Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/ai-faq/genetic/part2

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From: [e-mail] (Joerg Heitkoetter)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.genetic,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: FAQ: comp.ai.genetic part 2/3 (A Guide to Frequently Asked Questions)
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Date: 27 Dec 1993 18:06:21 GMT
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Summary: This is part 2 of a trilogy entitled "The Hitch-Hiker's Guide
     to Evolutionary Computation". A monthly published list of Frequently
     Asked Questions (and their answers) about Evolutionary Algorithms,
     Life and Everything. It should be read by anyone who whishes to post
     to the comp.ai.genetic newsgroup, preferably *before* posting.
Originator: [e-mail] (Joerg Heitkoetter)
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu comp.ai.genetic:1998 comp.answers:3186 news.answers:13391

Archive-name:   ai-faq/genetic/part2
Last-Modified:  12/20/93
Issue:          1.10





FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



A5) What about all this Optimization stuff? [preliminary]
     Just  think of an optimization problem as a black box.  A large black
     box. As large as, for example, a Coca-Cola vending machine.  Now,  we
     don't  know  nothing  about  the inner workings of this box, but see,
     that there are some regulators to play with, and of course  we  know,
     that we want to have a bottle of the real thing...

     Putting  this  everyday problem into a mathematical model, we proceed
     as follows:

     (1) we label all the regulators with x and a number starting from  1;
     the  result  is  a  vector  x, i.e. (x_1,...,x_n), where n is the
     number of visible regulators.

     (2) we must find an objective function, in this case it's obvious, we
     want  to  get k bottles of the real thing, where k is equal to 1.
     [some might want a "greater or equal"  here,  but  we  restricted
     ourselves to the visible regulators (we all know that sometimes a
     "kick in the right place" gets use more than 1,  but  I  have  no
     idea how to put this mathematically...)]

     (3) thus,  in  the  language  some mathematicians prefer to speak in:
     f(x) = k = 1. So, what we have here  is  a  maximization  problem
     presented  in  a  form we know from some boring calculus lessons,
     and  we  also  know  that  there  at  least   a   dozen   utterly
     uninteresting  techniques to solve problems presented this way...

 What can we do in order to solve this problem?
     We can either try to gain more knowledge or exploit what  we  already
     know  about  the interior of the black box. If the objective function
     turns out to be smooth and differentiable,  analytical  methods  will
     produce the exact solution.

     If  this  turns  out  to  be impossible, we might resort to the brute
     force method of enumerating the entire SEARCH SPACE.   But  with  the
     number  of  possibilities  growing  exponentially in n, the number of
     dimensions (inputs), this method becomes  infeasible  even  for  low-
     dimensional spaces.

     Consequently,  mathematicians  have  developed  theories  for certain
     kinds of problems leading  to  specialized  optimization  procedures.
     These  algorithms  perform  well  if  the  black  box  fulfils  their
     respective prerequisites.  For example, Dantzig's  simplex  algorithm
     (Dantzig  66)  probably  represents  the  best known multidimensional
     method capable of efficiently finding the global optimum of a linear,
     hence  convex, objective function in a SEARCH SPACE limited by linear
     constraints.  (A USENET FAQ on linear programming  is  maintained  by
     John  W.  Gregory  of  Cray  Research,  Inc. Try to get your hands on
     "linear-programming-faq" (and  "nonlinear-programming-faq")  that  is
     posted monthly to sci.op-research and mostly interesting to read.)




Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        1







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     Gradient  strategies  are  no longer tied to these linear worlds, but
     they smooth their world by exploiting the objective function's  first
     partial  derivatives  one  has to supply in advance. Therefore, these
     algorithms rely on a locally linear internal model of the black  box.

     Newton   strategies   additionally   require   the   second   partial
     derivatives, thus building a quadratic internal model.  Quasi-Newton,
     conjugate  gradient  and  variable metric strategies approximate this
     information during the search.

     The deterministic  strategies  mentioned  so  far  cannot  cope  with
     deteriorations,  so  the search will stop if anticipated improvements
     no longer occur. In a multimodal ENVIRONMENT  these  algorithms  move
     "uphill"  from their respective starting points. Hence, they can only
     converge to the next local optimum.

     Newton-Raphson-methods might even diverge if  a  discrepancy  between
     their  internal assumptions and reality occurs.  But of course, these
     methods turn out to  be  superior  if  a  given  task  matches  their
     requirements.  Not relying on derivatives, polyeder strategy, pattern
     search and rotating coordinate search should also be  mentioned  here
     because  they  represent  robust  non-linear  optimization algorithms
     (Schwefel 81).

     Dealing with technical optimization problems, one will rarely be able
     to write down the objective function in a closed form.  We often need
     a simulation model in order to grasp reality.  In general, one cannot
     even   expect   these   models   to  behave  smoothly.  Consequently,
     derivatives do not exist. That is why  optimization  algorithms  that
     can  successfully  deal  with  black  box-type  situations  habe been
     developed. The increasing applicability is of course paid  for  by  a
     loss  of  CONVERGENCE  VELOCITY,  compared  to  algorithms  specially
     designed for the given problem.  Furthermore, the guarantee  to  find
     the global optimum no longer exists!

 But why turn to nature when looking for more powerful algorithms?
     In  the  attempt  to  create  tools for various purposes, mankind has
     copied, more often instinctively than geniously,  solutions  invented
     by  nature.  Nowadays, one can prove in some cases that certain forms
     or structures are not only well adapted to their ENVIRONMENT but have
     even reached the optimum (Rosen 67). This is due to the fact that the
     laws of nature have remained  stable  during  the  last  3.5  billion
     years.  For  instance,  at branching points the measured ratio of the
     diameters in a system of blood-vessels comes close to the theoretical
     optimum  provided  by  the  laws of fluid dynamics (2^-1/3). This, of
     course, only represents a  limited,  engineering  point  of  view  on
     nature. In general, nature performs ADAPTATION, not OPTIMIZATION.

     The idea to imitate basic principles of natural processes for optimum
     seeking procedures emerged more than three decades ago  (cf  Q10,  3.
     Classics).  Although  these  algorithms  have proven to be robust and



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        2







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     direct optimization tools, it is only in the  last  five  years  that
     they  have caught the researchers' attention. This is due to the fact
     that many people still look at organic EVOLUTION as a giantsized game
     of  dice,  thus ignoring the fact that this model of evolution cannot
     have worked: a human germ-cell comprises approximately 50,000  GENEs,
     each  of  which  consists  of  about  300  triplets of nucleic bases.
     Although the four existing  bases  only  encode  20  different  amino
     acids,  20^15,000,000, ie circa 10^19,500,000 different genotypes had
     to be tested in only circa 10^17 seconds, the age of our planet.  So,
     simply  rolling  the  dice  could  not have produced the diversity of
     today's complex living systems.

     Accordingly,  taking  random  samples   from   the   high-dimensional
     parameter  space  of an objective function in order to hit the global
     optimum must fail (Monte-Carlo search). But  by  looking  at  organic
     EVOLUTION  as  a  cumulative,  highly  parallel  sieving process, the
     results of which pass on slightly modified into the next  sieve,  the
     amazing   diversity   and  efficiency  on  earth  no  longer  appears
     miraculous. When building a model, the point is to isolate  the  main
     mechanisms  which  have  led  to  today's  world  and which have been
     subjected to evolution themselves. Inevitably,  nature  has  come  up
     with  a  mechanism  allowing  INDIVIDUALs  of one SPECIES to exchange
     parts of their genetic information (RECOMBINATION or CROSSOVER), thus
     being able to meet changing environmental conditions in a better way.

     Dantzig, G.B.  (1966)  "Lineare  Programmierung  und  Erweiterungen",
     Berlin: Springer. (Linear pogramming and extensions)

     Kursawe,  F.  (1994)  "Evolution strategies: Simple models of natural
     processes?", Revue Internationale de Systemique, France (to  appear).

     Rosen,   R.  (1967)  "Optimality  Principles  in  Biologie",  London:
     Butterworth.

     Schwefel, H.-P. (1981) "Numerical Optimization of  Computer  Models",
     Chichester: Wiley.

