"Fletcher Report" cannot be produced by present techniques, and that
AI, Automatic Programming, and Program Verification put together won't
generate a solution. Thus their invitations to people such as myself,
Bob Balzer, and Vic Vyssotsky to come discuss our views of the state
and prospects of software technology.
I think a fair summary of the panel's current position is that they are
not yet convinced that the problem cannot be modified to make it
soluble. ("Suppose we let software concerns drive the system
architecture? After all, it is one of the two key technologies.") They
are trying to decide what must be done to provide the information that
would be needed in the early 1990s to make a decision about deploying a
system in the late 1990s.
Assumptions:
Throughout the day's discussions, there were repeated disconnects
between their going-in assumptions and mine. In fairness, they tried to
understand the sources of the differences, to identify their
assumptions, and to get me to identify and justify mine.
* Big budgets: I've never come so close to a trillion-dollar ($10**12)
project before, even in the planning stage. ("The satellite launches
alone will cost upwards of $500 billion, so there's not much point in
scrimping elsewhere.")
- I was unprepared for the intensity of their belief that any technical
problem could be steamrollered with a budget that size.
- They seemed surprised that I believed that progress in software
research is now largely limited by the supply of first-rate people, and
that the short-term effect of injecting vastly more dollars would be to
slow things down by diverting researchers to administer them.
* Big software: They were surprised by my observation that for every
order of magnitude in software size (measured by almost any interesting
metric) a new set of problems seems to dominate.
- This implies that no collection of experiments with million-line
"prototypes" can ensure success in building a ten-million-line system.
I argued that the only prototype from which they would learn much would
be a full-scale, fully-functional one. Such a prototype would also
reveal surprising consequences of the specification.
(The FIFTEENTH LAW OF SYSTEMANTICS: A complex system that works is
invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works.)
- Only Chuck Seitz and Bijoy Chatterjee seemed to fully appreciate why
software doesn't just "scale up" (doubtless because of their hardware
design experience). It is not a "product" that can be produced at some
rate, but the design of a family of computations; it is the
computations that can be easily scaled.
* Reliability: I had assumed that one of the reasons Battle Management
software would be more difficult than commercial software was its
more stringent reliability requirement. They assume that this is one of
the parameters that can be varied to make the problem easier.
Discussion:
The Panel is still in the process of drafting its report on Battle
Management Systems. Although they take the need to produce such a
system as a given, almost anything else is negotiable. (In particular,
they do not accept the "Fletcher Report" as anything more than a
springboard for discussion, and criticize current work for following it
too slavishly. The work at Rome Air Development Center--which produced
estimates like 24.61 megalines of code, 18.28 gigaflops per weapons
platform--was mentioned contemptuously, while the Army work at Huntsville
was considered beneath contempt.)
The following comments are included merely to indicate the range and
diversity of opinions expressed. They are certainly not official
positions of the panel, and--after being filtered though my
understanding and memory--may not even be what the speaker intended.
Many of the inconsistencies are real; the panel is working to identify
and resolve them.
- The problem may be easier than a banking system, because: each
autonomous unit can be almost stateless; a simple kernel can monitor
the system and reboot whenever a problem is detected; there are fewer
people in the loop; more hardware overcapacity can be included.
- If you lose a state it will take only a few moments to build a new
state. (Tracks that are more than 30 minutes old are not interesting.)
- Certain kinds of reliability aren't needed, because: a real battle
would last only a few minutes; the system would be used at most once;
with enough redundancy it's OK for individual weapons to fail; the
system doesn't have to actually work, just be a credible deterrent; the
system wouldn't control nuclear weapons--unless the Teller "pop up"
scheme is adopted; the lasers won't penetrate the atmosphere, so even
if the system runs amok, the worst it could do would be to intercept some
innocent launch or satellite.
- We could debug the software by putting it in orbit five or ten years
before the weapons are deployed, and observing it. We wouldn't even
have to deploy them until the system was sufficiently reliable. Yes,
but this would not test the important modes of the system.
- Dependence on communication can be minimized by distributing
authority: each platform can act on its own, and treat all
communication as hints.
- With a multi-level fault-tolerance scheme, each platform can monitor
the state of its neighbors, and reboot or download any that seem to be
malfunctioning.
- In fifteen years we can put 200 gigaflops in orbit in a teacup. Well,
make that a breadbox.
- Space qualification is difficult and slow. Don't count on
microprocessors of more than a few mips in orbit. Well, maybe we could
use fifty of them.
- How much can we speed up computations by adding processors? With
general-purpose processors, probably not much. How much should we rely
on special-purpose space-qualified processors?
- Processor cost is negligible. No, it isn't. Compared to software
costs or total system costs it is. No, it isn't, you are
underestimating the costs of space qualification.
- 14 MeV neutron flux cannot effectively be shielded against and
represents a fundamental limitation on the switching-speed, power
product. Maybe we should put all the computationally intensive
components under a mountain. But that increases the dependence on
communication.
- Maybe we could reduce failure rates by putting the software in
read-only memory. No, that makes software maintenance incredibly
difficult.
- Flaccidware. It's software now, but it can become hardware when
necessary.
- Is hardware less prone to failure if switched off? Maybe we could
have large parts of the system on standby until the system goes on
alert. Unfortunately, the dominant hardware failure modes continue even
with power off.
- The software structure must accommodate changes in virtually all
component technologies (weapons, sensors, targets, communication,
computer hardware) during and following deployment. But we don't have
much technology for managing rapid massive changes in large systems.
Relation to Critics:
Dave Parnas's criticisms have obviously been a matter of considerable
concern for the panel. Chuck Seitz and Dick Lau both said explicitly
that they wouldn't be satisfied making a recommendation that failed to
address the issues Dave and other critics have raised. Chuck also
distributed copies of "The Star Wars Computer System" by Greg Nelson
and David Redell, commending it to the attention of the panel as
"Finally, some well-written and intelligent criticism."
Richard Lipton had a somewhat different attitude: How can they say that
what we are going to propose is impossible, when even we don't know
yet what we're going to propose? And why don't software researchers
show more imagination? When a few billion dollars are dangled in front
of them, the physicists will promise to improve laser output by nine
decimal orders of magnitude; computer scientists won't even promise one
or two for software production.
The minutes of the August 12 meeting contain the following points:
- Critics represent an unpaid "red team" and serve a useful function in
identifying weak points in the program.
- Critiques should be acknowledged, and areas identified as to how we
can work to overcome these problem areas.
- Throughout our discussions, and in our report we should reflect the
fact that we have accepted a degree of uncertainty as an inherent part
of the strategic defense system.
- How to get the system that is desired? This basic problem goes back
to defining requirements--a difficult task when one is not quite sure
what one wants and what has to be done.
Prospects:
After all of this, what do I think of the prospects for SDI Battle
Management Software? I certainly would not be willing to take on
responsibility for producing it. On the other hand, I cannot say flatly
that no piece of software can be deployed in the 1990s to control a
ballistic missile defense system. It all depends on how much
functionality, coordination, and reliability are demanded of it.
Unfortunately, as with most other computer systems, the dimension in
which the major sacrifice will probably be made is reliability. The
reality of the situation is that reliability is less visible before
deployment than other system parameters and can be lost by default. It
is also probably the hardest to remedy post facto. Of course, with a
system intended to be used "at most once," there may be no one around
to care whether or not it functioned reliably.
Despite these misgivings, I am glad that this panel is taking seriously
its charter to develop the information on which a deployment decision
could responsibly be based.
Jim H.
------------------------------
[An earlier SU-bboard message that prompted the following sequence of
replies seemed like total gibberish, so I have omitted it. PGN]
Date: 13 Aug 85 1521 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: Forum on Risks to the Public in Computer Systems
To: su-bboards@SU-AI.ARPA
[but not To: RISKS...]
I was taking [as?] my model Petr Beckmann's book "The Health Hazards of not
Going Nuclear" in which he contrasts the slight risks of nuclear energy with
the very large number of deaths resulting from conventional energy sources
from, e.g. mining and air pollution. It seemed to me that your announcement
was similarly one sided in its consideration in risks of on-line systems and
ignoring the possibility of risks from their non-use. I won't be specific
at present, but if you or anyone else wants to make the claim that there are
no such risks, I'm willing to place a substantial bet.
[Clearly both inaction and non-use can be risky. The first two items at
the beginning of this issue (Vol 1 no 2) -- the lobstermen and the Union
Carbide case -- involved inaction. PGN]
------------------------------
Date: 14 Aug 85 1635 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: IJCAI as a forum
To: su-bboards@SU-AI.ARPA
Like Chris Stuart, I have also contemplated using IJCAI as a forum.
My issue concerns the computer scientists who have claimed, in one case "for
fundamental computer science reasons" that the computer programs required
for the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) are impossible to write and
verify without having a series of nuclear wars for practice. Much of the
press (both Science magazine and the New York Times) have assumed (in my
opinion correctly) that these people are speaking, not merely as
individuals, but in the name of computer science itself. The phrase "for
fundamental computer science reasons" was used by one of the computer
scientist opponents.
In my opinion these people are claiming an authority they do not
possess. There is no accepted body of computer science principles that
permits concluding that some particular program that is mathematically
possible cannot be written and debugged. To put it more strongly, I don't
believe that there is even one published paper purporting to establish
such principles. However, I am not familiar with the literature on
software engineering.
I think they have allowed themselves to be tempted into
exaggerating their authority in order to support the anti-SDI cause,
which they support for other reasons.
I have two opportunities to counter them. First, I'm giving
a speech in connection with an award I'm receiving. Since I didn't
have to submit a paper, I was given carte blanche. Second, I have
been asked by the local arrangements people to hold a press conference.
I ask for advice on whether I should use either of these opportunities.
I can probably even arrange for some journalist to ask my opinion on
the Star Wars debugging issue, so I wouldn't have to raise the issue
myself. Indeed since my position is increasingly public, I might
be asked anyway.
To make things clear, I have no position on the feasibility
of SDI, although I hope it can be made to work. Since even the
physical principles that will be proposed for the SDI system haven't
been determined, it isn't possible to determine what kind of programs
will be required and to assess how hard they will be to write
and verify. Moreover, it may be possible to develop new techniques
involving both simulation and theorem proving relevant to verifying
such a program. My sole present point is that no-one can claim
the authority of computer science for asserting that the task
is impossible or impractical.
There is even potential relevance to AI, since some of the
opponents of SDI, and very likely some of the proponents, have suggested
that AI techniques might be used.
I look forward to the advice of BBOARD contributors.
------------------------------
Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 00:17:09-PDT
From: Peter Karp <KARP@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Verifying SDI software
To: su-bboard@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
John McCarthy: I argue CPSR's approach is reasonable as follows:
1) I assume you admit that bugs in the SDI software would be very
bad since this could quite conceivably leave our cities open
Soviet attack.
2) You concede software verification theory does not permit proof
of correctness of such complex programs. I concede this same
theory does not show such proofs are impossible.
3) The question to responsible computer professionals then becomes:
From your experience in developing and debugging complex computer
systems, how likely do you believe it is that currently possible
efforts could produce error-free software, or even software whose
reliability is acceptable given the risks in (1) ?
Clearly answering (3) requires subjective judgements, but computer
professionals are among the best people to ask to make such
judgements given their expertise.
I think it would be rather amusing if you told the press what you
told bboard: that you "hope they can get it to work".
------------------------------
Date: 16 Aug 85 2200 PDT
To: su-bboards@SU-AI.ARPA
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
Subject: sdi
I thank those who advised me on whether to say something about the
SDI controversy in my lecture or at the press conference. I don't
presently intend to say anything about it in my lecture. Mainly
this is because thinking about what to say about a public issue
would interfere with thinking about AI. I may say something or
distribute a statement at the press conference.
I am not sure I understand the views of those who claim the computer
part of SDI is infeasible. Namely, do they hope it won't work? If
so, why? My reactionary mind thinks up hypotheses like the following.
It's really just partisanship. They have been against U.S. policy
in many areas including defense, that they automatically oppose any
initiative and then look for arguments.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 85 13:01:46 pdt
From: vax-populi!dparnas@nrl-css (Dave Parnas)
To: Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA
Subject: Re: [John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>: IJCAI as a forum ]
McCarthy is making a classic error of criticizing something that
he has not read. I have not argued that any program cannot be written
and debugged. I argue a much weaker and safer position, that we cannot
know that the program has been debugged. There are "fundamental computer
science reasons" for that, they have to do with the size of the smallest
representation of the mathematical functions that describe the behaviour
of computer software and our inability to know that the specifications
are correct.
Dave
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 85 13:14:22 pdt
From: vax-populi!dparnas@nrl-css (Dave Parnas)
To: neumann@SRI-CSL.ARPA
Subject: Copy of cover letter to Prof. John McCarthy
Dear Dr. M
A friend of mine, whose principal weakness is reading the junk mail
posting on bulletin boards sent me a copy of your posting with regard to
SDI.
It is in general a foolish error to criticize a paper that you have
not read on the basis of press reports of it.
Nobody has, in fact, claimed that any given program cannot be
written and "debugged" (whatever that means). The claim is much weaker,
that we cannot know with confidence that the program does meet its
specification and that the specification is the right one. There is both
theoretical (in the form of arguments about the minimal representation of
non-continuous functions) and empirical evidence to support that claim. The
fact that you do not read the literature on software engineering does not
give you the authority to say that there are no papers supporting such a
claim.
As I would hate to see anyone, whether he be computer scientist or AI
specialist, argue on the basis of ignorance, I am enclosing ...
------------------------------
Date: Thu 15 Aug 85 18:50:46-PDT
From: Gary Martins <GARY@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: Speaking Out On SDI
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Dear Dr. McC -
In response to your BB announcement:
1. Given that IJCAI is by and large a forum for hucksters and crackpots of
various types, it is probably a poor choice of venue for the delivery of
thoughts which you'd like taken seriously by serious folks.
2. Ditto, for tying your pro-SDI arguments in with "AI"; it can only lower
the general credibility of what you have to say.
3. You are certainly right that no-one can now prove that the creation of
effective SDI software is mathematically impossible, and that part of your
argument is beyond reproach, even if rather trivial. However, you then
slip into the use of the word "impractical", which is a very different
thing, with entirely different epistemological status. On this point,
you may well be entirely wrong -- it is an empirical matter, of course.
I take no personal stand on the desirability or otherwise of SDI, but
as a citizen I have a vested interest in seeing some discussions of
the subject that are not too heavily tainted by personal bias and
special pleading.
Gary R. Martins
Intelligent Software Inc.
------------------------------
International Conference on Software Engineering
28-30 August 1985, London UK
Feasibility of Software for Strategic Defense
Panel Discussion
30 August 1985, 1:30 - 3:00 PM
Panelists:
Frederick P. Brooks III, University of North Carolina
David Parnas, University of Victoria
Moderator: Manny Lehman, Imperial College
This panel will discuss the feasibility of building the software for the
Strategic Defense System ('Star Wars') so that that software could be
adequately trusted to satisfy all of the critical performance goals. The
panel will focus strictly on the software engineering problems in building
strategic defense systems, considering such issues as the reliability of the
software and the manageability of the development.
[This should be a very exciting discussion. Fred has extensive hardware,
software, and management experience from his IBM OS years. David's
8 position papers have been widely discussed -- and will appear in the
September American Scientist. We hope to be able to report on this
panel later (or read about it in ARMS-D???). Perhaps some of you
will be there and contribute your impressions. PGN]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 85 11:05 EDT
From: Tom Parmenter <parmenter@SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA>
From an article in Technology Review by Herbert Lin on the difficulty
(impossibility) of developing software for the Star Wars (Strategic
Defense Initiative) system:
Are there alternatives to conventional software development? Some defense
planners think so. Major Simon Worden of the SDI office has said that
"A human programmer can't do this. We're going to be developing new
artificial intelligence systems to write the software. Of course,
you have to debug any program. That would have to be AI too."
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 85 18:08:57 cdt
From: uwmacc!myers@wisc-rsch.arpa (Latitudinarian Lobster)
Message-Id: <8508142308.AA12046@maccunix.UUCP>
To: risks@sri-csl.arpa
Subject: CPSR-Madison paper for an issue of risks?
The following may be reproduced in any form, as long as the text and credits
remain unmodified. It is a paper especially suited to those who don't already
know a lot about computing. Please mail comments or corrections to:
Jeff Myers
University of Wisconsin-Madison reflect the views of any other
Madison Academic Computing Center person or group at UW-Madison.
1210 West Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53706
ARPA: uwmacc!myers@wisc-rsch.ARPA
UUCP: ..!{harvard,ucbvax,allegra,heurikon,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!myers
BitNet: MYERS at MACCWISC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPUTER UNRELIABILITY AND NUCLEAR WAR
Larry Travis, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Sciences, UW-Madison
Daniel Stock, M.S., Computer Sciences, UW-Madison
Michael Scott, Ph.D., Computer Sciences, UW-Madison
Jeffrey D. Myers, M.S., Computer Sciences, UW-Madison
James Greuel, M.S., Computer Sciences, UW-Madison
James Goodman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Computer Sciences, UW-Madison
Robin Cooper, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Linguistics, UW-Madison
Greg Brewster, M.S., Computer Sciences, UW-Madison
Madison Chapter
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
June 1984
Originally prepared for a workshop at a symposium on the
Medical Consequences of Nuclear War
Madison, WI, 15 October 1983
[The paper is much too long to include in this forum, but can be
obtained from Jeff Myers at the above net addresses, or FTPed from
RISKS@SRI-CSL:<RISKS>MADISON.PAPER. The section headings are as follows:
1. Computer Use in the Military Today, James Greuel, Greg Brewster
2. Causes of Unreliability, Daniel Stock, Michael Scott
3. Artificial Intelligence and the Military, Robin Cooper
4. Implications, Larry Travis, James Goodman
]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 85 17:46:55 PDT
From: Clifford Johnson <GA.CJJ@Forsythe>
To: SU-BBOARDS@SCORE
Subject: @= Can a computer declare war?
