New member: Steve Smith

Cliff Joslyn (cjoslyn@BINGHAMTON.EDU)
Fri, 5 Sep 1997 12:42:20 -0400


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From: "Steven Smith" <sas@diegetic.lanl.gov>
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Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 14:20:23 -0600
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Cliff -

I'm sorry we haven't met yet, I guess they have you locked away in a vault ;)
or something. I spoke to Marianna and Norm in a chance meeting at lunch while
I was meeting with Steen (Rasmussen) on these same subjects and it reminded me
that I hadn't met the one of us most likely to do something (you) out of the
crowd. I've known Steen for years and Marianna since she came here but Norm
only since this started up.

I browsed the PCP archives when I first heard of it (from you on net-core)
and was intrigued but too distracted to sign up for the mail list. I think
I'm ready now, if I might.

Steve Smith
sas@lanl.gov
MS B272, LANL, Los Alamos, NM 87544
(505)665-3377
Staff Member, LANL
I heard about PCP from *YOU*!

thanks,
- Steve

--
Steve Smith
Graphics/Visualization Team
Distributed Computing Group
Los Alamos National Laboratory

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Cliff -

I neglected my "at least one page" describing my work and how it might relate to PCP. I will probably not succeed in filling a page, however...

My current interests in this area include the characterization and modelling of the *information space* implied by the collection of all information which is available electronically. Primarily this implies the "Internet" but theoretically includes other "information spaces" which are loosely coupled and do not specifically even operate digitally or on top of the TCP/IP suite.

Examples of this might be proprietary "Intranets" which might or might not be IP based, databases and other information archives not directly accessible via http or ftp but which might be available through some filtering process, say a CGI script for example. A military CCC system might also be included, as might the global telephone network, the digital and analog networks controlling utilities (electric, transportations systems, et cetera).

My current funded work in this area is around the use of distributed agents for collecting, indexing and characterizing Web documents. To this end, it is clear that better (than current practice) techniques are needed to do this well and effeciently. Current practice includes primarily automated roboting of textual documents and full or partial text and keyword/title indexing. Searching of these indices is primarily limited to boolean and keyword searches. Some of the deficiencies of the current practice include staleness of indices, typically large numbers of false positives (give me what I wanted, not what I asked for), cumbersome query interfaces, extremely crude semantic-level queries/association, no (apparent) application of auto-adaptive techniques being applied, and perhaps most importantly no revision history management/control/awareness.

My interests also include the general application of the biological metaphor and complex systems theoretic tools to the analysis and understanding of these spaces with particular emphasis in the characterization and visualization (perceptualization) of these systems. I also have a strong interest in this domain as a live, rich testbed for the study of self-organizing systems and the evolution of information structures.

Hope this is what you were looking for!

- Steve

--
Steve Smith
Graphics/Visualization Team
Distributed Computing Group
Los Alamos National Laboratory