A10) Good introductory material on EAs?
 A10.1) Books for absolute beginners?
     Dawkins,  R.  (1976,  1989 2nd ed) "The Selfish Gene", Oxford: Oxford
     University Press.  [The 2nd edition includes the first unaltered  and
     adds  two  new  chapters,  updated  references,  and "Endnotes" which
     update the original text.  One of the new chapters expands ideas from
     his "Extended Phenotype".]

     Dawkins,  R.  (1982)  "The  Extended Phenotype: The Gene as a Unit of
     Selection", Oxford: Oxford University Press.

     Dawkins, R. (1986) "The Blind Watchmaker", New York: W.W. Norton.





Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        3







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     Gonick, L. (1983) "The Cartoon Guide to Computer Science", New  York:
     Barnes & Nobel. [eds note: features an interesting chapter on Charles
     Babbage in conjunction with "horse racing forecasting", if  you  want
     to use EAs to fullfill this task, better read this section first]

     Gonick, L. (1983) "The Cartoon Guide to Genetics", New York: Barnes &
     Nobel.

     Regis, E. (1987) "Who got Einstein's Office?  Eccentricity and Genius
     at  the  Institute  for  Advanced Study", Reading, MA: Addison Wesley
     [eds note: chapters 5, 10 and 12]

     Levy, S. (1992) "Artificial Life: The Quest for a new Creation",  New
     York,  NY:  Pantheon. [LEVY92] [eds note: read this and you will have
     the urge to work in this field]

     Sigmund, K. (1993) "Games of Life: Explorations in Ecology, Evolution
     and Behaviour", Oxford: Univ. Press. 252 pp. Hard/Softcover avail.

 A10.2) Textbooks?
     Goldberg,  D.E.  (1989)  "Genetic Algorithms in Search, Optimization,
     and Machine  Learning",  available  from  Addison-Wesley  Publishing,
     [phone].  [GOLD89]

     Davis,  L.  (ed)  (1991)  "Handbook of Genetic Algorithms", available
     from Van Nostrand Reinhold, 115 5th  Avenue,  New  York,  NY,  10003,
     [phone]. ISBN 0-442-00173-8.

     Michalewicz,  Z.  (1992)  "Genetic  algorithms  +  Data  Structures =
     Evolution Programs", Springer-Verlag, 175 5th Avenue, New  York,  NY,
     10010, [phone].

     Koza,  J.R.  (1992),  "Genetic  Programming:  On  the  Programming of
     Computers by means of Natural Selection", Cambridge, MA:  MIT  Press.
     [KOZA92]

 A10.3) The Classics?
     Charles  Darwin (1859), "The Origin of Species", London: John Murray.
     (Penguin  Classics,  London,  1985;  New  American  Library,   Mentor
     Paperback)

     Box,  G.E.P.  (1957)  "Evolutionary operation: a method of increasing
     industrial productivity", Applied Statistics, 6, 81-101.

     Fraser, A.S. (1957)  "Simulation  of  genetic  systems  by  automatic
     digital  computers",  Australian  Journal of Biological Sciences, 10,
     484-491.

     Friedman,  G.J.  (1959)  "Digital  simulation  of   an   evolutionary
     process", General Systems Yearbook, 4:171-184.




Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        4







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     Bremermann,   H.J.   (1962)   "Optimization   through  evolution  and
     recombination". In M.C. Yovits, et al, (eds) Self-Organizing Systems.
     Washington, DC: Spartan Books.

     Holland,  J.H.  (1962)  "Outline  for  a  logical  theory of adaptive
     systems", JACM, 3, 297-314.

     Samuel, A.L. (1963) "Some Studies in Machine Learning using the  Game
     of  Checkers",  in  Computers  and  Thought,  E.A.  Feigenbaum and J.
     Feldman (eds), New York: McGraw-Hill.

     Walter, W.G. (1963) "The Living Brain", New York: W.W. Norton.

     Fogel,  L.J.,  Owens,  A.J.  &   Walsh,   M.J.   (1966)   "Artificial
     Intelligence through Simulated Evolution", New York: Wiley.

     Rosen,   R.   (1967)  "Optimality  Principles  in  Biology",  London:
     Butterworths.

     Rechenberg, I. (1973, 1993 2nd edn) "Evolutionsstrategie: Optimierung
     technischer  Systeme  nach  Prinzipien  der  biologischen Evolution",
     Stuttgart: Fromman-Holzboog.  (Evolution  Strategy:  Optimization  of
     technical systems by means of biological evolution)

     Holland,  J.H. (1975) "Adaptation in natural and artificial systems",
     Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

     De Jong, K.A. (1975) "An analysis of  the  behavior  of  a  class  of
     genetic  adaptive  systems",  Doctoral  thesis, Dept. of Computer and
     Communication Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

     Schwefel, H.-P. (1977) "Numerische Optimierung von  Computer-Modellen
     mittels der Evolutionsstrategie", Basel: Birkhaeuser.

     Schwefel,  H.-P.  (1981) "Numerical Optimization of Computer Models",
     Chichester: Wiley. [eds note: English  translation  of  the  previous
     entry; a reworked edition is currently in preparation for 1994]

     Axelrod, R. (1984) "The evolution of cooperation", NY: Basic Books.

     Cramer,  N.L. (1985) "A Representation for the Adaptive Generation of
     Simple Sequential Programs" [ICGA85], 183-187.

     Baeck, T., Hoffmeister, F. & Schwefel,  H.-P.  (1991)  "A  Survey  of
     Evolution Strategies" [ICGA91], 2-9.

     Rudolph,   G.  (1994)  "Convergence  Analysis  of  Canonical  Genetic
     Algorithms", IEEE Trans. on Neural Networks, Special issue on EP. (to
     appear).   [eds note: unfortunately the publisher denies distribution
     of this article, until January '94. I therefore include the  abstract
     here: This paper analyzes the convergence properties of the canonical



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        5







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     genetic algorithm (CGA) with  mutation,  crossover  and  proportional
     reproduction  applied  to  statistic  optimization  problems.   It is
     proved by means of homogeneous finite Markov chain  analysis  that  a
     CGA  will  never  converge  to  the  global optimum regardless of the
     initialization,  crossover  operator  and  objective  function.   But
     variants  of  CGAs  that  always  maintain  the  best solution in the
     population, either before or after selection, are shown  to  converge
     to  the  global  optimum  due  to  the irreducibility property of the
     underlying orginal nonconvergent CGA.  The results are discussed with
     respect to the schema theorem.]

 A10.4) Introductory Journal Articles?
     Goldberg,  D.E.  (1986)  "The  Genetic  Algorithm: Who, How, and What
     Next?".  In Kumpati S. Narenda, ed., Adaptive and  Learning  Systems,
     Plenum, New York, NY.

     Dawkins,   R.  (1987)  "The  Evolution  of  Evolvability",  [ALIFEI],
     201-220.

     Hillis, W.D. (1987) "The Connection  Machine",  Scientific  American,
     255(6).

     Holland,  J.H.  (1989)  "Using  Classifier  Systems to Study Adaptive
     Nonlinear Networks". In: Lectures in the Science of  Complexity,  SFI
     Studies in the Science of Complexity, D. Stein, (ed), Addison Wesley.

     Brooks, R.A. (1991) "Intelligence without Reason", MIT  AI  Memo  No.
     1293.  Appeared in "Computer's and Thought", IJCAI-91.

     Hillis,  W.D. (1992) "Massively Parallel Computing" Daedalus, winter,
     121(1), 1-29. [HILLIS92]

     Holland,  J.H.  (1992)  "Genetic  Algorithms",  Scientific  American,
     260(9), 44-51. [HOLLAND92]

     Holland,  J.H.  (1992)  "Complex  Adaptive Systems" Daedalus, winter,
     121(1), 17-30.

     Sims,  K.  (1991)  "Artificial  Evolution  for  Computer   Graphics",
     Computer Graphics, 25(4), 319-328

     Spears,  W.M.,  DeJong,  K.A.,  Baeck,  T.,  Fogel, D. & de Garis, H.
     (1993) "An Overview of Evolutionary Computation", [ECML93],  442-459.

     Baeck,  T.  &  Schwefel,  H.-P.  (1993)  "An Overview of Evolutionary
     Algorithms for  Parameter  Optimization",  Evolutionary  Computation,
     1(1), 1-23.

