Michael Woodger
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198565932
- eISBN:
- 9780191714016
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198565932.003.0016
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This chapter discusses the ACE simulator and the Cybernetic Model. The ACE simulator was a demonstration machine built as an aid to the visualization of binary operations. Designed by D. W. Davies ...
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This chapter discusses the ACE simulator and the Cybernetic Model. The ACE simulator was a demonstration machine built as an aid to the visualization of binary operations. Designed by D. W. Davies and Michael Woodger in the winter of 1949/1950, it was demonstrated on January 30, 1950 as part of the NPL Jubilee demonstrations to the Royal Society at Burlington House. The Cybernetic Model was constructed in May 1949, before even the first chassis of the Pilot Model ACE had been delivered. The Cybernetic Model was built to explore some of Turing's ideas about learning, and had nothing to do with the development of the ACE.Less
This chapter discusses the ACE simulator and the Cybernetic Model. The ACE simulator was a demonstration machine built as an aid to the visualization of binary operations. Designed by D. W. Davies and Michael Woodger in the winter of 1949/1950, it was demonstrated on January 30, 1950 as part of the NPL Jubilee demonstrations to the Royal Society at Burlington House. The Cybernetic Model was constructed in May 1949, before even the first chassis of the Pilot Model ACE had been delivered. The Cybernetic Model was built to explore some of Turing's ideas about learning, and had nothing to do with the development of the ACE.
Mark Connelly
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199278602
- eISBN:
- 9780191707056
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278602.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This book fully revises standard regimental history by establishing the framework and background to the regiment's role in the Great War. It tests the current theories about the British Army in the ...
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This book fully revises standard regimental history by establishing the framework and background to the regiment's role in the Great War. It tests the current theories about the British Army in the war and some of the conclusions of modern military historians. In recent years, a fascinating reassessment of the combat performance of the British Army in the Great War has stressed the fact that the British Army ascended a ‘learning curve’ during the conflict resulting in a modern military machine of awesome power. Research carried out thus far has been on a grand scale with very few examinations of smaller units. This study of the battalion of the Buffs has tested these theoretical ideas. The central questions addressed in this study are: the factors that dominated the officer-man relationship during the war; how identity and combat efficiency was maintained in the light of heavy casualties; the relative importance of individual characters to the efficiency of a battalion as opposed to the ‘managerial structures’ of the BEF; the importance of brigade and division to the performance of a battalion; the effective understanding and deployment of new weapons; the reactions of individual men to the trials of war; and the personal and private reactions of the soldiers' communities in Kent. This book adds a significant new chapter to our understanding of the British army on the Western Front, and the way its home community in East Kent reacted to experience. It reveals the way in which the regiment adjusted to the shock of modern warfare, and the bloody learning curve the Buffs ascended as they shared the British Expeditionary Force's march towards final victory.Less
This book fully revises standard regimental history by establishing the framework and background to the regiment's role in the Great War. It tests the current theories about the British Army in the war and some of the conclusions of modern military historians. In recent years, a fascinating reassessment of the combat performance of the British Army in the Great War has stressed the fact that the British Army ascended a ‘learning curve’ during the conflict resulting in a modern military machine of awesome power. Research carried out thus far has been on a grand scale with very few examinations of smaller units. This study of the battalion of the Buffs has tested these theoretical ideas. The central questions addressed in this study are: the factors that dominated the officer-man relationship during the war; how identity and combat efficiency was maintained in the light of heavy casualties; the relative importance of individual characters to the efficiency of a battalion as opposed to the ‘managerial structures’ of the BEF; the importance of brigade and division to the performance of a battalion; the effective understanding and deployment of new weapons; the reactions of individual men to the trials of war; and the personal and private reactions of the soldiers' communities in Kent. This book adds a significant new chapter to our understanding of the British army on the Western Front, and the way its home community in East Kent reacted to experience. It reveals the way in which the regiment adjusted to the shock of modern warfare, and the bloody learning curve the Buffs ascended as they shared the British Expeditionary Force's march towards final victory.
Pierluigi Frisco
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199542864
- eISBN:
- 9780191715679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542864.003.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Biology
This chapter gives a very brief introduction to computability emphasising concepts playing an important role here. The chapter describes how in the 1920s the interest of Alan Turing in describing in ...
