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<< Headlines are listed according to date posted <-> Articles are organized by date published >>
October
31, 2002: To
the Liberal Arts, He Adds Computer Science. By Steve Lohr. The New
York Times (no-fee reg. req'd). "The challenge [Brian Kernighan]
has set for himself is to demystify computing for a classroom full of
liberal arts undergraduates at Princeton. It so happens that Mr. Kernighan,
60, is a renowned computer scientist, a member of the Bell Labs team of
the late 1960's and 70's that developed and nurtured the Unix operating
system and the C programming language, innovations with a far-reaching
impact on computing. He is also a best-selling author of technical books
on programming that have sold millions of copies and been translated into
more than 20 languages. None of that really matters in this course, 'Computers
in Our World.' ... 'I've always used computers, but I had no prior knowledge
of what goes on inside them,' said Lori Piranian, a freshman. 'Taking
the course has given me a new respect for computing. It's amazing what
goes into a computer and the history of how we got to where we are now.'
... After a late-October class, Mr. Kernighan explained that his goal
in the course was to impart an intelligent skepticism about computer technology,
an informed sense of its possibilities and limitations. 'And you can't
do that in the abstract,' he said, which is why programming and projects
are essential elements in his course. ... Mr. Kernighan genuinely enjoys
translating his technical field and explaining its significance for humanities
students. But in his understated way, he also thinks it is something that
must be done and perhaps contributes to the greater good. 'For better
or worse, the people who become leaders and decision makers in politics,
law and business are going to come from schools like Princeton,' Mr. Kernighan
said. 'What I'm trying to do is give them some of the tools of the trade
that will make it possible for them to think intelligently about this
technology for themselves.'" October
31, 2002: Insurer
wants to silence 2 ex-staffers. Former adjusters say Farmers' computer
devalues claims. By Candace Heckman. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "Farmers
Insurance has asked a state court to silence two of its former employees
who say a new computer program being used throughout the industry places
unfairly low values on its personal-injury claims. ... The former adjusters
were scheduled to brief lawyers on a computer program called 'Colossus,'
now being used throughout the industry to remove the human element from
the claims-adjusting process. ... The session is to teach lawyers about
Colossus, an artificial intelligence program introduced to companies in
the 1990s as a tool to help adjusters place values on insurance claims." October 30, 2002: Bulletin
Board. By Cathy Martindale. Amarillo Globe-News. "You've probably
seen those office inspirational posters. You know, the ones with a fantastic
sunset, beautiful beach, awesome mountain peak, and some slogan about
teamwork, giving one's best, going the extra mile. Yeah, right. Here are
some my sister in Ohio sent me that seem to have a certain relevance to
reality. ... 'Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.' October 29, 2002: Golem
legend springs to life. By Pavla Kozakova. Cleveland Jewish News /
also
available from JTA. "One of Prague's most popular legends sprang
to life this month with a series of events celebrating the story of the
golem. ... According to people who spoke with JTA about the project, the
golem legend can be taken as an inspirational or cautionary tale. [Pedro]
Roth said he sees the golem as a symbol of the creativity and human invention.
'It is very important to dream and then make your dreams come true.' he
told JTA. Milos Pojar, director of the Jewish Museum in Prague's education
and culture center, said the golem is a very relevant topic in an era
of robots, cybernetics, artificial intelligence and cloning. 'I think
that the main message is that we should be careful with our inventions,
because they can get out of hand,' Pojar said." October
29, 2002: NYIT's
Medical School Celebrates Major PDA Rollout. Press Release available
from Newswise. "NYIT's New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM)
has big plans for tiny computers. Today, the medical school is distributing
PDAs (personal digital assistants) to some 700 first- and second-year
students, marking one of the largest handheld computer rollouts at an
educational institution anywhere. ... By the end of 2004, Dr. [Chellappa]
Kumar and his staff will launch a uniquely interactive and fully operational
'office of the future.' The office will feature artificial intelligence
to guide students and physicians gently through the patient encounter.
It also will track prescriptions to ensure medical mistakes are prevented." October
29, 2002: Scientists
try for a touchy-feely Net. By Reuters / available from CNET. "Scientists
in Britain and the United States will try to shake hands on Tuesday. No
big deal one might think -- only they will be 5,000 km (3,000 miles) apart,
using the Internet to connect them. In a technological first, they will
use pencil-like devices called phantoms to recreate the sense of touch
across the Atlantic, organizers of the experiment said. ... 'You can not
only feel the resulting force, but you can also get a sense of the quality
of the object you're feeling --whether it's soft or hard, woodlike or
fleshy.' ... In much the same way that the brain re-interprets still images
into moving pictures, the frequencies received by the phantom are similarly
integrated to produce the sense of a continuous sensation,' [University
College London] said. The implications of the experiment could be vast,
said UCL, which describes the event as the world's 'first transatlantic
handshake over the Internet.'" October
29, 2002: Smart
parts - Science fiction is becoming medical fact as a new generation
of artificial implants interact with the human body. By Shafiq Qaadri.
The Globe and Mail. "There are now computerized silicon implants
for all five senses -- hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. And the
gadgets are amplifying our conscious awareness. .. Such instruments, which
are fluent in the brain's own language of electricity, are a major --
even ominous -- scientific advance. 'These . . . devices join the two
worlds of information processing, the silicon world of the computer to
the water world of the brain,' says Dr. Peter Fromherz, a physicist at
the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany. ... 'Now we're treating
the brain like circuitry,' says Ray Kurzweil ... 'Our machines will become
much more like us, and we will become much more like our machines,' says
Dr. Rodney Brooks...." October
28, 2002:
Got 'bot? NASA offers sponsorships for robot competition. Cosmiverse.
"Heavy metal will rock -- and roll -- at seven different locations
across the country early next year. Students, engineers and their robotic
creations take center stage during NASA sponsored regional robotics competitions
and a final national championship 'Bot Bowl' in April 2003. Teams must
design a robot that can complete a specified set of tasks within rules
announced at the robotics kickoff ceremony in January 2003." October
28, 2002: Law
column - New Technology. By Dina Sanchez. The Orlando Sentinel. "Dayton,
Ohio-based Lexis/Nexis has teamed up with DolphinSearch Inc., a Ventura,
Calif., technology firm, to create Lexis Litigation Support, an e-discovery
search program that roots out relevant information from e-mails and databases.
'It's used in the discovery phase of litigation, one of the most intensive
and expensive parts of the process,' said Joe Swimmer, a market planner
in Lexis' legal-technology products division in San Francisco. The search
system boasts a sort of artificial intelligence. 'It finds documents that
don't even mention the word that you used to search,' Swimmer said." October
28, 2002: Scientists
to speak to public at Stanford's 'Wonderfest.' By David Perlman. San
Francisco Chronicle. "A dozen leading Bay Area researchers will discuss
some of the most contentious topics in science in a two-day series of
dialogues for the public at Stanford University next weekend. The annual
event, called 'Wonderfest,' is designed to highlight for lay audiences
some of the major controversies that face scientists as they explore areas
ranging widely from the birth of the universe to the nature of men's and
women's brains. ... Sunday Discussions ... 'Are There Natural Limits on
the Power of Computers?' discussed by John McCarthy, Stanford pioneer
in artificial intelligence, and Kenneth Taylor, Stanford philosopher."
October
28, 2002: Farmers
learning to grow the right crop in the right place - UT Ag group works
to bring high-technology tools to farms. By Larisa Brass. Knoxville News-Sentinel.
"At the University of Tennessee, John Wilkerson and his co-researchers
in the Precision Agriculture Research and Education Group's sensors and
controls lab test technologies available to farmers today and develop
technologies for the future. ... Wilkerson said he's particularly excited
about the work UT is doing with neural networks, or artificial intelligence,
to help farmers better know their crops. The lab has developed prototypes
of a technology that measures the wavelengths of light reflecting off
a plant to 'learn' how much fertilizer particular plants, such as health
or sick varieties, need. The farmer first introduces the device to different
types of plants, inputting information about the plants and how much fertilizer
should be dispensed in each case on a Palm-type device. Gradually the
computer learns to discern each plant's need on its own. When the 'training'
process is complete, the sensor would be attached to the front of a vehicle,
with the nutrient dispenser on the back. As the computer 'sees' each plant,
it communicates to the dispenser in the rear about which dose to dispense."
October
28, 2002: Privacy
advocates decry Patriot Act - Web monitoring targets terrorism. By
Nik Bonopartis. Poughkeepsie Journal. "Barely more than a month after
Sept. 11, as rescuers were still looking for bodies among the charred
remnants of the World Trade Center and the government was warning new
terror attacks could and would happen, lawmakers rushed to implement the
USA Patriot Act. The act gave law enforcement and intelligence communities
unprecedented powers of surveillance and communications listening on both
foreign and domestic targets. ... Privacy advocates are also worried about
Carnivore, a program used by the FBI that opponents say has been used
increasingly since Sept. 11. Carnivore, which can be installed back-end
to ISPs like America Online and Microsoft Network, uses artificial intelligence
to scan the subject lines of e-mails. If the artificial intelligence 'flags'
an e-mail as something possibly of value to an investigation, it is forwarded
for review by agents, experts say. That could cause certain groups to
become more prone to scrutiny, said Tala Dowlatshahi, New York's representative
of Reporters Without Borders, a journalism and free information advocacy
group." October
28, 2002: Army
HQs to go hi-tech soon. The Hindu. "The Indian Army is incorporating
a highly advanced decision support system, enabling commanders of 'formation'
headquarters to access information like details of resources and the time
required for their shipment to various points, according to defence sources.
The project codenamed 'Samhavak', developed by the Centre for Artificial
Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) is aimed at integrating operations, intelligence,
logistics and terrain, under the single fold by making it available to
various battalion HQs through WAN/LAN network." October
27, 2002: Computers
Are Front, Center as America Gears Up for War; Can Technology Help
Keep Troops Out of Harm's Way?; Next Generation of Vending Machines. Transcript
of NEXT@CNN broadcast. "SAN MIGUEL: Another sophisticated crime fighting
tool was sent to Maryland from Arizona this week to help in the sniper
investigation. As Lupita Mario (ph) of our affiliate KBOI reports, the
cop link system was developed to help sort out huge amounts of information.
JENNIFER SCHROEDER, TUCSON POLICE DEPT.: In an investigation this size,
they have so many leads coming in that they're having trouble being able
to make sense of them all. LUPITA MARIO (ph), KBOI CORRESPONDENT: This
is where cop link comes in, a system that was developed by Tuscon police
and the U of A artificial intelligence lab. Cop link will be able to sort
through and make a correlation between the data. SCHROEDER: We basically
have a good place to store the information, and then the ability to really
refine searches and, again, to go through a lot of information quickly
and to really hone in on the really pertinent pieces of information. ...
SCHROEDER: The thing that cop link does best is make correlations and
to uncover associations between people and locations and vehicles and
the very kinds of things that they need to be able to help solve this
case." October
27, 2002: Robot
photographer debuts at the Ritz. By Sara Shipley. The Post-Dispatch.
"Meet Lewis, the world's first robotic photographer, a machine that
may take pictures better than you do. The 300-pound, trash-can-sized robot
rolls around a room, detects faces and takes photographs based on classic
composition rules. Lewis debuted Sunday night in St. Louis at a conference
sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. 'You
can think of it as a computer on wheels,' said Bill Smart, an assistant
professor in computer science at Washington University. He created the
robot with his wife, Cindy Grimm, a fellow assistant professor in the
department. ... Smart and Grimm didn't set out to build the perfect automated
photographer. The project was simply a good way to meld Grimm's work in
modeling and computer graphics with Smart's research in robotic navigation
and artificial intelligence." October
26, 2002: Science
inspired by fiction. By Regis Behe. Tribune-Review / available from
PittsburghLIVE.com. "The ['Star Trek'] series not only anticipated
technological advances ranging from artificial intelligence to cryogenics,
but also played a role in inspiring the scientists who made those things
reality. ... More intriguing to Walter was the concept of the proposal:
To work with Shatner on a project that would compare technologies that
the series illustrated to scientific developments that are now coming
true. 'We knew we could make the connections between what the series envisioned
and what was going on,' [Chip Walter] says. 'And we found that science
was actually stranger than science fiction.' ... 'I'm Working on That'
is divided into four sections: Getting around, Basic computing, Artificial
intelligence, and Playing God and the ethical implications of technology."
The article concludes with: "Tomorrow is yesterday - Other science
fiction novels and movies have predicted the future." October
25, 2002:
Catalog of Tomorrow. Book review by Jonathan Jackson. Ecommerce Guide.