     Baeck,  T.,  Rudolph,  G.  &  Schwefel,  H.-P.  (1993)  "Evolutionary
     Programming and Evolution Strategies: Similarities and  Differences",
     [EP93], 11-22.



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        6







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     Mitchell,  M.  & Forrest S. (1993) "Genetic Algorithms and Artificial
     Life", Artificial Life, 1(1), (to appear). Also avail. as SFI Working
     Paper 31-11-072.

 A10.5) Introductory Technical Reports?
     Hoffmeister,  F.  &  Baeck,  T.  (1990, 1992) "Genetic Algorithms and
     Evolution Strategies: Similarities and  Differences",  University  of
     Dortmund,  Dept.  of  CS,  SyS-1/92.  Available  via  anon.  ftp from
     lumpi.informatik.uni-dortmund.de.

     Whitley, D. (1993) "A Genetic  Algorithm  Tutorial",  Colorado  State
     University,  Dept.  of CS, TR CS-93-103. Available via anon. ftp from
     beethoven.cs.colostate.edu.

 A10.6) Not-quite-so-introductory Literature?
     Bock,  P.  (1993)  "The  Emergence  of   Artificial   Cognition:   An
     Introduction to Collective Learning", Singapore: World Scientific.

     Davis,  L.  (ed) (1987) "Genetic Algorithms and Simulated Annealing",
     available from Morgan Kaufmann Publishers (address and  phone  number
     below).

     Davidor,  Y.  (1991)  "Genetic  Algorithms  and Robotics", Singapore:
     World Scientific. ISBN 9-810202172.

     Forrest,  S.  (ed)  (1990)  "Emergent  Computation.  Self-Organizing,
     Collective,  and  Cooperative  Phenomena  in  Natural  and Artificial
     Computing Networks", [FORREST90], Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  (Special
     issue of Physica D.)

     Hillis,   W.D.   (1990)   "Co-Evolving  Parasites  Improve  Simulated
     Evolution as an Optimization procedure", [ALIFEII], 313-324.

     Holland, J.H., Holyoak, K.J., Nisbett, R.E. &  Thagard,  P.R.  (1986)
     "Induction:   Processes   of  Inference,  Learning,  and  Discovery",
     Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

     Holland, J.H. (1992) "Adaptation in Natural and  Artificial  Systems:
     An  Introductory  Analysis with Applications to Biology, Control, and
     Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge,  MA:  MIT  Press/Bradford  Books,
     (2nd edn). Hard: ISBN 0-262-08213-6. Soft: ISBN 0-262-58111-6.

     Serra,  R.  &  Zanarini,  G.  (1990)  "Complex  Systems and Cognitive
     Processes", New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

     Rujan, P. (1988) "Searching for optimal configurations  by  simulated
     tunneling", Zeitschrift der Physik B", Vol.73, 391-416.

 A10.7) Biological Background Readings?
     Adams,  D. with Carwardine M. (1990) "Last Chance to see...", London:
     Heinemann. [David  Corne:  you  don't,  in  the  FAQ,  reference  his



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        7







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     (Adams')  recent  book  "Last Chance to See".  I strongly suggest you
     read it if you haven't; it's  not  another  book  in  the  Hitchhiker
     trilogy,  or  anything  like  that, but a report on visits to various
     parts of the world to see endangered species.  It  is,  nevertheless,
     remarkably and wonderfully funny and illuminating.  It would actually
     be a good reference to have in any bit of the FAQ to do with  genetic
     diversity  and/or  the  lack  of  it,  or  the  remarkable  kinds  of
     adaptations that can occur for the strangest reasons.

     There's this weird New Zealand parrot-like bird  called  the  Kakapo,
     for  example,  which  has  almost  disappeared.  It  used to be quite
     abundant,  so abundant, in fact, that it evolved weird ways  to  keep
     it's  population  down. Kakapo males call females with a strange very
     low booming sound, about once every three  years,  and  only  when  a
     certain kind of tree is in fruit. A further obstacle to their getting
     together is the daft fact that since the mating call is at such a low
     frequency,  the  poor  female  just  can't  tell what direction it is
     coming from.]

     Cairns-Smith, A.G. (1985)  "Seven  Clues  to  the  Origin  of  Life",
     Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

     Fisher,  R.A.  (1958)  "The Genetic Theory of Natural Selection", New
     York: Dover.

     Lewontin, R.C. (1974) "The Genetic Basis of Evolutionary Change", New
     York: Columbia Univ. Press.

     Maynard  Smith,  J. (1972) "On Evolution", Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ.
     Press.

     Maynard Smith, J. (1978) "Optimization Theory in  Evolution",  Annual
     Review of Ecology and Systematics 9:31-56.

     Maynard  Smith,  J.  (1982)  "Evolution  and  the  Theory  of Games",
     Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

     Maynard Smith, J. (1989) "The Problems of  Biology",  Oxford:  Oxford
     Univ. Press.

     Futuyma,  D.J. (1986) "Evolutionary Biology", Sunderland, MA: Sinauer
     Assoc.  [eds note: the bibliography of this book is truly a  treasure
     chest]

     Maynard  Smith,  J.  (1989)  "Evolutionary  Genetics", Oxford: Oxford
     Univ. Press.

     Mayr, E.  (1963)  "Animal  Species  and  Evolution",  Cambridge,  MA:
     Harvard Univ. Press.





Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        8







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     Mayr, E. (1982) "The Groth of Biological Thought", Cambridge, MA: The
     Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press.

     Ridley, M. (1985) "The Problems of Evolution", Oxford:  Oxford  Univ.
     Press.

     Watson,  J.D.  (1966)  "Molecular  Biology  of the Gene", Menlo Park:
     Benjamin.

     Watson, J.D., Hopkins, N.H., Roberts, J.W., Steitz,  J.A.  &  Weiner,
     A.M.  (1987)  "Molecular  Biology of the Gene (4th edn)", Menlo Park:
     Benjamin.

     Williams, G.C. (1966) "Adaptation and Natural Selection",  Princeton,
     NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.

     Wright,  S.  (1932) "The roles of mutation, inbreeding, crossbreeding
     and selection in evolution", in: Proc. of the 6th Int'l  Congress  on
     Genetics I, 356.

 A10.8) Electronic Bibliography Collections?
     A  bibliography  of  over  400  entries  in  the area of Evolutionary
     Computation (GA/ES/EP/GP) is now available (in BibTeX and  PostScript
     formats) by anonymous FTP from:

      magenta.me.fau.edu:/pub/ep-list/bib/EC-ref.bib.Z (BibTeX)
      magenta.me.fau.edu:/pub/ep-list/bib/EC-ref.ps.Z  (PostScript)

     The  above  files  are  compressed. Please make sure you use "binary"
     mode when you transfer these files. Please  send  any  additions  and
     corrections      to      <[e-mail]>      or      <EP-
     [e-mail]>.

 A10.9) Videos?
     Sims,  K.  (1990)  "Panspermia",  ACM  Sigraph  Review.  order   form
     available                 by                 ftp                 see:
     siggraph.org:/publications/video_review/order_blank  Look   in   that
     directory  for  other  useful information.  Note that "Panspermia" is
     Item 23 of Issue 62 of the "SIGGRAPH Video Review".

     Langton, C.G. (ed) (1992) "Artificial Life II Video Proceedings"  The
     Advanced  Book  Program  of  the  Santa  Fe Institute: Studies in the
     Sciences of Complexity, Addison Wesley, ISBN 0-201-55492-5.

     Koza, J.R. & Rice, J.P.  (1992)  "Genetic  Programming:  The  Movie",
     Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (see GP-faq for an order form, cf Q15)

     The  Santa  Fe  Institute  has produced a thirteen minute promotional
     video, which includes a roughly five minute  segment  discussing  the
     Tierra  research  project.   The Tierra segment is illustrated with a
     very high quality animation produced by the Anti Gravity Workshop  in



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                        9







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     Santa  Monica,  CA.   The  video  was  produced and directed by Linda
     Feferman.  To obtain the video, contact the Santa Fe Institute:

      Santa Fe Institute
      1660 Old Pecos Trail, Suite A
      Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
      Tel: [phone]
      Fax: [phone]
      Net: <[e-mail]>
     or     contact     Linda     Feferman:      <[e-mail]>      or
     <[e-mail]>


 A10.10) CD-ROMs?
  PTF for AI by CMU
     Carnegie Mellon University is establishing an Artificial Intelligence
     Repository  to  contain  public  domain  and   freely   distributable
     software,  publications,  and  other  materials  of  interest  to  AI
     researchers, educators, and  students.  The  AI  Repository  will  be
     accessible  by  anonymous  FTP  and  Andrew File System (AFS) without
     charge.  The contents of the repository will  also  be  published  by
     Prime  Time  Freeware  as  an  inexpensive  mixed-media (Book/CD-ROM)
     publication.

