Wednesday, November 30, 2005 File:Turing1.jpg

More than 50 programmers, scientists, students, hobbyists and fans of the A.L.I.C.E. chat robot gathered in Guildford, U.K. on Friday to celebrate the tenth birthday of the award winning A.I. On hand was the founder the Loebner Prize, an annual Turing Test, designed to pick out the world’s most human computer according to an experiment laid out by the famous British mathematician Alan Turing more then 50 years ago. Along with A.L.I.C.E.’s chief programmer Dr. Richard S. Wallace, two other Loebner prize winners, Robby Garner and this year’s winner, Rollo Carpenter, also gave presentations, as did other finalists.

The University of Surrey venue was chosen, according to Dr. Wallace, not only because it was outside the U.S. (A.L.I.C.E.’s birthday fell on the Thanksgiving Day weekend holiday there, so he expected few people would attend a conference in America), but also because of its recently erected statue of Alan Turing, who posed the famous A. I. experiment which inspired much of the work on bots like A.L.I.C.E. University of Surrey Digital World Research Centre organizers Lynn and David Hamill were pleased to host the event because it encourages multi-disciplinary interaction, and because of the Centre’s interest in interaction between humans and computers. File:ALICE Birthday Cake.jpg

Dr. Wallace gave a keynote address outlining the history of A.L.I.C.E. and AIML. Many people commented on the fact the he seemed to have moved around a lot in the last ten years, having lived in New York, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, Maine, Amsterdam and Philadelphia, while working on the Alicebot project. The A.L.I.C.E. and AIML software is popular among chat robot enthusiats primarily because of its distribution under the GNU free software license. One of Dr. Wallace’s PowerPoint slides asked the question, “How do you make money from free software?” His answer: memberships, subscriptions, books, directories, syndicated ads, consulting, teaching, and something called the Superbot.

Rollo Carpenter gave a fascinating presentation on his learning bot Jabberwacky, reading from several sample conversations wherein the bot seemed amazingly humanlike. Unlike the free A.L.I.C.E. software, Carpenter uses a proprietary learning approach so that the bot actually mimics the personality of each individual chatter. The more people who chat with Jabberwacky, the better it becomes at this kind of mimicry.

In another interesting presentation, Dr. Hamill related present-day research on chat robots to earlier work on dialog analysis in telephone conversations. Phone calls have many similarities to the one-on-one chats that bots encounter on the web and in IM. Dr. Hamill also related our social expectations of bots to social class structure and how servants were expected to behave in Victorian England. He cited the famous Microsoft paperclip as the most egregius example of a bot that violated all the rules of a good servant’s behavior.

Bots have advanced a long way since philanthropist Hugh Loebner launched his controversial contest 15 years ago. His Turing Test contest, which offers an award of $100,000 for the first program to pass an “audio-visual” version of the game, also awards a bronze medal and $2000 every year for the “most human computer” according to a panel of judges. Huma Shah of the University of Westminster presented examples of bots used by large corporations to help sell furniture, provide the latest information about automotive products, and help customers open bank accounts. Several companies in the U.S. and Europe offer customized bot personalities for corporate web sites.

Even though Turing’s Test remains controversial, this group of enthusiastic developers seems determined to carry on the tradition and try to develop more and more human like chat bots. Hugh Loebner is dedicated to carry on his contest for the rest of his life, in spite of his critics. He hopes that a large enough constituency of winners will exist to keep the competition going well beyond his own lifetime. Dr. Wallace says, “Nobody has gotten rich from chat robots yet, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. There is such a thing as ‘bot fever’. For some people who meet a bot for the first time, it can pass the Turing Test for them, and they get very excited.”

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Friday, September 2, 2016

On Tuesday, Catalonian football club FC Barcelona announced signing of Spanish striker Paco Alcácer from Valencia C.F. for €30 million. Barcelona is obliged to pay €2 million as add-ons for the 23-year-old striker. Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi was loaned to Valencia with an option to buy the player for €12 million.

Making hood professional debut in the 2010–2011 season, Paco Alcácer has played 146 domestic matches. He has scored 43 goals for Valencia in all competitions. Alcácer was loaned to Madrid based club Getafe CF for a season where he scored four goals.

Alcácer made his international debut under Vicente del Bosque in 2014 and has scored six goals. After passing hood medicals and signing a five-year contract, Alcácer said, “when I found out about the offer from FC Barcelona I asked the club to listen to it, as it was my decision to take a step forward in my career” ^{((es)) Spanish language: cuando conocí la oferta del FC Barcelona, le pedí al club que la escuchara, ya que era mi decisión dar un paso adelante en mi carrera} .

Munir graduated from Barça ‘s youth academy La Masia and made his professional debut playing a La Liga match at the age of eighteen. He also made his international debut under del Bosque’s management. Munir has played 45 matches for the Catalonians scoring ten goals. Valencia said Munir’s signing was “an important reinforcement for the frontline” of their team.

Paco Alcácer’s presentaton was to be postponed while he completed duties with the international team.

Munir has been allocated the number 9 jersey at Valencia. Barcelona has set the buy-out clause of Paco Alcácer at €100 million; he is Luis Enrique’s sixth signing this season. Previously, Barcelona signed Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from Amsterdam-based club AFC Ajax.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Yesterday, Catalan football club FC Barcelona announced they had reach an agreement with English club Watford FC to loan Spanish attacker Gerard Deulofeu until June 2018.