"In a book that can only be described as utterly fascinating, a group
of authors has taken the pulse of human knowledge and peered a few years
ahead. The Catalog of Tomorrow is a collection of essays by the leading
lights in a number of fields. ... An interesting theme of the book seems
to be that, while technology marches ahead, people often refuse to accommodate
the inventions. While online grocery shopping and e-books are possible,
those pesky human beings just don't want to change their ways. Perhaps
with the advent of cellular robots and cyborg implants, both discussed
at length in the book, the wetware can be modified. ... And plenty of
cool new stuff there is. The chapter on haptics, for example, describes
the efforts to create tactile interaction with computers while the chapter
on artificial intelligence leaves open the possibility that computers
may someday no longer wish to touch humans. Of course it's a cliche, but
fact often is stranger than fiction." October
25, 2002: Heinz
von Foerster - Cybernetician who expanded the range of his discipline
and set out to 'explain the observer to himself.' Obituary by Bernard
Scott. The Independent. "Cybernetics thrives to this day as, depending
on one's perspective, a specialism within the systems sciences, a complementary
approach to that of the general theory of systems first proposed by Ludwig
von Bertallanfy in the 1950s, as in the phrase 'cybernetics and systems';
or as the discipline that gives looser approaches such as 'systems thinking'
or 'artificial intelligence' clear and firm intellectual foundations.
Heinz von Foerster understood cybernetics in this latter sense and, indeed,
may be regarded as the chief architect in making clear the full structure
of cybernetics as a holistic transdiscipline that provides models and
concepts for dealing in a non-trivial manner with a range of formally
analogous issues concerned with the form and behaviour of complex systems
within a wide range of specialist disciplines (as examples, biology, psychology,
sociology, economics, management studies); and also as a metadiscipline
that comments on the processes whereby human observers come together as
a community and establish the many and varied research programmes that
make up the natural and social sciences and their many domains of application."
October
25, 2002: A
mental epic... By Charles Kelleher. Gulf Daily News. "The technological
advances of Deep Fritz are as important for what they don't provide as
for what they do. The computer keeps pushing for greater speed, requiring
faster hardware and better programming design. These techniques will eventually
trickle down to ordinary business computers. Just as the space race raised
all technology efforts during the 1960s, pursuits like Deep Fritz will
help raise technology efforts in the modern era. Deep Fritz fails in our
greatest computer goal: to capture human understanding. Because the designers
have placed overriding emphasis on speed over judgement, it emerges as
no more than a very large calculator - though an extremely sophisticated
one. ... Real history will be made when a computer judges position better
than the world champion, a feat that will require a breakthrough in simulating
human understanding." October
25, 2002: U
of M to spread research value. Foundation to help market technologies.
By Mark Watson. GoMemphis. "'I think there's some incredible technologies
that have a chance to generate wealth for the university,' [Jim Phillips]
said. 'You need a research foundation to be able to accomplish technology
transfer.' Phillips cited as an example of marketable technology the university's
Institute for Intelligent Systems's computer-aided education system, called
AutoTutor, which features artificial intelligence systems." October
24, 2002: What
is neuro-fuzzy logic? By Surjit Singh Bhatti. The Tribune (Chandigarh,
India). "It is common now-a-days to come across electronic gadgets
marketed by multinational companies that claim the use of 'fuzzy logic'
control systems. Nissan, for instance, has fixed fuzzy anti-lock brakes
in their vehicles. ... Samsung washing machines, among others, are examples
of consumer products that use the fuzzy control devices. Besides, automation
is being achieved in factories and process industries using sophisticated
fuzzy controls which are inexpensive and easier to maintain compared to
the conventional 'digital logic' control systems. Fuzzy logic models itself
on the pattern of human reasoning in its use of approximate information
and uncertainty to generate decisions. ... [F]uzzy controls avoid the
conventional rigidity of computers and allow them to use parameters based
on 'common sense.' Fuzzy logic application to a problem involves three
steps: converting crisp (numerical) values to a set of fuzzy values, an
inference system (based on fuzzy if-then rules) and de-fuzzification.
... While fuzzy logic uses approximate human reasoning in knowledge-based
systems, the neural networks aim at pattern recognition, optimisation
and decision making. A combination of these two technological innovations
delivers the best results. This has led to a new science called neuro-fuzzy
logic in which the explicit knowledge representation of fuzzy logic is
augmented by the learning power of simulated neural networks. October
24, 2002: Mining
robot to set bombs deep underground - Ottawa firm looks for global
sales. By Vito Pilieci. The Ottawa Citizen. "The company foresees
quick acceptance of the big machine in mines around the world, replacing
human workers in one of mining's most dangerous jobs, setting explosives
to blast new mine tunnels. 'The intent is to keep people away from what
could be dangerous,' said Andrew Young DYI vice-president of technology
management. 'The unit is trucked into the work site. It understands how
to load holes. It also understands when it runs into problems.' The robot,
developed in the Emulsion Loading Automation Project, is designed to fill
pre-drilled holes in a rock face with an explosive emulsion. The robot
then caps the emulsion with a detonator and vacates the blast area. It
performs its duties without instructions from the surface." October
24, 2002: Robots.
The Economist. "The United Nations World Robotics report estimates
that global robot installations will rise by an average annual rate of
7.5% over the next four years." October
24, 2002: Thinking
of Radio as Smart Enough to Live Without Rules. By Peter Rojas. The
New York Times (no-fee reg. req'd). "[R]ecent advances in a new technology
called cognitive radio might make it possible to think about the spectrum
as limitless. These researchers say that more powerful microchips and
improvements in signal processing - combined with networking ideas borrowed
from the Internet - may someday eliminate radio's current hub-and-spoke
model, in which high-powered transmitters blast signals to dumb receivers.
Instead, intelligent radios - smart in that they are able to sense, respond
to and work with other radios in their environment in order to transmit
in the most efficient manner possible -would be linked in a web in which
traffic was passed along in packets on constantly shifting frequencies
until it reached its destination. ... 'A cognitive radio will be able
to sense its surroundings and the presence of other signals and then adapt
- changing its modulation language and output energy - in cooperation
with the other cognitive radios around it,' [David P. Reed] said. Working
together without human intervention, cognitive radios in close proximity
would create an efficient wireless network that adapts to the communications
needs of the moment." October
24, 2002: Do
not pass Go. Computers can beat the world's best chess players but
have yet to master other classic games like Go. By David Levy. The Guardian.
"Ever since Garry Kasparov's sensational 1997 loss to the IBM chess
monster Deep Blue, the chess world has thirsted for revenge. But the first
opportunity ended in failure in Bahrain on Saturday, when Kasparov's former
pupil and successor as World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, could only draw
an 8-game match against one of the world's leading chess engines, Fritz.
But this was just the latest in a long series of human versus computer
encounters that illustrate the inexorable march of artificial intelligence
(AI). It's a story that began at a Dartmouth University conference in
1956, when several of the founding fathers of AI defined the goals of
that infant science. One of them was to create a computer program that
could defeat the world chess champion. Success would, those scientists
believed, reach to the very core of human intellectual endeavour. By the
early 1990s, due in no small part to the successes achieved in computer
chess, the interest of the AI community had spread to many other games
of skill, including backgammon, bridge, Go and Scrabble. Where exactly
are we now in this fascinating struggle? ... Two games proving even tougher
to crack than chess are bridge and Go." October
23, 2002: Tucson
cops, local software to help in D.C. sniper probe. By Larry Copenhaver.
Tucson Citizen. "Federal officials asked Tucson police for help in
using the system, COPLINK. It allows investigators to feed leads and other
data on a case into a computer system, and a software program then provides
advanced analytical and search capabilities for investigators. ... HOW
COPLINK WORKS: The system digs through databases and reports to pick out
connections among suspects, vehicles, crimes, locations and other data.
It gives police the capability, with limited information, to find investigative
leads they don't get anywhere else. Simply put, it searches separate databases
at various agencies and returns information based on a query." >>
Photo caption: "Hsinchun Chen shows Tucson police Detective Tim Petersen
(right) how to use COPLINK software in January 2001. Chen led a University
of Arizona Artificial Intelligence Lab team in developing COPLINK software.
..." October
23, 2002: Young
ambassadors for century of flight - 3 Texans take part in student
program. By Lucas Wall. Houston Chronicle. "This year's high school
seniors graduate in 2003, the centennial of human flight. To make certain
they are part of this momentous occasion, the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics developed an educational program for a group of 20 students
who are now seniors, including three from Texas. ... [John] Oberg, who
attends the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in Denton, said he
enjoyed exploring some of the new technology on display at the space congress.
'It's amazing how far it's come and how far it's going to go,' he said.
'I'm trying to get to all the booths with artificial intelligence and
all the different propulsion systems.'" October
23, 2002: At
the Intersection of Robbie and HAL. Contrary to sci-fi portrayals
where robots rule the world, tomorrow's robots will aid in the simplification
of our daily lives. USC is leading the Southern California effort to bring
them seamlessly into society. By Gia Scafidi. USC Today. "Aiming
to bring robotics out of the lab and into society, USC has established
its first robotics research center, the largest multidisciplinary robotics
effort in Southern California. ... 'As robotic technology becomes more
and more advanced, this field will have a huge impact on society,' said
Maja Mataric«, CRES [Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems] founding
director and USC associate professor of computer science. 'Until now,
societal pressures and fear of robots in our lives have kept robotics
at bay.' ... 'The key to fitting robotics into society is gradual change,'
said Mataric«. 'Robotic devices are socially acceptable today because
they don't stand out.' ... Innovative robotics research and development
could provide us with the means to care for more disabled persons, remotely
check in on elderly parents or children home alone or even replace underpaid
and overworked factory workers, suggested Mataric«." October
23, 2002: Sniper
probe to get help from Tucson. By L. Anne Newell. Arizona Daily Star.
"A program developed by Tucson police and the University of Arizona
will be used to try to capture the Washington, D.C.,-area sniper... COPLINK
works by combining databases, limiting the number of individual searches
officers have to perform. They can enter partial vehicle and suspect descriptions
and the program will locate everyone who fits the description. ... The
program - developed at the UA Artificial Intelligence Lab and funded through
grants from the National Institute of Justice and the National Science
Foundation - is also being used in Texas, Michigan, Massachusetts, Iowa
and Washington state. ... [Sgt. Randy Force] said it will be especially
helpful to his department for the same reason it should help authorities
in the Washington, D.C., area: It helps alleviate many burdens of multi-jurisdictional
cases. There are about 20 law enforcement agencies in the greater Phoenix
area, he said." October
23, 2002: New
centre for intelligent computing to open in Auckland. Stuff. "A
research centre for 'intelligent' computer systems is to be launched in
Auckland next week by its Bulgarian-born director. The Knowledge Engineering
and Discovery Research Institute , based at the Auckland University of
Technology, is a collaborative effort by researchers at AUT, Massey, Otago
and Auckland universities. The new centre also has international partners
and is headed by Professor Nikola Kasabov, formerly of Otago University.
Industry representatives will be invited to the launch next Friday to
find out more about 'knowledge engineering' - part of the artificial intelligence
revolution, developing smarter ways to integrate and analyse information.
... Dr Kasabov said New Zealand's knowledge economy needed to put into
practice more advanced methods of information processing. 'This is what
is missing in many research areas - let's say biotechnology. Biotechnology
needs definitely more sophisticated tools to deal with this huge amount
of information and this information is very complex ... That is our business.'" October
22, 2002: AspenTech
launches Aspen Apollo manufacturing solution. EyeforChem. "According
to AspenTech, Aspen Apollo uses next-generation artificial intelligence
technology to apply advanced control to the complex processes found in
the polymers industry. AspenTech said the solution is designed to enable
manufacturers to gain benefits during all phases of plant operations,
but particularly during the critical transitions between different product
grades." October
22, 2002: Laboratory
is virtually safe. By Stefan Hull. This is Brighton & Hove. "Ben
Zayas, a postgraduate student at Sussex University's School of Cognitive
and Computing Sciences, has developed the virtual environment for safety
training laboratory (VEST-Lab) to teach chemistry students the importance
of safe practice. The computer-based VEST-Lab recreates one of the university's
chemistry labs in three dimension, enabling users to navigate their way
around searching for potential hazards and responding to emergency scenarios.
... 'The VEST-Lab can reduce the costs of training in this important area
and provides more interactive realism while not exposing students to the
dangers.'" October
21, 2002: Whitefish
high-tech business a lesson for state. By Michael Jackson. The Missoulian.
"[Dale] Johnson, with his background in electronics and hardware
engineering, and his partners Ron Behrendt (computer science) and Cody
Benkelman (physics and hard science) started writing software. The result
was Digital Images Made Easy, or DIME, a software package that pieces
individual aerial pictures together into one large image. It also recognizes
any individual pixel in an image and can attach that pixel to a specific
geographic point on the ground, providing its precise latitude and longitude.
That 'geo-referencing' allows users to layer the aerial montage directly
atop existing maps, or onto other aerial pictures of the same area. ...