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This chapter gives a very brief introduction to computability emphasising concepts playing an important role here. The chapter describes how in the 1920s the interest of Alan Turing in describing in mathematical terms the activity of computers, clerks performing computations, led to the definition of an abstract device called a Turing machine, to the start the study of computability and to the enunciation of the Church-Turing thesis. In a similar way the chapter indicates how in 2000 the internal organization of eukariotic cells inspired Gheorghe Păun to define membrane systems, also called P systems, where ‘P’ stands for ‘Păun’. Moreover, the chapter explains some of the advantages offered by membrane computing, the field of research using membrane systems to define computability models in order to study computation and computational complexity issues and to model processes of biology, linguistics, economics, etc., with respect to more classical approaches.Less
This chapter gives a very brief introduction to computability emphasising concepts playing an important role here. The chapter describes how in the 1920s the interest of Alan Turing in describing in mathematical terms the activity of computers, clerks performing computations, led to the definition of an abstract device called a Turing machine, to the start the study of computability and to the enunciation of the Church-Turing thesis. In a similar way the chapter indicates how in 2000 the internal organization of eukariotic cells inspired Gheorghe Păun to define membrane systems, also called P systems, where ‘P’ stands for ‘Păun’. Moreover, the chapter explains some of the advantages offered by membrane computing, the field of research using membrane systems to define computability models in order to study computation and computational complexity issues and to model processes of biology, linguistics, economics, etc., with respect to more classical approaches.
Jun Sasaki
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780198292746
- eISBN:
- 9780191603891
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292740.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, South and East Asia
This chapter looks into the working conditions in a rural weaving factory during the early 20th century. Based on the attendance books of workers, it is shown that the days and hours actually worked ...
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This chapter looks into the working conditions in a rural weaving factory during the early 20th century. Based on the attendance books of workers, it is shown that the days and hours actually worked by female workers in the factory were strongly influenced by the labour demand from agriculture, as well as the housework demands of their household. The introduction of machines into rural factories did not mark the major divide that is commonly assumed by economic historians.Less
This chapter looks into the working conditions in a rural weaving factory during the early 20th century. Based on the attendance books of workers, it is shown that the days and hours actually worked by female workers in the factory were strongly influenced by the labour demand from agriculture, as well as the housework demands of their household. The introduction of machines into rural factories did not mark the major divide that is commonly assumed by economic historians.
Jun Suzuki
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780198292746
- eISBN:
- 9780191603891
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292740.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, South and East Asia
This chapter discusses the importance of artisan workshops in the development of the machine manufacturing industry. Silk-reeling and coal mining, which played the significant role in Japan’s ...
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This chapter discusses the importance of artisan workshops in the development of the machine manufacturing industry. Silk-reeling and coal mining, which played the significant role in Japan’s industrialization, depended on these workshops with low priced boilers and pumps. This association is an example of the way positive linkages worked between small-scale production and leading export-oriented industries. Similar interconnections contributed to the establishment of modern machine manufacturing factories by providing training for skilled workers and forming markets for machinery.Less
This chapter discusses the importance of artisan workshops in the development of the machine manufacturing industry. Silk-reeling and coal mining, which played the significant role in Japan’s industrialization, depended on these workshops with low priced boilers and pumps. This association is an example of the way positive linkages worked between small-scale production and leading export-oriented industries. Similar interconnections contributed to the establishment of modern machine manufacturing factories by providing training for skilled workers and forming markets for machinery.
B. Jack Copeland
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198565932
- eISBN:
- 9780191714016
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198565932.003.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This introductory chapter discusses the development of Alan Turing's ‘universal computing machine’, better known as the universal Turing Machine. The earliest large-scale electronic digital ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the development of Alan Turing's ‘universal computing machine’, better known as the universal Turing Machine. The earliest large-scale electronic digital computers, the British Colossus (1943) and American ENIAC (1945), did not store programmes in memory. In 1936, Turing came up with an idea for a machine with limitless memory, in which both data and instructions were to be stored. By 1945, groups in Britain and the US began developing hardware for a universal Turing machine. Turing headed a group at the National Physical Laboratory in London that designed the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE), the first relatively complete specification of an electronic stored-programme digital computer.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the development of Alan Turing's ‘universal computing machine’, better known as the universal Turing Machine. The earliest large-scale electronic digital computers, the British Colossus (1943) and American ENIAC (1945), did not store programmes in memory. In 1936, Turing came up with an idea for a machine with limitless memory, in which both data and instructions were to be stored. By 1945, groups in Britain and the US began developing hardware for a universal Turing machine. Turing headed a group at the National Physical Laboratory in London that designed the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE), the first relatively complete specification of an electronic stored-programme digital computer.