****************** CAN A COMPUTER DECLARE WAR?
Below is the transcript of a court hearing in which it is was argued by the
Plaintiff that nuclear launch on warning capability (LOWC, pronounced
lou-see) unconstitutionally delegates Congress's mandated power to declare
war.
The Plaintiff is a Londoner and computer professional motivated to act by
the deployment of Cruise missiles in his hometown. With the advice and
endorsement of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, on February
29, 1984, he filed a complaint in propria persona against Secretary of
Defense Caspar Weinberger seeking a declaration that peacetime LOWC is
unconstitutional. The first count is presented in full below; a second
count alleges a violation of Article 2, Part 3 of the United Nations Charter
which binds the United States to settle peacetime disputes "in such a manner
that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered":
1. JURISDICTION: The first count arises under the Constitution of the
United States at Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, which provides that "The
Congress shall have Power ... To declare War"; and at Article II, Section 2,
Clause 1, which provides that "The President shall be Commander in Chief" of
the Armed Forces.
2. Herein, "launch-on-warning-capability" is defined to be any set of
procedures whereby the retaliatory launching of non-recoverable nuclear
missiles may occur both in response to an electronically generated warning
of attacking missiles and prior to the conclusively confirmed commencement
of actual hostilities with any State presumed responsible for said attack.
3. The peacetime implementation of launch-on-warning-capability is now
presumed constitutional, and its execution by Defendant and Defendant's
appointed successors is openly threatened and certainly possible.
4. Launch-on-warning-capability is now subject to a response time so short
as to preclude the intercession of competent judgment by the President or by
his agents.
5. The essentially autonomous character of launch-on-warning-capability
gives rise to a substantial probability of accidental nuclear war due to
computer-related error.
6. Said probability substantially surrenders both the power of Congress to
declare war and the ability of the President to command the Armed Forces,
and launch-on-warning-capability is therefore doubly repugnant to the
Constitution.
7. The life and property of Plaintiff are gravely jeopardized by the threat
of implementation of launch-on-warning-capability.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays this court declare peacetime
launch-on-warning-capability unconstitutional.
****************** THE HEARING IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOLLOWS
[in the original message, and is too lengthy to include here. I presume you
will find it in ARMS-D -- see my interpolation into the note from Bob Carter
above. Otherwise, you can FTP it from SRI-CSL:<RISKS>JOHNSON.HEARING. PGN]
-------
-------
∂30-Aug-85 1524 sato@SU-Russell Greetings
Received: from SU-RUSSELL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 15:24:07 PDT
Date: 30 Aug 1985 15:13-PDT
From: Masahiko Sato <sato@SU-Russell>
Subject: Greetings
To: jmc@sail, clt@sail, rww@sail, yk@sail, jk@sail, cg@sail, sf@csli
Cc: sato
Message-Id: <85/08/30 1513.110@SU-Russell>
It was very nice that I could see you all this summer. I am leaving
Stanford today and going back to Tokyo tomorrow.
I would like to thank you all for your kindness. I am looking forward
to seeing you soon in Japan.
I am planning to visit Stanford again next summer probably from the
begining of July to the end of August.
If you would like to contact me electronically, just send mail to
sato@russell. It will be automatically forward to Tokyo.
Masahiko Sato
∂30-Aug-85 1533 ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA Industrial lecturers for the coming year
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 15:32:59 PDT
Date: Fri 30 Aug 85 13:09:12-PDT
From: Rutie Adler <ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Industrial lecturers for the coming year
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12139322335.35.ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Nils wanted to know who the industrial lecturers are for the coming
academic year.
Thanks.
-------
∂30-Aug-85 1536 ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA Dr. Chow from ACAL
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 15:36:13 PDT
Date: Tue 27 Aug 85 13:02:52-PDT
From: Rutie Adler <ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Dr. Chow from ACAL
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12138534752.19.ADLER@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Dr. Chow would like to talk to you re finding a consultant and a permanent
employee for his company. His tel: (408) 733 0246.
-------
∂30-Aug-85 1545 SJG circumscription paper
Dear John:
Glenn Shafer asked me to get a copy of your latest for him. If you'll
give it to me, I'll send it along.
Matt
∂30-Aug-85 1553 MCCARTHY@SU-SCORE.ARPA intrell
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 15:53:15 PDT
Date: Wed 28 Aug 85 19:17:35-PDT
From: John McCarthy <MCCARTHY@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: intrell
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12138865111.10.MCCARTHY@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
25260 Terrace Grove Road
Los Gatos, CA 95030
408 395-2378
Albert Clarkson
-------
∂30-Aug-85 1613 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Search Committee
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Aug 85 16:12:28 PDT
Date: Thu 29 Aug 85 14:41:56-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Robotics Search Committee
To: cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, Reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Bscott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12139077074.25.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
This is to reconfirm that there will be a Robotics Search Committee on
August 30 at 4:00.
Anne
-------
∂31-Aug-85 1158 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 31 Aug 85 11:58:53 PDT
Date: Sat 31 Aug 85 11:57:47-PDT
From: Betty Scott <BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 30 Aug 85 23:09:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12139571478.16.BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Apology accepted--you were right, though.
Betty
-------
∂31-Aug-85 1246 CLT opera
mon 16-sept 20:00 Opera -- Adriana Lecourvreur
thu 3-oct 20:00 Opera -- Orlando
wed 30-oct 19:30 Opera -- Falstaff
∂31-Aug-85 1916 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA September money due
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 31 Aug 85 19:16:37 PDT
Date: Sat 31 Aug 85 19:14:37-PDT
From: Joan Feigenbaum <JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: September money due
To: coffee-drinkers: ;
Please give me your September coffee pool dues as soon as possible. I'm
in MJH 325, and you can also leave them in my mail folder on the second floor
of MJH.
-------
∂01-Sep-85 0251 KUO
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, CLT@SU-AI.ARPA, RA@SU-AI.ARPA, RWW@SU-AI.ARPA,
YK@SU-AI.ARPA, ZM@SU-AI.ARPA, TW@SU-AI.ARPA, VAL@SU-AI.ARPA,
MS@SU-AI.ARPA, SJG@SU-AI.ARPA, JJW@SU-AI.ARPA, YM@SU-AI.ARPA,
YOM@SU-AI.ARPA
I am leaving for Philadelphia today. My new address is:
Victor Kuo
Department of Computer & Information Science
School of Engineering & Applied Science D2
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Best regards!
-- Victor
∂01-Sep-85 1059 RWW qlambda
To: CLT, JMC
Whatare the best references on qlambda? Do you have copies that
I could look at? Thanks.
Richard
∂01-Sep-85 2100 JMC
kahn
∂02-Sep-85 1238 KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA Re: Chudnovsky proposal
Received: from USC-ISI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 2 Sep 85 12:38:02 PDT
Date: 2 Sep 1985 15:38-EDT
Sender: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
Subject: Re: Chudnovsky proposal
From: KAHN@USC-ISI.ARPA
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Cc: kahn@USC-ISI.ARPA
Message-ID: <[USC-ISI.ARPA] 2-Sep-85 15:38:30.KAHN>
In-Reply-To: The message of 01 Sep 85 2125 PDT from John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>
John,
I did read their proposal on the trip back from the
west coast and i agree with your assessment
based entirely on what they wrote. Im inclined to
fund it, but in any event, it wont get out of here before
amarel comes on board in a few weeks so the action will
probably fall on his watch. Ill be supportive.
bob
∂03-Sep-85 0811 AI.ELLIE@MCC.ARPA September Visit
Received: from MCC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Sep 85 08:11:41 PDT
Date: Tue 3 Sep 85 10:11:53-CDT
From: Ellie Huck <AI.ELLIE@MCC.ARPA>
Subject: September Visit
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: boyer@MCC.ARPA
I have made reservations for you at the Brookhollow for September 9
and 10, with a guaranteed arrival. Please don't hesitate to let me
know if I can be of any further assistance to you in any way.
-------
∂03-Sep-85 0850 RA Invitation
Lee Chapman called to invite you to speak to the Fermi National Accelarator Lab.
His tel: (312) 840 4416 or (312) 3674.
∂03-Sep-85 0900 JMC
paris
∂03-Sep-85 1000 JMC
Nafeh about wine
∂03-Sep-85 1028 JJW Prancing Pony Bill
Prancing Pony bill of JMC John McCarthy 3 September 1985
Previous Balance 6.76
Monthly Interest at 1.5% 0.10
-------
TOTAL AMOUNT DUE 6.86
Please deliver payments to Rutie Adler, room 358, Jacks Hall.
Make checks payable to: STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
To ensure proper crediting, please include your Pony account name on your check.
Bills are payable upon presentation. Interest of 1.5% per month will be
charged on balances remaining unpaid 25 days after bill date above.
You haven't paid your Pony bill since 5/85.
Accounts with balances remaining unpaid for more than 55 days are
considered delinquent and are subject to reduction of credit limit.
Please pay your bill and keep your account current.
∂03-Sep-85 1059 joanna@krakatoa
Received: from KRAKATOA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Sep 85 10:58:02 PDT
Received: by krakatoa with TCP; Tue, 3 Sep 85 10:57:39 pdt
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 85 10:57:39 pdt
From: Joanna Golden <joanna@krakatoa>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA, REYNOLDS@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
TOB@SU-AI.ARPA
Peter Will
Talked today (Sat.) with Peter Will. My impression is that there's a good
chance he will. He'll talk with Charlie Smith Tue. am; and if Charlie is
positive, Peter will then call Nils with a list of suggested people to get
letters from. (He mentioned Winston, Horn, Popplestone, and Brady ---
a pretty suitable start, it strikes me.)
Peter asked that we send him a lot of detail about all the Stanford Benefits---
medical, retirement, housing, etc. ---which I take as a good sign. I'll
get this done.
I explained the wickets ahead ---Department Faculty, Excom, Adv. Board ---
before we can make our end of the commitment.
I suggest that if Peter gives Nils a list, then we proceed at once with the
letters.
---Bob
∂03-Sep-85 1124 SJG last msg
Dear John:
I sent you a message just before the SAIL disaster; did you get it?
I also need to talk to you about getting some money from AAAI for the
DAI workshop Mike and I are organizing, and about the possibility of
your giving a SIGlunch this year (I'm in charge, much to my regret ...)
Thanks --
Matt
∂03-Sep-85 1140 mack%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa IJCAI Expenses
Received: from CSNET-RELAY.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Sep 85 11:40:31 PDT
Received: from ubc by csnet-relay.csnet id a023372; 3 Sep 85 14:30 EDT
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 85 11:28:51 pdt
Received: by ubc.csnet id AA19516; Tue, 3 Sep 85 11:28:51 pdt
From: Alan Mackworth <mack%ubc.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
To: John McCarthy <jmc@SU-AI.ARPA>
Message-Id: <1992:mack@vision.ubc.cdn>
Subject: IJCAI Expenses
John,
Please itemize your travel and living expenses for IJCAI and send the
accounting to me. I'll then arrange for reimbursement. The award cheque
for $1000 will arrive separately.
I enjoyed your talk. The map coloring example is nice. Although map
colouring is technically "hard" your little algorithm makes it easy
on many (most?) real maps. It inspired me to think again about
the constraint satisfaction paradigm as it applies to maps -
a nice thesis in there somewhere. It also connected in with
Hector's talk about resource limits etc.
Alan
∂03-Sep-85 1140 RA summer pay
According to my records you should be paid for the whole summer. Let me know
if you indeed were not paid and I will try to find out why.
∂03-Sep-85 1148 VAL Halpern's conference
Do you think a paper on applications of circ'n to the frame problem would be
appropriate for that conference? They mentioned nonmonotonic reasoning as one
of the topics of interest. If yes, would you like to write a joint paper for
them? The deadline for 10 page abstracts is Sep. 15, and for full papers it's
Dec. 15. If you'd like to do that then maybe you can write a couple of pages
of non-technical discussion, we'll append to it my abstract on "Circ'n as a
Solution to the Frame Problem" which I showed to you in August, and that would
serve as the abstract they want in September. But we'll have to do it in the
next few days, Sep. 15 is close. Then we'll have three more months to work on
the paper.
∂03-Sep-85 1221 A.SANDY@SU-GSB-HOW.ARPA An invitation...
Received: from SU-GSB-HOW.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Sep 85 12:21:16 PDT
Date: Tue 3 Sep 85 12:19:39-PDT
From: Sandy Lerner <A.SANDY@SU-GSB-HOW.ARPA>
Subject: An invitation...
To: a.andy@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, a.dave@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, a.jiml@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA,
a.jpbion@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, almquist@SU-SCORE.ARPA, alpert@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
b.doug@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, berg@SU-SCORE.ARPA, billw@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
bosack@SU-SCORE.ARPA, cower@SU-CSLI.ARPA, d.doctor@LOTS-B, drf@SU-AI.ARPA,
f.taylor@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, ga.mcl@SU-FORSYTHE.ARPA, gd.why@SU-FORSYTHE.ARPA,
gilmurray@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, golub@SU-SCORE.ARPA, gorin@LOTS-B,
gotelli@SU-SCORE.ARPA, jjw@SU-AI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, joyce@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
les@SU-AI.ARPA, levy@SU-NAVAJO.ARPA, lougheed@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, me@SU-AI.ARPA,
na.mla@SU-FORSYTHE.ARPA, nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, rachael@SU-SIERRA.ARPA,
rindfleisch@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, rob@SU-AI.ARPA, roberts@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
rs.smg@SU-FORSYTHE.ARPA, ruggles@SU-COYOTE.ARPA, satz@SU-SIERRA.ARPA,
s.coulthard@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, s.domenico@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, s.salud@LOTS-B,
s.strickland@SU-GSB-WHY.ARPA, street@SU-NAVAJO.ARPA, tom@SU-SCORE.ARPA
9/3/85
Hi...
A number of us have been thinking about having a Renaissance Thanksgiving
feast for a few years now. I am sending out this initial message to see
if there is any general interest in putting on a dinner of this scope and
type.
Basically, we would have committees of "volunteers", each committee being
assigned to one aspect of the dinner preparation. I have thought of the
following committees:
Food
Drink
Entertainment
History
Dancing
Costumes
Games, and, of course,
Set-up and Clean-up
We can have the dinner at my house, although if there are enough people,
we could rent a room such as the Great Room at the Morgan House in LAH.
My guess at the expense would be $15-$25 per person, and we should probably
make a "student rate" for all of you bona fide students (no graduate student
emeriti allowed...).
I anticipate that we would have a veritable renaissance feast, with dancing,
games, entertainment (juggling, plays, music, etc.), and that the dinner
would take most of the day (and night?) For the sake of finals, we think
that the dinner should be mid-November.
If you're interested, send mail to M.MU at LOTS, or A.SANDY@HOW. The dinner
will involve some WORK, time, and study to make it happen--if you sign up,
you should be prepared to really participate.
Sandy
P.S. The mailing list which sent this message was a fairly random attempt
at finding likely interested parties. If you know of someone who would like
to participate, please feel free to send them this message.
-------
∂03-Sep-85 1320 LEIB@SU-SCORE.ARPA Greetings!
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Sep 85 13:15:07 PDT
Date: Tue 3 Sep 85 13:13:52-PDT
From: Rita Leibovitz <LEIB@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Greetings!
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Stanford-Phone: (415) 497-4223
Message-ID: <12140371761.15.LEIB@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Hello John, it is always a pleasure to see you and/or say hello.
I read in the Campus Report that you received the 1st Award for
Research Excellence at the IJCAI. Congratulations!
Also a very Happy Birthday to you and many happy and healthy years
to follow.
Rita
-------
∂03-Sep-85 1432 MAZZETTI@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Sep 85 14:32:09 PDT
Date: Tue 3 Sep 85 14:33:10-PDT
From: Claudia Mazzetti <MAZZETTI@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: MAZZETTI@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 30 Aug 85 23:08:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12140386197.58.MAZZETTI@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
John, try "Crocker@aerospace".
Claudia
-------
∂03-Sep-85 1540 NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Robotics Letters
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 3 Sep 85 15:39:52 PDT
Date: Tue 3 Sep 85 15:38:24-PDT
From: Nils Nilsson <NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Robotics Letters
To: cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA, tob@SU-AI.ARPA,
jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12140398072.19.NILSSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Following are the proposed texts of three letters to be sent out asking
for recommendations for candidates for our robotics position. Reviewing
our conclusions at the last robotics search meeting, we decided to send
out three letters. One letter specifically asks for an evaluation of
Latombe. (He is the only general AI, non-vision, applicant, and we
decided that it would be inappropriate to ask people to compare him with
vision people. Also, we want an evaluation of his leadership abilities.)
One letter specifically asks for an evaluation of Will. (He is the only
candidate so far that we would consider giving a non-tenured appointment
as a research professor.) We do want an evaluation of his leadership
abilities, but we don't think it appropriate to ask people to compare
him with Latombe (they are in different fields). The other letter asks
for an evaluation and comparison of Horn, Zucker and Goad. Their
connection to robotics is through vision research. We decided that none
of these candidates is high on our list for robotics leadership, but
that they all could be compared as vision researchers/professors.
After the letters, I have begun a list of people with whom we might
compare our candidates. We will have to be careful to include
appropriate names with each letter. Comments on the letters and on the
comparison list are solicited.
-Nils
Letter One: Possible non-tenured/Leadership: Will
Dear ...
We are currently conducting a search for a leader of robotics research
at Stanford. The appointment could be either as a tenured professor or
as a non-tenured "research professor." Our need is for someone who is
not only a creative contributor to research in his or her own right but
is also capable of leading what we expect to be a growing research team.
We have narrowed our search to the point where we have a serious
interest in Dr. Peter Will. As part of our search process we
solicit opinions of the candidate from distinguished people like
yourself. Could you please write us a candid letter about him? Of
course, your response will be kept confidential and will be seen only by
senior faculty and cognizant administration officials.
