Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!simulation From: simulation@uflorida.cis.ufl.edu (Moderator: Paul Fishwick) Newsgroups: comp.simulation Subject: SIMULATION DIGEST V19 N10 Message-ID: <26747@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> Date: 7 Feb 91 01:33:08 GMT Sender: fishwick@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU Reply-To: simulation@uflorida.cis.ufl.edu Lines: 472 Approved: fishwick@uflorida.cis.ufl.edu Volume: 19, Issue: 10, Wed Feb 6 20:31:52 EST 1991 +----------------+ | TODAY'S TOPICS | +----------------+ (1) Using Simulation in Understanding our Environment (2) SimCity and SimEarth (3) SPICE Interest Groups (4) WANTED: EPR Simulation Program (5) CALL: Conference on Computer-Aided Design (6) 1991 SCS Simulation Multiconference (7) CALL: ICSE Workshop on Software/Hardware CoDesign (8) Simulation Games * Moderator: Paul Fishwick, Univ. of Florida * Send topical mail to: simulation@bikini.cis.ufl.edu OR post to comp.simulation via USENET * Archives available via FTP to bikini.cis.ufl.edu (128.227.224.1). Login as 'ftp', use your last name as the password, change directory to pub/simdigest. Do 'type binary' before any file xfers. * Simulation Tools available by doing above and changing the directory to pub/simdigest/tools. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 4 Feb 91 17:22:05 GMT From: mcleod@M5.Sdsc.Edu Subject: call To: simulation@bikini.cis.ufl.edu X-St-Vmsmail-To: ST%"simulation@bikini.cis.ufl.edu" To all CONCERNED about our ENVIRONMENT CALL for Comment, Informal Note, or Technical Article for possible publication As one who is greatly concerned about our environment, I am trying to do something about the problems we face. The "something" stems from my belief that to solve a problem it helps to understand the system in which the problem is embedded. And experience shows that to model -- even an attempt to model -- a system is an excellent way to gain UNDERSTANDING. Therefore I have initiated, and am pursuing, a series of conference tracks (groups of sessions) under the rubric UNDERSTANDING OUR ENVIRONMENT. I am writing this in the afterglow of our successful presentations at the recent Western MultiConference at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California -- our first full-day track consisted of three sessions related to modeling various aspects of our environment. Our next conference will be in New Orleans, April 1-5, and the next in Baltimore, July 22-24. In support of this activity the Society for Computer Simulation invites anyone modeling ANY ASPECT of our environment to send us an abstract telling briefly about what they are doing, even if only "Work In Progress." Suitable abstracts will be published in the informal "Simulation in the Service of Society" section of our refereed technical journal SIMULATION. Selected authors will be invited to prepare and present formal papers at future conferences such as those described in the enclosures. These papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings. Papers by authors unable to attend a conference will be considered for publication in SIMULATION. Consideration is being given to gathering outstanding papers for publication in a hard- cover book to be titled "Understanding Our Environment." Non-modelers concerned with problems related to our deteriorating environment are invited to attend one of our conferences to learn what simulationists are doing about it. Please let me hear from you on this subject, even if only by way of a one- line blurb unsuitable for publication! John McLeod, P.E. Founder, Society for Computer Simulation, International 8484 La Jolla Shores Drive La Jolla, CA 92037 Phone: (619) 454-0966 E-mail: mcleod@sdsc.bitnet FAX: (619) 277-3130 ------------------------------ Newsgroups: comp.simulation Path: buhub!drdave From: drdave@buhub.bradley.edu (David L. Vessell) Subject: SimEarth Sender: news@bradley.bradley.