B. Jack Copeland and Diane Proudfoot
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198565932
- eISBN:
- 9780191714016
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198565932.003.0006
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This chapter discusses Turing's contributions to the field of computing. Topics covered include the Turing machine, cryptanalytic machines, the ACE and the EDVAC, the Manchester computer, artificial ...
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This chapter discusses Turing's contributions to the field of computing. Topics covered include the Turing machine, cryptanalytic machines, the ACE and the EDVAC, the Manchester computer, artificial intelligence, and artificial life.Less
This chapter discusses Turing's contributions to the field of computing. Topics covered include the Turing machine, cryptanalytic machines, the ACE and the EDVAC, the Manchester computer, artificial intelligence, and artificial life.
Stephen. B Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263233
- eISBN:
- 9780191718847
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263233.003.0003
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
As has been shown in books such as Charles Perrow's Normal Accidents, it is difficult to build reliable complex technologies. The primary reasons revolve around the communication of deep and ...
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As has been shown in books such as Charles Perrow's Normal Accidents, it is difficult to build reliable complex technologies. The primary reasons revolve around the communication of deep and heterogeneous information between design engineers, compounded by the difficulty of assuring foolproof manufacturing and integration of thousands of components. This chapter will show that most technical failures ultimately result from human error or miscommunication, and that the solutions to these problems, including systems integration, are likewise social in nature. Both engineering and historical analysis are used to point to the social basis of failure and dependability.Less
As has been shown in books such as Charles Perrow's Normal Accidents, it is difficult to build reliable complex technologies. The primary reasons revolve around the communication of deep and heterogeneous information between design engineers, compounded by the difficulty of assuring foolproof manufacturing and integration of thousands of components. This chapter will show that most technical failures ultimately result from human error or miscommunication, and that the solutions to these problems, including systems integration, are likewise social in nature. Both engineering and historical analysis are used to point to the social basis of failure and dependability.
James W. Cortada
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195165876
- eISBN:
- 9780199789689
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195165876.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History
This chapter describes the applications of information technologies in the banking industry over the past half century, and how these changed the nature of this industry's work, structure, and ...
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This chapter describes the applications of information technologies in the banking industry over the past half century, and how these changed the nature of this industry's work, structure, and services across such themes as checking accounts and loan management. A discussion on credit cards and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) is included.Less
This chapter describes the applications of information technologies in the banking industry over the past half century, and how these changed the nature of this industry's work, structure, and services across such themes as checking accounts and loan management. A discussion on credit cards and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) is included.
Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195374049
- eISBN:
- 9780199871889
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195374049.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
The human‐built environment is increasingly being populated by artificial agents that, through artificial intelligence (AI), are capable of acting autonomously. The software controlling these ...
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The human‐built environment is increasingly being populated by artificial agents that, through artificial intelligence (AI), are capable of acting autonomously. The software controlling these autonomous systems is, to‐date, “ethically blind” in the sense that the decision‐making capabilities of such systems does not involve any explicit moral reasoning. The title Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong refers to the need for these increasingly autonomous systems (robots and software bots) to become capable of factoring ethical and moral considerations into their decision making. The new field of inquiry directed at the development of artificial moral agents is referred to by a number of names including machine morality, machine ethics, roboethics, or artificial morality. Engineers exploring design strategies for systems sensitive to moral considerations in their choices and actions will need to determine what role ethical theory should play in defining control architectures for such systems.Less
The human‐built environment is increasingly being populated by artificial agents that, through artificial intelligence (AI), are capable of acting autonomously. The software controlling these autonomous systems is, to‐date, “ethically blind” in the sense that the decision‐making capabilities of such systems does not involve any explicit moral reasoning. The title Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong refers to the need for these increasingly autonomous systems (robots and software bots) to become capable of factoring ethical and moral considerations into their decision making. The new field of inquiry directed at the development of artificial moral agents is referred to by a number of names including machine morality, machine ethics, roboethics, or artificial morality. Engineers exploring design strategies for systems sensitive to moral considerations in their choices and actions will need to determine what role ethical theory should play in defining control architectures for such systems.
