␈↓␈↓↓␈↓α␈↓β␈↓∧␈↓α␈↓ ∧8ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY
␈↓ ∧[COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
␈↓ ¬0STANFORD UNIVERSITY
␈↓ ∧vSTANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
␈↓
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
							October 8, 1973
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Mr. John W. Ahlhauser
␈↓ ↓H
Indiana University
␈↓ ↓H
Department of Journalism
␈↓ ↓H
Ernie Pyle Hall
␈↓ ↓H
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Dear Mr. Ahlhauser:
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃I␈α
have␈αenvisaged␈αthe␈αelectronic␈αnewspaper␈αas␈αpart␈αof␈αa␈αmore␈αcomprehensive␈αhome␈αcomputer␈αterminal
␈↓ ↓Hservice.␈α
I␈α
enclose␈α
a␈α
reprint␈α
of␈α
a␈α
paper␈α
that␈α
gives␈α
my␈α
ideas␈α
on␈α
what␈α
this␈α
might␈α
be␈α
like.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃You␈α⊃will␈α⊃notice␈α⊃from␈α⊃the␈α⊃paper␈α⊃that␈α⊃substantial␈α⊃changes␈α⊃in␈α⊃the␈α⊂way␈α⊂many␈α⊂things␈α⊂are␈α⊂done␈α⊂are
␈↓ ↓Hadvocated.␈αThis␈αraises␈αthe␈αproblem␈αof␈αhow␈αwe␈αget␈αthere␈αfrom␈αhere.␈αTherefore,␈αwe␈αhave␈αtried␈αto␈αdevise␈αsome
␈↓ ↓Huseful␈α∂home␈α∂terminal␈α∂services␈α∂that␈α∞can␈α∞be␈α∞done␈α∞without␈α∞major␈α∞changes.␈α∞One␈α∞of␈α∞these␈α∞has␈α∞been␈α∞the␈α∞news
␈↓ ↓Hservice␈α
based␈α
on␈α
the␈α
Associated␈α
Press␈α
A-wire.␈α
A␈α
writeup␈α
on␈α
that␈α
is␈α
also␈α
enclosed.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃At␈α
present,␈α
the␈αA.P.␈αnews␈αservice␈αis␈αused␈αabout␈α1500␈αtimes␈αper␈αmonth;␈αabout␈αhalf␈αthis␈αuse␈αis␈αin␈αour
␈↓ ↓Hown␈α
laboratory␈α
and␈α
about␈αhalf␈αis␈αfrom␈αother␈αlaboratories␈αon␈αthe␈αARPA␈αnetwork.␈αIn␈αthe␈αlast␈αfew␈αdays,␈αthe
␈↓ ↓Hnew␈αMideast␈αwar␈αhas␈αcaused␈αconsiderably␈αgreater␈αusage.␈αThe␈αbiggest␈αweakness␈αof␈α
the␈α
service␈α
from␈α
my␈α
point
␈↓ ↓Hof␈α
view␈α
is␈α
the␈α
superficiality␈α
of␈α
the␈α
stories.␈α
When␈α
one␈α
is␈α
interested␈α
in␈αa␈αtopic,␈αone␈αwould␈αlike␈αto␈αgo␈αdeeper
␈↓ ↓Hinto␈αit␈αthan␈αthe␈αnewspapers␈αseem␈α
to␈α
require␈α
from␈α
A.P.␈α
Clearly␈α
the␈α
reporters␈α
on␈α
the␈α
spot␈α
know␈α
more␈α
than␈α
the
␈↓ ↓Hwire␈α
services␈α
want,␈α
and␈α
therefore␈α
it␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αa␈αnews␈αgathering␈αorganization␈αworking␈αon␈αbehalf␈αof
␈↓ ↓Hhome␈α
terminal␈α
subscribers␈α
would␈α
make␈α
available␈α
much␈α
more␈α
copy␈α
than␈α
present␈α
wire␈α
services␈α
do.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃In␈α∞my␈α∞opinion,␈α
it␈α
is␈α
unlikely␈α
that␈α
an␈α
electronic␈α
newspaper␈α
alone␈α
would␈α
justify␈α
what␈α
home␈α
terminals
␈↓ ↓Hwill␈αcost.␈αIt␈αalso␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αvery␈αdesirable␈αthat␈αthe␈αreader␈αhave␈αselectivity.␈αFurther,␈αthe␈αtechnology␈αis␈αnot
␈↓ ↓Hthe␈α∞main␈α∞problem.␈α∞The␈α∞main␈α∞problem␈α∞is␈α∞figuring␈α∞a␈α∞cost-effective␈α∞way␈α∞of␈α∞getting␈α∞from␈α∞here␈α∞to␈α∞there.␈α∞At
␈↓ ↓Hpresent,␈α
the␈α
National␈α
Science␈α
Foundation␈α
is␈α
reluctant␈α
even␈α
to␈α
pay␈α
for␈α
research␈α
in␈α
this␈α
direction.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃I␈α∂would␈α∂be␈α∂interested␈α∂in␈α∂reading␈α∂more␈α∂about␈α∂your␈α∂ideas␈α∂on␈α∂the␈α∂electronic␈α∂newspaper.␈α∂If␈α∞you␈α∞find
␈↓ ↓Hyourself␈α
in␈α
the␈α
San␈α
Francisco␈α
area,␈αplease␈αvisit,␈αand␈αif␈αyou␈αare␈αinterested␈αin␈αseeing␈αa␈αdemonstration␈αof␈αour
␈↓ ↓Hnews␈αservice,␈αone␈αcould␈αundoubtedly␈αbe␈αarranged␈αat␈αthe␈αUniversity␈αof␈αIllinois␈αwhich␈αis␈αprobably␈αthe␈αnearest
␈↓ ↓HARPA␈α
net␈α
place␈α
to␈α
you.

␈↓ ↓H
							Sincerely yours,
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
							John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H
							Professor of Computer Science
␈↓ ↓H
							Director, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
␈↓ ↓H