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: buhub.bradley.edu Organization: Bradley University Date: Mon, 4 Feb 91 21:44:28 GMT Apparently-To: comp-simulation@uunet.uu.net This is probably a lighter topic than usual for this notesgroup, but I thought maybe someone here would know. Being a fan and student of Maxis's SimCity--The City Simulator, I took interest in the rumour that Maxis is producing a program called SimEarth, which I assume is similar in pretense but on a, well, 'global' scale. If anyone has heard about this or knows any specifics, post or write. Also, for those of you who do the 'industrial strength' computer simulating, what's your opinion of SimCity and other "Simulation Lite" software packages? -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- **dR.Dave** ....making the world safe for intelligent dance music. David L. Vessell Bradley Univ. Peoria, IL drdave@buhub.bradley.edu "I'm not a theatre major. I'm not even a theatre minor. I just have this obsession with power tools...." --Kory Komala ============================================================================= ------------------------------ Newsgroups: comp.simulation Path: frith!akbar From: akbar@frith.egr.msu.edu (Muhammad Akbar) Subject: SPICE/PSPICE news group Sender: Muhammad.Akbar@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu Organization: Michigan State University, East Lansing Date: Mon, 4 Feb 91 20:44:34 GMT Apparently-To: uunet!comp-simulation I am working on my thesis. My work involves analog and digital circuit simulations using spice/pspice on sun workstations. I would like to know if there is any interest group on SPICE/PSPICE. If anybody has any information kindly send me email. Thanks in advance. Muhammad Akbar (akbar@frith.egr.msu.edu) ------------------------------ Newsgroups: comp.simulation Path: eleazar.dartmouth.edu!boz From: boz@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (John Boswell) Subject: EPR simulation Sender: news@dartvax.dartmouth.edu (The News Manager) Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Date: Tue, 5 Feb 1991 06:10:15 GMT Apparently-To: comp-simulation@eddie.mit.edu Hi. I am hoping that someone reading this group can help me. I'm looking for the source code (in Pascal, preferably) to any EPR simulation programs. My ultimate goal is to be able to fit a simulated powder spectrum to an experimental spectrum (iteratively). I have one program already, but it is rather a "black box", as it is not commented, and I'm not quite able to follow it (with descriptive variables like "x" and "y", or whatever). I know of the Fortran programs from the QCPE, but I don't speak Fortran... Any help would be greatly appreciated! John Boswell Department of Chemistry Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH boz@eleazar.dartmouth.edu ------------------------------ Newsgroups: comp.simulation Path: fuchs From: fuchs@crhc.uiuc.edu (W. Kent Fuchs) Subject: Call for Papers ICCAD-91 Keywords: CAD, ICCAD-91, Call for Papers Sender: news@roundup.crhc.uiuc.edu Organization: Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing at UIUC Date: Tue, 5 Feb 1991 19:36:48 GMT Apparently-To: comp-simulation@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu CALL FOR PAPERS IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN ICCAD-91 Submission Due Date: April 12, 1991 The 1991 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN will be held November 10-14, 1991, in Santa Clara, CA.. ICCAD is oriented towards Electrical Engineering CAD professionals, concentrating on CAD for Electronic Circuit Design. AREAS OF INTEREST Original technical papers on (but not limited to) the following topics are invited: 1) HIGH LEVEL SIMULATION 2) SIMULATION 3) HIGH LEVEL SYNTHESIS 4) LOGIC SYNTHESIS 5) LAYOUT VERIFICATION/ANALOG CIRCUIT DESIGN 6) PLACEMENT AND FLOORPLANNING 7) ROUTING 8) TESTING 9) CAD FRAMEWORKS AUTHOR INFORMATION Authors should submit: 1) 12 copies of a one-paragraph abstract, and 2) 12 copies of the completed paper not to exceed 18 double-spaced pages, figures and tables included. Excessively long submissions and previously published papers will be returned to the authors. NOTE: Papers will be reviewed anonymously. Therefore ONLY the cover page should identify authors and their affiliations! FORMAT The ONE-PARAGRAPH ABSTRACT, typed on one separate page, should clearly and precisely state what is new and point out the signifi- cant results. The paper should be as close as possible to the paper as you would expect to see it appear if published. In the detailed description, the author must objectively address why the proposed contribution is superior to prior work or what the signi- ficance of the contribution is, if breaking new ground. Demonstra- tion of superiority in algorithms and strategies with heuristics is required through a description of the programming implementation and application to "real" problems. Additional mathematical proofs are welcome. The contribution should address an area of current technical interest to the CAD professional. A clear description of the new contribution, status of the work and significant examples and appropriate results should