Robert James Matthys
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198529712
- eISBN:
- 9780191712791
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198529712.003.0022
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
Even though invar is the most common material used for the pendulum rod in a good clock, it is still a poor material for the purpose because of its relatively poor dimensional stability over time ...
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Even though invar is the most common material used for the pendulum rod in a good clock, it is still a poor material for the purpose because of its relatively poor dimensional stability over time compared with other materials such as quartz or platinum. Invar is usually considered for its low thermal expansion coefficient (tempco) rather than its dimensional stability. Quartz, however, is an ideal material for a pendulum rod, if you can get around the glass breakage problem. There are three types of invar available: regular invar, regular invar free machining, and super invar. Each has a different tempco and is dependent on heat treatment and any coldworking or machining that the part has received. What never gets mentioned and is not widely known is how big the changes from heat treating and machining really are.Less
Even though invar is the most common material used for the pendulum rod in a good clock, it is still a poor material for the purpose because of its relatively poor dimensional stability over time compared with other materials such as quartz or platinum. Invar is usually considered for its low thermal expansion coefficient (tempco) rather than its dimensional stability. Quartz, however, is an ideal material for a pendulum rod, if you can get around the glass breakage problem. There are three types of invar available: regular invar, regular invar free machining, and super invar. Each has a different tempco and is dependent on heat treatment and any coldworking or machining that the part has received. What never gets mentioned and is not widely known is how big the changes from heat treating and machining really are.
Robert James Matthys
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198529712
- eISBN:
- 9780191712791
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198529712.003.0023
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
Almost since its invention in 1896, invar has been known to be a dimensionally unstable pendulum rod material. A few articles have been published over the years, trying to address the dimensional ...
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Almost since its invention in 1896, invar has been known to be a dimensionally unstable pendulum rod material. A few articles have been published over the years, trying to address the dimensional instability and eliminate it. Data published in 1927 showed a dimensional growth of 50 ppm over a 27-year interval. The growth was exponential, gradually slowing down with time. Invar's growth today still follows the same exponential pattern, although shrinkage is occasionally observed. In 1950, invar's instability was tied to the presence of impurities, especially carbon. The lower the level of impurities, the more stable the invar is. Invar's impurity level has been reduced over the years, so that today's invar, using the traditional furnace melt process, is more stable than it was 20 years ago. Today's regular invar has a dimensional stability of 2-27 ppm per year, at room temperature. There are three types of invar available today: regular invar, free machining invar, and super invar. Super invar's thermal expansion coefficient is three times smaller than that of regular invar.Less
Almost since its invention in 1896, invar has been known to be a dimensionally unstable pendulum rod material. A few articles have been published over the years, trying to address the dimensional instability and eliminate it. Data published in 1927 showed a dimensional growth of 50 ppm over a 27-year interval. The growth was exponential, gradually slowing down with time. Invar's growth today still follows the same exponential pattern, although shrinkage is occasionally observed. In 1950, invar's instability was tied to the presence of impurities, especially carbon. The lower the level of impurities, the more stable the invar is. Invar's impurity level has been reduced over the years, so that today's invar, using the traditional furnace melt process, is more stable than it was 20 years ago. Today's regular invar has a dimensional stability of 2-27 ppm per year, at room temperature. There are three types of invar available today: regular invar, free machining invar, and super invar. Super invar's thermal expansion coefficient is three times smaller than that of regular invar.
Oliver G. Selfridge
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195178845
- eISBN:
- 9780199893751
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178845.003.0016
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter contends that there is much we can learn about the education of people by studying learning in machines. Indeed, machine learning (ML) is an important major part of artificial ...