     For your information, here is a precis of the CD-ROM:

     PTF for AI is a periodic collection of  AI-related  source  code  and
     documentation.   PTF for AI in no way modifies the legal restrictions
     on any package it includes.  The upcoming issue (1-1;  Summer,  1993)
     will  consist  of an ISO-9660 CD-ROM bound into a ~100 page book.  It
     will contain ~600 MB of gzipped  archives  (2+  GB  uncompressed  and
     unpacked).  It will sell (list) for $60 US.

     For  more  information  contact:  Mark  Kantrowitz, Archivist, CMU AI
     Repository, Editor, PTF for AI.  Net:  <[e-mail]>,
     Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone].

  AI CD-ROM by NCC
     Network  Cybernetics  Corporation  is  now shipping the second annual
     revision of their  popular  AI  CD-ROM,  an  ISO-9660  format  CD-ROM
     containing  a  wide  assortment  of  information on AI, Robotics, and
     other advanced machine technologies. The AI CD-ROM contains thousands
     of  programs,  source  code  collections, tutorials, research papers,
     Internet journals, and other resources. The  topics  covered  include
     artificial  intelligence, artificial life, robotics, virtual reality,
     and many related fields. Programs for  OS/2,  DOS,  Macintosh,  UNIX,
     Amiga,  and other platforms can be found on the disc.  The files have
     been  collected  from  civilian  and  government  research   centers,
     universities,  Internet archive sites, BBS systems and other sources.
     The CD-ROM is updated annually to keep it  current  with  the  latest
     trends  and developments in advanced machine technologies such as AI.



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       10







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     The AI CD-ROM Rev. 1 was a CD-ROM PROFESSIONAL CONSUMER DISK  PRODUCT
     OF  THE  YEAR  AWARD  finalist  and has received good reviews in many
     magazines including  Byte  (Jerry  Pournelle,  March  '93)  and  IEEE
     Computer (J. Zalewski, July '93), CD-ROM Professional and others.

     For  people  wanting  to see a complete listing of the CD's contents,
     look for the file AICDROM2.ZIP at an ftp site near you.  The file  is
     also  available from the Compuserve AI forum, and the NCC dial-up BBS
     at 214-258-1832. It contains the file listing, this press release,  a
     couple   of   magazine  reviews  of  the  disc,  and  other  assorted
     information. Oh, and one last note regarding pricing - customers have
     told  us  that Programmer's Pardise seems to have the best pricing in
     the US on the disc...

     Direct inquiries to:

      Network Cybernetics Corporation
      4201 Wingren Road, Suite 202
      Irving, TX 75062-2763, USA

      Fax: [phone]
      Net: <[e-mail]>


 A10.11) How do I get a copy of a dissertation?
     All US American dissertations are avail. from:

      UMI Dissertation Information Service
      University Microfilms International
      A Bell & Howell Information Company
      300 N. Zeeb Road
      Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106, USA
      Tel.: [phone], or [phone]


A11) Any journals and magazines?
     [eds note: comments on speed of  reviewing  and  publishing,  whether
     they accept LaTeX/TeX format or ASCII by e-mail, etc. may be added]

 1. Dedicated EC Journals:
  Evolutionary Computation
     Published  quarterly  by:  MIT  Press  Jornals,  55  Hayward  Street,
     Cambridge, MA  02142-1399,  USA.  Tel:  (617)  253-2889,  Fax:  (617)
     258-6779, Net: <[e-mail]>

     Along  with  the  explosive growth of the computing industry has come
     the need  to  design  systems  capable  of  functioning  in  complex,
     changing  ENVIRONMENTs.   Considerable  effort is underway to explore
     alternative approaches to  designing  more  robust  computer  systems
     capable  of  learning  from  and adapting to the environment in which
     they operate.



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       11







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     One broad class of such techniques takes its inspiration from natural
     systems   with   particular   emphasis   on  evolutionary  models  of
     computation such as GAs, ESS.  CFS, and EP. Until now, information on
     these  techniques  has  been widely spread over numerous disciplines,
     conferences, and journals.  [eds note: The editorial board reads like
     a  who-is-who  in  EC.]   For paper e-mail submission, use one of the
     following addresses:

      America:  John Grefenstette <[e-mail]>
      Europe:        Heinz Muehlenbein <[e-mail]>
      Asia:          Hiroaki Kitano <[e-mail]>

      Ed-in-chief:   Ken De Jong <[e-mail]>

     Please note, that submissions should be  sent  to  one  of  the  sub-
     editors.    Grefenstette   and  Kitano  accept  LaTeX  or  PostScript
     submissions.

  BioSystems
     Journal of Biological and Information Processing  Sciences,  Elsevier
     Science   Publishers,   P.O.   Box   1527,  1000  BM  Amsterdam,  The
     Netherlands.

     BioSystems encourages experimental,  computational,  and  theoretical
     articles   that   link   biology,   evolutionary  thinking,  and  the
     information processing sciences. The link areas form  a  circle  that
     encompasses   the   fundamental   nature  of  biological  information
     processing, computational modeling  of  complex  biological  systems,
     evolutionary  models  of  computation,  the application of biological
     principles to the design of novel computing systems, and the  use  of
     biomolecular  materials to synthesize artificial systems that capture
     essential principles of natural biological information processing.

     Topics: MOLECULAR  EVOLUTION:  Self-organizing  and  self-replicating
     systems,  Origin  and  EVOLUTION of the genetic mechanism; BIOLOGICAL
     INFORMATION  PROCESSING:  Molecular  recognition,  Cellular  control,
     Neuromuscular computing, Biological adaptability, Molecular computing
     technologies;   EVOLUTIONARY   SYSTEMS:    Stochastic    evolutionary
     algorithms,  Evolutionary  optimization,  Simulation  of  genetic and
     ecological systems,  Applications  (neural  nets,  machine  learning,
     robotics))

 2. Related Journals:
  Complex Systems
     Published  by:  Complex  Systems  Publications,  Inc., P.O. Box 6149,
     Champaign, IL 61821-8149, USA.

     Complex Systems devotes to the rapid publication of research  on  the
     science,   mathematics,   and  engineering  of  systems  with  simple
     components  but  complex   overall   behavior.   Try   finger(1)   on
     <[e-mail]> for additional info.



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       12







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



  Machine Learning
     Published  by:  Kluwer  Academic  Publishers,  P.O.  Box  358, Accord
     Station, Hingham, MA 02018-0358 USA.

     Machine  Learning  is  an  international  forum   for   research   on
     computational  approaches to learning. The journal publishes articles
     reporting substantive research results on a wide  range  of  learning
     methods  applied  to  a variety of task domains. The ideal paper will
     make   a   theoretical   contribution   supported   by   a   computer
     implementation.

     The  journal  has  published  many  key  papers  in  learning theory,
     reinforcement learning,  and  decision  tree  methods.   The  journal
     regularly publishes special issues devoted to GAs and CFS as well.

  Adaptive Behavior
     Published  quarterly  by:  MIT  Press  Jornals,  55  Hayward  Street,
     Cambridge, MA  02142-1399,  USA.  Tel:  (617)  253-2889,  Fax:  (617)
     258-6779, Net: <[e-mail]>

     Broadly,  behavior  is adaptive if it deals successfully with changes
     circumstances.  For  example,  when   surprised,   a   hungry   --but
     environmentally  informed--  mouse  may  dart  for  cover rather than
     another piece of cheese. Similarly, a tripped-up ROBOT [eds note: not
     necessarily built by Sirius Cybernetics Corp.]  could get back on its
     feet and accomplish a moonrock-finding mission if it had  learned  to
     cope with unanticipated lunar potholes.