be given. COVER PAGE REQUIREMENTS Submissions should include, on the cover page: the title of the paper; the category 1-9, which most clearly matches the paper's content (see Areas of Interest); the full name, complete return address, telephone number and affiliation of each author; and clear identification of the individual to whom all communication should be addressed. In giving your return address, please consider that the communications for paper acceptance and mailing of the author's kit occur in the month of July. AUTHOR'S SCHEDULE Deadline for submissions: Postmarked April 12, 1991 Notification of acceptance: June 28, 1991 Deadline for final version: August 9, 1991 SEND TO: ICCAD-91 Secretary MP Associates, Inc. 7490 Clubhouse Rd., Suite 102 Boulder, CO 80301 Telephone: (303) 530-4562 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Feb 91 23:52:00 GMT From: mcleod@M5.Sdsc.Edu Subject: Conference Announcement To: fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu X-St-Vmsmail-To: ST%"fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu" ANNOUNCEMENT Simulators International 1991 SCS Simulation Multiconference Who should attend: Vice Presidents Plant Managers Simulator Support Group Staff Members The 1991 SCS Simulation Multiconference to be held April 1-5, 1991, at the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana will include special emphasis on Nuclear Reference Plant Simulator Certification. A track running throughout the week will cover all aspects of simulator hardware, software, testing, configuration control, certification, maintenance, and management. Special guest speakers will include Commissioner Kenneth C. Rogers of the United State Nuclear Regulator Commission and Thomas E. Tipton, Director of Operations, Management and Support Services Division, NUMARC. These presentations to nuclear utility vice presidents and plant managers should emphasize the importance placed on certified simulators as part of the Licensed Training Programs at Nuclear Power Plants. A simulator certification awards presentation, included in the Utility Simulator Users Group and sponsored by The Society for Computer Simulation, will honor those utilities that have put forth the effort to achieve certification of their simulators. Members of the simulator support groups and executives from the participating utilities should plan to attend and receive recognition. The Utility Simulator Users Group has provided direct assistance through the volunteer efforts of group members on Assist Team. For additional information, contact the Society for Computer Simulation. BITNET: McLeod@SDSC or call (619) 277-3888. Society for Computer Simulation, P.O. Box 17900, San Diego, CA 92117-7900. ------------------------------ Posted-Date: Wed, 6 Feb 91 10:05:24 CST Date: Wed, 6 Feb 91 10:05:24 CST From: franke%cadillac.cad.mcc.com@mcc.com (David Franke) To: simulation@bikini.cis.ufl.edu Subject: CFP - ICSE Workshop on Hardware/Software CoDesign * CALL FOR PARTICIPATION * ICSE Workshop on Software/Hardware CoDesign Austin, TX, USA Date: May 13th, 1991 Sponsored by ICSE Systems comprising a mixture of hardware and software components are difficult to develop because hardware and software practitioners employ distinct methodologies. Codesign involves bringing together these methodologies, not only at the design stage but throughout the development and product life-cycle. This workshop is a forum for defining and exploring issues in software/hardware codesign. The workshop seeks papers or extended abstracts describing 1) current research into codesign issues and 2) case studies of designs involving software and hardware. We encourage papers/abstracts which contribute to the understanding of codesign issues such as the following: * Representation paradigms and languages that allow expression of software and hardware designs; their power and limitations; their requirements upon associated analysis and/or simulation techniques * Simulation methods for combined software/hardware designs * Metrics and evaluation techniques for combined software/hardware designs (for example, reliability, performance, size (code, hardware)) * Estimation techniques for combined software/hardware system metrics * Data models for combined software/hardware designs * Integration of software design techniques/methods and hardware design techniques/methods * The role of codesign in concurrent engineering To facilitate discussion, acceptance will be limited to 30 papers and 10 or fewer presentations. Individuals who wish to request an