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This chapter contends that there is much we can learn about the education of people by studying learning in machines. Indeed, machine learning (ML) is an important major part of artificial intelligence (AI). Although we have a very long way to go, we have already learned some significant lessons about learning and education. It suggests that we should find out how to produce software that can be at least partly educated instead of having to be carefully programmed. The software must be able to learn not only how to accomplish the top-level desired tasks but also how to check and improve its performance on a continuing basis at many different levels. Once we know how to better educate our software, we shall be in a much better position to understand how to educate not just our software but also our children — and indeed ourselves.Less
This chapter contends that there is much we can learn about the education of people by studying learning in machines. Indeed, machine learning (ML) is an important major part of artificial intelligence (AI). Although we have a very long way to go, we have already learned some significant lessons about learning and education. It suggests that we should find out how to produce software that can be at least partly educated instead of having to be carefully programmed. The software must be able to learn not only how to accomplish the top-level desired tasks but also how to check and improve its performance on a continuing basis at many different levels. Once we know how to better educate our software, we shall be in a much better position to understand how to educate not just our software but also our children — and indeed ourselves.
Azar Gat
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207153
- eISBN:
- 9780191677519
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207153.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Military History, History of Ideas
While fascism was undecided and ‘Janus-faced’ or two-faced in its stand on modernity, Marxism meanwhile was the excellent modernist ideology directed towards the future and regards itself as the ...
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While fascism was undecided and ‘Janus-faced’ or two-faced in its stand on modernity, Marxism meanwhile was the excellent modernist ideology directed towards the future and regards itself as the ultimate conclusion of the era of the machine and industrial society. Several of European fascist leaders had arrived at their leftist stand by developing their viewpoint from Marxist assumptions. In fact, several of the leaders hold these two movements at close hand, without seeing the need to choose between the two. This chapter distinguishes the differences and similarities of the two movements, their line of convergence and their line of deviation. This chapter aims to clarify the presumption that if Marxism as an ideology was so thoroughly modernist, then why were the pioneering visionaries of machine warfare before, during, and after the First World War mostly associated with proto-fascism and fascism rather that with Marxism. This chapter focuses on the newly formed radical ideas of mechanized warfare wherein the old concept of war were absorbed into the advanced and innovative conception of ‘deep battle’ ‘deep operations’.Less
While fascism was undecided and ‘Janus-faced’ or two-faced in its stand on modernity, Marxism meanwhile was the excellent modernist ideology directed towards the future and regards itself as the ultimate conclusion of the era of the machine and industrial society. Several of European fascist leaders had arrived at their leftist stand by developing their viewpoint from Marxist assumptions. In fact, several of the leaders hold these two movements at close hand, without seeing the need to choose between the two. This chapter distinguishes the differences and similarities of the two movements, their line of convergence and their line of deviation. This chapter aims to clarify the presumption that if Marxism as an ideology was so thoroughly modernist, then why were the pioneering visionaries of machine warfare before, during, and after the First World War mostly associated with proto-fascism and fascism rather that with Marxism. This chapter focuses on the newly formed radical ideas of mechanized warfare wherein the old concept of war were absorbed into the advanced and innovative conception of ‘deep battle’ ‘deep operations’.
George Cheney, Daniel J. Lair, Dean Ritz, and Brenden E. Kendall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195182774
- eISBN:
- 9780199871001
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182774.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Corporate Governance and Accountability
This chapter focuses on the modern organization as a unit of life experience that is taken for granted yet little understood, showing how organizational culture shapes and sustains integrity (or ...
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This chapter focuses on the modern organization as a unit of life experience that is taken for granted yet little understood, showing how organizational culture shapes and sustains integrity (or doesn't). Considering a number of root metaphors for the organization, including machine, organism, person, and family, the chapter looks at the various ways ethics are cast in each case. Reviewing the typical ways that organizations engage ethics, including through codes of ethics, ethics officers, and the movement toward corporate social responsibility, the chapter concludes that all of them are valuable yet limited in scope. By showing how ethics can be woven into the entire fabric of messages and interactions in an organization, the chapter advances a wider perspective on virtue and culture in organizational life.Less
This chapter focuses on the modern organization as a unit of life experience that is taken for granted yet little understood, showing how organizational culture shapes and sustains integrity (or doesn't). Considering a number of root metaphors for the organization, including machine, organism, person, and family, the chapter looks at the various ways ethics are cast in each case. Reviewing the typical ways that organizations engage ethics, including through codes of ethics, ethics officers, and the movement toward corporate social responsibility, the chapter concludes that all of them are valuable yet limited in scope. By showing how ethics can be woven into the entire fabric of messages and interactions in an organization, the chapter advances a wider perspective on virtue and culture in organizational life.