He predicts his office of about 15 could be three times as large in the
next couple of years if he finds the investors he needs. Those additional
employees would work on adding an 'artificial intelligence' component
to the DIME software, allowing the computer to recognize changes on the
ground from one photographic layer to the next. October
21, 2002: British
Concern to Help U.S. Track Terrorists. By John Markoff. The New York
Times (no-fee reg. req'd). "Autonomy, a British developer of sophisticated
information retrieval software, plans to announce on Monday that it has
been chosen to provide an analysis system to help the United States government
track suspected terrorists. ... Autonomy's software uses statistical techniques
to search for patterns of information across large masses of data. Mr.
Cooper has said publicly on several occasions that the domestic security
effort will require technology that will allow government agencies to
share and analyze information, and that data-mining technologies will
be a central part of the operation. ... One early application for the
Autonomy software will be as part of a consolidated watch list for suspected
terrorists that the agencies will maintain, according to Mr. Cronin of
Autonomy. He described the possibility that dozens of separate data repositories
would be accessible by Autonomy software known as the Intelligent Data
Operating Layer, which is designed to integrate unstructured text documents
and traditional database information. ... The Autonomy software has the
flexibility to search names and words with variable spellings as well
as to retrieve information based on patterns that are related but may
not match exactly. The software is based on Bayesian statistical techniques,
which are used to match patterns and are gaining favor among software
designers and artificial-intelligence researchers." October
21, 2002: Researchers
see strides in biometrics. By Robert Lemos. CNET News. "Whether
you stroll, stride, lurch or lumber, researchers at the Georgia Institute
of Technology are studying ways to identify and track you by the way you
walk. The research, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA), aims to use radar and computer vision to create a unique signature
based on a person's gait, along with leg and arm movement. October
21, 2002: RightNow
Technologies Receives Innovation Award From American Association of
Artificial Intelligence. CNET Investor News (based upon a press release).
"RightNow eService Center uses a broad range of AI technologies and
techniques that it employs -- including natural language processing, intelligent
'clustering' of related knowledge items, and automated ranking of knowledge
items based on relevancy and age, for which RightNow recently received
a patent. RightNow eService Center represents, 'an excellent example of
how AI technology and the Internet can be used to provide increasing levels
of customer support in an economic fashion,' Steve Chien, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, IAAI Conference Chair for 2002 said. ... The academic paper
that led to RightNow's award from the AAAI can be viewed...." October
21, 2002:
Now you're talking - robot bank tellers get handier. The Record. "Talk
is cheap, and you'll soon be able to get it from an automated banking
machine. RBC Royal Bank plans to install 225 audio bank machines across
Canada between late October and the end of January. The bank has been
testing about a dozen of the machines, starting with one in Ottawa in
1997, and says they have received high praise for their technology, designed
to help the visually impaired as well as other clients with special needs,
such as the elderly and people with learning disabilities. The talking
ABMs work like other banking machines, except that they provide voice
assistance to guide customers step-by-step through transactions." October
21, 2002: Kramnik
holds Deep Fritz in chess battle. By Will Knight. New Scientist. "The
eighth and final game was drawn in just 21 moves, making it the shortest
game in the series. Following the final draw, Kramnik praised his computer
opponent saying that Deep Fritz 'understands positional chess better than
I could possibly have imagined'. ... The next chess challenge between
man and machine chess will see Kasparov will take on another powerful
chess program called Deep Junior, beginning on 1 December in Jerusalem,
Israel." October
21, 2002: Paul
Vallely: The perpetual struggle of man against machine - Kramnik was
not playing a machine, he was taking on the ghosts of grandmasters past.
The Independent. "Don't talk to me about man versus machine. It was
a grievous disappointment, but hardly a surprise, to hear over the weekend
that the world chess champion, Vladimir Kramnik, had failed to salvage
humanity's honour by beating the world's top chess computer, which exulted
in the name of Deep Fritz. ... The trouble with artificial intelligence
is that it is not intelligent at all, but something else masquerading
as cleverness. ... The truth is, of course, that in reality computers
do not emulate human methods of thinking. How could they, since we don't
really know ourselves how the brain works, with its unfathomable complex
labyrinth of interlocked neurons with processing and memory distributed
throughout? Machines can perform some specific functions better, faster
and more accurately than we can. But no formula exists for intuition,
let alone wisdom." October
21, 2002: Chess
- Man vs. Machine Plays Out. By Tania Hershman. Wired News. "So
why wasn't the Kasparov-Deep Blue match enough to settle the issue of
who's superior, humans or machines? 'As a scientist, a single data point
that is unrepeatable (because Deep Blue has since been dismantled) is
useless,' said Jonathan Schaeffer of the University of Alberta Department
of Computer Science's Games Group at the symposium, Man vs. Machine: The
Experiment. 'Now we have two more matches ... and we will get new data
to see whether the machine is better than the man.' ... Schaeffer, who
is the author of the world-champion checkers computer program, believes
that researchers should broaden their game-playing horizons. 'If you want
to understand intelligence, the game of Go is much more demanding,' he
said. 'It doesn't have the silver bullet: deep search. Chess has somewhat
outlived its usefulness. It turned out to be easier than we thought.'"
October
21, 2002: Student
explores interest in U.S. security at forum. By Patti Smith. Courier-Journal.
"Emily Renda may not be able to tell you the latest on characters
in popular television sitcoms, but she's fresh on the latest episode of
Forensic Files, CSI and 24. While she bears the brunt of her friends'
jokes regarding Court TV -- her channel of choice -- Emily hasn't let
that stop her from pursuing all the knowledge she can about her potential
future career as a profiler for the FBI. Last week, she received a firs--hand
look at national security while attending the National Youth Leadership
Forum on Defense, Intelligence and Diplomacy in Washington, D.C. ... During
the six-day forum, she toured government buildings and the CIA headquarters.
In seminars, she learned about naval aviation, special military operations,
artificial intelligence, peacekeeping and diplomacy." October
20, 2002: Man versus machine:
it's official, it's a draw. By Juliette Garside. Sunday Herald. "An
epic contest between man and machine ended in a draw yesterday when the
reigning classical world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik drew four all
with Deep Fritz, the German-built successor to IBM's famous chess-playing
computer Deep Blue. Although the tournament lacked some of the drama of
the 1997 encounter between the then world champion Gary Kasparov and Deep
Blue, Kramnik proved that the human mind can still hold its own against
a machine capable of analysing 6 million moves per second. ... After the
finale, Kramnik said he had found Fritz 'much stronger' than programs
he had played a year ago. 'It is not just strong in terms of calculations,
which is to be expected, but in terms of positional moves. It plays like
a very strong human. These are 'human moves'.'" October
19, 2002: US
Hispanics not Keeping Up with Digital Technology. By Mona Ghuneim.
VOA News. "The Hispanic population in the United States, soon to
be the largest minority group in the country, is not keeping up with technology
advancement and higher learning. But, educators and some big names in
the hi-tech business are doing something about it. Students, parents,
teachers, community leaders and technology company representatives recently
came together at a public school in New York City for Tecnoferia, a technology
fair that allowed Hispanics to get their hands on computers, learn about
computer programs and surf the Internet. ... Children of all ages participated
in the technology fair, choosing from a variety of workshops. One science
workshop helped students build a robot." October
19, 2002: I
love Lucy - This robot is the cleverest in the world. Her creator
claims she is smarter than a frog. Is that as good as it gets in the search
for artificial intelligence? By Jon Ronson. The Guardian. "For 50
years, scientists across the world have dedicated themselves to inventing
a robot that, like Pinocchio, will come to life. This Herculean endeavour
is known as the race to create AI - artificial intelligence. It is a Tuesday
in late September. I'm on my way to meet Lucy, who is coming to life.
Lucy, it is said, is the world's most artificially intelligent robot.
For one so brilliant, it's a surprise that Lucy does not live in Harvard
or MIT. She lives near Weston-super-Mare, on a table in a shed in a back
garden down a country lane. ... Steve [Grand] says I'm impressed with
Lucy for all the wrong reasons. She looks good. She does things. That's
the problem with the public, he says. We only want something that does
something. We don't care about the means, just the ends. ... 'You know
why people fear machines? Because they fear that if machines are like
us, then we must be machines. Well, I'll tell you - I know machines better
than a lot of people, and I'm proud to be a machine.'" October
18, 2002: Welfare
Software. By Alan Leo. Technology Review. "Access to computers
alone won't help the working poor, experts say. The missing piece? Software.
... Although most of the applications were developed by not-for-profit
agencies through grants (the Women's Center's Self-Sufficiency Calculator
was funded by the United Way of New York), a few for-profit companies
have also joined the effort. Peter Martin Associates, a software firm
based in Chicago, IL, makes HelpWorks, a software package for human services
workers that not only calculates benefits eligibility, but also guides
client interviews and recommends appropriate services, such as health
care and counseling." October
18, 2002: The
ultimate battle between man and machine. By Jim Whyte. South African
Broadcasting Corporation. "After seven gruelling games, Kramnik and
Deep Fritz are level on points with only one game to play. A few hours
of play will answer the question of who, or what is superior, the creativity
and ingenuity of the human mind or the shear power of artificial intelligence.
The event has captured the imagination, not only of the Chess World, but
of a far wider audience, enthralled by the prospect of witnessing the
ultimate battle between human intelligence and artificial intelligence.
... Deep Fritz is currently a slight favourite amongst observers but most
say the result is too close to call. Whatever happens, tomorrow will see
the ultimate battle between Man and Machine, a chance for humans to take
revenge for the 1997 humiliation or a perhaps final confirmation of the
superiority of the machine." October
18, 2002: Lab
Report - New solution to detect fraud. By Aimie Pardas. Computimes.
"Financial service companies looking for fraud-detection solutions
may want to consider AIM@ Fraud from Integral Solutions (Asia) Pte Ltd.
The company's consulting director Irene Boey said that AIM@Fraud combines
artificial intelligence (AI) into analytics and leverages on Computer
Associates (CA)'s technology. AIM@Fraud uses a three-layer detection engine
that combines knowledge engineering, detection beams and AI to detect
fraud, Boey said, adding that it minimises false alarms and offers better
fraud detection. The solution, which analyses 16 million transactions
in half an hour, looks at every transaction to detect trends. With its
dynamic learning process, it can automatically discover new trends and
differentiate groups of customers based on similar behaviour." October
18, 2002: Man
and computer in chess cliff-hanger. BBC. "The man-versus-machine
chess duel is set for a dramatic finish on Saturday with world champion
Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and the computer Deep Fritz tied 3.5-3.5 after
seven games." October
17, 2002: Car
systems to reduce driving hazards. Business Day (South Africa). "Ultimately,
drivers will be alerted to potential hazards through a combination of
video cameras mounted around the car, speed calculation devices and software
based on artificial intelligence and heuristics. As an example, a camera
on the bonnet will capture images of the car ahead while computational
software monitors its speed. If the car in front suddenly stops, the software
will calculate how soon its own driver is destined to hit it. To avoid
a collision, the system would either alert the driver to the hazard or,
possibly, invoke evasive action itself. The idea that your car might suddenly
veer onto the pavement automatically because a truck pulls out in front
sounds hard to accept, but rest assured, says [Tom] MacTavish, the car
would have already ascertained that there was no vehicle alongside you
and that failing to swerve would be more dangerous than letting you blithely
plough straight on." October
17, 2002: A
Robotic Pet Gains an Independent Streak. By Barnaby Feder. The New
York Times (no-fee reg. req'd). "A series of improvements Sony is
introducing this month for Aibo, its dog-like robot, highlight the Japanese
company's uncertainty over whether the product is primarily a substitute
pet or the foundation for a family of mobile electronic servants. ...
'Everybody wants it to be a robot, but they want to think of it as a living
thing,' said Jon Piazza, a spokesman for Entertainment Robot America the
division of Sony Electronics that markets Aibo in the United States. 'They
feel cheated when they have to hook it up and recharge it.' The new energy-management
feature is embodied in software that Sony is to begin selling on Nov.