An essential part of our search process is specific comparison with a
list of the world's leading individuals in the candidate's field or
fields. I attach a list of such people chosen from among those who are
at approximately the same stage in their careers or perhaps somewhat
more senior. We hope that you will add to this list if you deem it
warranted, and we are especially interested in knowing if you perceive
any women or minority group members that belong on this list. To add
protection to your anonymity, you may refer to the people on our list by
the code numbers indicated if you desire.
We hope that your letter will address as many of the following questions
as are relevant:
- How well do you know him and in what capacity?
- How would you characterize his ability to carry out his own creative and
significant research?
- Can you cite some of his specific achievements and their overall
importance?
- How would you characterize his ability to lead and inspire creative
and significant research among the members of a research group?
- What basis is there for expecting him to make significant contributions to
the literature?
- How would you assess his ability: in teaching and curriculum development?
in advising students? in supervising dissertation research?
- What is his potential for continued growth in teaching and research?
We would like a balanced evaluation including comments on any weak points
as well as strong points. We enclose a copy of his vita in case
that would be of help to you.
We know that we are asking for a very big favor of one whose schedule is
already crowded. It is extremely important for Stanford to have your
advice, and I want to thank you in advance for your help. We hope we
will be able to have your response by ....
Sincerely,
xxx
-----------
Letter Two: Tenure-track faculty--Horn, Zucker, Goad
Dear ...
We are currently conducting a search for a tenure-track faculty member
whose research speciality is machine vision. We have narrowed our
search to the point where we have serious interest in Professors
Berthold Horn, Steven Zucker, and Dr. Christopher Goad. As part of our
search process we solicit opinions and comparisons of the candidates
from distinguished people like yourself. Could you please write us a
candid letter about any or all of these individuals? Of course, your
response will be kept confidential and will be seen only by senior
faculty and cognizant administration officials.
An essential part of our search process is specific comparison among the
candidates and also with a list of the world's leading individuals in
the candidates' field or fields. I attach a list of such people chosen
from among those who are at approximately the same stage in their
careers or perhaps somewhat more senior. We hope that you will add to
this list if you deem it warranted, and we are especially interested in
knowing if you perceive any women or minority group members that belong
on this list. To add protection to your anonymity, you may refer to the
people on our list by the code numbers indicated if you desire.
We hope that your letter will address as many of the following questions
as are relevant:
- How well do you know the candidates and in what capacities?
- How would you characterize their abilities to carry out creative and
significant research?
- Can you cite some of their specific achievements and their overall
importance?
- What basis is there for expecting them to make significant contributions to
the literature?
- How would you assess their abilities: in teaching and curriculum
development? in advising students? in supervising dissertation research?
- What is their potential for continued growth in teaching and research?
We would like a balanced evaluation including comments on any weak points
as well as strong points. We enclose a copy of the candidates' vitae in case
that would be of help to you.
We know that we are asking for a very big favor of one whose schedule is
already crowded. It is extremely important for Stanford to have your
advice, and I want to thank you in advance for your help. We hope we
will be able to have your response by ....
Sincerely,
xxx
---------
Letter Three: Tenured/Leadership: Latombe
Dear ...
We are currently conducting a search for a tenured faculty member in
robotics. Our need is for someone who is not only a skilled teacher and
creative contributor to research in his or her own right but is also
capable of leading what we expect to be a growing research team. We
have narrowed our search to the point where we have a serious interest
in Dr. Jean-Claude Latombe. As part of our search process we solicit
opinions of the candidate from distinguished people like yourself.
Could you please write us a candid letter about him? Of course, your
response will be kept confidential and will be seen only by senior
faculty and cognizant administration officials.
An essential part of our search process is specific comparison with a
list of the world's leading individuals in the candidate's field or
fields. I attach a list of such people chosen from among those who are
at approximately the same stage in their careers or perhaps somewhat
more senior. We hope that you will add to this list if you deem it
warranted, and we are especially interested in knowing if you perceive
any women or minority group members that belong on this list. To add
protection to your anonymity, you may refer to the people on our list by
the code numbers indicated if you desire.
We hope that your letter will address as many of the following questions
as are relevant:
- How well do you know him and in what capacity?
- How would you characterize his ability to carry out his own creative and
significant research?
- Can you cite some of his specific achievements and their overall
importance?
- How would you characterize his ability to lead and inspire creative
and significant research among the members of a research group?
- What basis is there for expecting him to make significant contributions to
the literature?
- How would you assess his ability: in teaching and curriculum development?
in advising students? in supervising dissertation research?
- What is his potential for continued growth in teaching and research?
We would like a balanced evaluation including comments on any weak points
as well as strong points. We enclose a copy of his vita in case
that would be of help to you.
We know that we are asking for a very big favor of one whose schedule is
already crowded. It is extremely important for Stanford to have your
advice, and I want to thank you in advance for your help. We hope we
will be able to have your response by ....
Sincerely,
xxx
---------
Comparison List
Mike Brady
Tomas Lozano-Perez
Earl Sacerdoti
Austin Tate
David Grossman
Mike Baird
Takeo Kanade
Robin Popplestone
Steven Vere
David Wilkins (SRI)
Michael Georgeff
-------
∂03-Sep-85 1606 RA tape for Monitor radio
W. Jones (Johns?) from Monitor radio never called back so I still have
your tape. Did you hear from him?
∂03-Sep-85 1707 JJW Some restored files to be deleted
The restoration of files after last week's disk crash on SAIL caused some
extra files in your directory to be restored, namely those that existed at
the time of a full system dump done in July and were later deleted. As
far as we can tell, the files listed below fall into this category. Feel
free to delete these now if you no longer need them. Otherwise, send a
message to JJW@SAIL if you want any of them preserved. All of the listed
files will be deleted by September 7 if you do not indicate that you want
any kept.
The files to be deleted are the following:
Note: if you have files to be deleted in more than one directory, you
will receive a separate message for each such directory.
∂04-Sep-85 0236 JJW Files to be deleted
To: "@FILES.DIS[1,JJW]"@SU-AI.ARPA
Regarding the messages sent yesterday:
1. If you want to maintain control over your own files, please send me a
message and I won't delete anything. In fact, I'd like to encourage
this since it distributes the work. If the list of files you want to
delete is long, the following procedure may be of use:
a. Put the list of filenames into a file by itself without an E
directory (use /N mode), one name per line. Edit out the names of
any files that you want to preserve.
b. Type the monitor command DELETE @filename, where "filename" is
the name of the file containing the list of names of files to
be deleted. This will delete all files in the list.
2. A mistake in the lists has been pointed out, and will be corrected.
Files that were written before the crash, and renamed to their current
names since the crash, were erroneously included in the lists. This
will be avoided by only considering files that existed at the time of
the full save done in July as well as now, but did not exist at the
time of the crash, and were last written before the crash.
∂04-Sep-85 0241 DEK happy
birthday
∂04-Sep-85 0803 perlis@maryland sets for commonsense
Received: from MIMSY.UMD.EDU by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 4 Sep 85 08:03:45 PDT
Received: by maryland.ARPA (4.12/4.7)
id AA03885; Wed, 4 Sep 85 11:04:44 edt
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 85 11:04:44 edt
From: Don Perlis <perlis@maryland>
Message-Id: <8509041504.AA03885@maryland.ARPA>
To: jmc@su-ai
Subject: sets for commonsense
Cc: perlis@maryland
John, I enjoyed your lecture at IJCAI. I was especially
interested to hear your comments on set theory, with which
I am in substantial agreement. IN fact, I have been working
on just that problem, and soon will have a readable draft
of a paper which I will send you.
Best regards,
Don
∂04-Sep-85 0906 SJG DAI workshop
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
CC: genes@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Dear John:
This is to confirm my request for AAAI support for the Workshop in
Distributed AI that will be held at Sea Ranch between December 3 and 6
of this year.
Attendance will be by invitation; we will contact the participants
of last year's DAI workshop (organized by Reid Smith and held in
Ridgefield) and also of the Concurrent Programming Workshop (organized
by Mike Georgeff and held out here). As long as we have the space
(Sea Ranch can only accomodate 40 people), we will continue to invite
anyone who is interested in attending (e.g., Judea Pearl).
I hope this is enough information for you; please get in touch with
me if it isn't. Happy birthday, and I'll see you for lunch on Friday.
Matt
∂04-Sep-85 0923 RA Re: IJCAI Expenses
[Reply to message sent: Tue, 3 Sep 85 11:28:51 pdt]
Alan,
The following are Prof. McCarthy's IJCAI expenses:
Taxis $70.00
Meals 100.00
------
Total 170.00
If you need any receipts, please send me your address and I will mail them
to you.
Thanks,
Rutie Adler RA@SU-AI
(John's secretary)
∂04-Sep-85 0920 SJG DAI workshop
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
CC: genes@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Room and board for the three nights at Sea Ranch comes to about $200
a head (assuming we fill the place, as seems likely); there will also
be incidental expenses and the expense of producing a proceedings for
the conference itself (they'll eventually be published). Any extent to
which the AAAI could cover these expenses will be appreciated; we'll
distribute the rest among the participants.
I also notice I omitted the names of the organizers from my last note:
Genesereth and I are in charge.
Thanks.
Matt
∂04-Sep-85 1210 VAL
1. Happy birthday.
2. Have you received my message about Halpern's conference?
∂04-Sep-85 1225 RA typing your notes
Your notes are on score, files japan.1 through Japan.5.
∂04-Sep-85 1441 ULLMAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA NSF survey
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 4 Sep 85 14:40:50 PDT
Date: Wed 4 Sep 85 14:38:25-PDT
From: Jeffrey D. Ullman <ULLMAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: NSF survey
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, rpg@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12140649297.11.ULLMAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I've been asked to make a brief survey for NSF on the commercial
parallel machines that will be available in the next 2 or so years.
Can you guys give me any information or leads (individuals at the
companies who will talk informally) based on your experiences?
Thanks very much for any help.
---Jeff
-------
∂04-Sep-85 1754 SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA
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Date: Wed 4 Sep 85 17:48:57-PDT
From: Sarah McCarthy <SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12140683984.9.SMC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN! I have not found you anything appropriate, but if there
is anything I can do for you, let me know.
-------
∂04-Sep-85 1930 MRC@SU-SCORE.ARPA happy birthday
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 4 Sep 85 19:30:43 PDT
Date: Wed 4 Sep 85 19:29:37-PDT
From: Mark Crispin <MRC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: happy birthday
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Postal-Address: 725 Mariposa Ave. #103; Mountain View, CA 94041-1869
Phone: 1 (415) 968-1052
Message-ID: <12140702309.11.MRC@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
-------
∂04-Sep-85 2040 tum%germany.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa From Wolfgang Bibel
Received: from CSNET-RELAY.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 4 Sep 85 20:40:07 PDT
Received: from germany by csnet-relay.csnet id aa04583; 4 Sep 85 23:33 EDT
Received: by Germany.CSNET (4.12/4.7.2)
id AA16439; Wed, 4 Sep 85 17:16:21 -0100
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 85 17:16:21 -0100
From: TU Muenchen <tum%germany.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
Full-Name: TU Muenchen
Message-Id: <8509041616.AA16439@Germany.CSNET>
To: jmc@su-ai.ARPA
Subject: From Wolfgang Bibel
Cc: freksa@germany.CSNET, tum@germany.CSNET
Dear John,
as you already know from Herbert Stoyan we would greatly appreciate
if you could plan for a detour through Munich during your visit to
Germany. The idea is that you would give a lecture in an interdisciplinary
forum called 'MIK' (for Munich Intellectics Committee). With the aid of
Siemens we are able to offer you DM 1000 plus any travel expenses you might
have for the detour.
The usual date for MIK meetings are monday 4:45 pm, but other dates
would be possible. If you would enjoy coming to Munich please let us
know if Sept. 30th, Oct. 1st, or Oct. 2nd (or which other date) would be
most convenient for you.
Looking forward to meeting you then,
Yours sincerely, Wolfgang Bibel
∂05-Sep-85 0959 CLT
please call union bank and ask for the current balance
they won't tell me because i don't know the date of
the last deposit or the ammount
don't forget to call cate
∂05-Sep-85 1100 JMC
tinlunch
∂05-Sep-85 1153 AI.ELLIE@MCC.ARPA Reservation change for September visit
Received: from MCC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 5 Sep 85 11:53:13 PDT
Date: Thu 5 Sep 85 13:53:18-CDT
From: Ellie Huck <AI.ELLIE@MCC.ARPA>
Subject: Reservation change for September visit
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Glad you let me know about coming in on Sunday -- I have changed your
reservations as follows:
Brookhollow Inn -- arriving September 8 and departing September 10
-------
∂05-Sep-85 1616 VAL Abstract for Halpern's conference
Circumscription As A Solution to the Frame Problem
The frame problem consists in describing how the properties of objects change
across events. To solve it, we should formalize the Generalized Law of Inertia:
"Generally, things remain as they were".
The first idea is to state this in terms of minimization:
"The difference between the values of a fluent in two situations separated by an
event is minimal, subject to the given properties of the event".
What do we mean by "difference" here? If the fluent is predicate-valued, like
"on", then the difference is the extension of the exclusive OR applied to the two
values of the fluent. Thus we minimize the extensions of predicates, so
circumscription is relevant.
To give a simple example of how this works, consider the blocks world in
which a block can be in one of only two places: on the table or on the floor.
The language will be more limited than that of situation calculus: we have
variables for blocks only, not for events or situations. Two unary predicates
ontable and ontable', will be used to talk about the positions of blocks in
two situations separated by an event. Axioms:
Bi≠Bj (1≤i<j≤6); ontable Bi (1≤i≤3); ¬ontable Bj (4≤i≤6).
Let the event consist in putting B4 on the table. That is expressed by ontable' B4.
The frame problem consists in deciding which of ontable' Bi are true for i≠4. Add
the axiom
¬ab x ⊃ (ontable x ≡ ontable' x),
and circumscribe ab with ontable' varied. The result is: ab x ≡ x≠B4, which is
exactly what we needed.
We want to do this sort of things for more complex versions of the blocks world,
and for the language with variables for events and situations. In situation
calculus, a fluent is represented by a predicate p(x,s), where x is a tuple
of arguments, and the law of inertia for p can be expressed by
-ab(x,e,s) ⊃ (p(x,s) ≡ p(x,result(e,s))).
Unfortunately, this doesn't quite work, at least in the blocks world in which
one can move blocks on top of one another, because there may be a conflict
between minimizing ab(x,e,s) for different situations s, and we get some
minimum values of ab which don't correspond to the picture we want to
formalize. (I'll check whether describing the simple version of the blocks
world above in the language of situation calculus already causes problems, or
they arise only for more complex versions).
There are two ways out: (i) state that the action is impossible when the
preconditions aren't satisfied; (ii) state that abnormality now should be
minimized at a higher priority than abnormality later. Only (i) has been
explored so far, and it seems to work. (I hope I'll have something to say
about (ii) by the time the full paper is due.) In this solution, since
"result" is a total function, some situation terms fail to denote possible
situations. We view the universe as containing the concepts of situations
rather than situations themselves, and introduce the predicate "exists" to
talk about the possibility of actions. For this formalization, we can prove
that the minimal point is unique and satisfies some conditions which show
that it is what we would intuitively expect.
∂05-Sep-85 1647 RA Re: IJCAI Expenses
[Reply to message sent: Tue, 3 Sep 85 11:28:51 pdt]
Another message from John. Are you willing to pay the $175.00 registration
fee? If ok, just add it to what I sent you yesterday, otherwise, please let
me know.
Thanks,
Rutie
-----
∂06-Sep-85 0800 JMC
raj
∂06-Sep-85 0954 RA Trips to Austin and LA
Frank from Dina Bolla called; you cleared the waiting list and you
are now on America West flight 166 to Austin, Depart. 4:50pm, arr. 11:15pm.
For SJ - LA on the 13th you are on PSA 202, depart. 8:25, arr. 9:22.
Is this ok with you?
∂06-Sep-85 1000 JMC
Griffiths
∂06-Sep-85 1005 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
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Date: Fri 6 Sep 85 09:56:12-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12141122210.28.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Franklin phoned. Please call. 329-0950.
Tina
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∂06-Sep-85 1139 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
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Date: Fri 6 Sep 85 11:38:25-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12141140817.42.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Lee Chapman phoned. Regarding arranging a visit for you. Please call.
312 840-4416 or 412 840-3674.
Tina
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∂06-Sep-85 1318 SIEGMAN@SU-SIERRA.ARPA JMC ON EURO-TV
Received: from SU-SIERRA.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 6 Sep 85 13:18:45 PDT
Date: Fri 6 Sep 85 13:18:04-PDT
From: Tony Siegman <SIEGMAN@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>
Subject: JMC ON EURO-TV
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Just want to report that during a year of intensive TV watching in Munich,
I saw only two Stanford luminaries, one of whom was you. You speak
extremely fluent German, except that somehow you use a totally different
voice when speaking German than when speaking English. (Also, you're
able to continue talking after your lips stop moving).
The other Stanford luminary was Edward Teller, who seems to be on German
TV weekly, explaining (in real German) why SDI will make all our lives
richer and happier.
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∂06-Sep-85 1556 RA MAD
John Nafeh called to let you know that Dantzig agreed to come. They
set the date to Thursday, Sept. 12, 9:00am. GBD will get in touch with
you re driving down together.
∂06-Sep-85 1631 SMC events
I will be leaving for AZ on Wed. Sept. 11 for an event in Flagstaff on the 14th
and 15th. We will then go to Tuscon and stay there aat a number I will send you
later. I will return on the 29th and stay at Pat McFerrons until the 10th when I
will fly back for the Championships in Senoita. We will be back on about the 16th.
Our final event will be at Ram Tap Nov. 29 to Dec. 1. Cross-country will be on
Sat. the 30th. I will be going Preliminary!!! Circumstances permitting, this you
should try to attend. That should be it until next spring.
∂06-Sep-85 1720 Postmaster@csnet-relay.arpa Undeliverable mail
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Subject: Undeliverable mail
Message failed for the following reason:
User not in the CSNET registry at IBM-SJ: spad@yktvmv
----------------------------------------
Received: from su-ai.arpa by csnet-relay.arpa id a018231; 6 Sep 85 18:41 EDT
Date: 06 Sep 85 1539 PDT
From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI>
Subject: test
To: spad.yktvmv.ibm@CSNET-RELAY
This is a test. Reply to jmc@su-ai.arpa if you can.
