V No 1, March 1973
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AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CYBERNETICS FORUM VOLUME V, NUMBER 1 MARCH 1973 W. ROSS ASHBY FROM TUE DESK OF TUE PRESIDENT Prof. Dr. Ross Ashby, gentleman, genius I. The current year should be a year of less pressure but intensive planning and system and scholar, died at the age of 69 on atic expansion of our membership. The ASC profile must be strengthened. Our immediate November I 5th 1972. He was, of course, a goals: consolidating our modus operandi on a broad basis, intensifying our efforts to world authority on cybernetics and systems organize in small, geographically scattered, knowledgeable work groups, and to improve our theory. He came down from Sidney Sussex, public relations. The ASC FORUM, Journal and the Annual Proceedings give us visibility Cambridge, and practised medicine; served and exposure; quality and high standards are essential. for many years as Research Director of 2. 1972's activities were highlighted by several events: We held three conferences: one Barnwood House and at the Burden was sponsored by ASC alone, a second jointly sponsored with IEEE. Participation in the Neurologicallnstitute. Later he came to the AAAS Annual Meeting in December was a "first" for us, an important milestone. An invi United States, where he was Professor in the tation to apply officially for affiliated membership in AAAS is expected. Department of Biophysics, at the University Wehave consolidated our publication program and improved our visibility: the Journal of of Illinois from 196"1 to 1971. On retirement Cybernetics, which failed to appear last year, will resume publication shortly. Because of a he returned home to Great Britain and serious argument with the publisher, the four quarterly issues of Volume 2, 1972, were not spent the last few years of his life as profes released last year. Our disagreements have been settled. Nos. I and 2 (combined)of Volume sorial fellow at the University of Wales. 2, 1972, should be in the mail tatest at the beginning of March. (For tables of contents see Readers of the Forum probably knew page 2). Nos. 3 and 4 will follow in a month or two. The first two issues of the 1973 edition him best as an axiomatist. He was endowed are scheduled to appear within a reasonable time thereafter. All authors of papers with the ability to make plain the murky, submitted for publication in the Journalare receiving a formal acknowledgment. though intriguing, hinterland between sys 3. The next major project under consideration is an ASC sponsored international meet tems that are !arge enough to prove interest ing in West Berlin, the Allied controlled sector ofthat divided city. This meeting is to be ing and intractable, but not of such gigantic sponsored by ASC in collaboration with other cybernetic societies in Europe. According to proportians that they succumb to the aver our present plans, the "CaII for Papers" will be mailed shortly. Russian scientists and scien aging techniques, elegant in physics, which tific members of satellite countries aretobe included. This meeting would be the first such are thoughtlessly applied to the whole event outside ofthe United States sponsored by ASC. gamut of organizations. For example, he 4. An urgent need exists to cultivate neglected geographic areas: we require your assist applied the rigorous set theoretic approach ance. Our present membership development curve does not reflect a uniform upward trend of the Bourbaki School to dynamic stability area by area. How should we move to new peaks and avoid the valleys? and the irreducible order (adicity) of rela In this regard the following developments are significant: A new scientific advisory com tions; later in life. he made use of mittee is being formed und er the chairmanship of Carl Hammer. A new editor of the Jour comparably exact methods in elucidating nal will be appointed who will be assisted by three associate editors. The names will be an the vast difference between operating upon nounced in the next issue of the FORUM. Beginning_with No. 2 of this volume, the ASC the input (or output) of a system and opera FORUM will have a new editor. He will be assisted by three associate editors: Charles H. ting upon the class of functions, that is the Dym. Arthur S. lberall, and Felix F. Kopstein. system's structure. The roots of this 5. Finally, at long last the proceedings of the December 1971 and March 1972 Confer development (for the most part in unpub ences will be available in print shortly and shipped to the participants of these respective lished manuscript form) are obvious from meetings. an inspection of his pioneering work upon multivariate information theory and control theory. application) or in asking the basic question a trapper's hat (to keep out the cold on a Though most obtrusive (for Prof. Ashby that is