22. The new software also allows an Aibo to distinguish its owner's face,
voice and name from other humans." October
17, 2002: Chess
champ humbled by computer. BBC. "The latest chess battle to determine
whether man or machine has the better brain looks like being a much closer
contest than previously thought. World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik
took an early lead over the Deep Fritz supercomputer, but the machine
has now levelled the scores by beating him in two consecutive games." October
17, 2002: Reality
of drunk driving simulated. By Jennifer Burd. The Daily Telegram "The
simulators were developed through 40 years of NASA research, according
to Kramer employee Brian Beldyga, who was on hand to assist and educate
participants. The machines are rented for use at college campuses and
corporations so people can experience firsthand the dangers of driving
under the influence, he added. ... Using the second simulator, SHU junior
Jason Fry experienced the sensation of careening across a roadway that
was portrayed across five, 25-inch TV screens creating a 225-degree panoramic
view of his simulated driving environment. Through artificial intelligence
technology, the machine tracked his reactions as he responded to one of
'millions of (driving) scenarios' possible on the simulator, Beldyga said." October
17, 2002: Seminar
pushes technology transfer - Universities, labs work to turn ideas
into enterprise. By Julie Howard. The Idaho Statesman. "Idaho could
be the home of bio-engineered glue or new computer security software or
even a cure for cancer. Or the development of these technologies could
stay stuck in a laboratory if not nurtured, financed and marketed properly
in what«s known as technology transfer -- the process of turning new ideas
and processes into private enterprise. Pairing government labs with universities
is a powerful way to accomplish this, said representatives from several
regional universities and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory at a seminar this week. ... Montana State University has established
a TechLink center, an incubator that matches research labs in government
or private business with university programs that can provide assistance.
The center has students currently helping a software company license artificial
intelligence technology from the U.S. Navy and was an intermediary for
a Bozeman, Mont., company licensing NASA laser technology." October
17, 2002: Blood
test could save need for biopsy for prostate patients. By Health Newswire
reporters. Health-News.co.uk. "A simple 30-minute test on a single
drop of blood could help doctors decide whether a patient has prostate
cancer or a benign tumour, report US scientists. ...The technique devised
by the scientists relies on computer software that detects key patterns
of small proteins in the blood. The researchers analysed serum proteins
using mass spectroscopy to sort proteins and other molecules on the basis
of their weight and electrical charge. Patterns were then detected using
an artificial intelligence program that trained a computer to identify
the different patterns of proteins in patients with prostate cancer compared
to those with no evidence of the disease." October
16, 2002: The
heat is on. By Bob Shallit. The Sacramento Bee. "At the podium
will be Joe Liu, a student at Oakridge High who along with his 14-year-old
brother Sean and their dad, Mason has developed an intriguing software
product called 'Mongie.' The basic concept: Use artificial intelligence
to make computers a lot friendlier for those of us who still find them
mystifying. The Lius' program enables a computer to analyze information
requests from the user and respond intelligently." October
16, 2002: Topeka
police officers learn about Coplink. By Tim Hrenchir. The Capital-Journal.
"More than 30 officers from law enforcement agencies across northeast
Kansas gathered Tuesday in Topeka to learn about a computer software program
that could help them do a better job of sharing information. ... The technology
used in Coplink products was developed at the artificial intelligence
lab at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, under a $1.2 million contract
from the National Institute for Justice. ... Literature provided by Coplink
says the system enables agencies to identify, consolidate and share their
online criminal records. ... The system also uncovers crime-related links
in law enforcement databases regarding people, locations, vehicles, weapons
and organizations." October
15, 2002: A Review
of TRACFed - Lawyers Strike Gold Mining Government Data. By Patricia
Hassett and Linda Roberge. Law Library Resource Xchange. "Lawyers,
along with other professionals, are looking at the many advantages that
information technology holds for their profession. In this paper we discuss
a new class of information that goes beyond databases to the realm of
data warehouses and data mining. These state-of-the-art technologies and
the information they produce promise to redefine some of the best-practice
standards of the legal profession. ... Before giving advice based upon
a perception of how the system works, careful lawyers would like to know
whether their personal perceptions are consistent with actual facts. TRACFed
allows lawyers to confirm their impressions with actual data. Do cases
really move more slowly through Judge Smith's court? How frequently does
a particular prosecutor decline certain types of cases? What is the likelihood
that my client's tax return will be audited? How often do criminal cases
investigated by a particular agency result in a conviction?" October
15, 2002: Snowdroid
lands investment, developing toy robot. By Tony Monterastelli. Front
Range Tech Biz. "Longmont's Snowdroid Industries has closed its first
round of angel investment at just under $1 million and has begun work
on its first product, a small toy robot intended to use artificial intelligence
software to interact with kids, Chairman and CEO Stephen Matson said.
'It's the timeless fantasy of living toys, from Pinocchio to Buzz Lightyear.
We want to extend the fantasy that a toy really can respond to a child,'
Matson said." October
15, 2002: Protein
Patterns In Blood May Predict Prostate Cancer Diagnosis. ScienceDaily
Magazine (based on a press
release from NIH/National Cancer Institute). "The diagnostic
test relied on computer software that detects key patterns of small proteins
in the blood. Researchers analyzed serum proteins with mass spectroscopy,
a technique used to sort proteins and other molecules based on their weight
and electrical charge. They then used an artificial intelligence program
developed by Correlogic Systems, Inc., in Bethesda, Md., to train a computer
to identify patterns of proteins that differed between patients with prostate
cancer and those in which a biopsy had found no evidence of disease. These
patterns were identified using serum samples from 56 patients who had
undergone a biopsy and whose disease status was known. Once established,
the protein patterns were then used to predict diagnosis in a separate
group of patients, whose biopsy results were not known by the researchers.
... 'We have now demonstrated that combining proteomic technology with
artificial intelligence based bioinformatics can be a powerful tool, and
is a new paradigm in the detection and diagnosis of both ovarian and prostate
cancers,' said Lance Liotta, M.D., Ph.D., the senior investigator on the
study from NCI's Center for Cancer Research." October
15, 2002: Robot
'Judy' Center of Futuristic Theater Piece. By Travis Cannell. Daily
Nexus (UC Santa Barbara). "As computers continue to become faster,
smaller and cheaper, some cognitive scientists wonder if tomorrow's computers
will ever match human intelligence and become self-aware. Breaking away
from traditional hard science, the UCSB cognitive science program staged
a theatrical production, entitled 'Judy,' which posed the question: If
you build a robot smart enough to do the dishes, would it also be smart
enough to find them boring? ... Robert Bernstein, a local Santa Barbara
resident and robotics enthusiast, thought Judy's character presented a
plausible vision of artificial intelligence. ... Psychology Dept. Associate
Professor Mary Hegarty was dubious about the idea of a machine that could
think for itself in the near future." October
15, 2002: US Investment
Firm DFJ Plans to Invest in Russian Hi-Tech Industry. Rosbalt (Russia).
"Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), a US investment firm, is planning
to create a venture fund with a Russian company, DFJ Director Tim Draper
told the press in Moscow on Friday. The fund should be aimed at financing
developments in nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics and
the commercial application of military technology, Draper said." October
14, 2002: Invasion
of the Robo-Editors. Automated news services can gather headlines
in a flash. Is there still room for the human touch? Is there still room
for the human touch? By Joshua Macht. TIME. "I'm going on strike.
That was my first thought when I heard that the guys at Google had developed
a computerized news editor that could do for free what I do for a living
-- track news and pull the most important stories together into a vibrant,
continuously updated Web page. My website is TIME.com. Theirs is Google
News. But I get paid for what I do, while Google's news editor gets no
compensation --no salary, no medical, no free T shirts from failing dotcoms." October
14, 2002: Claude
E. Shannon: Founder of Information Theory. By Graham P. Collins. Scientific
American Explore. "Shannon's M.I.T. master's thesis in electrical
engineering has been called the most important of the 20th century: in
it the 22-year-old Shannon showed how the logical algebra of 19th-century
mathematician George Boole could be implemented using electronic circuits
of relays and switches. This most fundamental feature of digital computers'
design -- the representation of 'true' and 'false' and '0' and '1' as
open or closed switches, and the use of electronic logic gates to make
decisions and to carry out arithmetic -- can be traced back to the insights
in Shannon's thesis." October
14, 2002: Football injuries
are rocket science. By Karl Flinders. Vnunet. "Clubs could save
millions by using software to predict injuries: High-spending football
clubs are set to save millions on injury-prone players with biomedical
software from Computer Associates (CA), if a successful trial at Serie
A giant AC Milan is taken up by other clubs. The software collects data
during workouts over a period of time, which it then translates into predictions
on how likely players are to pick up injuries. ... CA is using its CleverPath
predictive analysis technology, which performs neural analysis and uses
artificial intelligence to transform vast amounts of numeric medical statistics
into meaningful predictions. ... CA is claiming an accuracy rate of over
70 per cent for the technology. "The club gave us unseen test data from
the previous season to see if we would predict the injuries that had already
happened and our success rate was in the high 70s." October
14, 2002: Intel,
Microsoft Dip into Speech with SALT. By Thor Olavsrud. siliconvalley.internet.com.
"Aiming to help businesses extend their Web presences with speech,
Intel and Microsoft Monday announced they are jointly developing technologies
and a reference design based on the Speech Applications Language Tags
(SALT) 1.0 specification submitted to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
in August. ... Intel and Microsoft said their tools will support both
telephony and multimodal applications on a range of devices. The partners
believe the value proposition of such technology is clear: it stands to
reduce costs associated with call center agents. A typical customer service
call costs $5 to $10 to support, while an automated voice recognition
system can lower that to 10 cents to 30 cents per call. Additionally,
voice recognition technology can be used to give employees access to critical
information while on the move. Earlier this year, market research firm
the Kelsey Group projected worldwide spending on voice recognition will
reach $41 billion by 2005. But Intel and Microsoft are by no means alone
in the space." October
14, 2002: Cyber
terrorism: fact or fiction? By Wendy Brewer. PC Advisor. "Are
net guerrillas new threat or same old hackers rebranded? ... Across the
pond, the US Defense Department last week awarded Carnegie Mellon University
$35m (£22.5m) to fight the growing threat of cyber terrorism over the
next five years. Back in the UK, the Corporate IT Forum today announced
a new scheme to fight the alleged threat posed by cyber terrorism to the
corporate community. ... But this is yet another example of cyber terrorism
being used as a blanket term covering the threat of viruses, hackers and
miscellaneous security breaches, regardless of whether or not they are
actually sent from terrorists. ... [Carnegie Mellon's] approach seems
to back the general feeling that most cyber attacks aren't actually from
terrorists at all, but from ordinary hackers and virus writers who have
been a nuisance for years. Carnegie is using the money to research ways
to engineer artificial intelligence into hardware, so that components
such as hard disk drives could take countermeasures in the event of a
hacker attack." October
14, 2002: Giving
innovation. By Janet Forgrieve. Rocky Mountain News. "When Hossein
Eslambolchi became president of AT&T Laboratories in August 2001,
his first goal was to hasten the pace of delivering new technology. ...
Today, 80 percent of the invention at the company's labs in Basking Ridge,
N.J., and Menlo Park, Calif., is focused on 'direct research,' he said.
That's new technology created after input from customers and aimed at
quickly meeting their business needs. ... Scientists are working on voice-over
IP, natural language, text-to-speech and artificial intelligence technologies,
all aimed at improving business for customers. For example, call center
customers can buy AT&T's 'How May I Help You,' a natural language
understanding system that cuts the time customers wait on the line and,
about 26 percent of the time, handles problems without an employee, he
said. The next version will have even more problem-solving ability, he
said, with the goal of eliminating the need for human intervention altogether." October
14, 2002: Merging Man And
Machine - A British professor foresees a world in which language is
obsolete and police respond to the mere thought of crime. Should we take
him seriously? By William Underhill. Newsweek / available from MSNBC.
"'From my research with robots, I can see their intelligence,' says
[Kevin] Warwick. 'Why not explore the possibility of upgrading people?'
In time, he says, an implant or an injection might deliver a microdevice
that turns the average Joe into an imposing cyborg. Since the human nervous
system uses electrochemical signals, there's no reason it can't be made
compatible with the electronic signals of a computer. In his latest groundbreaking
experiments (detailed in his autobiography, 'I, Cyborg,' recently published
in Britain), Warwick has already proved the concept. He's linked himself
to computers via both wires and radio transmitters. The electrode in his
arm picked up neural signals and sent them on to a computer, which converted
them into instructions for a three-fingered robot hand elsewhere in his
lab. When Warwick clenched his hand, so did the robot. ... Warwick's work
could have practical applications. Amputees might someday use brain signals
to operate prosthetics. Computers might send electronic messages to areas
of the nervous system afflicted by, say, Parkinson's disease." October
8-14, 2002: Inside
PARC - an interview with Johan de Kleer. Ubiquity, an ACM IT Magazine
& Forum (Volume 3, Issue 34). "UBIQUITY: You've been in the artificial
intelligence field for 25 years now. What changes have you seen over that
period of time? DE KLEER: Twenty-five years ago, we thought that we would
have an artificial mind by now. It turned out to be harder and further
beyond our reach than we ever imagined. One of the biggest changes in
artificial intelligence has been the realization of how hard and how long-term
this project is going to be. ... UBIQUITY: How do you manage your researchers?
DE KLEER: I have a very simple management principle. I manage people into
their passion zone." October
12, 2002: No
future for crooks. By Mark Cowan. Evening Mail / available from icBirmingham.
