Aucbvax.1372
fa.human-nets
utzoo!duke!mhtsa!ucbvax!DERWAY@MIT-ML
Tue May 19 19:28:40 1981
HUMAN-NETS Digest V3 #102
HUMAN-NETS AM Digest Monday, 18 May 1981 Volume 3 : Issue 102
Today's Topics:
FYI - Tandem Computers & Pollution from trees &
CompuServe TeleText Article, Humor - Reliable Computers
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Date: 05/14/81 03:57:15
From: PHOTOG@MIT-MC
Subject: Tandem computers lecture as listened to and commented upon by
Subject: attendee (Name slips my mind)
As one of few (if not the only) tandem computers software development
people on the net, I am curious as to your comment about running a
nonstop-pair (the formal jargon) with each process in a different node
of a network. Were you describing what you thought is currently
available (in which case you are way off-base) or what you see as a
possible future extention of the system architecture? Aside: If you
can link Australia to New York / Boston on a 13 megabit bus than more
power to you, currently all cpu's in one node of a tandem network
communicate over two, high speed (guess what speed...13mg..lucky
guess...) buses 'Dynabus' which are independant of each other.
Primary/backup processes must run in the same node, actually what you
want already exists, as the normal distribution of processes among the
available cpus balances I/O intensive processes with mostly idle
backup processes. Of course, it is all under the control of the users
and naturally that means most of them screw it more than get it right
.give em a long rope and they hang themselves.... I have seen several
systems with 80 or 90% cpu utilization in cpu 0 and cpu 1, while cpu 2
and cpu 3 are sitting at 20 or 30% utilization ( as a rough example).
--SPIV-- SLASH TS.SOFTWARE.SPIV
------------------------------
Date: 11 May 1981 1213-EDT
From: GEOF at MIT-XX
Subject: HUMAN-NETS Digest V3 #96
RE: definition of Pollution:
There is no universal definition of pollution that I know of, so
let me suggest one. First, I have to define terms. Ecology is the
study of ecosystem. An ecosystem is a natural system which is
isolated from other natural systems except in very specific areas (the
sun, for example). Obviously, no such system exists, so the term is
usually applied to some approximation thereof: a swamp, a national
park, the ocean, and (if you believe in Forrester) the earth.
Ecosystems contain feedback loops: population of predators
maintains population of grass-eaters which maintains.... Some things
are recycled in "ecological cycles", while others enter the system
(sunlight, wind) and leave it.
Let us define a pollutant as ANY foreign matter or energy (forget
e=mc^2 for now) introduced into the system that is not a "standard
input" to the system. This would include noise, nuclear radiation,
cigarette butts, and so on. When such foreign substance is introduced
into a stable ecosystem (and not all of them are stable), the balance
is somewhat upset. Example: if nutrients (say from street runoff) are
added into a lake, it will make it possible for more algae to live.
Algae cloud the water, and cause some fish to die, others to increase
in number.
For sufficiently small amounts of sufficiently innocuous
pollutants, the ecosystem's feedback loops will restore the previous
balance in time. If the pollutant is of a sort that the system is not
able to handle (a nuclear bomb, "hazardous wastes"), or if there is
too much of a pollutant for the system to control, the feedback loops
will be disrupted. This is called pollution.
Sometimes, the system remains stable, but reaches a new
equilibrium (eg: Lake Champlain, VT, for those of your who've seen
it). Other times, it goes completely to pieces, and what's left is a
lump of dirt or rock.
The above applies in interesting ways. For example, the city of
Boston has always dumped its sewage into the Atlantic ocean. It turns
out that this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, since the sewage
is dumped into a current that scatters it over a wide enough area that
it does not change the ecosystem that is the ocean. The federal
government, which has not the man power to make case by case studies,
decreed that Boston needed a sewage treatment plant, and paid for it.
So sewage passes through the plant, and comes out as water and sludge.
Both the water and the sludge are then dumped into the ocean. Reason?
There is no place in Massachusetts where it is safe to dispose of the
sludge on dry land (the soil is too sandy).
If the above definition seems too roundabout, think about this:
"Is a car driving in rural Idaho causing pollution?"
"Is the same car, driving in downtown Boston causing
pollution?"
"Will one candy wrapper harm a forest?"
"Will 10^5 candy wrappers harm a forest?"
I hope this helps HN readers.
------------------------------
Date: 25 Apr 1981 1716-PST
From: ROODE at SRI-AI (David Roode)
Subject: CompuServe Information Service article on Teletext
CompuServe Page VIF-816 CompuServe Page VIF-817
******************************** A similar and coordinated
LA TELETEXT OPERATIONAL:4/21 electronic magazine service also
******************************** began at the same time and day
(CR Winslow Assoc) Starting at over KCET-TV28 ... one of
6am, Monday, April 6, a several public television
relatively few suitably equipped stations in the greater Los
viewers of KNXT-TV2, Los Angeles Angeles area. KCET's electronic
could press a button on a magazine is called "Now."
hand-held keypad to select and While this is not the first
watch any one of 80 pages of a public transmission, it is the
new electronic or teletext first to be offered in a large
magazine called "Extravision." metropolitan area. The Los
CompuServe Page VIF-818 CompuServe Page VIF-819
Angeles test will use authoring, developed and backed BBC Ceefax
encoding and receiver decoding teletext system.
equipment provided by the French Just about now WETA-TV26 ...
government backed Antiope system the Washington DC based public
which has the unabashed backing television station will begin
of the CBS Television Network public reception tests of the
Broadcast Group. KNXT-TV2 in Canadian developed and backed
Los Angeles is owned and Telidon system.
operated by CBS. So you can see it's shaping up
Starting 3 days later ... on to be a battle of the French,
April 9 in Chicago ... WFLD-TV British and Canadians for
began using the British eventual US adoption.