     Adaptive Behavior thus takes an approach complementary to traditional
     AI.  Now basic abilities that allow animals to survive, or ROBOTs  to
     perform  their mission in unpredictable ENVIRONMENTs, will be studied
     in preference to more elaborate and human-specific abilities.

     The  journal  also  aims  to  investigate  which  new  insights  into
     intelligence  and cognition can be achieved by explicitly taking into
     account the ENVIRONMENT feedback --mediated  by  behavior--  that  an
     animal  or  a  ROBOT  receives,  instead  of  studying  components of
     intelligence in isolation.

     Topics: INDIVIDUAL and  Collective  Behavior.  Neural  Correlates  of
     Behavior.  Perception  and  Motor  Control.  Motivation  and Emotion.
     Action Selection and Behavioral  Sequences.  Internal  World  Models.
     Ontogeny, Learning, and EVOLUTION.  Characterization of ENVIRONMENTs.

  Artificial Life
     Published  quarterly  by:  MIT  Press  Jornals,  55  Hayward  Street,
     Cambridge,  MA  02142-1399,  USA.  Tel:  (617)  253-2889,  Fax: (617)
     258-6779, Net: <[e-mail]>

     Artificial  Life  is  intended  to  be  the  primary  forum  for  the
     dissemination  of scientific and engineering research in the field of



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       13







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     ARTIFICIAL LIFE.  It will report on synthetic biological  work  being
     carried  out  in  any  and  all media, from the familiar "wetware" of
     organic chemistry, through the inorganic "hardware" of mobile ROBOTs,
     all the way to the virtual "software" residing inside computers.

     Research  topics  ranging  from  the  fabrication of self-replicating
     molecules to the study of evolving POPULATIONs of  computer  programs
     will be included.

     There  will also be occasional issues devoted to special topics, such
     as L-Systems, GENETIC ALGORITHMs, in-vitro  EVOLUTION  of  molecules,
     artificial cells, computer viruses, and many social and philosophical
     issues arising from the attempt to synthesize life artificially.

     [eds note: The editorial board reads like a who-is-who in Alife]

  Evolutionary Economics
     Published quarterly  by:  Springer-Verlag  New  York,  Inc.,  Service
     Center  Secaucus,  44 Hartz Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094, USA.  Tel: (201)
     348-4033, Fax: [phone].

     Evolutionary Economics aims to provide an international forum  for  a
     new  approach  to  economics.   Following  the tradition of Joseph A.
     Schlumpeter, it is designed to focus on  original  research  with  an
     evolutionary  conception  of  the  economy.  The journal will publish
     articles  with  strong  emphasis  on  dynamics,  changing  structures
     (including technologies, institutions, beliefs, imitation, etc.).  It
     favors interdisciplinary analysis  and  is  devoted  to  theoretical,
     methodological and applied work.

     Research  areas  include:  industrial  dynamics;  multi-sectoral  and
     cross-country  studies   of   productivity;   innovations   and   new
     technologies; dynamic competition and structural change in a national
     and international  context;  causes  and  effects  of  technological,
     political and social changes; cyclic processes in economic EVOLUTION;
     the role of governments in a dynamic world; modeling complex  dynamic
     economic systems; application of concepts, such as self-organization,
     bifurcation, and chaos theory to economics; evolutionary games.



A12) Important conferences on EC? Proceedings?
 1. Dedicated EC Conferences:
  ICGA: Int'l Conference on Genetic Algorithms
     Major international conference held in North America in  odd-numbered
     years.  Covers  all  aspects  of  EVOLUTIONARY COMPUTATION.  The 1995
     conference will be held in [..], on [..]  For details contact [..]

     Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Genetic Algorithms
     (1985)  J.J.  Grefenstette  (ed)  [ICGA85] and Proc. of the 2nd Int'l
     Conf. on Genetic Algorithms (1987) J.J.  Grefenstette  (ed)  [ICGA87]



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       14







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     available  from  Lawrence  Erlbaum  Associates,  Inc.,  365 Broadway,
     Hillsdale, New Jersey, 07642, [phone].

     Proc. of the 3rd  Int'l  Conf.  on  Genetic  Algorithms  (1989)  J.D.
     Schaffer  (ed)  [ICGA89]  and Proc. of the 4th Int'l Conf. on Genetic
     Algorithms (1991) R.K. Belew and L.B. Booker (eds) [ICGA91] and Proc.
     of  the  5th Int'l Conf. on Genetic Algorithms (1993) S. Forrest (ed)
     [ICGA93] available from Morgan Kaufmann Publishers,  Inc.,  P.O.  Box
     50490,   Palo   Alto,   CA,   94303-9953,   (415)   578-9911.    Net:
     <[e-mail]>

  FOGA: Foundations of Genetic Algorithms
     Major international workshop focusing on theoretical aspects  of  EC,
     that's  usually limited to some 50 participants and is held somewhere
     in North America.

     FOGA 3 will take place from July 30 to August 3  in  1994,  in  Estes
     Park,  outside  Rocky  Mountain  National Park.  Paper submission and
     inquires to: Darrell Whitley, Dept. of CS, Colorado State University,
     Fort Collins, CO 80523.  Net: <[e-mail]>

     Foundations of Genetic Algorithms (1991) G.J.E. Rawlins (ed) [FOGA91]
     and Foundations of Genetic Algorithms 2 (1993) L.D. Whitley  [FOGA93]
     available from Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 50490, Palo
     Alto, CA, 94303-9953, [phone].  Net: <[e-mail]>

  PPSN: Parallel Problem Solving from Nature
     Major international conference held in Europe in even-numbered years.
     Covers  all aspects of problem solving inspired by natural processes.
     The 1994 conference will be held in  Israel  in  a  Kibbuz  close  to
     Jerusalem,   October   9-14.    For  details  contact  Yuval  Davidor
     <[e-mail]>.

     Parallel Problem Solving from Nature, (1990) H.-P.  Schwefel  and  R.
     Maenner  (eds) [PPSN90] published by Springer-Verlag, 175 5th Avenue,
     New York, NY, 10010, [phone].  Parallel Problem  Solving  from
     Nature 2, (1992) R. Maenner and B. Manderick (eds) [PPSN92] published
     by North-Holland, Elsevier Science Publishers, Sara  Burgerhartstraat
     25,  P.O.  Box  211,  1000  AE  Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  Parallel
     Problem Solving from Nature 3, (1994) Y.  Davidor,  [PPSN94]  (to  be
     published)

  EP: Annual Conference on Evolutionary Programming
     Major  international  annual  conference  held in San Diego, CA, USA.
     Covers all aspects of EC with emphasis on EP related  research.   The
     1994  conference  will  be held in San Diego, in February 24-25.  For
     details contact David Fogel <[e-mail]>.

     Proceedings of the 1st Annual Conference on Evolutionary Programming,
     (1992)  D.B.  Fogel  and W. Atmar (eds), [EP92], and Proc. of the 2nd
     Annual Conf. on Evolutionary Programming, (1993) D.B.  Fogel  and  W.



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       15







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     Atmar   (eds),  [EP93]  published  by  the  Evolutionary  Programming
     Society, 9363 Towne Centre Dr.,  San  Diego,  CA  92121,  Attn:  Bill
     Porto, Treasurer. (cf Q13)

 2. Related Conferences:
  Alife: International Conference on Artificial Life
     Proceedings  of  the 1st International Conference on Artificial Life,
     (1989) C.G. Langton (ed), Santa Fe Institute Studies in the  Sciences
     of  Complexity,  Proc.  Vol.  VI, [ALIFEI] and Proc. of the 2nd Int'l
     Conf. on Artificial Life II, (1992) C.G. Langton, C. Taylor, J. Doyne
     Farmer  and  S.  Rasmussen  (eds),  Santa Fe Institute Studies in the
     Sciences of Complexity, Proc. Vol. X, [ALIFEII] and Proc. of the  3rd
     Int'l  Conf.  on  Artificial  Life  III,  (1993)  C.G.  Langton (ed),
     [ALIFEIII] published by Addison Wesley, Redwood City, CA, USA.

     Artificial Life IV, will be organized by Rodney Brooks, MIT  AI  Lab,
     and  held  at July 6-8, 1994. Proceedings will be edited by R. Brooks
     and P. Maes. Papers should be send to: Rodney Brooks/Alife IV, MIT AI
     Lab,  545  Technology  Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Or by e-mail
     to: <[e-mail]>.

