Thank you.
Journal Announcements
Note: Pointers to the journals listed below can be found on
the journal and publisher information page linked to the ACE web
site home page.
- Simulation Models of Social Agents:
- A special double issue of Adaptive Behavior on "Simulation
Models of Social Agents," guest edited by Kerstin Dautenhahn, University of
Hertfordshire, UK, has appeared as Volume 7, Number 3/4, 1999. For more
information, visit
http://www.adaptive-behavior.org/journal/.
- Socially Intelligent Agents:
- A special issue of the IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and
Cybernetics focusing on "Socially Intelligent Agents," guest edited by
Kerstin Dautenhahn, University of Hertfordshire, UK, is scheduled to appear
in April 2001. For more information, visit
http://homepages.feis.herts.ac.uk/~comqkd/IEEESMC.html.
- Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation:
- The October 31st issue of the online Journal of Artificial
Societies and Social Simulation (JASSS) includes a forum article titled
"Why Do Simulation," refereed articles on delegation methods, vocabulary
agreement in multi-agent communities, and a forgiving strategy for the
iterated prisoner's dilemma, and various book reviews.
- JASSS is an electronic, refereed journal devoted to the exploration
and understanding of social processes by means of computer simulation. It
can be freely accessed at
http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/JASSS/.
Book Announcements
Note: The following book announcements have been incorporated
into the annotated syllabus of ACE-related readings linked to the
ACE Web site home page. Links to publishers (for ordering purposes)
can be found on the journal and book announcements and information
page linked to the ACE Web site home page.
- Michael Wooldridge, Reasoning About Rational Agents, MIT
Press, July 2000, 240 pages, ISBN 0-262-23213-8.
- From the publisher: "One goal of modern computer science is to
engineer computer programs that can act as autonomous, rational agents;
software that can independently make good decisions about what actions to
perform on our behalf and execute those actions. Applications range from
small programs that intelligently search the Web buying and selling goods via
electronic commerce, to autonomous space probes. This book focuses on the
belief-desire-intention (BDI) model of rational agents, which recognizes the
primacy of beliefs, desires, and intentions in rational action. The BDI
model has three distinct strengths: an underlying philosophy based on
practical reasoning in humans, a software architecture that is implementable
in real systems, and a family of logics that support a formal theory of
rational agency."
- For more information, visit
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262232138/instituteforgl07.
- Rolf Pfeifer and Christian Scheier, Understanding Intelligence,
MIT Press, August 1999, 700 pages, ISBN: 0-262-16181-8.
- From a review by Dimitrios Lambrinos: "Researchers now agree that
intelligence always manifests itself in behavior -- thus it is behavior that
we must understand. An exciting new field has grown around the study of
behavior: behavior-based artificial intelligence, also known as embodied
cognitive science, or `new AI.' This book provides a systematic introduction
to this new way of thinking. After discussing concepts and approaches such
as subsumption architecture, Braitenberg vehicles, evolutionary robots,
artificial life, self-organization, and learning, the authors derive a set of
principles and a coherent framework for the study of naturally and
artificially intelligent systems, or autonomous agents. This framework is
based on a synthetic methodology whose goal is understanding by designing and
building."
- Richard S. Sutton and Andrew G. Barto, Reinforcement Learning: An
Introduction, MIT Press, March 1998, 380 pages, ISBN: 0-262-19398-1.
- From the Authors: "Reinforcement learning, one of the most active
research areas in artificial intelligence, is a computational approach to
learning whereby an agent tries to maximize the total amount of reward it
receives when interacting with a complex, uncertain environment. In this
book, we provide an explanation of the key ideas and algorithms of
reinforcement learning. The discussion ranges from the history of the
field's intellectual foundations to the most recent developments and
applications."
- Richard S. Sutton is Senior Research Scientist in the Department of
Computer Science, and Andrew G. Barto is Professor of Computer Science, both
at the University of Massachusetts. For further information about their
book, visit
http://envy.cs.umass.edu/~rich/book/the-book.html.
- Susan Blackmore, The Meme Machine, Oxford University Press, May
2000, 288 pages, ISBN: 0-192-86212-X.
- From Scientific American: "Jokes, fads, rumors and many other
things spread quickly and widely among people. How so? Zoologist Richard
Dawkins, in The Selfish Gene, coined the word `meme' for the entity
that might play the role of gene in the transmission of words, ideas, faiths,
mannerisms, and fashions. It is not a physical entity, as far as anyone
knows, but a characteristic trait of the human brain. ... (Memes) can pass
vertically, as from parent to child, or -- unlike genes -- horizontally in
peer groups and obliquely as from uncle to niece. Each of us is a meme
machine. ... Blackmore carries the idea far, examining the role of memes in
such phenomena as the evolution of the enormous human brain, the origins of
language,... altruism, and the evolution of the Internet."