"Police could soon be detecting crime in the West Midlands before
it actually happens in an echo of hit Hollywood movie Minority Report.
Police are developing computer software which could predict where crooks
strike next. Using the latest in artificial intelligence, the digital
detective would examine a criminal's modus operandi and suggest a future
pattern of offending. ... The 'Tomorrow's World' idea is the latest development
for the ground-breaking Flints II crime-busting computer pioneered by
West Midlands Police." October
11, 2002: U.S.
Navy deploys S.F.'s Promia to fight hack attacks. By Lizette Wilson.
San Francisco Business Times. "San Francisco-based Promia is helping
Uncle Sam's crunch data on hacker attacks -- and making more than $12
million dollars in the process. ... The 35-person company has already
scored three rounds of government seed funding through the Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) grant program to research and develop its artificial
intelligence software. The recent U.S. Navy deals represent a final round
of sorts, positioning the company to produce and commercialize its product,
ultimately selling it to private sector clients. Promia's software, which
analyzes hacker attack alerts, will be deployed next fall on U.S. Navy
networks. Navy officials declined to detail which areas of their network
were getting hammered with attacks, citing security reasons." October
11, 2002: Will AI put
mankind in check? Comment by James Woudhuysen. IT Week. "In Bahrain,
Vladimir Kramnik, the world's top chess player, is feeling the heat. He's
up against Deep Fritz, a lash-up of eight Pentiums that checks three million
positions per second. ... Inevitably the Bahrain contest has revived debate
about artificial intelligence. If Deep Fritz wins, does it confirm the
recent argument of Nicholas 'Being Digital 'Negroponte that AI is back?
Is Negroponte, head of the Media Lab at MIT, right to say that it is time
to put the past 25 years of specialised expert systems behind us? Should
we, instead, return to the generalist ambitions of the founding fathers
of AI in the 1960s - people such as Stanford professor John McCarthy,
creator of Lisp? For me, Deep Fritz doesn't constitute a real brain, even
if that is what is implied by the Brainsinbahrain.com URL of the tournament
Web site." October
11, 2002: Scientist
says you can be a person without being human - Sussing out a 'partner
species.' By Joseph Brean. National Post. "Watching this scene on
video in a conference hall at the University of Waterloo, Canada's top
engineering school, it is easy to believe robots are the way of the future.
It involves a far greater leap of faith to believe Anne Foerst, who is
trying to convince the audience that robots are the people of the future.
Dr. Foerst, a Lutheran minister and computer scientist who helped build
Kismet, believes it is only a matter of time before robots have souls.
... In developing a theory of personhood that includes robots, Dr. Foerst
is slowly reconciling her religious beliefs with her scientific theories,
and teasing out the religious implications of playing God with science.
She believes building robots in our image will transfer to them the gift
we received by being built in God's image. They won't be human, she says,
but they will be persons. After all, she says, 'God was not intending
to build gods.' ... Among the computer scientists and religious scholars
who came to hear Dr. Foerst's talks at the University of Waterloo, there
was a clear consensus that what sets us apart from robots is the nature
of our intelligence. Whereas today's robots run through their 'mental'
operations with brute force, the human brain is more intuitive and adept
at taking logical shortcuts. This supposed difference clouds a key similarity,
Dr. Foerst says, and this similarity is at the heart of her work. She
argues that intelligence depends on the body; the mind does not exist,
nor did it evolve, separately from the limbs and muscles it controls.
This kind of thinking puts her in a camp that broke away from the Cartesian
idea that we are minds that have bodies, and replaced it with the notion
that we are simply thinking bodies. The insight had a profound effect
on robotics." October
11, 2002: The Return of
the Golem. By Dean Vuletic. Radio Prague. "The Jewish legend
of the golem - an image or form that is given life through a magical formula,
frequently becoming a robot - is being revived in Prague this month in
a festival of art, ballet, film, literature, religion and science. Golem
Project 2002 has been organised by - perhaps surprisingly - the Argentinean
embassy in Prague. Argentina's connection with Prague's golem legend comes
from one of its most famous writers, Jorge Luis Borges, who wrote a poem
titled 'The Golem.' ... At the Golem Project 2002, delegates at a seminar
on 'The Golem in Religion, the Sciences and Art' suggested that the golem
was the forerunner to computers, artificial intelligence and other technological
advancements of today. The Argentinean Ambassador, Juan Eduardo Fleming,
shares this interesting perspective: 'This is a golem, in the case of
artificial intelligence and in the case of robotics - thanks to Capek,
who coined the name - and also in the case of internet and computing,
that is going to go on living. It's the same as in Borges' poem: the golem
doesn't die." October
10, 2002: Games
drive computers to next level - From military applications to video
conferencing, games force technology relentlessly forward. By Pauline
Tam. The Ottawa Citizen / available from The Vancouver Sun / also
available from Canada.com (The joystick that roars; October 15, 2002).
"To satisfy a generation of Jonathan Lims, PC makers push for bigger
colour screens and faster processors. Software designers optimize their
tools for gaming applications such as real-time networking, 3-D graphics,
interactive interfaces and artificial-intelligence systems. With each
new release, these tools push the limits of what games can do. Often,
innovations in the games industry invade other areas of computing, accelerating
their development. ... In short, games point to where computing is headed.
Once considered a kid's pastime, video games have achieved leaps in sophistication
and influence. Gaming now ranks as the No. 2 computer application, behind
word processing." October
10, 2002: Sony Aibo
to spread more puppy love. By John G. Spooner. CNET News. "Sony
is planning to train Aibo, its robot dog, to be able to pick you out of
a crowd. Sony's Entertainment Robot America division said Tuesday it will
introduce Aibo Recognition, a new application for its newest Aibo ERS-210A
and ERS-210 models. The software will grant the mechanical dog the ability
to recognize its owner's name, voice and face, as well as automatically
recharge itself. The new features are part of an effort to make Aibo's
actions more realistic. 'By infusing Aibo with increased artificial intelligence,
such as voice and face recognition, we are expanding the autonomous functionality
of the Entertainment Robot product line,' Victor Matsuda, president of
Entertainment Robot America, said in a statement. 'With Aibo Recognition
software, Aibo will now be even more petlike, giving owners the ability
to interact with a robot like never before.' October
10, 2002: How
to Start a Revolution - Women in Computing Descend on British Columbia.
Canada NewsWire. "Six hundred women in computing sciences from all
over the world will converged today for the start of the Institute for
Women and Technology's 4th Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
(GHC) conference scheduled for October 10th-12th, 2002 at the Hyatt Regency,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... With topics ranging from 'From
Bits to Bots: Women Everywhere, Leading the Way' to 'Examining Artificial
Intelligence and Computing Using the Lens of Gender' to 'How to Start
a Revolution' the GHC conference continues to inspire, motivate, educate
and encourage women in the field as it celebrates those who are creating,
improving, researching, and studying computer-related technologies and
sciences from around the world. For more information on conference see:
www.gracehopper.org. The Institute for Women and Technology is the host
of the Celebration. For more information on the Institute see: www.iwt.org." October
10, 2002: Web
watch - Virtual Ada. By Sean Dodson. The Guardian. "She calls
herself Ada1852. She claims to be the online, laudanum-addicted ghost
of Ada Byron Lovelace. In fact, she is a bot (software robot) and virtual
museum guide for the digital art magazine, Rhizome.org. Visitors to the
site can ask this virtual Ada questions. She replies with oblique answers,
and asks her own. She eventually suggests online works of art and provides
links to the pieces. Ada was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron ... Ada1852
is the creation of Christopher Fahey, a New York artist who became interested
in artificial intelligence programs. Finding most of them a little dull,
he rewrote one to create a more 'complicated' personality. The result
is an AI that is both prone to digressions and full of confessions." October
9, 2002: IBM
Ready With Speech Recognition Prototype. By Kavita Nair. Financial
Express. "Imagine a situation where you send a parcel in the courier
and then make a phone call to find out its whereabouts. The information
is given to you by an automated voice enabled response system in an Indian
language of your choice! This is the scene that IBM's India Research Lab
(IRL) is working towards with its prototype Speech Recognition technology.
The IRL is working on two important components as part of its local language
initiatives in India. These are: Speech Recognition, which helps provide
people unfamiliar with English a chance of interacting with computers
in Indian languages and Machine Translation, which ensures automatic translation
of text from one language to another. ... 'These technologies, though
currently in the realm of research, are potential real-life applications
of the future,' says IBM IRL director, Dr Manoj Kumar. ... Dr Kumar, however,
adds that the sectors that can benefit with the local language capability
are the banking and financial sectors, call centres, airlines, railways,
etc. The increased capability of local languages in IT systems will also
enhance ease of use and development of local language tools and content
for e-governance solutions." October
9, 2002: Transportation
average is the mover. By Mark Hulbert. CBS MarketWatch. "What
evidence exists that the Dow Theory is worth paying attention to? ...
We also have evidence from a most-unlikely source: Academia. Three finance
professors, two at Yale University and one at New York University, recently
used artificial intelligence software to translate all of Hamilton's original
Wall Street Journal editorials into precise patterns that Hamilton said
presage rallies and declines. They then used these precisely defined patterns
to time the market from 1930 until today. The system worked -- beating
buying and holding by an extraordinary annualized 4.4 percentage points
from 1930 to 1997." October
9, 2002: Their
BEST foot forward. By Holli Estridge. Herald Democrat. "In previous
years, Texoma Home Educators NT BEST team members were thrilled if they
had access to a drill when it came time to build their robot. Team leader
Karen Childress said the team of home-schooled students likely will have
a more 'polished' robot this year, thanks to parent Joe Walker. ... The
team is comprised of a group of home-schooled children, from as far as
Whitesboro and Princeton. The 40-student team, which has been competing
in the NT BEST (North Texas Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology)
contest for five years, won the regional BEST award and later competed
in the statewide contest. The BEST award is given annually for the best
team scrapbook, documenting the robot-building process and for a team's
efforts towards community involvement. These team members also put together
a notebook, take pictures, design T-shirts and generate team spirit." October
9, 2002: Fujitsu
Robot Watches House, Uses Phone. Maron-1 could be patrolling routes
and giving reports within the year. By Martyn Williams. IDG News Service
/ PC World. "Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a home robot capable
of being controlled by, and sending video images to, a mobile phone and
hopes to have the device on sale within a year. The vacuum cleaner-size
Maron-1 robot is capable of traveling around an apartment or house (it
cannot climb stairs) to perform tasks such as monitoring a particular
spot, like an entrance hallway, or checking on a pet. The robot can perform
such tasks on demand, with the user sending commands from a cellular telephone
handset and watching the video signal from Maron-''s built-in cameras,
or the robot can be programmed to contact the user via telephone when
an event occurs, such as when it detects movement in a hallway." October
9, 2002: Credit
card fraud level still high. By Steven Patrick. The Star. "The
local credit card fraud level may still be high but it is decreasing.
A recent report by Visa Malaysia states that credit card fraud in Malaysia
amounted to RM42.5mil last year, a figure that is 'significantly' lower
than the year before. ... Meanwhile, Computer Associates (CA) Malaysia
Sdn Bhd and data-mining company Integral Solutions (Asia) Pte Ltd announced
a fraud detection solution called AIM@Fraud, which both companies claim
is 98% accurate. ... AIM@Fraud was being tested on a Singapore bank. The
result has been a reduction of 98% on the bank's fraud rate. ... Integral
Solutions director Irene Boey outlined the solution's uniqueness. 'The
solution goes beyond data mining. It also employs artificial intelligence
and detection capabilities in real time. Data mining only looks at past
cases of fraud while those who commit fraud have new techniques,' she
said. CA claims that AIM@Fraud detects not only the known fraud patterns
but also the new fraudulent activities, which have no historical data." October
2002 issue: Easy
Does It. By Rita Caperoon. Stitches Magazine. "You can literally
take artwork, input it into your software and with some systems, just
click a button and you have embroidery. If you're not too familiar with
this relatively new auto-digitizing technology, read on. ... Put simply,
auto digitizing is the ability to put artwork into a digitizing system
that will recognize it and automatically convert it into embroidery. ...
I have found some systems with artificial intelligence, which allow us
to select an area where colors may go from red to a lighter red, and have
the software group the entire area as red." October
8, 2002: OU
creates new space for science. Athens Messenger. "Ohio University
has created the Center for Intelligent, Distributed and Dependable Systems
to support research by faculty in the areas of computer science, electrical
engineering and communication systems management. ... Other areas of research
in the new center include artificial intelligence and computer vision.
Engineers are developing 'smart' robots and computerized systems that
could be used for space exploration, military operations, search-and-rescue
initiatives, medicine and transportation." October
8, 2002: The robots
are coming. By Larry Dignan. CNET. "CNET News.com recently spoke
to Colin Angle, co-founder and CEO of iRobot, to talk about the future
of robotics and how robots will infiltrate people's lifestyles." October
8, 2002: CMU
taking a leading role in war against cyberterror. By Byron Spice.