  ECAL: European Conference on Artificial Life
     Proceedings of the 1st European Conference on Artificial Life, (1991)
     F.J.  Varela  and  P.  Bourgine  (eds), [ECAL91] and Proc. of the 2nd
     European Conf. on Alife:  Self-organization  and  life,  from  simple
     rules  to  global complexity, (1993) [..] (eds), [ECAL93] (to appear)
     published by MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA.

  ECML: European Conference on Machine Learning
     Machine Learning: ECML-93, Proc. European Conf. on Machine  Learning,
     (1993)  P.B.  Brazil  (ed), [ECML93] published by Springer, New York,
     NY, USA.

  SAB: International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behavior
     From  Animals  to  Animats.  Proceedings  of  the  1st  International
     Conference  on  Simulation of Adaptive Behavior, (1991) [SAB90] J.-A.
     Meyer and S.W. Wilson, ISBN 0-262-63138-5, and Proc. of the 2nd Int'l
     Conf.  on  Simulation  of  Adaptive  Behavior,  (1993) [SAB92], J.-A.
     Meyer, H. Roitblat and S.W. Wilson (eds) and Proc. of the  3rd  Int'l
     Conf.  on  Simulation  of  Adaptive Behavior, (to appear) [SAB94], P.
     Husbands, J.-A. Meyer and S.W. Wilson (eds) published by  MIT  Press,
     Cambridge, MA, USA.

     SAB94  will  take  place  on August 8-12, 1994 in Brighton, UK.  Send
     general queries to: <[e-mail]>

 3. Pointers to upcoming Conferences:
  The Genetic Algorithm Digest
     Aka "GA-Digest" always starts with a "Calendar of GA-related Events,"
     i.e.   a list of upcoming conferences, covering the complete field of
     EAs. (cf Q15)



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       16







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



  The Artificial Life Digest
     Aka "Alife digest" always starts with a  "Calendar  of  Alife-related
     Events," that lists conferences, workshops, etc. (cf Q15)

  The Evolutionary Programming Digest
     Aka   "EP-digest"  doesn't  list  conferences  explicitly,  like  the
     previously mentioned ones, but carries most CFP's; that can be looked
     at   in   the   backissues  folder  as:  "magenta.me.fau.edu:/pub/ep-
     list/digest/vX.YYY.Z" (cf Q15)


A13) Evolutionary Computation Associations?
  ISGA: International Society on Genetic Algorithms
     The  ISGA  is  a  mostly  fascinating   society:  it  neither  has  a
     membership  fee  (which  makes  it  even  more  fascinating),  nor an
     address. However,  ISGA  meetings  usually  take  place  during  ICGA
     conferences,  in  so-called  business  meetings  (BMs). [eds note: So
     during a conference, ask for BMs, if you want to join; or be ready to
     dart out of the room if you don't...]

  EPS: Evolutionary Programming Society
     Membership is $40/year ($10/year for students with id) and also gives
     you a discounted registration at the annual conference. You can  also
     order EP proceedings ($30/members, $45/other) from EPS.

     Address: Evolutionary Programming Society, 9363 Towne Centre Dr., San
     Diego, CA 92121, Attn: Bill Porto, Treasurer.


A14) Available technical reports?
 TCGA Reports
     The Clearing House for GENETIC  ALGORITHMs  (TCGA)  distributes  TCGA
     technical reports.

     Contact:   Robert   Elliott   Smith,  Department  of  Engineering  of
     Mechanics, Room 210 Hardaway Hall, The University  of  Alabama,  P.O.
     Box  870278,  Tuscaloosa,  AL  35487, USA.  Tel: [phone], Fax:
     [phone], Net: <[e-mail]>.

 IlliGAL Reports
     The Illinois  GENETIC  ALGORITHMs  Laboratory  (IlliGAL)  distributes
     IlliGAL technical reports, as well as reprints of other publications;
     they are available in hardcopy and can be ordered  from  the  IlliGAL
     librarian.

     Contact:  Eric  Thompson,  IlliGAL  Librarian,  Department of General
     Engineering, 117 Transportation Building, 104 South  Mathews  Avenue,
     Urbana,    IL   61801-2996,   USA.    Tel:   (217)   333-2346,   Net:
     <[e-mail]>.





Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       17







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     NOTE: When ordering, please include your surface mail address!

     IlliGAL just entered the Internet Age with an  anonymous-FTP  server,
     making  most  of  the  existing IlliGAL reports, and all future ones,
     available in electronic form from host: gal4.ge.uiuc.edu in directory
     "/pub/papers/IlliGALs".

 SyS Reports
     The  Systems  Analysis  Research  Group  (SyS)  at  the University of
     Dortmund,   maintains   an   experimental   anonymous   ftp   server:
     lumpi.informatik.uni-dortmund.de  (129.217.36.140).  Please give your
     complete e-mail address as password.  On  lumpi  you  can  find  SyS-
     Reports  from  1992  on.  (Get  "/pub/ls-Ral.Z" and look for "papers"
     folders, the server is sorted by EA paradigms, i.e.  "/pub/GA/papers"
     contains  papers  related to GAs, etc.).  A strongly recommended, and
     quarterly updated, report is a list of current applications  of  GAs,
     EP and ESs; get "/pub/EA/papers/ea-app.ps.gz" (SyS-2/92).

 Bionics Reports
     The  Bionics  and  Evolution  Techniques  Laboratory at the Technical
     University  of  Berlin  maintains  an  anonymous  ftp  server:   ftp-
     bionik.fb10.tu-berlin.de  (130.149.192.50).   On  ftp-bionik you find
     reports  and  software,  related  to  Evolutionary   Algorithms   and
     Artificial Neural Networks.


A15) Other sources of information?
A15.1) Electronic Digests?
 Genetic Algorithm Digest
     The  GA  research  community exchanges news, CFP's, etc. through this
     digest, currently moderated by Connie Ramsey and formerly by Alan  C.
     Schultz, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5000, USA.

     A  recently published statistic (v7,i3) states that GA-digest is sent
     out to world-wide 1800 addresses in 28 countries.

     o  Send submissions to <[e-mail]>

     o  Send administrative requests to <[e-mail]>

     o  Anonymous    ftp    archive:    ftp.aic.nrl.navy.mil    (Info   in
    "/pub/galist/FTP")

     o  Conference announcements "/pub/galist/information/conferences"

 Artificial Life Digest
     The ALIFE research community exchanges news, CFP's, etc. through this
     digest, edited by Liane Gabora and Rob Collins of the Artificial Life
     Research Group at UCLA.

     o  Send submissions to <[e-mail]>



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       18







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     o  Send administrative requests to <[e-mail]>

     o  Anonymous  ftp  archive:  ftp.cognet.ucla.edu  (128.97.50.19)   in
    "~ftp/pub/alife"

 Evolutionary Programming Digest
     The  digest  is  intended  to  promote discussions on a wide range of
     technical issues in evolutionary optimization,  as  well  as  provide
     information   on  upcoming  conferences,  events,  journals,  special
     issues, and other items of interest to the EP community.  Discussions
     on  all  areas  of  EVOLUTIONARY  COMPUTATION are welcomed, including
     ARTIFICIAL LIFE, EVOLUTION STRATEGIEs, and GENETIC  ALGORITHMs.   The
     digest  is meant to encourage interdisciplinary communications.  Your
     suggestions and comments regarding the digest are always welcome.

     o  Send       administrative       requests       to        <ep-list-
    [e-mail]>

     To    subscribe    to    the   digest,   send   mail   to   <ep-list-
     [e-mail]> and include the line "subscribe  ep-list"
     in  the  body  of  the  text.   Further instructions will follow your
     subscription.  The digest is  moderated  by  N.  Saravan  of  Florida
     Atlantic University.

A15.2) Electronic Mailing Lists?
 Genetic Programming Mailing List
     The  GP community uses this list as a discussion forum, news exchange
     and FAQ distribution channel, edited by John Koza and James  Rice  at
     Stanford.

     o  Send submissions to <[e-mail]>

     o  Send     administrative    requests    to    <genetic-programming-
    [e-mail]>

     o  Anonymous  ftp   archive:   ftp.cc.utexas.edu   in   "pub/genetic-
    programming"

     o  Contains  a lengthy, but "mostly interesting" FAQ by James Rice on
    GP related subjects.