∂06-Sep-85 1900 JMC
Vicki
∂07-Sep-85 0911 CLT laundry
i put your things in the dryer. you might want to check that they got
dry
∂07-Sep-85 1601 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA Files
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Date: Sat 7 Sep 85 16:00:27-PDT
From: Betty Scott <BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Files
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: BScott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12141450664.14.BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
John, I have been trying to clean out old files on the 5th floor, and have
been going through old SAIL files from the Lab. I am able to determine
what should be kept with regard to finances, grant and contract files, etc.,
but I have three or four boxes which contain your papers, etc. Is it o.k.
for me to have them brought to your office so you can go through them to see
what you want to save?
Also, there are still boxes of yours up there which need going through. I
understand that some time ago, when Carolyn Tajnai was working here in the
building, she had a box delivered to you from time-to-time to go through.
Can we start doing this again?
Thanks,
Betty
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∂07-Sep-85 2328 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Re: The risks of not using some technology
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Date: Sat 7 Sep 85 23:29:48-PDT
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: Re: The risks of not using some technology
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sat 7 Sep 85 13:29:00-PDT
John,
Many thanks for a very thoughtful and useful message.
It will be in RISKS-1.7, which will go out on Sunday 8 Sept.
Peter
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∂07-Sep-85 2329 SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: Centre Mondial
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Date: Sat 7 Sep 85 23:31:03-PDT
From: Ted Shortliffe <Shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Centre Mondial
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 6 Sep 85 12:11:00-PDT
Office: Room TC-135, Stanford Med Center; Phone: (415) 497-6979
Message-ID: <12141532692.34.SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Dan apparently called my office on Friday too. Left a message
with my secretary that the meeting was cancelled or postponed --
apologized for the late notice but since I didn't talk to him
myself I don't know anything more. Will await with interest the
letter about all this. I've cancelled by plane reservations in the
meantime. Actually, I couldn't really afford the time for the this
month's trip, so I am not all that disappointed that the meeting has
been called off. As you pointed out, it may even turn out that there
will be no further meetings, at least for us foreigners...
Regards,
Ted
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∂08-Sep-85 1020 ns@cmu-cs-h.arpa Risks of omissions
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Date: 8 Sep 1985 12:00-EST
From: Nicholas.Spies@CMU-CS-H.ARPA
Subject: Risks of omissions
To: JMC@SU-AI
Cc: risks@sri-csl
Message-Id: <495043218/ns@CMU-CS-H>
The question of responsibilities for non-use of computers are
largely meaningless in terms of law unless the dangers of
non-use were known to substantially increase the probability
of greater harm. In the case of your three short examples:
(1) If the ACLU had acted in good faith in seeking to limit
sharing of police information and a court had looked favorably
on their argument after weighing the possible risks, then the
court is responsible because only the judge had the ability to
decide between two courses of action. To make the ACLU
responsible would be to deny it and its point of view access
to due legal process. To make it necessary for the ACLU to
anticipate the court's response to its bringing suit would
have the same chilling effect on our legal system.
(2) The same argument applies to the Sierra Club and US 101.
If US 101 had been built and then some people were killed, one
could as easily conclude that the Sierra Club (or anyone else)
might be sued for NOT obstructing the highway!
(3) The "Split Wood not Atoms" poster-vendor might be sued if
it could be conclusively proven that he was a knowing party to
a conspiracy to give people lung cancer. But we might assume
that his motivation was actually to prevent a devastating
nuclear accident that might have given 10,000 people lung
cancer...
Again, a risks-of-computers organization can only present its
case to court and people and, so long as no malfeasance is
involved, cannot be held responsible for its failure to
predict future consequences. There are far more important
"unsymmetric" relationships than that of the press vs. the
legal system that pertain to issues of responsibility, namely,
that of past vs. future and known vs. unknown. I feel that you
are correct in pointing out how computer people would do well
to apply their expertise to solving problems of society. In
this case the moral imperitives are quite clear.
∂08-Sep-85 1254 LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA The risks of not using some technology
Received: from MIT-MC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Sep 85 12:53:52 PDT
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 85 15:51:44 EDT
From: Herb Lin <LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA>
Subject: The risks of not using some technology
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA, RISKS-FORUM@MIT-MC.ARPA, risks@SRI-CSL.ARPA
In-reply-to: Msg of 07 Sep 85 1329 PDT from John McCarthy <JMC at SU-AI.ARPA>
Message-ID: <[MIT-MC.ARPA].637837.850908.LIN>
The problem with a forum on the risks of technology is that
while the risks of not using some technology, e.g. computers, are
real, it takes imagination to think of them....
You raise an interesting point that deserves more discussion.
However, as one who is concerned that the major problem arises from an
uncritical acceptance of technology, I strongly disagree with your
suggestion that the scales are stacked AGAINST those who are
"pro-technology". The reason that anyone adopts any given technology
is that it provides benefits that he can see; the problem is getting
those individuals to see that there are costs as well. In other
words, the bias in the system is towards acceptance of technology, not
rejection of it. It is this general bias that "risks" people are
trying to correct.
...Is a risk-of-computers
organization that successfully sues to delay a use of computers either
MORALLY or LEGALLY LIABLE if the delay causes someone's death? Is there
any moral or legal requirement that such an organization prove that they
have formally investigated whether their lawsuit will result in killing
people? As the above examples indicate, the present legal situation
and the present publicity situation are entirely unsymmetric.
There are such precedents; organizations can be held liable for using
technology that that is not as up to date as is "generally
applicable". On the more general point, it is much harder to
establish liability as the result of someone's inaction as compared to
the result of someone's action; this does happen, but it is harder to
prove.
The harm caused by tape-to-tape batch processing as opposed to on-line
systems.
I like this example; let's have more discussion of it. There was a
time when on-line systems were totally unreliable, but I think that
time has past.
Shouldn't computer professionals
who pretend to social responsibility take an interest in an
area where their knowledge might actually be relevant?
This is a cheap shot unworthy of pioneers in computer science. More
than anyone else, computer professionals are the ones who are in the
best position to assess the limits as well as the promises of
technology. You once said that the responsibility of the scientist is
to take his science whereever it may lead. I agreed with you then,
and I agree with that now. But science is part of a social and
cultural context, and cannot be separated as cleanly as one might
imagine. If it is proper for the developers of science and technology
to propose new applications of their work (because they see these
potential applications as beneficial to society), it is also
appropriate for them to suggest possible consequences of their use as
well.
∂08-Sep-85 1311 LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA The risks of not using some technology
Received: from MIT-MC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 8 Sep 85 13:10:59 PDT
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 85 16:08:47 EDT
From: Herb Lin <LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA>
Subject: The risks of not using some technology
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA
In-reply-to: Msg of 08 Sep 85 1306 PDT from John McCarthy <JMC at SU-AI.ARPA>
Message-ID: <[MIT-MC.ARPA].637852.850908.LIN>
... In my opinion, any organization
that intervenes legally has at least the moral responsibility to prepare
a statement about the impact of their intervention, including the impact
of delays they may cause.
I concur entirely.
Specifically, the Sierra Club had a responsibility
to attempt to estimate the likely effect on traffic fatalities of success
in their attempt to delay making U.S. 101 south of San Jose into a freeway.
They were successful, and I think the ten year delay killed some tens
of people.
On the specifics of this case, how can it be established that it was
the 10 year lack of freeway that killed these people? Any suggestions
that you have on how one makes an analytical case for this claim would
be welcomed.
∂08-Sep-85 1432 Ayers.PA@Xerox.ARPA Keep up the good work ...
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Date: 8 Sep 85 14:32:49 PDT (Sunday)
From: Ayers.PA@Xerox.ARPA
Subject: Keep up the good work ...
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <850908-143251-3379@Xerox>
I appreciate your reasoned messages to RISKS.
Bob
∂09-Sep-85 0831 DAC
To: JMC
CC: JMC
Dear John: Thank you very much for your help with our proposal to Kahn. We start
start the procedure of an official submission of the proposal thru the
Office of Projects and G$Drants. We hope... D.& G.
∂09-Sep-85 0831 DAC
To: JMC
CC: JMC
Dear John: Thank you very much for your help with our proposal to Kahn. We start
start the procedure of an official submission of the proposal thru the
Office of Projects and G$Drants. We hope... D.& G.
∂09-Sep-85 0847 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA re: Files
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Date: Mon 9 Sep 85 08:03:00-PDT
From: Betty Scott <BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: re: Files
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sat 7 Sep 85 16:29:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12141888033.10.BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
O.K., I'll bring one box a week. - Betty
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∂09-Sep-85 0942 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA
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Date: Mon 9 Sep 85 09:41:26-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: RA@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12141905953.30.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Mr. Gardner Linzey phoned. Please call. 321-2052.
Tina
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∂09-Sep-85 1002 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Sep 85 10:02:04 PDT
Date: Mon 9 Sep 85 10:00:52-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12141909490.30.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Mike Hostetter phoned. He was toled to call you by Sue Dayhuf. Please phone
219 486-8900.
Im not sure if I spelled Sue's last name right. Tina
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∂09-Sep-85 1051 RA Voice of America
Mr. Hanu, a senior producer for documentaries for the Voice of America,
will be here from Washington Sept. 24 to 26 and would like to interview you
for a documentary on AI. He can meet with you, Sept. 24 in the morning,
Sept. 25 any time during the day, or Sept. 26 in the morning. I looked at
your calendar and it seems that you are going to be away. Please let me
know. He is going to call be Thursday. His tel: (202) 755 4455.
∂09-Sep-85 1239 AI.JMC@MCC.ARPA generality of situation calculus
Received: from MCC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Sep 85 12:39:50 PDT
Date: Mon 9 Sep 85 14:39:44-CDT
From: AI.JMC@MCC.ARPA
Subject: generality of situation calculus
To: pednault@SRI-AI.ARPA
cc: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Consider the following situation calculus sentence which puts one
of your metamathematical results into the formalism itself.
Here S0 is an initial situation.
u, u1,u2 are variables for sequences of actions.
achieves(u,s,g) means that u achieves g starting in situation s.
preserves(u,s,g) means that u preserves g starting in situation s.
result(u,s) is the situation that results from action sequence u starting
in s.
on(A,B) is logically an object but represents an assertion, i.e. on(A,B)
is a proposition.
(u)(achieves(u,S0,on(A,B) and on(B,C))
implies
(E u1)(E u2)(u = u1 append u2
& achieves(u1,S0,on(B,C))
& achieves(u2,result(u1,S0),on(A,B))
& preserves(u2,result(u1,S0),on(B,C)))).
From suitable axioms expressing some of the assumptions of your paper,
this would be a theorem of the language and hence something that the
system might derive while learning how to build towers of blocks.
I have some other remarks about how the power of your heuristics might
be improved.
Regards,
John McCarthy
p.s. reply to JMC@sail
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∂09-Sep-85 1421 VAL re: abstract
[In reply to message rcvd 08-Sep-85 13:43-PT.]
Having compared our drafts, I realized that the difficulty you're talking
about is different from the one I described. In your draft, you consider
minimizing "on"; for me, this is inessential. (Incidentally, contrary to
para. 2 of your draft, in the axiomatization of (McCarthy 1984) there are
no axioms saying that it is abnormal for an object to be on another. And
such axioms are probably not necessary for correctly describing the results
of actions, as long as "on" is allowed to vary, because the axiom saying
that move(A, top B) is normally possible will imply then that top A and top B
are clear).
The difficulty considered in my draft consists in the conflict between maximizing
inertia for two successive actions, whereas you look at a single action.
If, for some reason, we want to minimize "on", that should be done at
a lower priority than minimizing the impossibility of move. That will
apparently solve your problem.
It seems to me that this is not the right example for illustrating the
need to assign priorities on the basis of mental states.
∂09-Sep-85 1442 RPG
∂06-Sep-85 1541 JMC
What are lisps for IBM-PC-AT?
Gold Hill has an `almost Common Lisp.' John Allen has some Lisp for
it. Those are the only 2 I'm aware of that could be decent.
-rpg-
∂09-Sep-85 1637 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA Re: remarks on your report
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Sep 85 16:36:52 PDT
Date: Mon 9 Sep 85 15:52:18-PDT
From: Ed Pednault <PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: remarks on your report
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA, VAL@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sat 7 Sep 85 16:46:00-PDT
Your comments regarding the generality of my language vis a vis the
situation calculus are absolutely correct. However, the two
formalisms are equivalent when the problem specification is restricted
to include only an initial-state description, a goal description, and
a description of the allowable actions. With regard to situation
variables, yes, introducing situation variables in predicates can be
very useful. In fact, I introduce situation variables in proving the
equivalence between my language and the situation calculus, given the
above restrictions, and in formulating the keyes and boxes problem,
where situation variables are used in simulating nondeterministic
actions via incomplete knowledge of the initial state.
Given the nature of your comments, I should emphasize that I have not
attempted to construct the most general framework possible. One theme
that keeps cropping up in my work is that a problem can be solved
efficiently only if it has properties that facilitate problem solving.
In constructing my framework, I have tried to balance the degree of
generality against the degree to which there exist exploitable
properties.
I will be out of town from the 17th to the 26th. A good time to meet
would be either the 16th or sometime after the 26th.
Ed
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∂09-Sep-85 1821 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA re: remarks on your report
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 9 Sep 85 18:21:39 PDT
Date: Mon 9 Sep 85 18:22:24-PDT
From: Ed Pednault <PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: re: remarks on your report
To: VAL@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Vladimir Lifschitz <VAL@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Mon 9 Sep 85 17:00:00-PDT
In my equivalence proof, I introduce a new constant symbol
CURRENTSTATE that denotes the current state of the world. In
translating from the situation calculus to my framework, the initial
state description is simply the set of axioms given in the situation
calculus formulation, plus an axiom defining CURRENTSTATE. For each
action in the situation calculus formulation, a action schema is
introduced whose effect is to change the denotation of CURRENTSTATE.
Thus, for the putonred(x) action, we would introduce a schema
putonredaction(x) defined as follows
putonredaction(x)
UPDATE: CURRENTSTATE <-- result(putonred(x), CURRENTSTATE)
That is, the new current state is the result of performing putonred in
the previous current state. The effects of putonred(x) are
axiomatized in the initial state description in the usual manner.
Note that this proof does not say how to best translate from the
situation calculus to my framework, it only shows that it is possible.
Ed
-------
p415
∂10-Sep-85 1050 SJG 1985 DAI workshop announcement
To: "@DAI.DIS[1,SJG]"@SU-AI.ARPA
The 1985 Workshop on Distributed Artificial Intelligence will be
held from December 3-6 at Sea Ranch, a shoreside resort two hours'
drive north of San Francisco.
Cost will be $150 per person, which includes accomodation for the nights
of the 3rd, 4th and 5th and food at Sea Ranch. Accomodation is two to
a room; if you have a preference, state it! A few rooms have also been
reserved for the night of the December 6, should anyone want to stay on
over the weekend. The additional charge will be approximately $100 per
room per night.
Anyone interested in attending should send the money,
together with either an extended abstract or a complete paper,
to either of the organizers at:
Department of Computer Science
Stanford, California 94305
This material should be received no later than November 1; all papers
received will be available in preprint form at the conference, and the
best will be selected to be included in a forthcoming collection of papers
on DAI.
Details on format and local arrangements will follow. At moment, we
are planning to have sessions on a variety of topics (dictated by the
papers we receive) and to finger various people to comment on the
papers in each session. Maybe a panel or two, and we certainly hope
to leave enough free time for plenty of unstructured discussion.
Support for the Workshop has been received from AAAI.
Thanks. We look forward to seeing you in December.
Mike Genesereth
Matt Ginsberg
∂10-Sep-85 1102 RA Mr. Hanu from Voice of America
Mr. Hanu would like to know whether you agree to be interviewed for
his program sometimes during the week of October 7th. He will ask one
of his local people to do the interview.
∂10-Sep-85 1143 CLT mazda
Its at the laundry.
We can pick it up tomorrow at 9am.
∂10-Sep-85 1257 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 10 Sep 85 12:57:44 PDT
Date: Tue 10 Sep 85 12:58:30-PDT
From: Ed Pednault <PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Tue 10 Sep 85 07:36:00-PDT
The 16th after planlunch it is -- Ed
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∂10-Sep-85 1501 LES Qlisp funding
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, CLT@SU-AI.ARPA, RPG@SU-AI.ARPA,
Fateman@UCB-VAX.ARPA
I reached Steve Squires at DARPA today and received different guidance (again)
on how to proceed. They now wish to fund Qlisp as a task on the existing
contract with Stanford. When I asked what the limitations are on size, it
sounded as though about a year's funding can be gotten through; conceivably
two years'. This is a lower committment level than we would like but it is
better than fiddling around with no funding. Squires says that he can turn
around and get money to us in about 60 days.
I propose to carve off the first year of the original proposal, including
the hardware buy, and send it via ARPAnet with a request for informal
concurrence, then get the formal submission to them as soon as possible.
Does anyone have reservations about proceeding in this way or have a
better idea?
∂10-Sep-85 1500 VAL monadic predicate logic
In case you are still interested in implementing the normal form for monadic
predicate logic: I learned from Weyhrauch's paper in the AI Journal about
FOL that FOL has the procedure MONADIC for deciding monadic formulas. Maybe
it uses something like your normal form.
∂10-Sep-85 1637 LES Qlisp tasking
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, CLT@SU-AI.ARPA, Fateman@UCB-VAX.ARPA
Having now reviewed the contract under which the proposed task would be assigned,
I find that there appears to be no problem with the amount of money but the
performance period of the contract ends on 5/31/87. In view of that, it
appears that we can get away with an 18 month proposal: say, 12/1/85 - 5/31/87.
It is conceivable that the contract can be extended to encompass the entire
project but it would probably be best to close the first funding before
trying to open that door.