- Susan Blackmore is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of the
West in England.
- Jean-Arcady Meyer, Alain Berthoz, Dario Floreano, Herbert L. Roitblat,
and Stewart W. Wilson (eds.), From Animals to Animats 6, Proceedings of
the Sixth International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behavior, MIT
Press, October 2000, 500 pages, ISBN: 0-262-63200-4.
- From the publisher: "The Animals to Animats Conference brings
together researchers from ethology, psychology, ecology, artificial
intelligence, artificial life, robotics, engineering, and related fields to
further understanding of the behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow
natural and synthetic agents (animats) to adapt and survive in uncertain
environments. The work presented focuses on well-defined models -- robotic,
computer-simulation, and mathematical -- that help to characterize and compare
various organizational principles or architectures underlying adaptive
behavior in both natural animals and animats."
- Timothy A. Kohler and George J. Gumerman (eds.), Dynamics in Human and
Primate Societies: Agent-Based Modeling of Social and Spatial Processes,
SFI Studies in the Sciences of Complexity, Oxford University Press, 2000, 416
pages, ISBN (paper): 0-19-513168-1.
- From the publisher: "(This) book presents the most up-to-date
research in the study of human and primate societies, presenting recent
advances in software and algorithms for modeling societies. It also
addresses case studies that have applied agent-based modeling approaches in
archaeology, cultural anthropology, primatology, and sociology. Many things
set this book apart from any other on modeling in the social sciences,
including the emphasis on small-scale societies and the attempts to maximize
realism in modeling efforts applied to social problems and questions. It is
an ideal book for professionals in archaeology or cultural anthropology as
well as a valuable tool for those studying primatology or computer science."
- Timothy A. Kohler is at the Washington State University and George
J. Gumerman is at the University of Arizona.
- David B. Fogel, Evolutionary Computation: Principles and Practice for
Signal Processing, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
(SPIE) Press, Volume TT43, July 2000, 182 pages, ISBN: 0-819-43725-5.
- From the Author: "This book provides a comprehensive introduction to
evolutionary computation, as well as an overview of the application of
evolutionary algorithms to problems in signal processing, including time
series prediction and modelling using autoregressive-moving average (ARMA)
and neural network models of data. Efforts to apply evolutionary algorithms
to clustering, classification, and control are also explored in various
regards, including cases that involve sonar data, mammographic data, and
freeway traffic flow control. The book concludes by discussing the theory
and tools that can be useful for tailoring improved evolutionary algorithms
for specific applications, particularly relying on the use of fitness
distributions of operators."
- The book is intended to serve as an undergraduate or graduate text
that supplements traditional textbooks on signal processing and as a useful
monograph for engineers involved in signal processing, pattern recognition,
and control. For more information, visit
http://www.spie.org/web/abstracts/oepress/TT43.html.
- David B. Fogel is Chief Scientist at Natural Selection, Inc., La
Jolla, California.
- Michael D. Vose, The Simple Genetic Algorithm: Foundations and
Theory, Bradford Books, December 1999, ISBN: 0-262-22058-X.
- From Amazon.com: "Computer scientist Michael D. Vose takes a rigorous
look at The Simple Genetic Algorithm and shows the state of our
knowledge in a book appropriate for advanced undergraduates, graduate
students and professionals. Vose has decided to approach his subject as a
mathematical object, keeping his discussion to a minimum and relying on
mathematical demonstrations of what has been proven about this powerful
genetic search. This approach maximizes the book's utility for its scope of
readers; since each chapter builds on the material before, it makes a good
teaching tool, but it is still a useful reference as the indexing helps the
professional find proofs quickly."
- Michael D. Vose is Associate Professor in the Department of Computer
Science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
- V. S. Subrahmanian, Piero Bonatti, Juergen Dix, Thomas Eiter, Sarit
Kraus, Fatma Ozcan, and Robert Ross, Heterogeneous Agent Systems, MIT
Press, July 2000, 640 pages, ISBN (cloth): 0-262-19436-8.
- From the publisher: "Software agents are the latest advance in the
trend toward smaller, modular pieces of code, where each module performs a
well-defined, focused task or set of tasks. Programmed to interact with and
provide services to other agents, including humans, software agents act
autonomously with prescribed backgrounds, beliefs, and operations. Systems of
agents can access and manipulate heterogeneously stored data such as that
found on the Internet. After a discussion of the theory of software agents,
this book presents IMPACT (Interactive Maryland Platform for Agents
Collaborating Together), an experimental agent infrastructure that translates
formal theories of agency into a functional multiagent system that can extend
legacy software code and application-specific or legacy data structures. The
book describes three sample applications: a store, a self-correcting
auto-pilot, and a supply chain."