Post-Gazette. "The Department of Defense has decided to give Carnegie
Mellon University $35.5 million to help combat cyberterrorism. But the
tactics the university will develop to flummox al-Qaida and other terrorists
really won't be much different than those needed to block garden-variety
Internet crooks and snoops. 'These problems have always existed,' said
Pradeep Khosla, head of the university's electrical and computer engineering
department and director of the newly formed Center for Computer and Communications
Security. 'Terrorism only increased the visibility of these problems.'
... Research under way at the computer security center includes efforts
to design artificial intelligence into individual computer components,
such as disk drives or network cards, so that the components can sense
if they are under attack and take countermeasures, such as shutting down
or reporting the incident." October
8, 2002: Pentagon
gives university $35.5 million to combat cyberterrorism. Associated
Press / available from USA Today. "The Defense Department is giving
Carnegie Mellon University $35.5 million to develop tools and tactics
for fighting cyberterrorism. ... The center is already researching ways
to engineer artificial intelligence into hardware so that components such
as disk drives could take countermeasures in a hacker attack. Such components
would shut down and even automatically report an incident to network administrators.
Researchers are also studying how to use signatures, fingerprints, iris
patterns, face recognition technology and voice scans to confirm the identity
of computer users. [Pradeep] Khosla believes some combination of those
technologies will likely be used in the future. 'You may wear a mask so
you look like me, but it's not likely that you're going to look like me,
sign (your name) like me and sound like me,' he said." October
7, 2002: Privacy
- Who Needs It? We're better off without it, argues Canada's leading
sci-fi writer. Essay by Robert J. Sawyer. Maclean's (p. 44). "Surveillance
and the collection of personal information are unavoidable in this closed-circuit,
computerized world. Rather than trying to end them, we should be striving
to find ways to maximize their benefits for the average citizen. Earlier
this year, I was keynote speaker at the 12th Annual Canadian Conference
on Intelligent Systems, Canada's principal gathering of experts on robotics
and artificial intelligence. The two tasks most of the researchers there
were concentrating on were pattern recognition and data-mining. So far,
most applications for these technologies have been commercial: if you
buy a Walkman and are enrolled in a night-school course, you might be
interested in buying textbooks on tape. ... But I can't see the downside
of an RCMP or CSIS computer noting that my neighbour has bought all the
materials to make a pipe bomb and has booked a one-way flight to Tahiti.
... Still, Luddites will continue to insist that monitoring of humans
means giving up too much. Perhaps. But as Scott McNealy, CEO of computer
giant Sun Microsystems, says, 'You have zero privacy anyway. Get over
it.' In other words, such monitoring and tracking is already going on
to benefit big business. Why not take advantage of it to improve our own
lives? ... Why shouldn't we take advantage of technology to protect ourselves?
Instead of having a knee-jerk reaction that says any loss of privacy is
bad, let's discuss the potential pitfalls and work out ways to relieve
them." October
7, 2002: U.S.
soldiers get talking translators. By Jim Krane. Associated Press /
available from CNN Asia / and
MSNBC and
The Moscow Times (U.S. Soldiers Have Translators in Their Grip / October
9, 2002). "If U.S. troops soon storm into Iraq, they'll be counting
on computerized language translators to help with everything from interrogating
prisoners to locating chemical weapons caches. Besides converting orders
like 'put your hands up' into spoken Arabic or Kurdish, military officials
hope to enable quick translations of time-sensitive intelligence from
some of the world's most difficult tongues -- normally a painstaking task.
... Machine translations, especially of spoken voice, have bedeviled intelligence
agencies for decades. ... Today, the portable devices are one facet of
a broad machine translation effort that combines private industry and
universities with military, intelligence and police under the Language
and Speech Exploitation Resources, or LASER, program overseen by [Lt.
Col. Kathy] De Bolt. Automating translations remains one of the toughest
challenges in computing -- especially conveying humor and irony. ... For
now, the two-way Audio Voice Translation Guide System, also known as TONGUES,
developed for Lockheed Martin by Carnegie Mellon University's language
lab, appears to be the only device that converts speech back and forth
between languages, said John Moody, a Lockheed engineer in charge of the
project. Lockheed tested two of the laptop machines in Croatia in April
2001 at the behest of Army chaplains who wanted help talking to refugees
and dying patients. " October
7, 2002: The
Shape of Bots to Come. By Kendra Mayfield. Wired News. "Four
decades ago, TV viewers foresaw a 21st century served by domestic robots
like The Jetsons' housekeeper, Rosie. Just a couple of generations later,
children watched the cartoon, Transformers, which had robots that could
unite and reconstruct to form powerful machines. Today's robots are closer
to Jetsons-like reality, with bots that can vacuum, mow lawns and appear
to serve drinks. But the next wave of robots may resemble Transformers.
Unlike domestic Rosie bots, self-reconfiguring robots have to morph into
different shapes to best fit the terrain, environment and task. ... Self-reconfigurable
robots can change their external shape without human assistance. ... Three
types of self-reconfiguring robots have appeared on the scene: chain,
lattice and mobile reconfiguration robots." October
7, 2002: Google's new
site shows strong editorial judgment. By Lee Dembart. International
Herald Tribune. "Google News is still in its 'beta' or testing stage,
but its success so far is an impressive display of what computers can
do. I have long been critical of 'artificial intelligence' and claims
that computers can be programmed to think, or at least to produce results
that would be called thinking if human beings did them. ... I wouldn't
claim that Google News represents judgment by computer, and neither would
Google. But from what I've seen in the week or so that I've been looking
at the news site, it does put together the collective judgments of thousands
of human editors in a way that is indistinguishable from what professional
editors would do. It does make mistakes, but for the most part, in a blind
test, if somebody gave you a list of the most important stories as chosen
by human editors and another list of stories chosen by the Google News
robots, you wouldn't be able to say with any degree of certainty which
was which." October
7, 2002: Kramnik
checks march of machines. BBC. "Playing white, the Russian forced
Deep Fritz to resign on the 57th move of Sunday's match. Analysts said
the match was erratic but that Kramnik, 27, had strategically steered
play into quiet positions that Deep Fritz was unable to counter." October
7, 2002: Human chess
champ takes lead over "Deep Fritz." ZDNet Breaking News.
"World human chess champion Vladimir Kramnik took the lead on Sunday
over Deep Fritz, the latest computer star, by winning the second game
in a match billed as the 'Brains of Bahrain' contest. Kramnik, playing
white, exposed flaws in Deep Fritz's technique with a win in 57 moves.
Kramnick now leads the eight-game competition 1.5-0.5 after drawing the
opening game on Friday." October
7, 2002: Utah
Firm Says its Net Software Knows Proper from Profane. By Vince Horiuchi.
The Salt Lake Tribune. "Some Internet filtering programs are overzealous,
branding Web sites for breast cancer support groups or the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation as objectionable as Hustler Onlinewww.hustler.com.
On some Utah school computers, for example, the Web filter may let students
read local newspaper articles about drugs, but block out similar stories
from other news sites. 'If you're trying to learn something like the reproductive
system, you can't research it on the Internet,' 17-year-old Cottonwood
High senior Jill Smithwick said about the computers at her school. 'You
can't be informed about it if you can't get to those sites.' A Bluffdale
company says it has developed Internet filtering software that does more
than just block out objectionable Internet sites based on the Web address.
According to the company, the software is 'smart' enough to identify a
truly objectionable site. ... ContentWatch, which is developing filtering
software for a number of online applications, just released ContentProtect,
software that not only blocks sites, but analyzes the content of Web pages
before they appear on the computer screen. In other words, it is supposed
to know the difference between the phrases 'breast cancer' and 'big breasts,'
and block out one but not the other. 'When a request goes out [for a Web
site], as it comes back, it's held and evaluated before it comes into
the computer,' said ContentWatch's product manager Michael Cuevas. With
sophisticated artificial intelligence, the software looks at the source
of the pictures and any links on the page as well as the text to determine
if it should be blocked based on the user's settings. ... According to
an annual UCLA study on Internet filtering software, parents clearly are
concerned about what their children see on the Web. Of the parents surveyed
in 2001, a third said they use some sort of filtering software. And 88
percent said they keep on eye on their kids on the computer. Slightly
more than half of children between 12 and 15 years admitted they do not
tell their parents about everything they see on the Web." October
7, 2002: Chips
vs. the chess masters. Five years after a historic defeat, humans
may be poised for a comeback. By Nell Boyce. US News & World Report.
"Yet while the power of computer chips has marched forward over the
past five years, that doesn't necessarily mean these new cyberchamps would
outperform Deep Blue. A chess-playing machine rather than a mere program,
Deep Blue drew its awesome power from chips designed by Hsu to do nothing
but play chess. The IBM team put 256 of these processors into a supercomputer,
allowing it to analyze at least 100 million chess positions a second.
Fritz and Junior, by contrast, exist as off-the-shelf software for PCs,
which anyone can buy to play at home. The 'deep' versions run on multiple
Pentium processors - essentially, a battery of PCs - but they'll consider
only around 2.5 million positions per second. Finesse in the software
can help make up for a relative lack of brute force. As a program looks
deeper and deeper into an opponent's possible future moves, the number
of board positions explodes, overwhelming even the fastest computers.
Techniques for choosing the most advantageous move from the fast-growing
tree of possibilities become critical. The current top programs use strategies
that Deep Blue didn't - for example, 'pruning' away unpromising lines
of play. ... Yet a human victory will only postpone the inevitable. Already,
the top humans can't beat a computer in checkers, and chess will go the
same way." October
6, 2002: I
Am Japan, Hear Me Roar. By Ken Belson. The New York Times (no-fee
reg. req'd). "Forget economic statistics, academic journals and earnest
college professors. Those wondering what obsesses and unnerves the Japanese
have long known to look no further than the latest Godzilla film for answers.
The city-crunching monster has been a lightning rod for social commentary
ever since 1954, when the first Godzilla reflected the country's fears
of the nuclear age. Nearly 50 years later, the 26th film in the series
is set for release in December, and although the producers are not talking,
it is already clear that the rise of robotics will be among the issues
Godzilla will face. ... In the decade since the last Mechagodzilla, Japanese
companies like Sony and Honda have released ever-more sophisticated robots,
with more fluid motion, realistic voices and sensory detectors. No longer
consigned to the factory floor, robots have begun to penetrate the lives
of ordinary Japanese, whether as playthings or task-oriented assistants.
In response, the director of the newest movie has ditched Mechagodzilla's
lumbering stride and rigid body movements, creating something that is
less a machine than a sinister and nimble artificial intelligence. 'It
is now realistic to believe that humans could build a robot to fight Godzilla,'
said Shogo Tomiyama, the producer. Whether or not that would be a good
thing is a question the movie will address. The Japanese are fascinated
with robotics and are far more comfortable incorporating machinery into
their daily lives than Westerners are." October
6, 2002: 'Remote'
surgery turning point - Kidney operations performed by robots give
better results than surgeon's hand, says study. By Jo Revill. The Observer.
"A pioneering study by British doctors has revealed that a robot
is better than a human surgeon at carrying out a complex kidney operation
- even when the robot is controlled by doctors 4,000 miles away." October
6, 2002: Robots:
Life, or something like it. Editorial by Jeff Mullin. Enid News and
Eagle. "Robots have even gone to war. The U.S. military uses unmanned
air vehicles, or UAVs, that can be used for reconnaissance or even to
carry weapons into combat. For robotic war, there may soon be artificial
war correspondents. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working
on a roving robotic reporter. The device, dubbed the Afghan Explorer,
is equipped with a video screen and two small Web cameras, enabling it
to gather sound and pictures, or to allow a reporter controlling it from
afar to conduct a remote interview. We have taken the first, halting steps
toward taking robots from automatons welding car frames or painting SUV
bodies on an assembly line, to thinking, speaking, nearly sentient beings
capable of performing a number of tasks. But just how long is that road?
In the 1950s, pioneering science fiction author Isaac Asimov envisioned
robots as looking, thinking and even acting like human beings - with one
important difference. Asimov's fictional robots were governed by his 'Three
Laws of Robotics' - 1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through
inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; 2. A robot must obey the
orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict
with the First Law; 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long
as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Robot
butlers, maids or best friends may or may not come along in the future
to make our lives easier, but if we all lived by Asimov's First Law the
world would instantly be improved." October
6, 2002: Alaska
pioneers oil-field technology. By Tim Bradner. Anchorage Daily News.