∂10-Sep-85 1703 RA Reviews of not in our genes
So far I xeroxed three reviews for you which I placed on your desk. I
will try and do the rest of them tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I am attending
a workshop from 9:30-12:00. Also on your desk: a check from Omega travel, your
new parking sticker and United Airlines MileagePlus ID card.
∂10-Sep-85 1835 fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley Re: Qlisp funding
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id AA05111; Tue, 10 Sep 85 18:31:44 pdt
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id AA01232; Tue, 10 Sep 85 18:32:46 PDT
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 85 18:32:46 PDT
From: fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley (Richard Fateman)
Message-Id: <8509110132.AA01232@ucbdali.ARPA>
To: CLT@SU-AI.ARPA, Fateman@Berkeley, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, LES@SU-AI.ARPA,
RPG@SU-AI.ARPA
Subject: Re: Qlisp funding
I'm not sure what the consequences of this would be for UC. Can you elaborate?
Also, the sequent (6 processor, I think) at Berkeley is running on our
local network and can undoubtedly be reached from anywhere on the arpanet.
∂11-Sep-85 0426 GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA gwai and phone
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Date: Wed 11 Sep 85 04:27:12-PDT
From: Gunther Goerz <GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: gwai and phone
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12142373036.18.GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
hi john.how are you?my congratuilations for this ijcai-proize.
our pad was not working therefore i could'nt log in some days.tdoay sail
is dead - please answer to hst@sail
my phone numbers are: university = germany (49) - 9131 - 857885
home = " (49) - 9131 - 66569
i hope you will not resign.as i told you bibel wants to invite you to munich
and now there is another interest from stuttgart to invite you for a tlk.
did you book the plane? when do you arrive?
herbert
-------
∂11-Sep-85 1122 JMC
print sail from ansi,mail to mcc,jjw re tex
∂11-Sep-85 1122 JMC
hst and Hirsch
∂11-Sep-85 1126 VAL Message to Pednault
∂09-Sep-85 1700 VAL re: remarks on your report
To: PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA
[In reply to message sent Mon 9 Sep 85 15:52:18-PDT.]
I have a question about your claim concerning the equivalence of your
language to situation calculus with the restriction stated in your message.
Take this action: "put block x on a red block". (Assume for simplicity that
this is always possible). In situation calculus, we can describe its effect by
(Exists y)(red(y) and on(x,y,result(putonred(x),s))).
How can we express this in your language?
- Vladimir
p.402
∂11-Sep-85 1139 RA GBD
Please call George at home 493 0578 re going together tomorrow and some
other things.
821 Tolman, after crossing Stanford Ave. L and R.
∂11-Sep-85 1322 RA going out
I am going to Green library to get some more xeroxing done.
∂11-Sep-85 1456 WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA offices
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Date: Wed 11 Sep 85 14:51:29-PDT
From: Tom Wasow <WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: offices
To: sf@SU-CSLI.ARPA, julius@SU-CSLI.ARPA, winograd@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
jmc@SU-CSLI.ARPA, goguen@SRI-AI.ARPA, meseguer@SRI-AI.ARPA,
pereira@SRI-AI.ARPA, appelt@SRI-AI.ARPA, ford@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
hans@SRI-AI.ARPA, kay@XEROX.ARPA, lauri@SRI-AI.ARPA, bmoore@SRI-AI.ARPA,
stan@SRI-AI.ARPA, pcohen@SRI-AI.ARPA, bratman@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
kaplan@XEROX.ARPA, rperrault@SRI-AI.ARPA, witkin@SRI-KL.ARPA,
pentland@SRI-AI.ARPA, kiparsky@SU-CSLI.ARPA, bush@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
withgott@SU-CSLI.ARPA, mmacken@SU-CSLI.ARPA, abbott@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
stansbury@XEROX.ARPA, dlevy@XEROX.ARPA
cc: wasow@SU-CSLI.ARPA, jamie@SU-CSLI.ARPA, betsy@SU-CSLI.ARPA
We are trying to make more effective and equitable use of our space
this year, and are consequently doing some remodeling and
rearrangement of offices. Part of the scheme involves reassigning
offices for researchers housed in the trailers to remodeled quarters
in Casita.
We plan to convert the top floor of Casita into open-door offices,
that is, offices assigned to all of you collectively rather than
individual offices assigned particularly. The offices on the top
floor can comfortably accommodate two to three researchers at a time.
When you come to work, you can use any unoccupied desk, much as you
would at a library. We plan to have locking storage cabinets
installed for personal belongings you'd like to leave in the building.
We've also planned a few changes to Casita which will make it a much
more felicitous place to work:
Air-conditioning to accommodate Dlions and other
machines
Adding 3 or 4 new offices upstairs (making a total
of 7 or 8 offices to be shared among, at most, 26 researchers)
Resurfacing the walls in existing offices
Creating a new lounge on the lower floor for either large or
small impromptu meetings
Adding decks between Ventura and Casita to provide
gathering places when the weather permits
We'd like to accomplish the move before fall quarter classes begin on
September 25th. If you could try to move your personal belongings by
September 20th, our postdocs and graduate students would have time to
settle into their new surroundings before the term gets underway. If
you have problems moving, get in touch with Jamie (Jamie@CSLI)
and he'll arrange help for you.
Space will be tight, and conditions occasionally substandard, until
construction is complete. Until then, the upstairs offices in Casita,
except for number 55, will be yours to share. Optimistically, the
project could be finished before the end of Fall; but, based on other
campus construction schedules, mid-Winter might be a more conservative
prediction of the completion date. Thanks for your patience during
this time.
-- Tom
-------
∂11-Sep-85 1557 SJG siglunch
Dear John:
The SIGlunches for this quarter are, miracle of miracles, filling
up. I've got after 11/15 open (except for 11/22); care to pick a
time before I get back to the other volunteers?
Thanks much.
Matt
∂11-Sep-85 1608 SJG Siglunch
you got it.
Matt
∂11-Sep-85 1734 @SU-CSLI.ARPA:Kay.pa@Xerox.ARPA Re: offices
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Date: 11 Sep 85 17:28 PDT
From: Kay.pa@Xerox.ARPA
Subject: Re: offices
In-reply-to: Tom Wasow <WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA>'s message of Wed, 11 Sep 85
14:51:29 PDT
To: WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA
cc: sf@SU-CSLI.ARPA, julius@SU-CSLI.ARPA, winograd@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
jmc@SU-CSLI.ARPA, goguen@SRI-AI.ARPA, meseguer@SRI-AI.ARPA,
pereira@SRI-AI.ARPA, appelt@SRI-AI.ARPA, ford@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
hans@SRI-AI.ARPA, kay.PA@Xerox.ARPA, lauri@SRI-AI.ARPA,
bmoore@SRI-AI.ARPA, stan@SRI-AI.ARPA, pcohen@SRI-AI.ARPA,
bratman@SU-CSLI.ARPA, kaplan.PA@Xerox.ARPA, rperrault@SRI-AI.ARPA,
witkin@SRI-KL.ARPA, pentland@SRI-AI.ARPA, kiparsky@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
bush@SU-CSLI.ARPA, withgott@SU-CSLI.ARPA, mmacken@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
abbott@SU-CSLI.ARPA, stansbury.PA@Xerox.ARPA, dlevy.PA@Xerox.ARPA,
jamie@SU-CSLI.ARPA, betsy@SU-CSLI.ARPA
Message-ID: <850911-172854-1185@Xerox>
I have made a determined and largely successful effort not to
short-change CSLI on the time I spend their and I have profited greatly
as a result. I have been encouraged in this by the fact that I had a
desk & a few book shelves where I could expect to find again whatever I
left there. There was a dandytiger for the use of which Lauri and I
could establish policies that suited us. A SYSOUT left on the disk
tonight would, in all probability be there in the morning. It is no
good pretending that the proposed arrangement will do anything but
degrade the quality of life at Ventura. I guess the rationale is that
we have other offices. It is inevitable that I, at least, will will
surely spend an even larger proportion of my time in that other office
and behave essentially as though I had no working space at CSLI. I
don't know about the rest of you, but I USE(ed) my office at CSLI for a
few hours a day on the average. I will regretfully move my books back
here in the morning.
Martin.
∂12-Sep-85 1007 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA Symposium in Japan
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Date: Thu 12 Sep 85 10:08:23-PDT
From: Ingrid Deiwiks - 497-3084 <INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: Symposium in Japan
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
I told Mrs. Kamada of Sumitomo Metal America (she is the go-between for
the Japanese visitors I mentioned) that you were unable to attend the
meeting on Monday. I also said that you had not been invited to the
International Symposium on Language and Artificial Intelligence in Japan
next March. She said she'd look into it. I'll let you know if I hear
more.
Ingrid Deiwiks
CSLI
-------
∂12-Sep-85 1123 RA Austin trip
You are booked on America West 166, 10/17, depart 4:50pm, arr. Austin 11:15pm
(stops at Phoenix). On the way back (10/19) you have a choice between American 563,
depart 4:52, arr. Dallas 5:37, from Dallas flight 263, arr. SJ 8:08. This flight
is $370. The other one, United, leaves at 6:15pm, via Denver, arr. SJ 9:37pm
and is only $134. You are now booked on all of the above; let me know
which one I should cancel.
∂12-Sep-85 1133 WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA offices again
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Sep 85 11:33:30 PDT
Date: Thu 12 Sep 85 11:29:36-PDT
From: Tom Wasow <WASOW@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: offices again
To: kay@XEROX.ARPA, sf@SU-CSLI.ARPA, julius@SU-CSLI.ARPA, jmc@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
goguen@SRI-AI.ARPA, meseguer@SRI-AI.ARPA, pereira@SRI-AI.ARPA,
appelt@SRI-AI.ARPA, ford@SU-CSLI.ARPA, hans@SRI-AI.ARPA, kay.PA@XEROX.ARPA,
lauri@SRI-AI.ARPA, bmoore@SRI-AI.ARPA, stan@SRI-AI.ARPA, pcohen@SRI-AI.ARPA,
bratman@SU-CSLI.ARPA, kaplan.PA@XEROX.ARPA, rperrault@SRI-AI.ARPA,
witkin@SRI-KL.ARPA, pentland@SRI-AI.ARPA, kiparsky@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
bush@SU-CSLI.ARPA, withgott@SU-CSLI.ARPA, mmacken@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
abbott@SU-CSLI.ARPA, stansbury.PA@XEROX.ARPA, dlevy.PA@XEROX.ARPA,
jamie@SU-CSLI.ARPA, betsy@SU-CSLI.ARPA
cc: wasow@SU-CSLI.ARPA
I have had several complaints about the new plan regarding office space
for researchers. The purpose of this message is to offer an alternative
and solicit your preferences.
First, let me briefly explain that the idea of having unassigned open
offices for researchers stemmed from a desire to see the available
space used more efficiently. It was our perception that most of the
space assigned to researchers with principal offices elsewhere was
being very sparingly utilized (or, in some cases, being utilized by
non-CSLI people). We thought this might be due to the large number
of people assigned to some of the offices, and we came up with the
idea of a pool of offices as a way of distributing usage, in the
hopes that this would lead to researchers spending more time in
offices here.
Clearly, at least some of you think this was a bad idea. Fortunately,
it is not too late to change the plan. We currently have five large
offices set aside for you, and after the remodeling there will
probably be two more. These offices could be divided up among
you, with 3-5 people assigned to each office. Or we could proceed
with the open office plan. It would even be possible to have a
mixture, with, say, 3 offices assigned to specific sets of people,
and 4 others available on an open basis to the rest of you.
In order to decide among these options, I need to know what your
preferences are. We will implement whatever plan seems to have the
most support among you. Please let me know your opinion as soon as
possible.
Tom
-------
∂12-Sep-85 1214 LES use of sequent
∂12-Sep-85 0744 fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley use of sequent
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Date: Thu, 12 Sep 85 07:40:27 PDT
From: fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley (Richard Fateman)
Message-Id: <8509121440.AA11082@ucbdali.ARPA>
To: les@su-ai
Subject: use of sequent
Cc: fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley
(and also of an iPSC, possibly)
From alberto@ucbic Wed Sep 11 22:20:54 1985
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id AA08432; Wed, 11 Sep 85 22:20:51 PDT
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id AA11236; Wed, 11 Sep 85 22:25:37 PDT
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 85 22:25:37 PDT
From: alberto@ucbic (A.Sangiovanni-Vincentelli)
Message-Id: <8509120525.AA11236@ucbic.ARPA>
To: fateman@ucbdali
Subject: Re: use of sequent
Cc: alberto@ucbic
Status: R
I am going to get the iPSC at the end of this month. Intel has
decided to give me one with full support for our research on parallel
algorithms for CAD.
As far as the Sequent is concerned, we pay the maintenance contract only.
Two people from Sequent will come next week to discuss upgrades
and beta sites for new software and hardware.
I will be glad to help you out on this. However, there may be times
when we need to run heavy jobs. In these cases, we would like to have
the machine for ourselves.
Summarizing, you may work on our machine provided that we can
have full use of it on certain occasions. We can discuss about
sharing the cost of the maintenance.
I would not like to have the operating system to be
changed because we would like to have a stable development
environment.
Let me know if you need anything else.
Alberto
∂12-Sep-85 1308 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA [LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA: Next week's PLANLUNCH -- notice change in date, place]
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Sep 85 13:08:43 PDT
Date: Thu 12 Sep 85 13:09:22-PDT
From: Ed Pednault <PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: [LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA: Next week's PLANLUNCH -- notice change in date, place]
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
This Monday's planluch has been rescheduled for Wednesday. Would you still
like to meet on Monday? What time? (I am free all day).
Ed
---------------
Mail-From: LANSKY created at 12-Sep-85 11:57:32
Date: Thu 12 Sep 85 11:57:32-PDT
From: LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA
Subject: Next week's PLANLUNCH -- notice change in date, place
To: aic-associates@SRI-AI.ARPA, folks@SU-CSLI.ARPA, mugs@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
val@SU-AI.ARPA, rsimmons@SRI-KL.ARPA, carnese@SRI-KL.ARPA,
alpert@SU-SUSHI.ARPA, frayman@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, dmrussell@XEROX.ARPA,
vanLehn@XEROX.ARPA, araya@XEROX.ARPA, frayman@XEROX.ARPA,
suchman@XEROX.ARPA, weld@XEROX.ARPA, mittal@XEROX.ARPA, dekleer@XEROX.ARPA
Next week's planlunch will take place on WEDNESDAY at 11AM rather than
the usual Monday. We will resume Monday seminars after that. Also
notice the change in room -- EK242 is the old SRI-AI conference room.
We will return to the new conference room after next week as well.
See you there! -Amy Lansky
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCRUFFY PLANNING
David Wilkins
SRI International AI Center
11:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, September 18
SRI International, Building E, Room EK242
Most of the talks in the planlunch series have been about "neat"
research. While neat researchers know they have a more
expressive formalism than do planners like SIPE, they have rarely
sat in front of a machine and watched their systems be overwhelmed
by the computational loads even simple representations can impose.
I'll defend scruffy planning (not to replace but to supplement neat planning),
show how SIPE represents a simple 6-room indoor world for Flakey, show
its solutions and use of computation, describe the kind of hacks needed to
make things run fast, describe pitfalls, and other scruffy stuff like that.
Only a small amount of time will be spent explaining SIPE, depending on
audience's desire.
-------
-------
-------
∂12-Sep-85 1320 PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA re: [LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA: Next week's PLANLUNCH -- notice change in date, place]
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Sep 85 13:18:34 PDT
Date: Thu 12 Sep 85 13:19:07-PDT
From: Ed Pednault <PEDNAULT@SRI-AI.ARPA>
Subject: re: [LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA: Next week's PLANLUNCH -- notice change in date, place]
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Thu 12 Sep 85 13:12:00-PDT
Sounds fine!
Ed
-------
∂12-Sep-85 1331 RA leave early
I have to leave at 3:00 today for a doctor appointment; I would have
to wait for next week for a morning appointment which would be too long
a wait.
∂12-Sep-85 1407 VAL Mental situations
Example for mental situation calculus: expression evaluation
Mental fluents:
evaluated(x,ss) in mental situation ss, expression x is evaluated
goal(x,ss) in mental situation ss, the goal is to evaluate
expression x
committed(x,ss) in mental situation ss, there is a commitment to
evaluate expression x
should(a,ss) in mental situation ss, action a should be performed
Mental actions:
commit x commit oneself to evaluate x
apply(f,x,y) apply function f to the values of x,y
Mental events:
learn v the value of v becomes known
The effect of mental actions and events:
committed(x,result(commit x,ss))
evaluated(x,ss) ∧ evaluated(y,ss) ⊃ evaluated(f(x,y),result(apply(f,x,y),ss))
evaluated(v,result(learn v,ss))
Deontic laws:
goal(x,ss) ⊃ should(commit x,ss)
committed(f(x,y),ss) ∧ ¬ evaluated(x,ss) ⊃ should(commit x,ss)
committed(f(x,y),ss) ∧ ¬ evaluated(y,ss) ⊃ should(commit y,ss)
committed(f(x,y),ss) ∧ evaluated(x,ss) ∧ evaluated(y,ss) ⊃ should(apply(f,x,y),ss)
In addition to these general rules, assume that a specific mental situation ss0
is described by:
goal(f(g(v1,v2),h(v3,v4)),ss0)
evaluated(v2,ss0)
evaluated(v3,ss0)
evaluated(v4,ss0)
The sequence of events
apply(h,v3,v4)
learn v1
apply(g,v1,v2)
apply(f,g(v1,v2),h(v3,v4))
will provably lead to the desired result, evaluated(f(...),ss). But it is not
*rational* in the sense that actions are performed when they shouldn't. More
formally, we want the term defining ss to satisfy this condition: for every
subterm of the form result(A,SS), we want to have should(A,SS). A rational
solution would look like this:
commit f(...)
commit g(v1,v2)
commit h(v3,v4)
apply(h,v3,v4)
learn v1 ; this is an event, not an action, so the
; rationality restriction doesn't apply
apply(g,v1,v2)
apply(f,g(v1,v2),h(v3,v4))
In a rational sequence of events, we never evaluate any expression that is not a
subexpression of the goal.