Deulofeu joined Barcelona at the age of nine in 2003, and graduated through La Masia’s youth ranks, making professional debut for the club at the age of seventeen in August 2011. Having played 110 games in total for the Catalans, Deulofeu has won three trophies — one LaLiga, and two Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cups). The Spanish international has played for Sevilla FC and Italian side AC Milan on loan; as well as spent two years at English club Everton FC, both, as a loaned player and as a permanent signing. He made his international debut for Spain against Bolivia in 2014.

The 23-year-old has played seventeen games in all competitions for Barcelona this season, scoring twice. Last year, Deulofeu spent half of the season at AC Milan on loan from Everton. The Catalan club activated the buy-back clause and had to pay Everton €12 million this summer to acquire his services. Per the agreement, Watford is to pay Deulefeu’s salary, and Barcelona are to receive €1 million depending on the performance.

Having completed the signing before Tuesday’s midday deadline, Watford said Deulofeu is eligible to play against Stoke City which is scheduled for tomorrow.

In this transfer window, three players have already left Barcelona — Arda Turan, Javier Mascherano and Rafinha, while Brazilian midfielder Coutinho and Colombian defender Yerry Mina became the newest members of Barcelona squad.

Deulofeu is tied with Barcelona until 2019.

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Monday, December 3, 2007

At Thanksgiving dinner David Shankbone told his white middle class family that he was to interview Reverend Al Sharpton that Saturday. The announcement caused an impassioned discussion about the civil rights leader’s work, the problems facing the black community and whether Sharpton helps or hurts his cause. Opinion was divided. “He’s an opportunist.” “He only stirs things up.” “Why do I always see his face when there’s a problem?”

Shankbone went to the National Action Network’s headquarters in Harlem with this Thanksgiving discussion to inform the conversation. Below is his interview with Al Sharpton on everything from Tawana Brawley, his purported feud with Barack Obama, criticism by influential African Americans such as Clarence Page, his experience running for President, to how he never expected he would see fifty (he is now 53). “People would say to me, ‘Now that I hear you, even if I disagree with you I don’t think you’re as bad as I thought,'” said Sharpton. “I would say, ‘Let me ask you a question: what was “bad as you thought”?’ And they couldn’t say. They don’t know why they think you’re bad, they just know you’re supposed to be bad because the right wing tells them you’re bad.”

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

A new, refurbished cafeteria at the Romanian Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest has opened for the use of parliamentarians. The new cafeteria, which has mahogany furniture and leather draped armchairs, was officially opened yesterday, and is situated at the entrance to the Senate headquarters in the Palace of the Parliament.

Members of Parliament said they were not satisfied with the former cafeteria in the Palace, saying that it didn’t have proper tables and chairs to sit on. Many parliamentarians expressed their satisfaction at the opening of the refurbished dining venue, saying that they can now drink a cup of coffee “in a civilised manner” before sessions.

Bucharest’s Palace of the Parliament (Palatul Parlamentului in Romanian) is the largest building in Europe and the third largest building in the world, with an area of approximately 350,000 m². It contains both houses of the Romanian Parliament (the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate), as well as the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC). It is also frequently used as a function centre.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Billy Murrell, a persistent graffiti vandal from South East London, has become the first recipient of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Asbo) granted to Transport for London (TfL) by Greenwich Magistrates. The civil order also bans him from the top deck of buses throughout England and Wales for three years.

Murrell, a 17-year-old from Plumstead, has a history of convictions for criminal damage on public transport, including vandalising a Tube carriage in Brixton station and for damaging buses and other public property using marker pens.

This is Transport for London’s first Anti-Social Behaviour Order against a graffiti vandal — TfL was granted the power to apply for Asbos by the Home Secretary in September 2006.

The Anti-Social Behaviour Order was issued at Greenwich Magistrates Court on 12 September and also bans him from carrying any permanent marker pens or any glass cutting equipment on London Underground, railway property or any other transport provider’s property.

Metropolitan and Transport police have been made aware of Murrell’s Asbo, and have distributed his photo.

In detail, Murrell is prohibited from:

• Entering any depot, siding or other part of London Underground property or railway property or any transport providers property which is not expressly open to the public whether on payment or otherwise throughout England and Wales

• Carrying the following articles, in any area specified (above) or in any public place, namely any form of unset paint in any form of container, any form of permanent marker pen, any form of shoe dye or permanent ink in any form of container, any form of paint stripper in any form of container, any form of grinding stone, glass cutting equipment, glass etching solution or paste, throughout England and Wales

• Aiding, abetting, counselling or encourage any person who was attempting or committing any form of unlawful damage towards any property not belonging to or under the direct authorised control of the defendant throughout England and Wales

• Travelling on the top deck of the any public transport bus within England and Wales

If without reasonable excuse the defendant does anything which he is prohibited from doing by this order, he shall be liable to a detention and training order, which has a maximum term of 24 months – 12 months of which is custodial and 12 months in the community

Upon turning 18 he will be liable to imprisonment up to five years.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Australian cheerleaders have been told today to cover up their midriffs under calls by Gymnastics Australia, as they believe it encourages girls to be self-conscious.

Nerine Cooper, head of Gymnastics Australia, told the Sunday Telegraph, “We don’t want girls to feel under pressure to lose weight because of uniforms.”

Lisa Ince, head of Sydney Professional Dancers, disagreed. “It’s ridiculous really, if the thinking is that a midriff is offensive, then every dance school and athletics club would face the same restrictions,” she said.

The ban will affect about 150 teams registered with Gymnastics Australia.