"One needs only to look at rapid technological advances in our own
North Slope oil fields to see the future of the petroleum industry, not
only in Alaska but elsewhere. ... Drillers now also use 'smart' drilling
equipment at the business end of the drill pipe deep underground. Loaded
with electronics, guidance and telemetry gear, these are self-propelled
units that are steered by drillers to where they need to go a mile and
a half underground. ... One of the most radical advances in smart drilling,
which isn't here yet but could be someday, is Anaconda, a kind of underground,
self-propelled drilling robot developed by Halliburton Energy Systems.
Can you just imagine where all this is going? Someday we may be able to
program drilling equipment, tell it where to go underground, turn it loose
and watch it go." October
5, 2002: Champion
proves a match for chess computer. By Raymond Keene. Times Online
(UK). The world champion used the Berlin Blockade to achieve a draw .
Man matched machine yesterday in the opening game of the chess challenge
between an undefeated German computer and the finest mind in world chess.
Vladimir Kramnik, the 27-year-old Russian world champion, and Deep Fritz,
the top-ranked chess program, fought to a standstill in 28 moves." October
5, 2002: Scientist
seeks to realize robot rescues. By Noriyuki Yoshida.The Yomiuri Shimbun.
"Robot scientist Satoshi Tadokoro's heart still aches when he recalls
the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. The associate professor of information
intelligence engineering at Kobe University regrets that his inventions
were not capable of rescuing some of the 6,000 people killed in the earthquake.
... He established a nonprofit organization called International Rescue
System Institute to promote research and development of such technology.
The group liaises with researchers around the world and aims to develop
rescue robots and educate the public about the issue. ... 'I consider
it my mission and the robots' mission to rescue as many people as possible
in times of disaster. I think in this way Japan, as a technology-based
country, can help other countries in times of natural disasters,' Tadokoro
said." October
4, 2002: Politicos
take note - Voters are watching. By Steve Tanner. Silicon Valley Business
Ink. "Ever wonder how a local city council member's affiliations
affect his or her policy decisions? If so, a new online service promises
to make such information more accessible. Effective Oct. 1, users can
view voting histories of elected officials in a dozen Bay Area cities
using a new Web-based service by Aliso Viej--based software company eNeuralNet
Inc. (www.minutes-n-motion.com). The Bay Area is the first region where
the service is being deployed. Minutes-n-Motion, available for $9.95 per
month, consists of a constantly refreshed database of the minutes from
city council meetings and a proprietary artificial intelligence search
engine. ... [Murray] Craig, and others familiar with Minutes-n-Motion,
insist a database without a high-powered search tool is virtually useless.
The major drawback of systems already in place is that making sense of
the data is akin to finding a needle in a haystack, says Mike Shires,
assistant professor at Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy
in Malibu." October
4, 2002: U.
S. Navy will test UUV ocean-powered robot gliders. Cyber Diver News
Network. "They call them 'gliders,' but these move through water
instead of air. Two new robotic gliders - autonomous underwater vehicles
- powered by changes in their own buoyancy or by different temperature
layers in the ocean - will be tested operationally off Southern California
this winter. Both gliders were developed with support from the Office
of Naval Research." October
4, 2002: Secom
Develops Prototype Robot that Obeys Voice Commands, Carries Cash.
By Shunsuke Igarashi. NE Asia Online (formerly AsiaBizTech). "Secom
Co., Ltd. introduced a prototype robot that is like a 'walking safe' and
can hold cash and other precious items within its body. It is the first
master-following prototype developed in Japan with an eye toward commercialization
in the future, the company said. According to an announcement on Oct.
1, it is equipped with the capability to recognize and identify an individual's
voice, and obeys him or her. It also can climb over level differences
such as stairs, and avoid obstacles, automatically. The prototype's work
is to carry cash physically. ... The company aims to reduce the risk of
theft rather than replacing personnel in the security field." October
4, 2002: Robots
try humble path to success. By Charles J. Murray. EE Times. "Never
mind the computer or even the Cuisinart. Engineers at a handful of companies
are finally turning out machines that promise to be useful from the ground
up: smart, economically priced robots that can vacuum floors and mow lawns.
The soul of these new machines is the home appliance. They have more in
common with, say, the toaster than the PC, much less the pricey industrial
robots used in automotive and other manufacturing plants. Guided by artificial
intelligence and equipped with sensors or sonar, these products are looking
to ignite the long-awaited migration of robots into the home, where they
will serve, Jeeves-like, on demand. ... Indeed, by lowering the price
of entry for consumers, makers of the new breed of 'bots hope to launch
a market. 'Home robotics today is where the PC industry was in the 1970s,'
said Paolo Pirjanian, chief scientist for Evolution Robotics. 'We're at
the beginning of the creation of a large industry that's positioned to
grow very fast.'" October
4, 2002: Personal
robot is laptop on wheels. Associated Press / available from the Evansville
Courier & Press. "A personal robot system hitting store shelves
this holiday season is no Rosie Jetson, though it does do Windows (as
in Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XP). The Evolution Robotics ER1
can be trained to perform a variety of simple tasks: snapping family pictures
and e-mailing them, reading stories, capturing video, playing music." October
4, 2002: The
Near-Future Of Medicine. News Highlights from U.S. Medicine. "Among
many ramifications of nascent technologies now under development by the
U.S. Army, the digitalization of medicine is perhaps the most dramatic.
Dr. Richard Satava, program manager of the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) and professor at Yale University School of Medicine, described
several scenarios in which technology would drastically change medicine.
... Taking the concept one step further, Dr. Satava said surgeons would
one day soon perform operations on the patient's virtual representation
before 'downloading' the operation to a robot that would replay the surgeon's
moves in the physical world. He added that robots would in the coming
decades replace trauma nurses in such functions as handing physical tools
to the surgeon, but acknowledged that even the surgeon might one day be
replaced." October
4, 2002: First
President's Lecturer discusses future of genomics. By Michelle Afkhami.
The Thresher (Rice University). "[Gregory] Stock discussed many of
the topics explored in his newest book, Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable
Genetic Future, which was published in April. ... Stock said there are
two revolutions, which he referred to as the silicon revolution and the
genomic revolution, currently taking place. The silicon revolution allows
us to create artificial intelligence, Stock said, while the genomic revolution
refers to the ability for humans to engineer themselves for the better.
The synthesis of these two revolutions will allow us to make the greatest
advances in the future, he said." October
4, 2002: Celebrate
your computer. BBC. "The day is intended to highlight just what
computers and the net can do for people and to encourage the reluctant
ones to give it a try. 'I think there is a lot of wariness about computers
and especially the internet,' says Zoe Rouch, co-ordinator of the day.
'People are not aware of what it can do for them. Being able to use a
computer is not a talent you are born with, it's a skill you can easily
learn,' she says." October
4, 2002: Anti-scam
tech takes on thieves. By Margaret Kane. CNET. "U.S. retailers
are increasingly turning to software to reduce the billions of dollars
lost to theft and various scams each year. ... To combat theft, retailers
are increasingly setting up software traps to nab wrongdoers. Essentially,
retailers throw all of their transaction logs into a big database, and
the software runs a series of rules looking for problems. ... The software
capabilities commonly include sales auditing; tracking gross sales and
returns; monitoring policy violations and other transactions; extracting
data; performing queries on specific questions, such as showing all voids
over $100; and data mining, combing through the database for suspicious
entries that don't pop up under the other queries." October
4, 2002: Deep
Fritz is still the incredible product of human endeavour and determination.
Gulf Daily News. "Mankind will emerge the victor in Bahrain, whether
or not Vladimir Kramnik triumphs personally over Deep Fritz. For the world's
most powerful chess program is still the product of man's ingenuity !
... The $1 million (BD378,000) question remains as to whether computer
processing speed has developed to such a level as to be able to emulate
intelligence. In short, does computer processing ability now represent
a form of artificial intelligence? 'Playing with Deep Blue I can smell
that the decisions it's making are intelligent, because I would come to
the same conclusions as it does by using my intuition,' said Garry Kasparov
in a pre-match Press conference in 1997. ... IBM's Deep Blue program has
been used in everything from medical research through to air traffic control
computers." October
4, 2002: Kramnik
prepares for clash. By Tariq Khonji. Gulf Daily News. "Millions
of eyes around the globe will be on Bahrain today when world chess champion
Vladimir Kramnik takes on Deep Fritz, the world's most powerful computer
chess program. The first of eight matches of the Man versus Machine, Brains
in Bahrain chess championship starts at 3pm today, at the Bahrain Mind
Sports Centre in Muharraq. ... Matches will be held today, on Sunday,
Tuesday, Thursday, October 13, 15, 17 and 19."
October 3, 2002: Robotic
Vision. By Julie Claire Diop. News Factor Network. "Finding a
purple tree house is small stuff compared with navigating a crowded street.
That takes a robot that can quickly process and respond to multiple stimuli.
But just knowing where to look and what to look out for is at least a
small robotic step forward. ... So a handful of engineers are working
on a new approach called selective-attention modeling, which attempts
to program robots to evaluate scenes critically as some neuroscientists
believe people do. 'General scene understanding is the Holy Grail for
computer vision,' says University of Southern California computer scientist
Laurent Itti. Neuroscience-based algorithms, he contends, 'should be the
new approach.' ... Researchers are also thinking about incorporating data
from other senses, such as touch, into the final map, although they're
not yet sure how this can be done. Any robot that interacts with its environment
will benefit from having tactile senses, says Ernst Niebur, a neuroscientist
at the Johns Hopkins University." October
3, 2002: Robot
rescuers ready to roll. BBC. "Robots will soon be working alongside
humans in emergencies and disasters. An emergency response team of robots
and their handlers has been created following the success of the machines
in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. The robots were used
to search places too hazardous for humans or to make sure it was safe
for humans to clear wreckage and retrieve bodies. ... Dr Robin Murphy,
director of the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue at the University
of South Florida, said the robots had been standardised and updated since
the September 2001. Now robots are fitted with sensors to help them spot
if someone is still alive. The robots can look for a pulse, for body heat
fluctuations that reveal if a body is breathing and for raised carbon
dioxide levels near a body." October
3, 2002: Artificial
Intelligence And Poker. Poker Mag. "In recent times there has
been a great deal of discussion about artificial intelligence and poker.
More specifically online poker enthusiasts are concerned that automated
playing robots or 'bots' as they are known have been developed by either
online poker sites or players themselves and have been implemented in
games for real money. The concern is that 'bots' could prove to be stronger
than average or indeed world class poker players, thus effecting the profitability
of all online poker players. Assuming that 'bots' could or have been developed
and implemented, this article examines current artificial intelligence
research in poker to determine how strong at poker 'bots' are at the moment
and how strong poker 'bots' could potentially be." October
3, 2002: Humans
'have the edge.' Gulf Daily News. "Human intelligence can still
win over artificial intelligence, says International Master Malcolm Pein,
match director for Man versus Machine, in Brains in Bahrain challenge.
... 'Computer chess programmes are always much faster than human players,'
he said. 'But the advantage that human beings have is that they are much
better at laying down strategies. Human beings can think much longer-term
and plan better for future moves." October
2, 2002: 2003
Toyota 4Runner not to be overshadowed. By Carrie Roca. AutoWeek. "
Toyota says its electronic throttle control system with intelligence helps
to improve performance and boost fuel economy. ... A new five-speed electronically
controlled automatic transmission comes with an artificial intelligence
shift control program with the V8." October
2, 2002: Computer-Human
Conversation Closer to Reality. By Cade Metz. PC Magazine. "Currently
available for download, the [Brainhat] system operates in a way familiar
to anyone with a grade school education. 'Remember diagramming sentences?
That's basically what we do,' explains [Kevin] Dowd. 'We extract semantic
value from language by parsing through it, identifying different parts
of speech, and organizing everything within various data structures.'
Once a sentence is broken into pieces that the system can recognize and,
to a certain extent, understand, it then manipulates these pieces -- turns
them into a related question, say -- in an effort to generate a feasible
response to the sentence. As a conversation continues, the system can
use what it's learned about each sentence to better understand subsequent
sentences and, thus, provide better responses." Audio demo available. October
2, 2002: SurfControl - Beyond Business interview on CNNFN's Money
& Markets television broadcast (5PM EST). Cable
News Network's CNNFN. "Francis: The current corporate crime wave
and the central role of e-mail as evidence has companies clamoring for
more sophisticated technology to identify all kinds of messages now. ...
Hays: Joining us now with an inside look is Steve Purdham, CEO of SurfControl,
a company that makes e-mail filtering technology. ... Francis: Now you're
now employing a technology we call Neural Network technology, often used
by credit card companies to spot patterns of fraud that you might not
see with a naked eye. How does that work when it comes to e-mail? It's
more than just looking for a dirty word here or a racial epithet there?