∂12-Sep-85 1459 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Phone Message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Sep 85 14:59:53 PDT
Date: Thu 12 Sep 85 14:58:55-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Phone Message
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12142750182.21.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Franklin returned your call.
-------
∂12-Sep-85 1629 VAL Halpern's conference
Having read his call for papers once again, I feel that, after all, it's not the
right place for a paper on the frame problem. Also I'm afraid my ideas on the
subject haven't aged enough even for a good abstract.
But I'll keep working on mental situations. What would help me at this point is
critical remarks on my axioms for expression evaluation. What would you do
differently? In what directions would you extend them? What are the right
questions to ask about them?
∂12-Sep-85 1710 LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA SDI
Received: from MIT-MC.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 12 Sep 85 17:10:29 PDT
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 85 20:08:22 EDT
From: Herb Lin <LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA>
Subject: SDI
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA, risks@SRI-CSL.ARPA
In-reply-to: Msg of 12 Sep 85 0057 PDT from John McCarthy <JMC at SU-AI.ARPA>
Message-ID: <[MIT-MC.ARPA].643410.850912.LIN>
From: John McCarthy <JMC at SU-AI.ARPA>
At the suggestion of Robert Jastrow, who is one of the main
scientific defenders of SDI, I made the same point in letters to three
Congressmen, said to be influential in the matter of SDI appropriations.
Robert Jastrow is certainly a defender of the SDI, but he has admitted
publically in his own Congressional testimony that he does NOT carry
out scientific analyses of anything related to SDI. He hardly counts
as a "scientific defender."
∂12-Sep-85 2045 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA
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Return-Path: <crummer@AEROSPACE.ARPA>
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Date: Thu, 12 Sep 85 19:00:29 PDT
From: Charlie Crummer <crummer@AEROSPACE.ARPA>
To: risks@sri-csl
ReSent-Date: Thu 12 Sep 85 20:36:42-PDT
ReSent-From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
ReSent-To: JMc@SU-AI.ARPA
~s A Reply to McCarthy's Opinions on SDI
>Date: 12 Sep 85 0057 PDT
>From: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
>Subject: SDI
>To: risks@SRI-CSL.ARPA
>
>... there [is] no principle of computer
>science that says that programs of any particular task cannot be written and
>debugged.
Computer Science does not contain or deal with the principles operative
in the writing and debugging of large, nay, HUGE, eclectic, software
programs. This is the realm of Software Engineering. By a similar token
there is no principle of the theory of random processes that says that
the works of Shakespeare cannot be written by 1,000,000 monkeys pounding
1,000,000 typewriters either, in fact in principle that would be one way
of reproducing these works. No serious student of Shakespeare who knew
something about random processes would propose such an undertaking, of
course. A mathematician who knew nothing about typewriters and little
about Shakespeare, however, might if Ronald Reagan pursuaded him that
the problem should be worked by assigning 1,000,000,000,000 monkeys to
1,000,000,000,000 typewriters. In software engineering as well as
mechanical engineering there is the concept of feasibility to be considered.
> Now I shall say my opinion about SDI.
>
>If it can be done, it should.
If you had a gun wouldn't you be more afraid to face a gunman with
a bullet-proof vest than one without? If he began deliberately to
put this vest on as he stood before you with his gun leveled at you
wouldn't you be inclined to fire before he got the vest on?
>If it affords complete protection that's great,
>and if it affords partial protection, that's good.
You speak in the present tense but "it" does not exist! How can
a non-existence afford anything? At least one of the basic questions
is whether it can be made at all.
>The balance of terror is a bad thing.
Yes, and SDI would only enhance the terror. The "civilized" world has
no defensive answer to the terrorists in such mundane places as on airliners,
let alone in space, and such is not in the offing.
>Here are answers to some counter
>arguments to its desirability. (a) Joe Weizenbaum says that it attempts a
>technological solution to a problem that should be solved morally.
MUST be solved between the terrorizer and terrorizee. When someone's
out to get you there's no place to hide. (D. Corleone)
>Alas,
>moral progress has been so slow that almost the only moral problems to be
>even partially solved are those that can at least partially been turned into
>technological problems.
Not true, viz. cannibalism and slavery.
>For example, the technology of contraception has
>greatly reduced human unhappiness.
What evidence do you have of that?
>(b) It is argued that the Soviets would
>have to attack at the first sign of deployment. Every past imminent advance
>by either side has in principle given the other side some temptation to
>strike before it can be deployed. So far as we know, neither side has even
>come close to giving in to such temptation. One reason is that the effect
>of any advance is always subject to a probabilistic estimate, so temporizing
>has always looked better than attacking. Even if SDI works very well, it
>may be that no-one will be able to be sure that it is that good.
You may be save in saying that but I hope our leaders are not so cavalier.
Most strategyserious is based on "worst case" scenarios.
> However, most likely the main reason has been is that neither side
>ascribes the very worst intentions to the other with certainty. Each side
>has always said, "Perhaps they don't actually mean to attack us. Why have a
>nuclear war for sure instead of only a certain probability?" Anyway the
>Soviets have experienced a period in which we had complete nuclear
>superiority and didn't attack them.
>
>2. My opinion is that if the physics of the problem permits a good
>anti-missile defense the programs can be written and verified. However, it
>will be quite difficult and will require dedicated work. It won't be done
>by people who are against the whole project. Computer checked proofs of
>program correctness will probably play some role. So will anticipating what
>kind of bugs would be most serious and putting the biggest effort into
>avoiding them. Having many people go over and discuss all the critical
>parts of the program will also be important.
>
Whether the physics of the problem admits a good anti-missile defense
is a paramount question. It will take much more than dedicated climbing
of the automatic proof of correctness "tree" to get to the "moon" of
an "astrodome" over the U.S. a la Reagan's definition of strategic
defense.
--Charlie
∂13-Sep-85 0233 GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA gwai@germany
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Sep 85 02:33:18 PDT
Date: Fri 13 Sep 85 02:34:30-PDT
From: Gunther Goerz <GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: gwai@germany
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12142876809.35.GOERZ@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
hi john.i make the following proposal:when you arrive at frankfurt, take
a train to stuttgart.R.Gunzenhaeuser and D.Roesner will pick you up at the
railway station.you will stay in Stuttgart to the 19th and give your talk
at 10.oo am. I come to Stuttgart and take you to erlangen. you will stay
here in a hotel. you give your talk at 2.oo pm in erlangen (they are quite
hot.) we spend the weekend somehow. monday morning (very early) we drive
to dassel. you stay there in anice room. on the 24th in the morning (8.45 am)
you give your talk. afterwards you are free - leave the same day or stay.
we bring you to the auirport in frankfurt or to a fasttrain to frankfurt.
of yourse, the university talks canm take longer as the talk in dassel.
there i have exactly 1 hour for you and additional 15 minutes for discussion.
(munich vanished because nobody is there that week.they hope for the next
mccarthy trip in november or the like.)
please inform me how you would like to get the money:should i book the plane
and pay from here? do you like $-bills? or deutschmark-bills? is this with
the train to suttgart ok (a faststrain which goes every ou hour)
it will cost some 40DM.
- sail is not stable today.therefore i had to mail from here-
herbert
-------
∂13-Sep-85 0847 RA be late
I will come in late this morning; probab. around 10:30.
∂13-Sep-85 0851 John←A.←McNelly.OsbuSouth@Xerox.ARPA Re: RISKS-1.11
Received: from XEROX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Sep 85 08:50:50 PDT
Received: from Salvador.ms by ArpaGateway.ms ; 13 SEP 85 08:49:57 PDT
Sender: "John A. McNelly.OsbuSouth"@Xerox.ARPA
Date: 13 Sep 85 08:49:31 PDT (Friday)
Subject: Re: RISKS-1.11
From: McNelly.OsbuSouth@Xerox.ARPA
To: crummer@AEROSPACE.Arpa
cc: JMC@SU-AI.Arpa, McNelly.OsbuSouth@Xerox.ARPA
In-Reply-to: NEUMANN%SRI-CSLA:ARPA's message of 13 Sep 85 01:19:23 PDT
(Friday)
Message-ID: <850913-084957-2448@Xerox>
>Alas,
>moral progress has been so slow that almost the only moral problems
to be
>even partially solved are those that can at least partially been
turned into
>technological problems.
>Not true, viz. cannibalism and slavery.
Actually, it's my understanding that the demise of slavery was due to
technological advances which made slavery economically unfeasible. The
invention of the cotton gin, for example, made it only a matter of time
here in the US before slavery died out. As far as cannibalism goes, I'd
say that was more caused by Western culture steam-rolling over the
cannibals.
-- John --
∂13-Sep-85 1147 VAL re: Halpern's conference
[In reply to message rcvd 12-Sep-85 23:40-PT.]
Here is the problem I meant to solve with my axioms for expression evaluation.
We are computing the value of an expression, with the values of some variables
currently unknown (they are computed in parallel by someone else and from time
to time come to us from outside). An elementary operation consists in
applying a given function to given numbers. The control problem consists in
deciding which elementary operations to perform. The answer is, of course, simple:
if there is a subexpression f(x,y) with x, y already computed, apply f to the
values of x and y. My axioms show how we can describe this strategy in a deductive
way; they describe a trajectory in mental space which includes, at some points,
computing the values of functions. This is simpler than hill-climbing, because
my axioms explicitely tell us what should be done in a given mental situation,
rather than how to compare mental situations.
∂13-Sep-85 1309 RA Price of a rountrip ticket to Germany
To: JMC
CC: HST
For tickets purchased 21 days in advance: Weekend $994, weekday 926;
less than 21 days purchase, weekend $1,298, weekday $1,248.
Rutie
-----
∂13-Sep-85 1326 RICH%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
Received: from MIT-HTVAX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Sep 85 13:26:28 PDT
Received: from MIT-OZ by MIT-HTVAX (4.12/4.7) with CHAOS
id AA01695; Fri, 13 Sep 85 16:16:35 edt
Date: 13 Sep 1985 16:16 EDT (Fri)
Message-Id: <RICH.12142993669.BABYL@MIT-OZ>
From: Charles Rich <RICH%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA>
To: AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
Cc: Amarel@RED.RUTGERS.EDU, ai.woody@MCC.ARPA, Fikes@USC-ECL.ARPA,
Brachman@SRI-KL.ARPA, Davis%MIT-OZ@MIT-XX.ARPA,
Genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
Engelmore@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Lerman@SRI-KL.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA,
MCdermott@CMU-CS-A.ARPA, Reddy@CMU-CS-A.ARPA, Rich@MIT-MC.ARPA,
Stan@SRI-AI.ARPA, Shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Stefik.PA@XEROX.ARPA,
tenenbaum@SRI-KL.ARPA, PHW@MIT-MC.ARPA, hart@SRI-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Msg of 13 Sep 1985 13:11-EDT from AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE at SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I really don't see how this arrangement will help advance the science
of AI. Unless some better arguments are made to this effect, I would
not recommend rushing into expanding our office overhead in
order break even with the Cog. Sci. society. Note that I do not
mean to imply we should do it if we can make money at it. If we
do it at all it should be on a non-profit basis, but only if there
is some benefit to our primary aims.
-Chuck.
∂13-Sep-85 1355 RA Louis Lerman
Louis came by; wanted to let you know that he would like to talk to you.
He will try to call you at home this weekend.
∂13-Sep-85 1515 LERMAN@SRI-KL.ARPA Re: AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
Received: from SRI-KL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Sep 85 15:14:54 PDT
Date: Fri 13 Sep 85 15:16:05-PDT
From: Lee Erman <LErman@SRI-KL.ARPA>
Subject: Re: AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
To: RICH%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA
cc: AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Amarel@RED.RUTGERS.EDU, ai.woody@MCC.ARPA,
Fikes@USC-ECL.ARPA, Brachman@SRI-KL.ARPA, Davis%MIT-OZ@MIT-XX.ARPA,
Genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
Engelmore@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, MCdermott@A.CS.CMU.EDU,
Reddy@A.CS.CMU.EDU, Rich@MIT-MC.ARPA, Stan@SRI-AI.ARPA,
Shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Stefik.PA@XEROX.ARPA, tenenbaum@SRI-KL.ARPA,
PHW@MIT-MC.ARPA, hart@SRI-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Charles Rich <RICH%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA>" of Fri 13 Sep 85 16:16:00-PDT
Subject: Re: Confederation Recommendation
To: AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "AAAI <AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>" of Fri 13 Sep 85 10:11:30-PDT
Patrick and Claudia,
I believe this is 180 degrees contrary to the basic idea of the
confederation recommendation. In particular, the goal was to further the
science and at the same time minimize the complexity and bureaucracy of
the AAAI. An arrangement such as is being proposed with the CSS does not
help the science at all and only increases AAAI's complexity and
bureaucracy.
We would consider such an arrangement on a temporary basis for an
organization as it was forming, to help get them started. But that is not
the case here.
If some other organization (presumably profit-making) were in the
business of running such services for organizations, I think the AAAI should
consider subscribing to that; but we definitely don't want to be IN that
business.
--Lee
-------
∂13-Sep-85 1659 epi-dc!shore@nrl-css.arpa whose words in whose mouth?
Received: from NRL-CSS.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Sep 85 16:55:22 PDT
Date-Sent: Fri Sep 13 19:50:46 1985
Received: by epi-dc.uucp (2.0/3.14)
id AA03528; Fri, 13 Sep 85 19:50:46 edt
To: Joseph Weizenbaum <JOSEPH@mit-xx.ARPA>
Cc: John McCarthy <JMC@su-ai.ARPA>
Subject: whose words in whose mouth?
Date: 13 Sep 85 19:50:42 EDT (Fri)
Message-Id: <20.495503442@epi-dc>
From: John Shore <epi-dc!shore@nrl-css.arpa>
>RISKS-FORUM Digest Friday the 13 Sep 1985 Volume 1 : Issue 12
>....
>Date: Fri 13 Sep 85 12:57:15-EDT
>From: Joseph Weizenbaum <JOSEPH@MIT-XX.ARPA>
>Subject: JMC's remarks
>To: risks@SRI-CSL.ARPA
>
>Contrary to John McCarthy's inference that I hold to the "general
>proposition, 'Don't do it if there's a way around it'", I think that
>proposition to be (even purely logically) absurd. The "way around it"
>would be another "it" to which the rule would apply, and so on.
Actually, McCarthy didn't put these words in your mouth. The words came
from my note, which appeared just before McCarthy's (RISKS-FORUM, Issue
10). Moreover, I was trying to say that people *might* respond to you by
putting those words in your mouth, and then to give my own argument why
the proposition doesn't apply.
>RISKS-FORUM Digest Thursday, 12 Sep 1985 Volume 1 : Issue 10
>....
>Subject: Weizenbaum, etc.; even if SDI worked....
>Date: 12 Sep 85 11:11:13 EDT (Thu)
>From: John Shore <epi-dc!shore@nrl-css.arpa>
>
>It's tempting to respond to Weizenbaum by arguing against the general
>proposition, "Don't do it if there's a way around it". After all, should we
>refuse to develop bullet proof vests and to equip police officers with them
>just because a criminal might approach from behind and stab them in the ass?
>
>Assuming that a proposed defensive system will work, the relevant question
>is what is the cost of developing it compared to the cost of getting around
>it?
>
>In the case of SDI, one should distinguish between defense against a few
>missiles vs. defense against a massive attack. Either defense would be
>enormously expensive to develop. If the goal of the attacker is to detonate
>a few bombs (or threaten to do so), then it is obviously easier and cheaper
>to get around SDI than through SDI. Here, Weizenbaum is probably right. If
>the goal is massive or total destruction (including destruction of our
>missile forces), then getting around SDI (assuming SDI works) does not
>appear to be either easy or inexpensive. Here, Weizenbaum is probably
>wrong. In this case, however, the premise is most likely also wrong.
>
>Moreover, suppose that the premise is right -- i.e. SDI works perfectly. As
>Parnas has pointed out, there's no way for anyone to establish this fact,
>which shows the absurdity of arguments like "give us SDI and we will
>dismantle our missiles".
js
∂13-Sep-85 1711 jefferso@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU Parallel Lisp
Received: from LOCUS.UCLA.EDU by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 13 Sep 85 17:11:21 PDT
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 85 17:05:39 PDT
From: David Jefferson <jefferso@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU>
To: jmc@su-ai.arpa
CC: jefferson
Subject: Parallel Lisp
Message-ID: <495504339-14255-jefferso@RHEA.LOCUS.UCLA.EDU>
Dear Prof. McCarthy,
A few weeks ago you and Claudia Mazzetti and I were having a discussion in a
restaurant in Beverly Hills in which you said you were working on a
"parallel Lisp" that was "entirely based on queues". At the time I jumped
to the conclusion that you meant that the control of parallelism was based
on scheduling queues. However, some time later it occurred to me that you
may have meant more: that your parallel Lisp might use queues as its
fundamental data structure instead of (or in addition to?) lists, and that
the control regime might be some kind of FIFO scheduling of concurrency
instead of (or in addition to) recursive call-and-return.
Could you tell me a little more about what you do have in mind? If there is
anything written on the subject I would be happy if you could send it to me,
either electronically or by U.S. Mail to:
David Jefferson
3531 Boelter Hall
UCLA
Los Angeles, Cal. 90024
Thanks very much.