 Tierra Mailing List
     Thomas Ray's Tierra is discussed elsewhere (cf Q4.1); here's  how  to
     obtain Tierra electronically and get in contact with other users.

     o  Send submissions to <[e-mail]>

     o  Send        administrative        requests       to       <tierra-
    [e-mail]>

     o  Anonymous  ftp  archive:  tierra.slhs.udel.edu  (tierra,   almond,



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       19







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



    beagle, etc.)

 GA-Molecule mailing list
     o  Send submissions to <[e-mail]>

     o  All   administrative  details  are  available  from  <GA-MOLECULE-
    [e-mail]>

 UK's Evolutionary-Computation mailing list
     o  Send submissions to <[e-mail]>

     o  All  administrative  details  are  available  from  <EVOLUTIONARY-
    [e-mail]>

A15.3) Electronic Access to Research Institutes?
 The Santa Fe Institute
     The  Santa  Fe  Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity (SFI)
     issues  a  recommended  series:  SFI  Studies  in  the   Science   of
     Complexity,  published  by Addison Wesley and maintains a well-sorted
     ftp server with EC related material.

     o  Send administrative requests to <[e-mail]>

     o  Anonymous ftp archive: ftp.santafe.edu in "/pub"

     For  example,  SAFIER,  the   SAnta   Fe   Institute's   Evolutionary
     computation  Repository,  is  avail. under "/pub/EC".  You should get
     "The Navigator's Guide to SAFIER", a handbook to this service:

     o  ftp.santafe.edu:/pub/EC/handbook/safier.ps.gz (A4 paper) and

     o  ftp.santafe.edu:/pub/EC/handbook/safier-US.ps.gz (US  letter  size
    paper).

     Additionally,  you  can  telnet bbs.santafe.edu and login as "bbs" to
     get access to the Santa Fe Institute's bulletin  board  system.  It's
     administrator Scott D. Yelich <[e-mail]> is actively seeking
     information on any complex system  information  for  the  BBS.   This
     includes  CAs,  GAs,  ALIFE  or  almost anything else related to this
     field. You will also find infos on SUMMERSCHOOLs held by the SFI.

 The Australian National University (ANU)
     The Bioinformatics facility at Australian National University has set
     up  an  anonymous  ftp  server,  that  contains  EC related material,
     maintained by David G. Green.

     o  Send    administrative    requests    to    David     G.     Green
    <[e-mail]>

     o  Anonymous ftp archive: life.anu.edu.au:/pub/complex_systems/alife




Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       20







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     o  Gopher protocol: Besides direct access to all FTP information, the
    gopher server offers online access to relevant newsgroups,  online
    databases and direct links to relevant international services.

      Name=Complex systems
      Host=life.anu.edu.au
      Type=1
      Port=70
      Path=1/complex_systems

     o  World  Wide  Web protocol: Besides access to all of the above, the
    hypermedia server offers  introductory  tutorials,  preprints  and
    papers     online.     The     URL    for    this    service    is
    "http://life.anu.edu.au/complex_systems/complex.html" or link  via
    the servers home page "http://life.anu.edu.au/".

A15.4) Relevant Electronic News and FAQs?
     Besides   the   obvious   comp.ai.genetic,  there  exist  some  other
     newsgroups that sometimes carry EC related topics:

     o  comp.ai (FAQ in news.answers, comp.answers)

     o  comp.ai.fuzzy (FAQ in news.answers, comp.answers)

     o  comp.ai.jair.announce (FAQ in news.answers, comp.answers)

     o  comp.ai.jair.papers  (PostScript  papers  of  the  Journal  of  AI
    Research, published by Morgan Kaufmann <[e-mail]>) [eds
    note: this is the first journal  that's  completely  published  on
    USENET  first,  and later in paper form; read the jair-faq, that's
    posted to the announcement group to find out how  to  submit  your
    papers, get JAIR papers by FTP, Gopher or e-mail, etc.]

     o  comp.ai.neural-nets (FAQ in news.answers, comp.answers)

     o  comp.robotics (FAQ in news.answers, comp.answers)

     o  comp.theory.cell-automata (no FAQ)

     o  comp.theory.dynamic-sys (no FAQ)

     o  comp.theory.self-org-sys (no FAQ)

     o  sci.math.num-analysis (some FAQs in news.answers, sci.answers)

     o  sci.op-research (some FAQs in news.answers, sci.answers)


A15.5) What about all these Internet Services?
     The  better part of the following explanations have been adapted with
     kind permission from version 1.6 of Smith (1993).



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       21







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



 Access Tools
     All Internet tools share the  quirk  that  they  are  actually  three
     things:  a  "server"  or "daemon" program that runs all the time on a
     host computer and accepts requests to connect over  the  Internet,  a
     "client"  program  that  people  use  to  connect  to or access these
     servers, and a standard protocol that allows many different  versions
     of clients and servers to talk to one another without difficulty.

     Most  of  the  recently  published  books about the Internet describe
     these tools in detail.   Kehoe  (1992),  the  first  to  appear,  was
     offered  first in a free electronic version over the Internet;  it is
     still available from many anonymous FTP archives around the world, in
     a  directory named something like pub/zen/.  Krol (1992) has received
     excellent reviews.  See the references for other books.

     A new item:  the EARN Association has published a  Guide  to  Network
     Resource  Tools  (May  3,  1993),  which is available via e-mail from
     <[e-mail]>, by sending the message  "get  nettools  ps"
     for  a  PostScript  version  or  "get nettools memo" for a plain text
     version.   The  guide  covers  almost  every  tool  mentioned   here,
     including example.

     A  few  host  computers  mentioned  in this guide allow the public to
     telnet to the host, and then use the host computer to access  servers
     via  gopher,  WAIS  or  the Web.  These arrangements are offered as a
     courtesy to those  people  who  do  not  have  the  necessary  client
     software  on  their own computers, and want to try these tools before
     going to the trouble of installing the  client  software  themselves.
     Although  licensing  has  been  discussed  for  some  of  these tools
     (namely, certain versions of gopher), at present they are  all  free,
     and  several  are  explicitly  in the public domain or carry free GNU
     licenses.

 Telnet
     Telnet is a protocol whereby someone who is logged onto an account on
     a computer with full Internet access can access another computer over
     the Internet and login there, assuming he or she has login privileges
     on that computer as well. Anonymous telnet sessions are generally not
     permitted, but occasionally usernames  are  created  with  restricted
     privileges, for use by the Internet public.

 Anonymous FTP
     FTP  stands  for file transfer protocol, and is the name of a program
     used for file transfers between computers with full Internet  access,
     assuming  you have privileges on both the local and remote computers.
     Anonymous FTP is a common practice whereby anyone on the Internet may
     transfer  files  from  (and  sometimes  to)  a remote system with the
     userid  "anonymous"  and  an  arbitrary  password.   By   convention,
     anonymous  FTP  users provide their e-mail addresses when asked for a
     password.  This is useful to those archive managers who must  justify
     to  their  bosses  the time spent providing this free (but not cheap)



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       22







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     service.  Some sites restrict when transfers may be made  from  their
     archives,  and  most  prefer that large transfers be made only during
     off-hours (relative to that site).

     To receive a short guide to using anonymous FTP, send e-mail with the
     text "help" to <[e-mail]>.

 Anonymous FTP by E-mail
     Bitnet does not support telnet or ftp sessions, but many Bitnet nodes
     are also Internet nodes, and so do support telnet and ftp. For  those
     people  who  only  have  access  to  computers  on  Bitnet, Princeton
     University   offers   a   file   transfer    service    by    e-mail.
     <[e-mail]> will send a help file in response to the message
     "help". There is also a BITFTP server in Germany: <bitftp@dearn> from
     within  BITNET/EARN/NetNorth or <[e-mail]> from the Internet.
     This server should be used only for ftp requests involving  transfers
     within Europe. Those people who have neither full Internet access nor
     an account on a Bitnet node can retrieve  files  from  anonymous  ftp
     archives  by  e-mail courtesy of <[e-mail]>, which will
     send instructions in response to  the  words  "help"  and  "quit"  on
     separate lines of an e-mail message.