Purdham: Yes. Absolutely. Neural Networks is a new type of technology
that helps us be able to look at the fingerprint in an e-mail, looking
for the - for example, if you're looking for the word 'breast', that doesn't
actually say it's a sex site, it could be a medical site or it could be
a medical e-mail or it could be a recipe, for example. So you have to
look at things in context. An artificial intelligence, neural networks
actually allows you to build a fingerprint so that the fact that the word
'breast' appears doesn't mean there's a bad e-mail. It means it actually
could be a risk and therefore you go down the part of the chain."
October
2, 2002: Balancing
the risk against the risque. By Douglas Hayward. Financial Times.
"With debate raging over extending the surveillance powers of law-enforcement
agencies in the war against terrorism, it is easy to forget that millions
of people already have their communications scanned and filtered every
day by automated programs. Businesses are increasingly scanning and filtering
their employees' web and e-mail communications. The most obvious goal
is to prevent staff downloading, receiving or sending offensive content,
such as pornographic or racist material, and so reduce exposure to legal
liability and bad publicity. ... The commercial division of the Co-operative
Group in the UK, for example, cut its bandwidth usage by 60 per cent after
installing software from SurfControl, the UK-based web filtering specialist.
... Web filtering software is a young but fast-growing market, worth just
under $202m in 2001 and expected to grow at an annual compound rate of
around 29 per cent until 2006, according to IDC, the IT industry researcher.
E-mail scanning is growing even faster, at about 37 per cent a year, IDC
reckons. These technologies are taking off partly because they have matured
significantly over the last few years. Filtering technology used to produce
too many 'false positives' - sites or e-mails that get wrongly blocked,
such as pictures of pumpkins mistaken for pornography because their colours
resembled those of human flesh. False positives still crop up, but their
numbers are declining with the increasing sophistication of filtering
techniques in recent years." October
2, 2002: Are
you getting what you want on the Net? CodeBaby uses online database
to personalize the Web. By Steve Makris. The Edmonton Journal. "Two
medical doctors who founded the internationally known BioWare electronic
entertainment company hope to repeat their success with an online program
that uses artificial intelligence to help personalize Internet content.
... The success of the program depends on user feedback. 'It's artificial
intelligence with an engaging, entertaining front end, it's fun to use
and it's really smart,' said [Ray] Muzyka, also a non-practising medical
doctor. 'The idea is to expose people to things they haven't experienced
before.'" October
2, 2002: SPE
[Society of Petroleum Engineers] - Industry slow to adopt downhole robotics.
By Guntis Moritis. Oil & Gas Journal Online. "Joe Donovan, Intelligent
Inspection Corp., Houston, chronicled the oil and gas industry's slow
adoption of autonomous downhole robots in his presentation at the 2002
Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition
in San Antonio today. Currently, his company's robot, called MicroRig,
is undergoing reliability testing. He said the untethered, 30 ft long,
150 lb, 2-in. OD tractor tool will be capable of carrying various tools
downhole and working without guidance from the surface because of the
artificial intelligence built into the robot. Donovan attributed part
of the failure of a past attempt to introduce such a tool to cute naming
concepts that were foreign to the oil and gas industry. The 'Bore Rat,'
introduced in 1997 came with such terms as 'missions' instead of runs
in the hole. These terms had a negative connotation in the market, Donovan
said." October
2, 2002: Hi-Tech
Tool Helps Traffic Snarls. By Dawn Marie Woodward. KVAL-TV. "Researchers
at the University of Oregon have applied the computing muscle of artificial
intelligence to the enormously complex and frustrating problem of battling
traffic congestion in Southern California. 'Traffic Dodger' is an Internet-based
personalized routing service that tells drivers the best way to get to
their destination and how long the drive is likely to take - all before
they even start their car." October
2, 2002: Brain
drain flows the other way - Top U.S. scientist to work at U of A.
By Scott McKeen. The Edmonton Journal. "The Alberta Heritage Foundation
for Science and Engineering Research -- known as Alberta Ingenuity --
will provide as much as $14 million over the next five years to establish
two new 'ingenuity' centres at the U of A. One is in carbohydrate science,
Lowary's specialty. The other is in the emerging computing field of machine
learning. ... Russ Greiner will direct the new Ingenuity Centre for Machine
Learning on campus. Simply put, machine learning is the utilization of
computers to analyze vast amounts of data, said Greiner. 'Machine learning
is looking at data and finding patterns in it.' In health fields, says
Greiner, this can mean computers sifting through patient records across
hospitals or jurisdictions to see whether patterns emerge on how to better
treat diseases such as cancer. But machine learning is also integral to
taking electronic entertainment to a next level. While not as obviously
beneficial as health research, electronic gaming is a $17-billion a year
industry, says Greiner. Spinoffs from research will help the local economy,
he said." October
2, 2002: A
21st-century golem. Festival revisits, updates Prague legend. By Matej
Novak. The Prague Post. "In his essay 'The Idea of the Golem,' Gershom
Scholem writes, 'Golem-making is dangerous; like all major creation it
endangers the life of the creator -- the source of danger, however, is
not the golem ... but the man himself.' Argentine Ambassador Juan Eduardo
Fleming had these words in mind when conceiving Project Golem 2002/5763,
named after the respective years in the Gregorian and Jewish calendars.
'The project's goal,' he says, 'is to rescue, revive and project the values
enshrined in golem symbolism and tradition' -- a tradition that began
in biblical times and has made its way through to the present day. 'Today's
Golem,' says Fleming, 'means artificial intelligence, robots, cloning,
the Internet, computers.' And as Scholem indicates, these are not evil
or destructive on their own but have the potential to become so based
on what man, the creator, instills in them." October
2, 2002: Roomba
- An efficient little sucker. CyberSpeak column by Edward C. Baig.
USA Today. "Roomba does useful tricks, such as making household dust
(and pet hair) disappear. My very bright dog thinks Roomba represents
a breakthrough. I agree. The robotic vacuum cleaner was sired by the artificial-intelligence
experts at iRobot Corp in Somerville, Mass., robot masters with pedigrees
from MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. October
2, 2002: Google
News Search Leaps Ahead. By Chris Sherman. SearchDay, Number 368.
"Google News Search isn't assembled by human editors who select and
format the news. Google's process is fully automated. News stories are
chosen and the page is updated without human intervention. Google crawls
news sources constantly, and uses real-time ranking algorithms to determine
which stories are the most important at the moment - in theory highlighting
the sources with the 'best' coverage of news events. ... The process uses
artificial intelligence in addition to traditional information retrieval
techniques to match keywords with stories. [Marissa] Mayer says this approach
to identifying related articles means that the relative importance of
each article is 'baked in,' which is how the top sources for each story
are selected." October 2002:
End
of the Tether. By Julie Claire Diop. Technology Review. [Note: only
part of the article is available to non-subscribers.] "Now, thanks
to advances in artificial intelligence, a few companies are building completely
cable-free autonomous underwater vehicles that can gather data on explosive
mines or new offshore oil-drilling sites faster and more cheaply than
remotely operated vehicles." October
2, 2002: Still
game after all these years. By Peter Svensson. The Associated Press
/ available from The News & Observer / and
The Tampa Tribune (October 4, 2002: Baby Boomers Are Staying Ahead Of
Computer Games). "40 percent of the most frequent PC game players
are 35 or older, according to the Interactive Digital Software Association,
a game industry group. One reason the gaming population is now older is
simply that the gamers are aging, said Douglas Lowenstein, president of
the IDSA. Computer games have been around for about 25 years, and many
younger baby boomers encountered them during their formative teen years.
... Another factor behind the aging of the gaming population is that the
games are maturing as well. 'The games are now so sophisticated that they
appeal to people much older,' [Douglas] Lowenstein said. 'If you see the
extraordinary graphics capabilities and the artificial intelligence now
built into games, the level of interactivity is far beyond what it's been
before.' While many games sold today are action-oriented, some slower,
more thoughtful games are succeeding in part because of their appeal to
older gamers." October
1, 2002: Man
vs. Machine - Unions Desperate to Keep Jobs as Technology Replaces Human
Labor. By Dean Reynolds. ABC News. "There is no question that
technology has made the workplace safer and more efficient. Today a robot
can do the jobs of 10 workers. Steel mills are less dangerous. Sorting
machines have made the movement of goods more efficient. New cars are
turned out in much quicker fashion -- all because of technological advances.
Organized labor understands that, but, like [Dexter] Cato, feels left
out of the discussion. 'We ought to have a say in [the use of technologies],'
said Ron Blackwell of the AFL-CIO. 'We ought be able to shape whether
they are going to be technologies that create jobs and help everyone.'
... Jeremy Rifkin, of the Foundation on Economic Trends, suggests the
problems are deeper. 'We're going to have to rethink what human beings
do on this planet,' he said. 'We're so conditioned to the idea that the
central worth of a human being is to have marketable skills and to work
in the marketplace. The bottom line is that by the mid decades of the
21st century, we're going to replace most workers with intelligent technology.'
All of this could end years of labor drudgery, of dead end jobs, and dissatisfied
workers, Rifkin said, 'but we have to rethink what a human being does
and how we can get income to him once we replace him with robotics and
technology.'" October
1, 2002: Robots
make a clean sweep. swissinfo SRI. "Robots which dust, wipe,
clean and scrub are being put through their paces this week at the first
international cleaning robot competition in Lausanne. The event is one
of the highlights of a week-long international conference on intelligent
robots. ... So-called 'tele-surgery' is also a focus of the meeting, which
is to be addressed by Professor Jacques Marescaux of Strasburg University.
Last September, he successfully carried out the first transatlantic tele-surgical
operation, and will discuss the use of robots in surgery." October
1, 2002: Kick-starting
the market for PCs will not be easy. Viewpoint by Chris Edwards. EETimes
UK. "Most software works the same way it did a decade ago, with very
little improvement in the way that users interact with it. He or she is
still forced to think like a computer because progress in artificial intelligence
(AI) has proved to be much tougher than anyone expected. The problems
facing AI research such as natural language processing have been exacerbated
by a striking lack of funding. Some companies, such as IBM and Microsoft,
have stepped up their efforts in recent years, having realised that, to
sell more computers, you have to make them seem to be brighter. But it
will take some years for this work to make it to the high street. Even
when it does, it is easy for the vendor to totally mess up its introduction."
October
1, 2002: 20/20
Vision Awards. By Mindy Blodgett. CIO Magazine. "The CIO 20/20
Vision Awards honor outstanding individuals in two categories: 20 creators
and marketers of technology; and 20 practitioners who use IT to make great
things happen. ... 20 Who Made It Possible ... Our list of technology
developers includes not only the scientists who were able to act on their
technology vision by promulgating standards and revolutionary tools but
also a group of vendors who were able to build markets and deliver the
tools to the masses. So we have Ray Kurzweil, a futurist and inventor
who, with single-minded focus, created various artificial intelligence
technologies, including speech recognition software used by doctors to
dictate medical reports into a computer. Showing his range of vision,
Kurzweil is currently at work on a book about reversing the aging process.
Kurzweil maintains that progress is ever accelerating and by using mathematical
models that factor in the exponential technology growth rate, he says
that the next 20 years will yield as much progress as did the entire 20th
century." October
1, 2002: Grudge
match - As humans sputter to the end of their chess supremacy, some
people wonder why we care. By Laurence Schorsch. Boston Globe (page C1).
"This Friday, the world chess champion, Vladimir Kramnik, will play
Deep Fritz 7, a computer chess program, in an eight-game match in Manama,
Bahrain. Fritz is a champ, too. Last April, it won a match in Spain against
another program called Deep Junior, and so earned the right to play Kramnik.
In the words of the promoters of the Bahrain match, 'One million dollars
and human dignity are the prizes.' But to chess fanatics, the match is
all about revenge. ... Leslie Kaelbling, associate director of the Artificial
Intelligence Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that
in the A.I. community, 'we figure that it's mostly been decided. Deep
Blue and Kasparov showed us that we were close, and though maybe [there
were flaws], everybody took it to mean it's over.' ... Intelligence is
something we humans think we ought to own, and we can be a little threatened
when machines move in on our turf. Don't forget that HAL, the archetypal
evil computer from the movie, '2001: A Space Odyssey,' slaughters astronaut
Frank Poole in a chess game long before it does it in real (movie) life.
'We have been unchallenged in intelligence since the Neanderthal days,'
said Frederic Friedel, one of the founders of ChessBase, the German company
that created Fritz." October
1, 2002:
Kosdaq Committee to Lead Mergers Between Venture Firms. By Kim Yon-se.
Korea Times. " 'To prevent insider trading, the committee is considering
reserving the right to demand certain documents from firms under scrutiny.
The panel plans to introduce an automatic detection system using artificial
intelligence to detect any extraordinary trading patterns,' Chung [Eui-dong]
told reporters." October 2002
[issue date]: not online but well worth a trip to the newsstand or
library >> Programming the Post-Human: Computer science redefines
"life." By Ellen Ullman. Harper's,
Vol. 305, No. 1829: 60-70. |
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