David Jefferson
∂14-Sep-85 0342 freksa%germany.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA Your talk in Munich
Received: from CSNET-RELAY.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Sep 85 03:42:16 PDT
Received: from germany by csnet-relay.csnet id ab25738; 14 Sep 85 6:35 EDT
Received: by Germany.CSNET (4.12/4.7.2)
id AA01050; Fri, 13 Sep 85 11:49:38 -0100
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 85 11:49:38 -0100
From: Christian Freksa TU Muenchen <freksa%germany.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Full-Name: Christian Freksa TU Muenchen
Message-Id: <8509131049.AA01050@Germany.CSNET>
To: jmc@su-ai.arpa
Subject: Your talk in Munich
Cc: freksa@germany.CSNET, tum@germany.CSNET
Thank you very much for your instant acceptance of Wolfgang Bibel's
invitation to speak before the Munich AI circle. Meanwhile Herbert
Stoyan informed me that Monday, Sep 30th is no longer a convenient
date for you. Unfortunately, we are unable to arrange your talk
for Friday, Sep 20th. If Sep 30th (or one of the subsequent days)
remains impossible for you, we will have to postpone your talk to
the next occasion, I am afraid. Please let us know, when you will
be in Europe again. If, however, you can make it on Sep 30th,
please send me a title and an abstract, and I will proceed with the
arrangements. We usually plan for a one hour presentation with
another hour for discussion. Thank you very much!
Yours sincerely, Christian Freksa
∂14-Sep-85 1016 JOSEPH@MIT-XX.ARPA Re: whose words in whose mouth?
Received: from MIT-XX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Sep 85 10:16:10 PDT
Date: Sat 14 Sep 85 13:17:23-EDT
From: Joseph Weizenbaum <JOSEPH@MIT-XX.ARPA>
Subject: Re: whose words in whose mouth?
To: epi-dc!shore@NRL-CSS.ARPA
cc: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, JOSEPH@MIT-XX.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John Shore <epi-dc!shore@nrl-css.arpa>" of Fri 13 Sep 85 19:50:42-EDT
Dear John Shore -
It was one of those things; no sooner had I tapped the key that inexorably
sent the message on its way when it occurred to me that there was a seperation
between the two messages I had atributed to John McCarthy. Too late! All I
could do was to wait for your response, and of course JMC's. His hasn't
reached me yet - but I can imagine. Thanks for the clarification.
JW
-------
∂14-Sep-85 1025 ALTMAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA re: Need to Copy Slides FAST.
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 14 Sep 85 10:25:48 PDT
Date: Sat 14 Sep 85 10:27:42-PDT
From: Russ Altman <ALTMAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: re: Need to Copy Slides FAST.
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 13 Sep 85 21:22:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12143225096.23.ALTMAN@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Thanks for the pointer to SDA for copying slides.
Russ
-------
∂15-Sep-85 0000 JMC
Oliver has my Melzak.
∂15-Sep-85 2330 HST gwai & stuttgart
the man in stuttgart is Gunzenhaeuser. His phone number in office:(0711)-2078-331
(to repeat:0711-2078-331), home: 0711-7544321.
∂16-Sep-85 0235 HST gwai/schedule
i fear that the return flight is quite short in time. that means you have
to start from goettingen at 11.20 - your talk end s at 9 10.oo. After it
a talk follows which could interest you.this talk ends 10.30. we could make
the trip to goettingen in that time (50'), but I'm sure. not.
for your arrival:
when you arrive i think you have to wait a long time for your baggage (PanAm).
Then you should go in the basement railway station.Trains leave all 20' to
Mains. Take a "S-Bahn" train or a "INTERCITY" train - as it is convenient.
In Mainz the "INTERCITY"-trains leave for Stuttgart every hour at .32:
1.32 pm, 2.32 pm, etc. You need some 30' to Mainz. From Mainz to Stuttgart
you need 1h20'. I think the fare to Stuttgart is around 50DM.
In Stuttgart you should call D.Roesner instead of Gunzenhauser. His phone-nr.
is: 0711-2078-387 (uni) and 0711-684699. He priomised me to watch the uni-
phone until you arrive.
Please inform me concerning the amount of $ I have to give you. (You get bills,
if that is right?)
I wish you a nice flight and hope it will be an interesting trip.
Herbert
∂16-Sep-85 0800 JMC
planlunch wilkins
∂16-Sep-85 0900 JMC
timer
∂16-Sep-85 1000 JMC
, cs306+paper for Halpern
∂16-Sep-85 0958 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA Re: clarification
Received: from SRI-CSL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Sep 85 09:58:18 PDT
Date: Mon 16 Sep 85 09:58:41-PDT
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: Re: clarification
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sat 14 Sep 85 19:02:00-PDT
John, RISKS has been straying further and further away from the computer
issues toward the boundary of the inappropriate. Your latest message has
gotten us clearly into the political realm, and that is a no-no by ACM
groundrules, and I imagine ARPA as well. I would encourage you to continue
a dialogue with Weizenbaum directly, but feel your latest message is not
suitable for inclusion.
Thanks for your active interest and participation. The issues are extremely
important, and a diversity of opinion is vital.
Peter
-------
∂16-Sep-85 1023 NEUMANN@SRI-CSLA.ARPA re: clarification
Received: from SRI-CSL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Sep 85 10:23:42 PDT
Date: Mon 16 Sep 85 10:23:57-PDT
From: Peter G. Neumann <Neumann@SRI-CSLA.ARPA>
Subject: re: clarification
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Mon 16 Sep 85 10:07:00-PDT
Thanks. That is a fine idea. Peter
-------
∂16-Sep-85 1030 REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: cs306 TA
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Sep 85 10:29:12 PDT
Date: Mon 16 Sep 85 09:18:47-PDT
From: Stuart Reges <REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: cs306 TA
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 13 Sep 85 23:28:00-PDT
Office: Margaret Jacks 210, 497-9798
Message-ID: <12143736839.29.REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I am posting the position and will be on the lookout for someone who has taken
the course before.
-------
∂16-Sep-85 1052 RA tickets to Germany
The price of your ticket to Germany is $2,270 for the round trip. Frank
said that you were thinking about making some changes in your trip. Please
let me know, or let him know whether you indeed want to make any changes.
∂16-Sep-85 1103 RA an 11:00 meeting
You have an 11:00 o'clock meeting with Ed Penault and he is here waiting
for you.
∂16-Sep-85 1132 RA Nafeh from MAD
John said that on Sept. 27 they are going to bring someone from Atlanta
for you to interview, and wanted to know whether 11:00am is ok with you. Aren't
you going to be away on this date? Please let me, or him know.
∂16-Sep-85 1137 RA Bob Floyd
Called, will call you later.
∂16-Sep-85 1153 REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA re: cs306 TA
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 16 Sep 85 11:53:36 PDT
Date: Mon 16 Sep 85 11:52:05-PDT
From: Stuart Reges <REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: re: cs306 TA
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Mon 16 Sep 85 10:35:00-PDT
Office: Margaret Jacks 210, 497-9798
Message-ID: <12143764744.12.REGES@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Last year we made a deal where you got a 50% TA in 206 and a 50% TA in 226, when
normally you would get a 75% TA in 206 and a 25% TA in 226. I am posting a 75%
TA position for 306, which is one and a half TAs.
-------
∂16-Sep-85 1217 CLT
the opera is at 8. if we take the cad we should leave by 6:45
∂16-Sep-85 1424 RA trip to Germany
According to your cal. you'll be back on the 28th. Will you be back
next Tues. the 24th, or the 28th?
∂17-Sep-85 0034 Tenenbaum@SRI-KL.ARPA Re: AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
Received: from SRI-KL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Sep 85 00:32:00 PDT
Date: Mon 16 Sep 85 21:30:42-PDT
From: Marty Tenenbaum <Tenenbaum@SRI-KL>
Subject: Re: AAAI/Cog. Sci Confederation Recommendation
To: LErman%SRI-KL@SRI-KL
cc: RICH%MIT-OZ%MIT-MC@SRI-KL, AAAI-OFFICE%SUMEX-AIM@SRI-KL,
ai.woody%MCC@SRI-KL, Fikes%USC-ECL@SRI-KL, Brachman@SRI-KL,
Davis%MIT-OZ%MIT-XX@SRI-KL, Genesereth%SUMEX-AIM@SRI-KL,
Buchanan%SUMEX-AIM@SRI-KL, Engelmore%SUMEX-AIM@SRI-KL, JMC%SU-AI@SRI-KL,
Rich%MIT-MC@SRI-KL, Stan%SRI-AI@SRI-KL, Shortliffe%SUMEX-AIM@SRI-KL,
Stefik.PA%Xerox@SRI-KL, PHW%MIT-MC@SRI-KL, hart%SRI-AI@SRI-KL
In-Reply-To: Message from "Lee Erman <LErman@SRI-KL.ARPA>" of Fri 13 Sep 85 15:56:04-PDT
The officers of AAAI benefit greatly from having a professionally staffed
office to handle the administrative details of our society: it allows them
to concentrate on issues that contribute to our science.
The same benefits can accrue to other organizations, whose
scientific mission is compatible with ours, but whose size may not
support a dedicated office staff. Moreover, by pooling resources, we
may be able to sustain services that are currently uneconomical for
either of us (e.g., an on-line journal or bibliographic database).
For all these reasons, the federation idea is a worthy experiment.
JMT.
-------
∂17-Sep-85 0830 RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA Chris Goad
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Sep 85 08:30:37 PDT
Date: Tue 17 Sep 85 08:29:00-PDT
From: Anne Richardson <RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Chris Goad
To: Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Cannon@SU-SIERRA.ARPA, Reynolds@SU-SCORE.ARPA,
TOB@SU-AI.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, Bscott@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12143989919.13.RICHARDSON@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Chris Goad of Silma, a candidate for the Robotics Search Committee, will be
visiting Stanford on October 8. I will be making arrangements for interested
parties to visit with him. Additionally, he will be giving a talk that day
as part of the CS500 series.
Anne
-------
∂17-Sep-85 1004 Ayers.PA@Xerox.ARPA FYI: On RISKS-1.14
Received: from XEROX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Sep 85 10:04:05 PDT
Received: from Riesling.ms by ArpaGateway.ms ; 17 SEP 85 10:04:28 PDT
Date: 17 Sep 85 10:04:29 PDT (Tuesday)
From: Ayers.PA@Xerox.ARPA
Subject: FYI: On RISKS-1.14
To: JMc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <850917-100428-1835@Xerox>
FYI, I sent a message to Peter Neumann saying that the dropped
contribution of McCarthy was undoubtedly more interesting than the
silliness on why the Russians are good guys and the Nth reply to the
bulletproof-vests story.
∂17-Sep-85 1040 mooremj@EGLIN-VAX Rejected Message Request
Received: from EGLIN-VAX.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Sep 85 10:40:36 PDT
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 85 12:45:22 CDT
From: mooremj@EGLIN-VAX
Subject: Rejected Message Request
To: jmc@sail
Cc: mooremj@eglin-vax.arpa
I'd like to see the message PGN rejected for posting in RISKS. I've been
following the SDI debate avidly. Thanks...
marty moore (mooremj@eglin-vax.arpa)
∂17-Sep-85 1402 SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: Confederation Recommendation
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 17 Sep 85 14:02:50 PDT
Date: Tue 17 Sep 85 13:55:28-PDT
From: Ted Shortliffe <Shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Confederation Recommendation
To: AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Office: Room TC-135, Stanford Med Center; Phone: (415) 497-6979
Message-ID: <12144049351.77.SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
ReSent-Date: Tue 17 Sep 85 14:01:57-PDT
ReSent-From: Ted Shortliffe <Shortliffe@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
ReSent-To: RICH%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA, AAAI-OFFICE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
LErman@SRI-KL.ARPA, ai.woody@MCC.ARPA, Fikes@USC-ECL.ARPA,
Brachman@SRI-KL.ARPA, Davis%MIT-OZ@MIT-XX.ARPA, Genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
Buchanan@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Engelmore@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA,
Rich@MIT-MC.ARPA, Stan@SRI-AI.ARPA, Stefik.PA@XEROX.ARPA, PHW@MIT-MC.ARPA,
hart@SRI-AI.ARPA, brown.pa@XEROX.ARPA
ReSent-Message-ID: <12144050532.77.SHORTLIFFE@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Patrick and Claudia,
I'm feeling rather torn on this issue. The arguments against
doing it are persuasive, but Marty Tenenbaum has correctly pointed out
that it would sure help smaller societies if we do this and perhaps we
should be magnanimous.
Why I didn't get a feel for was the reasons that you both
propose doing it. It clearly will create alot of extra work. Were your
reasons for supporting the idea simlar to Marty's, or do you see another
advantage that has not been addressed? Since the impact will largely
be on the AAAI office, I think your input is particularly important.
Thanks,
Ted
-------
∂17-Sep-85 1606 RTC Could I talk to you ...
... sometime on Wednesday? Anytime between 9am and 6pm is
OK with me. It should only take 5 - 10 minutes.
Ross.
∂18-Sep-85 0927 JROBINSON@SRI-AI.ARPA Martha (?)
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 18 Sep 85 09:27:40 PDT
Date: Wed 18 Sep 85 09:27:59-PDT
From: JROBINSON@SRI-AI.ARPA
Subject: Martha (?)
To: mccarthy@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: jrobinson@SRI-AI.ARPA
John, I'm trying to get in touch with Martha (last name forgotten),
Vera's friend - used to live on Seale, with son Matthew. She has
since married and moved to College Terrace. Can you give me any
pointers?
Jane
-------
∂18-Sep-85 1209 SJG first order counterfactuals
Dear John:
I am now findig myself confused over your remark that my counterfactual
construction (or Lewis') is not first order. It seems that there are
two possible problems, neither of which arises:
(1) Handling quantification within a counterfactual: "If Hitler
had ever invaded Britain, he would have captured London."
[∃t.invades(Hitler,Britain,t)] > falls(London)
This is not a problem because we can easily imagine possible worlds
where Hitler invaded Britain at some time. In my formalism, we must
make the statement
¬∃t.invades(Hitler,Britain,t)
unprovable from when is left in our database. Then we just look to see
whether what's left, together with ∃t.invades(Hitler,Britain,t), implies
that falls(London).
(2) Handling quantification outside a counterfactual: "If Hitler
had ever invaded Britain, he would have captured London within a
week."
∀t.[invades(Hitler,Britain,t) > falls(London,t+7)]
Again, this does not seem to be a problem, since the assignment of a truth
value to the bracketed expression is handled by either my theory or
Lewis'.
What am I missing?
Matt
∂18-Sep-85 1238 SAMUEL@SU-SCORE.ARPA editor based OS based on common-lisp
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 18 Sep 85 12:36:45 PDT
Date: Wed 18 Sep 85 12:35:13-PDT
From: Sam Hahn <Samuel@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: editor based OS based on common-lisp
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12144296887.29.SAMUEL@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Have there been responses to your invitation? Is work already progressing?
-- Sam
-------
∂18-Sep-85 1431 RINDFLEISCH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Stanford Video Journal - AI Volume
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 18 Sep 85 14:30:30 PDT
Date: Wed 18 Sep 85 14:31:34-PDT
From: T. C. Rindfleisch <Rindfleisch@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Stanford Video Journal - AI Volume
To: KSL-Project-Leaders@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: Rindfleisch@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Reges@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Message-ID: <12144318066.33.RINDFLEISCH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
As you might have noticed, in the August listing of CS reports there was an
announcement of Volume I of the "Stanford Video Journal" consisting of 20 tapes
from Don Knuth's Problem-solving Seminar last year. Judith Lemon, from the
Stanford Instructional TV Network, is trying to set up a second volume with
about 15 tapes on AI. She is negotiating with IBM for funding (around $15K) to
cover production costs but the content of the tape set is undecided. Ideas
range from taping a series of lectures from a course like CS 223A/B to trying
to capture descriptions of on-going research projects, like some groups have
already begun to do. The benefits from doing this include financial return and
having the tapes to help deal with visitors and other educational/PR functions.
The Knuth tapes are being licensed for around $5K and the proceeds distributed
1/3 each to the School, Department, and lecturer after SITN takes their fee (I
forget how much) off the top.
So the purpose of this message is to stir up discussion -- do we want to do
this, who is interested, what should the contents be, etc. We can worry about
consensus later.
Tom R.
-------
∂18-Sep-85 1440 spar!hayes@decwrl.ARPA
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id AA16650; Wed, 18 Sep 85 14:40:52 pdt
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Received: By spar-cas-krazykat id AA06484; Mon, 16 Sep 85 13:29:50 bst
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 85 13:29:50 bst
From: Patrick Hayes <spar!hayes@decwrl.ARPA>
Message-Id: <8509162029.AA06484@spar-cas-krazykat>
To: jmc@sail.ARPA
hi john. Now i am living here id like to start talking to you
about things which we have never had time to get deeply into
before. Heres the opener: why are you so hostile to the idea
of histories ( or whatever word you like to use )? Ive noticed
this from you on many occassions, and I wonder what is behind it.
Here are some possibilities: are any of these correct?
1. the idea is wrong, ie its a bad framework for describing
a changing world ( if so, why do you think so?)
2. its not wrong so much as unneccessary, ie the situation/action
framework supplies all descriptive power we need
3. its not such a bad idea, but its not properly worked out so
making claims for it is premature
4. as 3., but in particular it doesnt solve the frame problem or make it
any easier, so my claiming it did is wrong.
5. since there is so much more to discover about what can and cant be
done within the situations framework, its diverting attention from
more urgent problems.
Well, id be interested in your reply.
pat
∂18-Sep-85 1444 CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA message
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 18 Sep 85 14:44:32 PDT
Date: Wed 18 Sep 85 14:42:50-PDT
From: Tina Contreras <CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: message
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <12144320118.18.CONTRERAS@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Bob Simison of Wall Street Journal phoned. Please call. 214 631-7250.
Tina
-------
∂18-Sep-85 2359 FEIGENBAUM@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Re: Stanford Video Journal - AI Volume
Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 18 Sep 85 23:58:00 PDT
Date: Wed 18 Sep 85 23:53:33-PDT
From: Edward Feigenbaum <FEIGENBAUM@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Stanford Video Journal - AI Volume
To: Rindfleisch@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA, KSL-Project-Leaders@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, TOB@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: Nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA, Reges@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: <12144318066.33.RINDFLEISCH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Message-ID: <12144420372.14.FEIGENBAUM@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
I am interested in video presentations, but dont have time at this moment
to even think about content.
