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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
January 2, 1979 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Harry Shershow
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Editor, Computer-Chess Department
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Personal Computing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓1050 Commonwealth Avenue
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Boston, MA 02215

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Shershow:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Thanks␈αfor␈αthe␈αmaterial␈αyou␈αsent␈αme.␈α On␈αthe␈αone␈αhand,␈αI␈αwould␈αhave␈αliked␈αa␈αrerebuttal␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Weizenbaum,␈α
but␈α
on␈α
the␈α
other␈α
hand,␈α
I␈α
have␈α∞devoted␈α
enough␈α
time␈α
as␈α
it␈α
is␈α
to␈α
arguing␈α∞with␈α
him.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Attacking␈α
science␈α∞is␈α
his␈α
profession,␈α∞while␈α
defending␈α∞it␈α
is␈α
only␈α∞something␈α
I␈α
do␈α∞in␈α
fear␈α∞of␈α
activist
␈↓ ↓H␈↓bureaucracy.␈α⊂ I␈α⊃hope␈α⊂you␈α⊃will␈α⊂balance␈α⊃your␈α⊂interview␈α⊃with␈α⊂him␈α⊃by␈α⊂printing␈α⊃something␈α⊂which
␈↓ ↓H␈↓discusses computers in particular and technology in general from a more positive point of view.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Kalah␈α
is␈α
not␈αa␈α
computer␈α
game␈αper␈α
se.␈α
 It␈α
was␈αsold␈α
commercially␈α
and␈αprobably␈α
is␈α
still␈αsold.␈α
 It
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α∂based␈α∞on␈α∂(or␈α∂is␈α∞one␈α∂of)␈α∞games␈α∂that␈α∂are␈α∞played␈α∂from␈α∞Africa␈α∂to␈α∂the␈α∞Philippines.␈α∂ In␈α∂the␈α∞early
␈↓ ↓H␈↓sixties,␈α⊂programs␈α⊂for␈α⊂playing␈α⊂Kalah␈α⊂were␈α⊂written␈α⊂for␈α⊂the␈α⊂PDP-1␈α⊂computer␈α⊂-␈α⊃now␈α⊂non-existent
␈↓ ↓H␈↓except␈αin␈αIndia.␈α
 We␈αwere␈αable␈αto␈α
show␈αthat␈αthe␈αgame␈α
is␈αa␈αwin␈αfor␈α
the␈α≡rst␈αplayer␈αwhen␈α
it␈αstarts
␈↓ ↓H␈↓with␈αone,␈αtwo,␈αor␈αthree␈αstones␈αin␈αa␈αpit,␈αand␈αto␈αgive␈αstrong␈αindications␈αthat␈αit␈αis␈αa␈αwin␈αfor␈αthe␈α≡rst
␈↓ ↓H␈↓player␈αstarting␈αwith␈αfour,␈α≡ve␈αor␈αsix␈αin␈αa␈αpit.␈α The␈αgame␈αis␈αa␈αgood␈αone␈αfor␈αcomputers,␈αbecause␈αits
␈↓ ↓H␈↓play␈αdoes␈αnot␈αrequire␈αlong␈αterm␈αstrategy␈αor␈αthe␈αability␈αto␈αdecompose␈αa␈αposition␈αinto␈αsubsituations;
␈↓ ↓H␈↓both␈αof␈αthese␈αactivities␈αbeing␈αeasier␈αfor␈αhumans␈αto␈αdo␈αthan␈αto␈αprogram.␈α I␈αhave␈αnever␈αheard␈αof␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓game called "Haunta".

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∂am␈α∂sorry␈α∂to␈α⊂hear␈α∂of␈α∂Doug␈α∂Penrod's␈α⊂death,␈α∂and␈α∂I␈α∂hope␈α⊂you␈α∂will␈α∂publish␈α∂some␈α⊂kind␈α∂of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓memorial␈αnotice.␈α People␈αneed␈αto␈αhear␈αabout␈αa␈αperson␈αwho␈αwill␈αinitiate␈αan␈αimportant␈αactivity␈αthat
␈↓ ↓H␈↓will␈α∞live␈α∞after␈α∞him␈α∞when␈α∞faced␈α∞with␈α∞his␈α∞own␈α∞imminent␈α∞death␈α∞and␈α∞doubtless␈α∞su≥ering␈α∂pain␈α∞and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓disability.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science