     Here  is  an  example of how to send for a document on the archive at
     rtfm.mit.edu. This example will return a list of all the FAQs  stored
     in  the directory pub/usenet/news.answers/, and a copy of this guide.
     Send the message

      send usenet/news.answers/index
      send usenet/news.answers/ai-faq/genetic/part1
      send usenet/news.answers/ai-faq/genetic/part2
      send usenet/news.answers/ai-faq/genetic/part3
      quit

     by e-mail to <[e-mail]>.

 Gopher
     Gopher is a user-interface program that makes ftp and other types  of
     connections for computer users when they select an item in a menu. It
     is an easy way to get stuff off the Internet without having  to  know
     where  the  stuff  lives. Gopher is free, and there are nice versions
     for most types of computers, especially Unix workstations  and  Macs.
     It  was invented at the University of Minnesota; current versions can
     be retrieved via anonymous ftp from boombox.micro.umn.edu.  The  name
     is  a  clever  pun on the "go-for" person who runs errand for people,
     and on the burrowing rodent, which pops down a "hole" in the Internet
     and  comes  back  up who-knows-where.  comp.infosystems.gopher is the
     newsgroup for gopher-related issues in  general.  The  FAQ  for  this
     group     is     stored     on     rtfm.mit.edu     in    the    file
     "pub/usenet/news.answers/gopher-faq".  There is an entire chapter  on
     gopher in Krol (1992).




Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       23







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



 Archie
     Archie  is  a program that helps people locate software in any of the
     thousands of anonymous ftp archives around the world. A copy  of  the
     software  can  be retrieved via anonymous ftp from any archie server,
     including  ftp.cs.widener.edu,  in  the  /archie/clients/  directory.
     There  are  versions of archie for all sorts of Unix systems, as well
     as VMS and PCs running a variety of network software. Good places  to
     look  for  help  installing  archie on any computer are from <archie-
     [e-mail]> or bionet.users.addresses. Documentation is  available
     via  anonymous  ftp on ftp.ans.net in the /pub/archie/doc/ directory,
     or by e-mail from <[e-mail]>.

     Archie can be used via e-mail, by  sending  e-mail  with  a  list  of
     commands  to <[e-mail]>.  For details, send the command "help".
     Due to the very high demand for this service, requests should be made
     via  e-mail  or  clients  rather than telnet-ing to an archie server.
     Please try to use archie only outside of  working  hours,  make  your
     query as specific as possible, and use the archie server nearest you:
     archie.au  in  Australia;  archie.funet.fi  in  Finland;   archie.th-
     darmstadt.de   in  Germany;  archie.doc.ic.ac.uk  in  Great  Britain;
     archie.cs.huji.ac.il   in   Israel;   archie.kuis.kyoto-u.ac.jp   and
     archie.wide.ad.jp  in  Japan; archie.sogang.ac.kr in Korea; archie.nz
     in  New  Zealand;  archie.luth.se  in  Sweden;  archie.ncu.edu.tw  in
     Taiwan;   archie.ans.net,   archie.rutgers.edu,  archie.sura.net  and
     archie.unl.net in the United States.

 Veronica
     Veronica  is  a  very  easy   rodent-oriented   net-wide   index   to
     computerized  archives.  Veronica's name is a play on the concepts of
     both gopher and archie.  (Remember the comic book couple  Archie  and
     Veronica?   Veronica  does  for gopher what archie does for anonymous
     FTP.)  Veronica searches through hundreds of gopher holes looking for
     anything that matches a keyword supplied by the user, and assembles a
     list of  gopher  servers  that  contain  items  of  interest.   Note:
     veronica checks *titles* of gopher items only, not their contents.

     At  present,  there  are  no  veronica clients;  veronica is a gopher
     tool.   An   informal   veronica   FAQ   is   posted   regularly   in
     comp.infosystems.gopher   and  archived  on  veronica.scs.unr.edu  as
     veronica/veronica-faq.

 Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
     The  idea  behind  WAIS  is  to  make  anonymous  FTP  archives  more
     accessible   by  indexing  their  contents  for  easy  searching  and
     browsing.  The client's user interface is simple, but the concept  is
     so  powerful  that  nearly everyone with an anonymous FTP archive has
     spent part of 1992 and 1993 building WAIS indices  of  all  available
     material  (software,  data, documents and other information).  In the
     course of all this effort an enormous amount of information that  has
     been available for years or even decades has suddenly become publicly
     available for the first time all in the past year.  WAIS servers  are



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       24







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     often  used  as back-end engines for gopher servers.  Gopher archives
     are built by hand, but  WAIS  bundles  and  organizes  related  items
     automatically,  and thus greatly extends the functionality of gopher.

     Good WAIS client programs for the Mac (WAIStation)  and  PC  (PCWAIS)
     are  available  on  the  anonymous  ftp archive at think.com. If your
     computer has full Internet access, you can try out  WAIS  on  a  Unix
     system,  courtesy  of  Thinking  Machines  Corp.,  by  telnetting  to
     quake.think.com. Use the username "wais" and give your e-mail address
     as  the  password.  See  the newsgroup comp.infosystems.wais for more
     details. The FAQ for this group is stored on rtfm.mit.edu in the file
     "pub/usenet/news.answers/wais-faq/getting-started".

 The World-Wide Web (WWW)
     The   World-Wide  Web  is  yet  another  tool  for  gathering  useful
     information from the  Internet.  It  was  invented  at  the  European
     Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN), Switzerland. The Web looks like a
     document that users can open and read, but clicking on certain  words
     causes other documents to be retrieved and opened for inspection. The
     most powerful aspect of the Web at present is  the  ease  with  which
     seamless,  attractive  online  documentation  can be created, that is
     easy to find and browse, no matter where on the Internet  the  actual
     documents  are.  You  can  try  the  Web, courtesy of CERN: telnet to
     info.cern.ch  (no  username  needed).   WWW  features  a   remarkably
     beautiful X interface called xmosaic(1).

     References

     Kehoe,  B.P.  (1992)  "Zen  and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner's
     Guide to the Internet", 2nd Edition (July). Prentice Hall,  Englewood
     Cliffs,  NJ.  112  pages. The 1st Edition, (February) is available in
     PostScript format via anonymous ftp from ftp.cs.widener.edu and  many
     other Internet archives.

     Krol,  E.  (1992)  "The  Whole  Internet:  Catalog  &  User's Guide".
     O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., Sebastopol, CA. 376 pages.

     LaQuey, T. and J.C. Ryer (1992) "The Internet Companion: A Beginner's
     Guide  to Global Networking". Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading,
     MA. 208 pages.

     Smith, Una R. (1993) "A Biologist's  Guide  to  Internet  Resources."
     Usenet  sci.answers.   Available via gopher, anonymous FTP and e-mail
     from many archives.  For a free copy via e-mail, send the text  "send
     pub/usenet/sci.answers/biology/guide/*"  to  the e-mail address mail-
     [e-mail].  ~45 pages.

     Gaffin, A. (1993) "The Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet."  Published
     by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).  Available via anonymous
     FTP from ftp.eff.org as  file(s)  /pub/Net_info/Big_Dummy/big-dummys-
     guide.txt     (ASCII)     and     /pub/Net_info/Big_Dummy/big-dummys-



Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       25







FAQ(2/3)                          ANSWERS                         FAQ(2/3)



     guide.sea.hqx (Macintosh HyperCard stack).

     Gaffin, A. with Heitkoetter, J. (1993, 1994) "The Big  Dummy's  Guide
     to  the  Internet:  A  round  trip  through  Global Networks, Life in
     Cyberspace, and Everything...", aka `bdgtti.texi' is  also  available
     from  ftp.eff.org  in /pub/Net_info/Big_Dummy/Big_Dummys_Guide_Texi/*
     (Texinfo, ASCII, HTML, DVI and PostScript).  The European edition  is
     kept  on  ftp.germany.eu.net  under  /pub/books/big-dummys-guide/big-
     dummys-guide-texi. ~250 pages.













































Issue 1.10               Posted: 20 December 1993                       26



--

    -joke

--
Joerg Heitkoetter
Systems Analysis Group                     "Why was I born with such
University of Dortmund, Germany             contemporaries?"
<[e-mail]>                -- Oscar Wilde