Ed
-------
∂19-Sep-85 1250 RA Gardner Lindzey
Gardenr returned your call.
∂19-Sep-85 1251 RA Robert Jastrow
Jastrow wanted me to let you know that he called; he'll call again next
week.
∂19-Sep-85 1555 INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA List of References
Received: from SU-CSLI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 19 Sep 85 15:54:53 PDT
Date: Thu 19 Sep 85 15:53:50-PDT
From: Ingrid Deiwiks - 497-3084 <INGRID@SU-CSLI.ARPA>
Subject: List of References
To: SF@SU-CSLI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA,
partee%umass-cs.csnet%csnet-relay.arpa@SU-SCORE.ARPA, john@SU-CSLI.ARPA,
stan@SRI-AI.ARPA, briansmith.pa@XEROX.ARPA
cc: INgrid@SU-CSLI.ARPA
Would you please send me a short list of references for material covered by
your talk at the CSLI Summer School/ASL Meeting? I'd like to get the complete
list out to all participants next week. Thanks.
Ingrid
-------
∂19-Sep-85 2123 GLB
Carolyn told me that you will be father. Let me express my felicitation.
∂20-Sep-85 2133 PHayes@SRI-KL.ARPA
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Received: By spar-cas-krazykat id AA12803; Fri, 20 Sep 85 19:39:14 bst
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 85 19:39:14 bst
From: Patrick Hayes <PHayes@SRI-KL>
Message-Id: <8509210239.AA12803@spar-cas-krazykat>
To: jmc@su-ai.ARPA
Hi john. I have now forgotten my own
numbering system. Lets get together, please.
My phones are home 855-9043, office 946-4631
pat
∂21-Sep-85 1818 @SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA:rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM macsyma
Received: from SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 21 Sep 85 18:18:04 PDT
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Date: Sat, 21 Sep 85 13:07 PDT
From: Bill Gosper <rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM>
Subject: macsyma
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <850921130712.1.RWG@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM>
They *finally* sent your tape. I could try to install it this evening around 11, or
tomorrow afternoon, or ...
∂23-Sep-85 1022 JROBINSON@SRI-AI.ARPA Re: martha coulton
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 23 Sep 85 10:21:15 PDT
Date: Mon 23 Sep 85 10:20:01-PDT
From: JROBINSON@SRI-AI.ARPA
Subject: Re: martha coulton
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: JROBINSON@SRI-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Fri 20 Sep 85 01:28:00-PDT
Thanks, John. But I know she has moved into college terrace since then;
has remarried, and has another child. Time passes. However, since I
had forgotten her last name and lost her old address, your info may
give me the leads I need.
Our paths don't seem to cross anymore, so this gives me a chance to
say hello to you too - and to Caroline.
Hello!
Jane
-------
∂23-Sep-85 1502 FBRYAN@SRI-KL.ARPA
Received: from SRI-KL.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 23 Sep 85 15:02:47 PDT
Date: Mon 23 Sep 85 14:55:19-PDT
From: FBRYAN@SRI-KL.ARPA
To: jmc@SRI-KL.ARPA
BOOM!
X X X
X X
X IIIII
X XXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
\ \ \ \ \ \ X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- - - - - * * X X XXXXXXXX
/ / / / / /
-------
∂23-Sep-85 1605 RA lunch with Mike Genesereth
Mike would like to have lunch with you Thursday, Sept. 26. Unless
he hears from you otherwise, he will come by your office Thursday at
noon. If you can't make it for lunch, he would like to meet you at a different
time Thursday.
∂23-Sep-85 1624 RA auditing your class
Nancy Roger from the International Center called to ask whether it would
be ok for 3 students from Germany whose field is AI to audit your class.
They will come to class Thursday and after class will introduce themselves
and ask your permission to audit the class. Two of them work at SLAC and the
third one is applying for the Ph.D. program for the next academic year.
∂24-Sep-85 0000 JMC Expired plan
Your plan has just expired. You might want to make a new one.
Here is the text of the old plan:
I will return from Germany on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
∂24-Sep-85 1158 SJG counterfactual question
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, john@SU-CSLI.ARPA, barwise@SU-CSLI.ARPA
Could one of you possibly confirm/disconfirm my intuition on the following?
Thanks.
The example relates to the question of whether the similarity relation
between possible worlds is modular. By this I mean that if W1 and W2 are
equally similar to our world, and W3 is less similar than W1, is W3
necessarily less similar than W2 as well?
Lewis seems to assume so, and get as a consequence that:
[(p > r) ∧ ¬(p > ¬q)] → (p ∧ q) > r
where I have denoted counterfactual implication by >.
However, *my* intuition provides the following counterexample to this:
1. If Bizet and Verdi had been compatriots, Satie would (still) have
been French. (true)
2. If Bizet and Verdi had been compatriots, Satie and Verdi might have
been compatriots. (true)
3. If Bizet, Verdi and Satie had all been compatriots, Satie would have
been French. (false)
What do you think?
Thanks much.
Matt Ginsberg
∂25-Sep-85 0914 CLT TAs
Bob Givan (Givan@sushi)
Mark Laube (Laube@sushi)
Both are Coterm masters students.
Bob is free Monday mornings, all day Wednesday and Fridays
and most evenings. Tueday and Thursdays are filled with classes.
I don't know Marks schedule.
∂25-Sep-85 1235 RA e visitorsLa Fiesta
Do you remember how many people there were at
the dinner at La Fiesta about a month ago?
∂25-Sep-85 1334 GIVAN@SU-SUSHI.ARPA CS306
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 25 Sep 85 13:34:07 PDT
Date: Wed 25 Sep 85 13:31:13-PDT
From: Robert L. Givan <GIVAN@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: CS306
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Prof. McCarthy:
I will stop by around 3:15 this afternoon. If you're not around,
I'll try again later today. Tomorrow @ 11am is bad for me (all of my classes
are Tues/Thurs, so MWF are good days to expect me available, generally.
See you this afternoon sometime....
Bob Givan
p.s. I managed to send a copy of this to jmc@mit-ai. Who is that?? I am
not terribly familiar with LOTS...
-------
∂25-Sep-85 1441 LAUBE@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: cs206
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 25 Sep 85 14:41:14 PDT
Date: Wed 25 Sep 85 14:26:18-PDT
From: Marq T Laube <LAUBE@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: cs206
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Wed 25 Sep 85 11:32:00-PDT
That's fine. I am around Jacks now, and will try stopping by your office
every so often.
-marq laube
-------
∂25-Sep-85 1531 JMC
b.bgivan@lotsa,b.bowie@lotsa
321-3118 let it ring, 327-6277
∂25-Sep-85 1640 MikeDixon.pa@Xerox.ARPA re: maps to new student lunch
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Received: from Cabernet.ms by ArpaGateway.ms ; 25 SEP 85 16:32:07 PDT
Date: 25 Sep 85 15:29 PDT
From: MikeDixon.pa@Xerox.ARPA
Subject: re: maps to new student lunch
In-reply-to: John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>'s message of 25 Sep 85 12:10
PDT
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <850925-163207-1071@Xerox>
lunch is at noon this saturday (the 28th) at vaughan pratt's.
.mike.
∂25-Sep-85 1704 RA
Yoram Moses,
Will you pay for
3 units of tuition for Yoram. If yes, we'll set him up on a 15%
RAship for the Autumn quarter, he would be paid $611 for the quarter, and his
appointment would entitle him to 3 units of tuition credit.
∂26-Sep-85 0536 THOMASON@C.CS.CMU.EDU Want to talk?
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Received: ID <THOMASON@C.CS.CMU.EDU>; Thu 26 Sep 85 08:37:52-EDT
Date: Thu 26 Sep 85 08:37:51-EDT
From: Rich.Thomason@C.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: Want to talk?
To: jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: thomason@C.CS.CMU.EDU
John,
I have the feeling that we got cut off last June. I'll be
out in the Bay area again for a meeting on Friday, 18 October, and
am thinking of staying over for a couple of days afterwards. Do
you want to talk then?
--Rich Thomason
-------
∂26-Sep-85 0555 THOMASON@C.CS.CMU.EDU re: Want to talk?
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Received: ID <THOMASON@C.CS.CMU.EDU>; Thu 26 Sep 85 08:56:37-EDT
Date: Thu 26 Sep 85 08:56:36-EDT
From: Rich.Thomason@C.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: re: Want to talk?
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: thomason@C.CS.CMU.EDU
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Thu 26 Sep 85 05:53:00-EDT
Great -- Saturday, 19 October, 11:00AM. You're on. --Rich
-------
∂26-Sep-85 1124 HANRAHAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA re-keying
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 26 Sep 85 11:24:52 PDT
Date: Thu 26 Sep 85 11:21:39-PDT
From: Katherine Hanrahan <HANRAHAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: re-keying
To: les@SU-AI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Stanford-Phone: (415) 497-2273
Message-ID: <12146380644.26.HANRAHAN@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
The building will be re-keyed shortly and I would like to know what offices
you would like to have the same keys. thanx Katie
-------
∂26-Sep-85 1150 RA lunch with genesereth
Mike will be about 10 min. late for your lunch date.
∂26-Sep-85 1255 LES Qlisp negotiation
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, CLT@SU-AI.ARPA, RPG@SU-AI.ARPA,
Fateman@UCB-VAX.ARPA
DARPA (Steve Squires) now wants us to twiddle the proposal in a slightly
different way, but it appears that we are converging.
He would like to deal with the funding of the Berkeley portion of the
work directly, so I plan to retain the full text of the proposal but
specify Prof. Fateman's proposal as a task to be funded separately.
The budget that we submit through Stanford will therefore cover the
Stanford work and the Lucid subcontract.
I plan to ship an informal budget this evening and will do so unless
I hear a cry of anguish.
∂26-Sep-85 1405 RA I need to leave at 4:00 today and 3:00 tomorrow for
treatment of my bad back.
∂26-Sep-85 1557 VAL Mental situations and planning
What is the relation between physical situations and mental situations in the
process of planning?
1. In every mental situation ss, we think of a certain class of situations
as the class of possible "current situations". For instance, currently A
is on top of B, and C is clear, and nothing else is assumed. (We may
consider the mental action of introducing an additional assumption about
the current situation). This is represented by the predicate
current(s,ss): s is a possible current situation in mental situation ss.
2. Similarly, we use goal(s,ss) to express that s is a satisfactory goal
situation in mental situation ss. Axiom:
∀s(current(s,ss) ⊃ goal(s,ss)) ⊃ should(halt,ss).
3. Setting subgoals is described by means of the predicate
subgoal(s1,s2,ss): in mental situation ss, achieving situation s1 is a
subgoal towards achieving situation s2 situation ss. Axioms:
subgoal(s,s,ss),
subgoal(s1,s2,ss) ∧ subgoal(s2,s3,ss) ⊃ subgoal(s1,s3,ss).
If setting subgoals is done in a reasonable way, we'll have also:
subgoal(s1,s2,ss) ∧ subgoal(s2,s1,ss) ⊃ s1=s2.
4. We distinguish between
result(e,s) - situation which is the result of event e in situation s,
and
result(ee,ss) - mental situation which is the result of mental event e in
mental situation ss.
If e is an event, then learn(e) is the mental event which consists in learning
that e has happened.
Axiom:
current(s,result(learn(e),ss)) ≡ ∃s'(current(s',ss) ∧ s=result(e,s')).
It implies
current(s,ss) ⊃ current(result(e,s),result(learn(e),ss)).
∂26-Sep-85 1746 LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA PLANLUNCH
Received: from SRI-AI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 26 Sep 85 17:46:33 PDT
Date: Thu 26 Sep 85 17:46:36-PDT
From: LANSKY@SRI-AI.ARPA
Subject: PLANLUNCH
To: phayes@SRI-KL.ARPA, sjg@SU-AI.ARPA, genesereth@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,
jmc@SU-AI.ARPA, smith@SU-SCORE.ARPA, nilsson@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Are any of you willing to give a seminar this fall in the SRI-AI
planning seminar series? (i.e. the monday PLANLUNCHes).
Specifically, we have need for speakers on the following dates,
especially the earlier dates:
Oct.21, Oct.28, Nov.11, Nov.18, Nov.25, Dec.2, Dec.9, Dec.16
Topics for talks can be anywhere from real planning systems to
work on representation, various modal logics, etc. The seminar
has had very good attendance over the past 4 months, with quite
lively discussion. I hope you can all volunteer a talk at some point...
Thanks,
Amy Lansky
-------
∂26-Sep-85 1942 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Someone to buy cocoa
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 26 Sep 85 19:42:45 PDT
Date: Thu 26 Sep 85 19:38:12-PDT
From: Joan Feigenbaum <JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Someone to buy cocoa
To: coffee-drinkers: ;
Last year, Jim DeLaHunt bought cocoa for the coffee pool. It's less
convenient for him to do it this year; so I am looking for another
volunteer. I am not a cocoa drinker and thus only remembered to buy it
during the summer when someone reminded me. Is there a cocoa drinker out
there who goes to supermarkets regularly?
Thank,
Joan
-------
∂27-Sep-85 1450 RA David Chudnovsky
David called; he will call you back during the weekend.
∂27-Sep-85 1506 RA leave early
I have to leave at 3:15 today for another treatment for my back; sorry
but it is not possible to always schedule these things in the morning.
Have a good weekend.
∂27-Sep-85 1609 VAL working schedule
I will be observing a Jewish holiday (the last in this season) on Monday,
Sep. 30. And I'd like to take a vacation from Oct. 7 to Oct. 23.
∂28-Sep-85 1000 JMC
timer
∂28-Sep-85 1227 CLT Offices
Joe says he would like to move into the office with the Lisp Machine
console. Also, he says the space committee has already assigned
some random person to the office he is currently in.
I think we should get our act together and get things assigned.
Given Joe's request which is reasonable I suggest the following
(assuming VAL is willing to move):
353 GLB + random
362 CLT + VAL
360 JJW + RTC
302 LES + IAM
This gives everyone in the group a desk and SAIL terminal
and if we get another person 360 can be used as a
3 person student office. We could also move the net terminal
from my office to 360.
If this seems ok with you, I will give the proposal to LES
to make the official assignments happen.
∂28-Sep-85 1418 BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA Re: Carolyn's ID
Received: from SU-SCORE.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 28 Sep 85 14:18:11 PDT
Date: Sat 28 Sep 85 14:15:40-PDT
From: Betty Scott <BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: Re: Carolyn's ID
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA, LES@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Sat 28 Sep 85 01:43:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12146936613.10.BSCOTT@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
I'm very sorry about this, John. We will process a separate request for
an ID for Carolyn on Monday.
Betty
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∂30-Sep-85 0005 @SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA:rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM jmc's macsyma
Received: from SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Sep 85 00:04:58 PDT
Received: from RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM by SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA via CHAOS with CHAOS-MAIL id 323012; Mon 30-Sep-85 03:08:46-EDT
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 85 00:04 PDT
From: Bill Gosper <rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM>
Subject: jmc's macsyma
To: jock@SU-SCORE.ARPA
cc: rtc@SU-AI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
Message-ID: <850930000455.8.RWG@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM>
Can you tell me the name of the recipient lispm? Do you know which band
I should add it to? Is there enough room to dump a new band? If not,
which band can I overwrite, given the unfortunate restriction that it
can't be the recipient band?
∂30-Sep-85 0116 HST gwai
hi john.what's your feeling now?how went the stern-interview-business?
please send me the factorization paper list.
thank you for coming. herbert
∂30-Sep-85 0819 JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA October MJH-Coffeepool Money due
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Sep 85 08:19:19 PDT
Date: Mon 30 Sep 85 08:16:46-PDT
From: Joan Feigenbaum <JF@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: October MJH-Coffeepool Money due
To: coffee-drinkers: ;
cc: su-bboards@SU-SUSHI.ARPA
October coffee pool money is due. You can come find me in MJH 325 or
leave the money in my mail folder.
Joan
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∂30-Sep-85 0900 JMC
intrell
∂30-Sep-85 1023 JOCK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA Re: jmc's macsyma
Received: from SU-SUSHI.ARPA by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Sep 85 10:23:43 PDT
Date: Mon 30 Sep 85 10:19:18-PDT
From: Jock Mackinlay <JOCK@SU-SUSHI.ARPA>
Subject: Re: jmc's macsyma
To: rwg@SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA
cc: rtc@SU-AI.ARPA, jmc@SU-AI.ARPA
In-Reply-To: Message from "Bill Gosper <rwg@RUSSIAN.SPA.Symbolics.COM>" of Mon 30 Sep 85 00:06:54-PDT
The files should go on IGNORANT, which is the machine with the tape drive
and the bands should go on MT-ST-COAX, which is the machine with the face near
JMC's office. The office numbers are MJH324 for IGNORANT and MJH360 for
MT-ST-COAX. The boot band (>release-6-0.load) should be replaced.
The other band (>rel6-clean.load) is needed for new releases and should not
be damaged. There is about 2000 blocks free on COAX which might be enough
if you grabage collect the world before you save it. If that doesn't work,
I'll have to make the LMFS smaller. Does that answer all your questions?
Jock Mackinlay
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∂30-Sep-85 1104 RA take the afternoon off
I need to take the afternoon off today. I will leave at 2:00.
Also, my doctor insists that I take a bed rest for a week; I will do that
next week; would you like Sarah to replace me for that time; please let me
know.
∂30-Sep-85 1843 G.GORIN@[36.48.0.1]
Received: from LOTS-A by SU-AI.ARPA with TCP; 30 Sep 85 18:43:16 PDT
Date: Mon 30 Sep 85 18:42:11-PDT
From: Ralph Gorin <G.GORIN@[36.48.0.1]>
To: JMC@SU-AI.ARPA
cc: G.GORIN@[36.48.0.1]
In-Reply-To: Message from "John McCarthy <JMC@SU-AI.ARPA>" of Mon 30 Sep 85 18:28:00-PDT
Message-ID: <12147509419.9.G.GORIN@LOTS-A>
Tuesday at 2:40 will be fine. Here at the former bowling alley. Ralph
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