- V. S. Subrahmanian is Associate Professor of Computer Science
at the University of Maryland, Piero Bonatti is Associate Professor of
Information Science at the University of Milan, Juergen Dix is Professor of
Computer Science at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany, Thomas Eiter
is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Technology, Vienna,
Sarit Kraus is Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Bar
Ilan University, Israel, and Fatma Ozcan and Robert Ross are graduate
students at the University of Maryland.
- For more information about this book, visit the publisher's book
promotion site at
http://mitpress.mit.edu/promotions/books/SUBHHS00
- Kluwer Solicitation for Book Proposals.
- Book proposals are being solicited by Kluwer Academic Publishers for
their International Book Series on Multiagent Systems, Artificial
Societies, and Simulated Organizations. The series will include textbooks
as well as research and application-oriented monographs. For more
information, visit
http://wwwbrauer.informatik.tu-muenchen.de/~weissg/MS-AS-SO/.
Software
Note: Pointers to the following materials have been
incorporated into the software page linked to the ACE Web site home
page.
- Multi-Agent Modelling Language (Swarm Extension):
- The Multi-Agent Modelling Language (MAML), developed by
László Gulyás, Tamás Kozsik, and Sándor
Fazekas at the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary), is a tool for
agent-based simulation. In its current version, MAML is a macro-language for
Swarm. It consists of several `macro keywords' that define the general
structure of a simulation; the remainder must be completed with Swarm coding.
However, MAML is also part of a larger Swarm-independent framework currently
under development. For more information, see
http://www.syslab.ceu.hu/maml/.
An article explaining MAML that appeared in the October 1999 issue of the
electronic Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation can
be accessed at
http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/JASSS/2/3/8.html.
- Demonstration Software for Complex Adaptive Systems (Macintosh)
- Professor Robert Goldstone (Department of Psychology, Indiana
University, Bloomington) has developed Macintosh simulation software for an
undergraduate course that can be used to demonstrate how various types of
complex adaptive systems adapt and evolve over time. Three applications are
stressed: chaotic growth in animal populations; human learning, cooperation,
and competition within social groups; and the evolution of artificial life.
- For more information, visit
http://cognitrn.psych.indiana.edu/rgoldsto/complex/.
- Software for Renewable Resource Management (Smalltalk):
- From the Web site: "Resource management systems are complex when
common resources are exploited by a number of users. Ecological dynamics are
expressed at different levels, i.e., individual, population, and community.
Social dynamics are expressed at the level of individuals or organizations.
In renewable resource management, the interactions between the dynamics of
agriculture and resource use must be taken into account. Computer modelling
facilitates the understanding of these interactions. ... Cormas is a
multi-agent simulation software for renewable resource management. It
provides the framework for building models of the interactions between
individuals and groups using (renewable) resources."
- For more information about Cormas, visit
http://www.cirad.fr/presentation/programmes/espace/cormas/eng/index.shtml.
Research Groups and Sites
Note: Pointers to the following research groups and sites
have been incorporated into the ACE-related research groups and
sites page linked to the ACE Web site home page.
- Karl Sims Home Page:
- Karl Sims (Genarts, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts) has a new home
page at
http://www.genarts.com/karl/
that provides annotated pointers to his work on interactive exhibits
and computer animation, and to his technical papers.
- Educational Resources for Robotics, AI, and Neural Networks
- Mereware provides educational resources for research in robotics, AI
research, and neural networks. For more information, visit
http://www.mereware.com/.
Workshops and Meetings
Note: The following announcements have been incorporated into the
workshops and meetings page linked to the ACE Web site home page.
- Intelligent Agent Technology and Web Intelligence (October 2001):
- The Second Asia-Pacific Conference on Intelligent Agent Technology
(IAT'2001) will be held jointly with the First Asia-Pacific Conference on Web
Intelligence (WI'2001) in Maebashi City, Japan, October 23-26, 2001. The
joint conferences will feature various joint activities, including a common
opening ceremony and keynote talks by Benjamin Wah (2001 IEEE Computer
Society President) from the University of Illinois and Edward A. Feigenbaum
(Turing Award Winner) from Stanford University. The joint conference will
focus on the state-of-the-art in the development of intelligent agents, and
on the theoretical and computational foundations of intelligent agent
technology.
- For more information, visit the IAT'2001 Web site at
http://kis.maebashi-it.ac.jp/iat01.
- Agent-Based Simulation (April 2001):
- A workshop titled Workshop 2001: Agent Based Simulation II will be
held in Passau, Germany, April 2-4, 2001. Conference topics include: Basic
methodology; Agent architectures; Model specification and languages; Mobile
agents; Multi-agent systems: Communication and cooperation; Multi-level
simulation and emergence; Decision making and strategies; and Applications in
ecology, psychology, cognitive science and AI, and various other fields.
- For further information, visit
http://www.or.uni-passau.de/workshop2001.