Peter Galison
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691149042
- eISBN:
- 9781400842681
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691149042.003.0002
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This chapter advances the idea that every mathematical argument tells a story by focusing on the biographies of two pioneers: American physicist John Archibald Wheeler and the Bourbaki collective of ...
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This chapter advances the idea that every mathematical argument tells a story by focusing on the biographies of two pioneers: American physicist John Archibald Wheeler and the Bourbaki collective of young French mathematicians. Wheeler viewed mathematical arguments essentially as compound machines; his is a world where instructions pull dimensionality itself out of a Borel sets that he referred to as a “bucket of dust.” Whereas Wheeler's story is a set of linked machine-stories, a hybrid of discovery accounts, speculative machine-like functions and mechanisms, Bourbaki's account is a crystal of symbols. The chapter contrasts Wheeler's way of relating the narrative of mathematics with that of Bourbaki. In particular, it considers Wheeler's machine metaphor and its rejection by Bourbaki; his mathematical physics, and especially his views on gravitational collapse; and Bourbaki's “abstract package.”Less
This chapter advances the idea that every mathematical argument tells a story by focusing on the biographies of two pioneers: American physicist John Archibald Wheeler and the Bourbaki collective of young French mathematicians. Wheeler viewed mathematical arguments essentially as compound machines; his is a world where instructions pull dimensionality itself out of a Borel sets that he referred to as a “bucket of dust.” Whereas Wheeler's story is a set of linked machine-stories, a hybrid of discovery accounts, speculative machine-like functions and mechanisms, Bourbaki's account is a crystal of symbols. The chapter contrasts Wheeler's way of relating the narrative of mathematics with that of Bourbaki. In particular, it considers Wheeler's machine metaphor and its rejection by Bourbaki; his mathematical physics, and especially his views on gravitational collapse; and Bourbaki's “abstract package.”
Željko Ivezi, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, Alexander Gray, Željko Ivezi, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, and Alexander Gray
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151687
- eISBN:
- 9781400848911
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151687.003.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
This chapter begins by discussing the meaning of data mining, machine learning, and knowledge discovery. Data mining, machine learning, and knowledge discovery refer to research areas which can all ...
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This chapter begins by discussing the meaning of data mining, machine learning, and knowledge discovery. Data mining, machine learning, and knowledge discovery refer to research areas which can all be thought of as outgrowths of multivariate statistics. Their common themes are analysis and interpretation of data, often involving large quantities of data, and even more often resorting to numerical methods. The chapter then presents an incomplete survey of the relevant literature following by an introduction to the Python programming language and the Git code management tool. Next, it describes the surveys and data sets used in examples, plotting and visualizing the data in this book, and how to efficiently use this book.Less
This chapter begins by discussing the meaning of data mining, machine learning, and knowledge discovery. Data mining, machine learning, and knowledge discovery refer to research areas which can all be thought of as outgrowths of multivariate statistics. Their common themes are analysis and interpretation of data, often involving large quantities of data, and even more often resorting to numerical methods. The chapter then presents an incomplete survey of the relevant literature following by an introduction to the Python programming language and the Git code management tool. Next, it describes the surveys and data sets used in examples, plotting and visualizing the data in this book, and how to efficiently use this book.
Željko Ivezi, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, Alexander Gray, Željko Ivezi, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, and Alexander Gray
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151687
- eISBN:
- 9781400848911
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151687.003.0002
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
This chapter describes basic concepts and tools for tractably performing the computations described in the rest of this book. The need for fast algorithms for such analysis subroutines is becoming ...