CompuServe Page VIF-820 CompuServe Page VIF-821
When we say "public" test we blanking of the station
use the term advisedly. Special transmissions.
decoding and associated While you would have
equipment is required in each of difficulty obtaining
the 3 cities to utalize the off-the-shelf decoding
information. However, if you equipment, there is nothing to
live in those cities and can prevent you from putting
receive the signals of the together something on your own
indicated stations, you will to decode and read the teletext
also be able to receive the transmissions.
digitally encoded information In the case of Los Angeles the
carried in the vertical interval French have agreed to loan all
CompuServe Page VIF-822 CompuServe Page VIF-823
necessary equipment including pivate homes.
that required for reception Digitally encoded colorized
until the end of this year. CBS alphanumeric and graphic
is managing the project with information is authored on a
cooperation of KCET. computer keyboard, encoded and
Although special mixed in with the station's
decoder-equipped sets were normal on-air transmitted
initially located in some 12 or signal. In the case of KNXT
so public locations, the intent vertical interval picture lines
is to have up to 100 reception 15 and 16 are used to carry the
points equpped and working by information.
mid-summer. This will include Circuitry at the reception
CompuServe Page VIF-824 CompuServe Page VIF-825
point "grabs" the requested The pages of information are
information frame (selected by continuously transmitted in
means of a hand held keypad), sequence. When the sequence is
puts it into local memory and finished it begins again. When
then continuously feeds it for a specific page is requested by
full screen display. This is any local receiver, it must wait
the way all broadcast teletext until that particular page comes
systems work. However, the around again.
three different systems Under the system used in Los
described above are incompatible Angeles, if 100 pages are
with each other in their present continuously cycled, a maximum
forms. of 16-seconds would be requred
CompuServe Page VIF-826 CompuServe Page VIF-827
or an average mid-point of broadcast teletext. KNXT will
8-seconds would be required to offer it's "Extravision"
obtain the desired page. transmission service 24-hrs a
You will note that in day. Thirteen different
comparison to CompuServe CIS sections will include current
which operates as a random financial, weather and news
access videotex service, the reports...sports and
wait is considerably longer and entertainment items...a guide to
no random access is available. what's on TV...consumer shopping
The purpose of the test is to information...and summaries of
see what users will actually be traffic reports, airline
interested in reading by arrivals, restaurant
CompuServe Page VIF-828 CompuServe Page VIF-829
information, etc. KCET which not cooperated with the national
transmits its own separate closed captioning system because
magazine will overlap KNXT but it argues that such a service
will largely have its own ought to be part of a larger
generated information. information service...as it is
Closed captions for the now demonstrating in it's Los
hearing impared will also be Angeles test.
offered on the Antiope system. As part of the test CBS is
This must not be confused in any authorized to experiment with
way with the now regularly the presentation of advertising
offered closed captions on PBS, although no charge may be made
ABC and NBC programs. CBS has for it. The expectation is that
CompuServe Page VIF-830
the advertising will take the
form of logos, trade marks and
short slogans.
------------------------------
Date: 14 May 1981 0045-PDT
From: Daul at OFFICE
Subject: The ULTIMATE PROGRAM
COMPUTER PROGRAM VIRTUALLY ELIMINATES MACHINE ERRORS!
by W. S. Minkler, Jr.
Pittsburgh
Spokesmen for a local electronic firm have announced a computer
program that - through fresh application of an old technique -
virtually eliminates lost time due to malfunction of computer
components. Called OREMA (from the Latin oremus, meaning let us
pray), the program offers prayers at selected time intervals for the
continued integrity of memory units, tape transports, and other
elements subject to depravity.
Basically litugical in structure, OREMA used standard petitions and
intercessions stored on magnetic tapes in Latin, Hebrew, and FORTRAN.
It holds regular Maintenance Services thrice daily on an automatic
cycle, and operation intervention is required only for mounting tapes
and making responses, such as "Amen," or "And with thy spirit" on the
console typewriter.
Prayers in Hebrew and Fortran are offered directly to the CPU, but
Latin prayers may go to peripheral equipment for transfer to the CPU
by internal subroutines.
Although manufacturer-supplied prayer reels cover all machine
troubles known today, the program will add punch card prayers to any
tape, as needed, after the final existing Amen block. Classified
prayer reels are available for government installations.
In trials on selected machines, OREMA reduced by 98.2 percent the
average down time due to component failure. The manufacturer's
spokesman exphasized, however, that OREMA presently defends only
against malfunction of hardware. Requestor errors and other human
blunders will continue unchecked until completion of a later
version, to be called SIN-OREMA.
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End of HUMAN-NETS Digest
************************
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