- Genetic Programming (April 2001):
- The Fourth European Conference on Genetic Programming (EuroGP-2001)
will be held 18-20 April 2001 at Lake Como (Milan), Italy. For more
information, visit
http://evonet.dcs.napier.ac.uk/eurogp2001/.
- Economics with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents (June 2001):
- The Sixth Workshop on Economics with Heterogeneous Interacting
Agents (WEHIA) will be held in Maastricht, hosted by the Maastricht Economics
Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT) and the
International Institute on Infonomics. The workshop will be a venue for
presentation of the latest results of a wide variety of research that views
the economy as a complex system of many heterogeneous interacting agents.
Workshop topics will cover research in areas with a bearing on agent
interaction in economics.
- For more information, contact wehia01@merit.unimaas.nl.
- Soft Computing and Intelligent Systems for Industry (June 2001):
- The Fourth International ICSC Symposia on "Soft Computing and
Intelligent Systems for Industry" will be held June 26-29, 2001, in Paisley,
Scotland, U.K. Soft computing has become a term embracing artificial neural
networks, evolutionary algorithms, belief networks, fuzzy sets and logics,
and similar methodologies. The purpose of the symposia is to cover the field
of soft computing from basic research to prototypes and applications of soft
computing.
- For additional information, contact Prof. Colin Fyfe (General
Chair), University of Paisley, Computing and Information Systems, High Street
Paisley PA1 2DE, Scotland, U.K. Email: fyfe0ci@paisley.ac.uk Fax:
+44-141-848-3542
- International Computer Science Conventions:
- International Computer Science Conventions (ICSC) is a
non-profit-making multinational association interested in the development of
science and technology. The main purpose of ICSC is to assist communication
between researchers in the field of computing science and its technological
applications. One means used by ICSC for this purpose is the arrangement of
symposia, conferences, and workshops in cooperation mainly with universities
and industries. For more information, visit the ICSC Web site at
http://www.icsc.ab.ca/.
Program, Course, and Position Announcements
- Santa Fe Summer Schools (Summer 2001):
- The Santa Fe Summer School, administered by the Santa Fe Institute,
will be held June 10 to July 7, 2001, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, on the
campus of St. John's College in Santa Fe. The Budapest Summer school will be
held July 16 to August 10, 2001, on the campus of the Central European
University in Budapest, Hungary. The Budapest Summer School will be
administered by the Central European University and the Santa Fe Institute.
- Each school will be an intensive introduction to complex behavior in
mathematical, physical, living, and social systems for graduate students and
postdoctoral fellows in the sciences and social sciences. Each school is
open to students in all countries. Students are expected to choose one
school and attend the full four weeks. Students may apply to either the
Santa Fe School or the Budapest School, regardless of home country. The
application deadline is February 5, 2001.
- For further information, email summerschool@santafe.edu or visit
http://www.santafe.edu/sfi/education/indexCSSS.html.
- Modeling Program at the University of Michigan:
- From the Modeling Program Web site: "The University of Michigan
offers unrivaled opportunities to pursue graduate work in formal modeling in
the context of a full service Department of Political Science. The Modeling
Program consists of five core faculty (Robert Axelrod, Kenneth Kollman, Scott
Page, Jenna Bednar, James Morrow) and seven affiliated faculty. Together,
their specialties include all forms of modeling, both rational choice and
adaptation. The curriculum is designed to teach not only the techniques of
modeling, but the role of modeling in empirical research. Among the
techniques taught in depth are both deductive game theory (including
institutional analysis, bargaining and public choice), and computational
modeling (including agent-based and evolutionary models)."
- For more information, visit
http://polisci.lsa.umich.edu/research_areas/modeling/.
Miscellaneous News Items
- Change in SimSoc Mailing List Address:
- There has been a change in the contractual arrangement for
management of the UK academic community mailing list service. The service
previously provided by Mailbase (http://www.mailbase.ac.uk) at Newcastle will
in the future be provided by Rutherford Appleton Laboratories based at Didcot
Oxfordshire.
- This transition affects the SimSoc mailing list as well as the many
other lists provided as part of this service. Emails to the SimSoc mailing
list should hereafter be sent to simsoc@jiscmail.ac.uk. User commands, e.g.,
for subscription and unsubscription, should be sent to
jiscmail@jiscmail.ac.uk. Details of the differences and the transition
arrangements are available on the JISCmail Web site at
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/docs/transition.htm.
Reminder: Items Requested for ACE News Notes and Complexity
Just a reminder that if you have any ACE-related news items, or
any information about ACE-related teaching materials, software,
books, journals, or conferences that you would like to have
considered for inclusion in the ACE news notes, and/or the
Complexity-at-Large section of the John Wiley journal
Complexity, please email them to me (along with Web site
information if available) at the following address:
tesfatsi@iastate.edu.
Copyright © 2000 Leigh Tesfatsion. All Rights Reserved.