invitation to the workshop without submitting a paper should send a letter to the workshop chair, describing background and interests, by the paper submission deadline. There will be a proceedings of all accepted submissions. Single paragraph abstracts of each attendee's paper or work in codesign will be distributed prior to the workshop. If sufficient interest is expressed by participants, there may be an evening session for "system" demonstrations on video or slides. The workshop's organizing committee consists of: David Franke, MCC; Martin Purvis, MCC; others to be determined The submission format will be short, self-contained papers of no more than 2000 words (the proceedings version of accepted papers may be longer). Extensions and condensations of work already submitted elsewhere is permissible, so long as duplications are noted. Submissions should include postal addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for all authors, plus a stamped self-addressed card if such acknowledgement is desired. Three copies of submitted papers should be sent to either of the following: David Franke Martin Purvis MCC MCC 3500 W. Balcones Center Dr. 3500 W. Balcones Center Dr. Austin, TX 78759-6509 Austin, TX 78759-6509 (512) 338-3641 (512) 338-33605 franke@mcc.com purvis@mcc.com Important dates: Feb. 22 Papers must be received Apr. 9 Notification of acceptance mailed Apr. 17 Abstracts due for early distribution Apr. 24 Revised papers must be received May 13 Workshop ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Feb 91 16:01 GMT From: Jocelyn Paine To: COMP-SIMULATION <@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk:COMP-SIMULATION@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.edu> Subject: Games for programmed players Newsgroups: comp.simulation Subject: Games for programmed players Summary: Expires: Sender: Reply-To: popx@vax.ox.ac.uk (Jocelyn Paine) Followup-To: Distribution: comp.ai, comp.simulation Organization: Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, UK. Keywords: The AI magazine published, in Autumn 1983, an article called "Knowledge Programming in Loops", by Mark Stefik, Daniel Bobrow, Sanjay Mittal and Lynn Conway. This described an experimental course at Xerox Parc about building expert systems in Loops. The course was centered round a game called "Truckin'" in which the players drove lorries round a board populated with shops. To win, you had to get to the end of the board, having bought and sold from the shops in such a way as to make more profit then any other player. Or to be exact: your _player_ had to do this. _Your_ job was to program your player, using expert system techniques, so as to make it win. Things were made more interesting by features designed to cause goal conflicts. For example, if your lorry drove quickly over a bumpy road, it might damage its load; but if the load was perishable, it would go off if not delivered quickly. There were highwaymen, robbing from lorries that passed too slowly; and weighing stations, fining lorries which went too fast or were too heavy. Ineptly programmed lorries would reveal themselves in various ways: "A player may be racing to Alice's Restaurant [the final stop]. One move before the game ends it is unable to resist a business 'opportunity' and doesn't make it to Alice's. A player may go to the closest place to sell goods, even if that's the City Dump, which unfortunately pays a 'negative price'. A player may become focussed on a tight producer/consumer loop, making money faster than any other player on the board. If it is programmed to only buy fuel from stations along its route, but there is no petrol station in the tight loop, the team will watch anxiously as the fuel gauge drops lower and lower. A player may try to park next to Alice's Restaurant near the end of the game, even if it happens to be the Union hall, which confiscates all goods and cash." All this comes from the original paper, and I've described it in case anyone wants to take up the idea for teaching. I would like to ask whether anyone else has designed such games, or if anyone knows references to them. I'll summarise replies to the net. Somebody mentioned a game called "Robot Wars" (_not_ Core Wars, which is the one in which machine code programs fight it out) but I've been unable to trace it. I'd also like to ask for the E-mail address of the authors, so that I can ask for more details about the rules of Truckin'. Jocelyn Paine ( POPX @ UK.AC.OX.VAX ) ------------------------------ END OF SIMULATION DIGEST ************************