Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!caen!uwm.edu!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!markh
From: markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark William Hopkins)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.neural-nets
Subject: On-line neural net telesymposium.
Summary: An interesting idea.
Message-ID: <8589@uwm.edu>
Date: 29 Dec 90 02:22:35 GMT
Sender: news@uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Lines: 21


   What do you get when you combine the best of two worlds, with one being the
real-time world of multichat systems, and the other being a serious group of
people with a mutual interest in neural net research and applications?  The
answer: a TELESYMPOSIUM.

   Interesting questions pop up.  What does it involve?  Just a talk-together
of people with a common interest?  Maybe an actual exchange of files and
(sample) programs?  Maybe an on-line brainstorming session?  I couldn't
possibly answer the question, since I've never really done anything like
this before.  What kind of format is used?  Are logs of the transactions
to be published?  (Is there to be on-line automated translation for non-English
participants?)  Does it have a schedule and format, or does it just go on and
on and on...?

   It's not just an idle question either.  Software to accomplish this task
is relatively easy to obtain or write. I've done this kind of thing before.
Easy, that is, if the number of participants is under 60 or so, a bit more
difficult if it is larger.

   I'd like to hear some feedback on the general idea.