Autonomous software: Myth or magic?

We discuss work by the eSTAR project which demonstrates a fully closed loop autonomous system for the follow up of possible micro-lensing anomalies. Not only are the initial micro-lensing detections followed up in real time, but ongoing events are prioritised and continually monitored, with the returned data being analysed automatically. If the ``smart software'' running the observing campaign detects a planet-like anomaly, further follow-up will be scheduled autonomously and other telescopes and telescope networks alerted to the possible planetary detection. We further discuss the implications of this, and how such projects can be used to build more general autonomous observing and control systems.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to appear in proceedings of Hot-wiring the Transient Universe (HTU) 2007, Astronomische Nachrichten, March 200

Pioneers on the air: BBC radio broadcasts on computers and A.I., 1946-56

Between 1946 and 1956, a number of BBC radio broadcasts were made by pioneers in the fields of computing, artificial intelligence and cybernetics. Although no sound recordings of the broadcasts survive, transcripts are held at the BBC's Written Archives Centre at Caversham in the UK. This paper is based on a study of these transcripts, which have received little attention from historians. The paper surveys the range of computer-related broadcasts during 1946–1956 and discusses some recurring themes from the broadcasts, especially the relationship of 'artificial intelligence' to human intelligence. Additionally, it discusses the context of the broadcasts, both in relation to the BBC and to contemporary awareness of computers

Modular Centralizer Algebras Corresponding to p-Groups

We study the Loewy structure of the centralizer algebra kP^Q for P a p-group with subgroup Q and k a field of characteristic p. Here kP^Q is a special type of Hecke algebra. The main tool we employ is the decomposition of kP^Q as a split extension of a nilpotent ideal I by the group algebra kC_P(Q). We compute the Loewy structure for several classes of groups, investigate the symmetry of the Loewy series, and give upper and lower bounds on the Loewy length of $P^Q. Several of these results were discovered through the use of MAGMA, especially the general pattern for most of our computations. As a final application of the decomposition, we determine the representation type of kP^Q

Forecasts of the Scottish economy [February 2010]

In the three months since our forecasts in November 2009, several notable developments have occurred which will impact on the short- and medium-term growth prospects for the Scottish economy

An Intuitive Curve-Fit Approach to Probability-Preserving Prediction of Extremes

A method is described for predicting extremes values beyond the span of historical data. The method - based on extending a curve fitted to a location- and scale-invariant variation of the double-logarithmic QQ-plot - is simple and intuitive, yet it preserves probability to a good approximation. The procedure is developed on the Generalised Pareto Distribution (GPD), but is applicable to the upper order statistics of a wide class of distributions.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figure