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This chapter describes basic concepts and tools for tractably performing the computations described in the rest of this book. The need for fast algorithms for such analysis subroutines is becoming increasingly important as modern data sets are approaching billions of objects. With such data sets, even analysis operations whose computational cost is linearly proportional to the size of the data set present challenges, particularly since statistical analyses are inherently interactive processes, requiring that computations complete within some reasonable human attention span. For more sophisticated machine learning algorithms, the often worse-than-linear runtimes of straightforward implementations become quickly unbearable. The chapter looks at some techniques that can reduce such runtimes in a rigorous manner that does not sacrifice the accuracy of the analysis through unprincipled approximations. This is far more important than simply speeding up calculations: in practice, computational performance and statistical performance can be intimately linked. The ability of a researcher, within his or her effective time budget, to try more powerful models or to search parameter settings for each model in question, leads directly to better fits and predictions.Less
This chapter describes basic concepts and tools for tractably performing the computations described in the rest of this book. The need for fast algorithms for such analysis subroutines is becoming increasingly important as modern data sets are approaching billions of objects. With such data sets, even analysis operations whose computational cost is linearly proportional to the size of the data set present challenges, particularly since statistical analyses are inherently interactive processes, requiring that computations complete within some reasonable human attention span. For more sophisticated machine learning algorithms, the often worse-than-linear runtimes of straightforward implementations become quickly unbearable. The chapter looks at some techniques that can reduce such runtimes in a rigorous manner that does not sacrifice the accuracy of the analysis through unprincipled approximations. This is far more important than simply speeding up calculations: in practice, computational performance and statistical performance can be intimately linked. The ability of a researcher, within his or her effective time budget, to try more powerful models or to search parameter settings for each model in question, leads directly to better fits and predictions.
Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, Alexander Gray, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob T. VanderPlas, and Alexander Gray
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151687
- eISBN:
- 9781400848911
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151687.003.0009
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
Chapter 6 described techniques for estimating joint probability distributions from multivariate data sets and for identifying the inherent clustering within the properties of sources. This approach ...
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Chapter 6 described techniques for estimating joint probability distributions from multivariate data sets and for identifying the inherent clustering within the properties of sources. This approach can be viewed as the unsupervised classification of data. If, however, we have labels for some of these data points (e.g., an object is tall, short, red, or blue) we can utilize this information to develop a relationship between the label and the properties of a source. We refer to this as supervised classification, which is the focus of this chapter. The motivation for supervised classification comes from the long history of classification in astronomy. Possibly the most well known of these classification schemes is that defined by Edwin Hubble for the morphological classification of galaxies based on their visual appearance. This chapter discusses generative classification, k-nearest-neighbor classifier, discriminative classification, support vector machines, decision trees, and evaluating classifiers.Less
Chapter 6 described techniques for estimating joint probability distributions from multivariate data sets and for identifying the inherent clustering within the properties of sources. This approach can be viewed as the unsupervised classification of data. If, however, we have labels for some of these data points (e.g., an object is tall, short, red, or blue) we can utilize this information to develop a relationship between the label and the properties of a source. We refer to this as supervised classification, which is the focus of this chapter. The motivation for supervised classification comes from the long history of classification in astronomy. Possibly the most well known of these classification schemes is that defined by Edwin Hubble for the morphological classification of galaxies based on their visual appearance. This chapter discusses generative classification, k-nearest-neighbor classifier, discriminative classification, support vector machines, decision trees, and evaluating classifiers.
Margaret Jane Radin
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691155333
- eISBN:
- 9781400844838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691155333.003.0010
- Subject:
- Law, Company and Commercial Law
This chapter considers “private” reform ideas or market solutions for improving the normative and democratic acceptability of boilerplate terms. It begins with a discussion of one potentially ...
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This chapter considers “private” reform ideas or market solutions for improving the normative and democratic acceptability of boilerplate terms. It begins with a discussion of one potentially important “private” incentive: reputation. Some firms are likely to be especially cognizant of the need to maintain good relationships with their users, and therefore responsive to the threat of reputational harm. This is most likely to be true for firms that have users who are reasonably savvy about issues of user rights, such as data privacy or information copying. After outlining the conditions conducive to consumer pushback, the chapter examines other private or market approaches, such as those involving rating agencies, seals of approval, and certifications. Finally, it looks at automated filtering or “machine bargaining,” and especially the implementation of filtering systems for personal computers.Less
This chapter considers “private” reform ideas or market solutions for improving the normative and democratic acceptability of boilerplate terms. It begins with a discussion of one potentially important “private” incentive: reputation. Some firms are likely to be especially cognizant of the need to maintain good relationships with their users, and therefore responsive to the threat of reputational harm. This is most likely to be true for firms that have users who are reasonably savvy about issues of user rights, such as data privacy or information copying. After outlining the conditions conducive to consumer pushback, the chapter examines other private or market approaches, such as those involving rating agencies, seals of approval, and certifications. Finally, it looks at automated filtering or “machine bargaining,” and especially the implementation of filtering systems for personal computers.
