On The Foundations of Digital Games

Computers have lead to a revolution in the games we play, and, following this, an interest for computer-based games has been sparked in research communities. However, this easily leads to the perception of a one-way direction of influence between that the field of game research and computer science. This historical investigation points towards a deep and intertwined relationship between research on games and the development of computers, giving a richer picture of both fields. While doing so, an overview of early game research is presented and an argument made that the distinction between digital games and non-digital games may be counter-productive to game research as a whole

Challenging the Computational Metaphor: Implications for How We Think

This paper explores the role of the traditional computational metaphor in our thinking as computer scientists, its influence on epistemological styles, and its implications for our understanding of cognition. It proposes to replace the conventional metaphor--a sequence of steps--with the notion of a community of interacting entities, and examines the ramifications of such a shift on these various ways in which we think

Von Neumann redux: revisiting the self-referential logic of machine reproduction using the Avida world

We introduce the distinctive, self-referential, logic of self-reproduction originally formulated by John von Neumann and present some initial results from a novel implementation of this abstract architecture, embedded within the Avida world. These show that, with this particular implementation, in this particular world, the von Neumann architecture proves to be evolutionarily unstable and degenerates, surprisingly easily, to a primitive, non-self-referential, “copying” or “template replication”, mode of reproduction. We briefly discuss some implications, and sketch prospects for further investigation

An Investigation of Complex Systems in 16 Dimensions

Sir Isaac Newton studied the world around him. He observed unexplainable phenomena that the math of his time could not prove. With the help of Gottfried Leibniz, he created infinitesimal calculus to prove his theories. The new concepts he created revolutionized science, and opened new realms of science previously unthought of. In 2002, Dr. Stephen Wolfram published A New Kind of Science, He argues that the processes of understanding cellular automata can be applied to other aspects of science. Dr. Rodrigo Obando of Columbus State University took Dr. Wolfram\u27s work and dissected it. By breaking down the rules, he started seeing patterns emerge in their ordering. He created a system for organizing the rules of the elementary cellular automaton rule space with 256 rules. From there, he guided me to the next rule space of size 4,294,967,296. 1 used his procedures to examine that rule space. My program takes a rule and displays all of the neighboring rules in that rule space. Essentially, I am taking a node of a 16-dimensional hypercube and showing all of the neighboring nodes. This design has not been publicly created to my or Dr. Obando\u27s knowledge. Understanding the patterns of cellular automata and what makes one rule different from a neighboring rule can be applied to other forms of science. This is what Dr. Stephen Wolfram stated in A New Kind of Science, and I firmly agree with his statement. Any exploration of the next rule space will bring us closer to seeing Dr. Wolfram\u27s theory come true

Efficiency and performance of some algorithms in mathematical programming

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-40).by Navneet Singh.M.Eng

A new algorithm for generalized fractional programs

A new dual problem for convex generalized fractional programs with no duality gap is presented and it is shown how this dual problem can be efficiently solved using a parametric approach. The resulting algorithm can be seen as “dual†to the Dinkelbach-type algorithm for generalized fractional programs since it approximates the optimal objective value of the dual (primal) problem from below. Convergence results for this algorithm are derived and an easy condition to achieve superlinear convergence is also established. Moreover, under some additional assumptions the algorithm also recovers at the same time an optimal solution of the primal problem. We also consider a variant of this new algorithm, based on scaling the “dual†parametric function. The numerical results, in case of quadratic-linear ratios and linear constraints, show that the performance of the new algorithm and its scaled version is superior to that of the Dinkelbach-type algorithms. From the computational results it also appears that contrary to the primal approach, the “dual†approach is less influenced by scaling.fractional programming;generalized fractional programming;Dinkelbach-type algorithms;quasiconvexity;Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions;duality

Von Neumann and Computers

The title of this paper should not be Von Neumann and computers, but Von Neumann and the Von Neumann machine. Von Neumann may be famous for many things but humility was not one of them. Yet no one had anything bad to say about \u27good time\u27 Johnny Von Neumann; he just was too likeable. He gave massive parties and loved women, fast cars, jokes, noise, Mexican food, fine wine, and, most of all, mathematics. \u27Unbelievable\u27, said one of Von Neumann\u27s old friends, \u27He knew how to have a good time. His parties were once if not twice a week at 26 Wetcott Road. Waiters came around with drinks all night long. Dancing and loud laughter. With Von Neumann at the centre of it all he was a fantastically witty man.\u2

The Service Science of Climate Change Policy Analysis: applying the Spatial Climate Economic Policy Tool for Regional Equilibria

The use of Computable General Equilibrium modelling in evidence-based policy requires an advanced policy making frame of reference, advanced understanding of neoclassical economics and advanced operations research capabilities. This paper examines developments in neoclassical economic models for the analysis of strategy and policy. Regions and industries have the ever-present challenge of building a future where production is competitive and employment is durable. The Spatial Climate Economic Policy Tool for Regional Equilibria (Sceptre) is an intertemporal, multiregional general equilibrium model for investigating regional and industry strategies in the presence of global policies such as carbon emission constraints. In a novel intertemporal innovation, Sceptre draws together disciplines of economics and finance by substituting resource constraints with Dupont sales to asset ratios in order to dynamically link and mediate the stocks and flows of each commodity. This avoids the issue in Ramsey models that investment is merely an uncontrolled residual of production and consumption, and the issue in the Leontief B-matrix approach that final industry assets are cannibalised. Regionally aggregated Make and Use matrices drawn from GTAP's Social Accounting Matrices are used in the underling economic model as regional-commodity production function tableaux. Outputs for policy consideration include global geophysical climate effects, regional and industry activity levels, bilateral trade flows, potential resource expansiveness, investment, labour and regional and industry rates of transition from carbon trading to carbon amelioration and abatement