converting a calculus of varieties and winter's journey). As snatches from had a yen for precise dialogue and feit the transmissions into a much more powerful memory; he was displaying a deep principle. need for lucidity) this axiomatic side of his calculus of diversities and affinities. The in ultra-stability perhaps, and chose for his character was perhaps the least important stances are Iegion. His students and col demonstration a quite preposterous artifact of all. For he could easily have made a leagues knew that creativity, with this man, like a coffee grinder with light bulbs machine to play these tricks, or have en was a habit of mind; many of those col attached. He was in Locarno, standing as gaged some im probable collation of biologi leagues and students he met during more though bemused by reflections on the water cal, sociological or ecosystems to exercise than 10 years happy residence in the United and actually conceiving a theory of replicas. the same skills. Rather, Ashby the scientist, States. In either case, by a very personal wit, he ex was unique in being the world's mostglobal One's memory of Ashby, like all people of hibited the essentials of a situation and its thinker; able to appreciate complexity as great calibre, is fragmented whereas their breadth also. It is no surprise that he few others could do. This quality appears in person is an amalgam of qualities. So, Prof. learned to play the flute in his65th year and his major innovations; in the very subtle Ashby had deep kindness, a wry sense of mastered it; or that throughout his life he identlfzcation of set theory (in contrast to its humor, a forbidding demeanor leavened by Continued on page 2. Ashby - Continued from poge 1. regarded the working of fretsaws and band journal of cybernetics saws as. among many other things, mathe matical operations. He was enthralled by transactions of the american mysteries (unsolved cases. murders, and the like) but his favorite mystery was that con society for cybernetics sciousness alone, remained ineluctable. Our last meeting was earlier in 1972 in London. Vol. 2, No. 1 Vol. 2, No. 2 He gave a brilliant scientific lecture, after January-March, 1972 Aprii-June, 1972 which he interpreted the character "Iago" over dinner. and the next morning, drove olf along the road to Bristol. contents contents You will forgive a slight departure from CYBERNETICS AND POLITICS, RESPONS I BI LI Tl ES OF COMPETENCE, the rules: Be damned to the past tense of Harvey Brooks Heinz Von Foerster obituaries; Ashby has earned the right to immortality. ON STRATEGie INTELLIGENCE IN Gordon Pask FURTHER TOWARDS A TRIADIC DETERRENCE, January 1973 Robert H. Kupperman, Harvey A. CALCULUS PART 2, Smith, and L ee R. Abramson Christopher R. Longyear OFFICERS-t9'i3 COMPARISON OF EXPEDIENT AND Roy Herrmann-President üPTIMAL RE"INRlReEMEN "ON RANDOM SE"ARCH'ttSINuBINARY ArtmiT S. fb erafi-Vice Presi<fent, SCHEMES FOR LEARNING SYSTEMS DERIVED FROM THE INCI Technical DENCE MATRICES OF PG(2,21 AND SYSTEMS, Ethel C. Marden-Vice President, R. Viswanathan and Kumpati S. PG(2,3) , Narendra I. M. Chakravarti and V. P. Manglik Awards Niellolas M. Smillt- Vice President, ARTIFICIAL ORGANISMS AND Publications AUTONOMOUS CELL RULES, FRACTILE PROGRAMMING UNDER EX Garfis A. Taylor-Vice President, Richard Laing TREME VALUE DISTRIBUTIONS Administration FOR THE STOCHASTIC OBJECTIVE FURTHER TOWARDS A TRIADIC Frank S. Speck-Treasurer FUNCTION CALCULUS PART I, Fc•lix F. Kopstein-Sccretary Christopher R. Longyear J. K. Sengupta DIRECTO RS-1973 PATTERN RECOGNITION APPLIED TO MEASUREMENT OF HUMAN ON SOME STRONGL Y AND WEAKLY Gar/ Hammer. Chairman of the Board LIMB POSITIONS DURING HOMOGENEOUS BINARY SEARCH Roy Herrmann. President MOVEMENT, SYSTEMS, Glwrles H. Dym T. Kasvand and Morris Milner V. P. Manglik William E. Hanna. Jr. Daniel Howland Douglas E. Knight EXPANSION OF WASHINGTON, D.C. Kumpati S. Narendra CHAPTER PROGRAM Mark N. Ozer The Washington, D.C. Chapter of ASC is been expanded to include weekly steering Herber/ W. R obinson expanding its program in the metropolitan committee meetings for the specific Louise 8. Speck area. In addition to bi-monthly dinner projccts: M urray Turoff meetings the chapter sponsors monthly (I) "Cybernetic Approach to National Donald E. Walker Tuncheon groups. - -- Declsl n l'v11fktng,.., nderthe -directiorr of liDITORIAL" STATF OF~HE FORUI\1 The luncheon groups are limited in size. Carlis A. Taylor; and (2) "Cybernetic Ap Editor Two groups have been active for over a year, proach to Pre-School Education," under the Nicholas M. Smith, the TELIMIS Corpora and a new group is in the process of forma direction ofCMD Robert Scarborough. Ken tion, Box 605. Springfield, VA 22150 tion. The theme for the luncheon groups is Morris has agreed to provide coordination Associate Editors "Cybernetic Approach to National Plan of the reports of the projects.