🚀 go-pugleaf

[ This is also available via WWW: http://www.krl.caltech.edu/~brown/alife/.
  I received this second hand (thanks, Nick!), but it matches the piece of
  paper I picked up at ECAL'95 from Chris Langton.  --Titus ]

                       Artificial Life V

                An Interdisciplinary Workshop on
         the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems

                        organized by:
                     Christopher Langton

                       May 16-18, 1996
                  Nara Prefecture Public Hall,
                    Nara, near Kyoto, Japan



We are pleased to announce ALifeV, the fifth international conference 
on the synthesis and simulation of living systems, to be held in Nara 
Japan, near Kyoto. 

ALifeV will mark a decade since Chris Langton decided to organize the 
first workshop on Artificial Life. Thus, AlifeV will be a good 
opportunity to reflect on the first decade of Artificial Life as a field 
and to consider where it may go in the the near and long-term future.

The first decade has been characterized by a great deal of exploration 
of the possibilities inherent in the synthesis and simulation of life, 
and by the development of new technological approaches. Although we should 
never stop exploring new possibilities and techniques, we must also refine 
the methods and approaches we have discovered so far into viable, practical 
tools for the pursuit of science and engineering goals. 

It is also important that Artificial Life researchers continue to expand 
their efforts to seek out collaborative relationships with practicing 
biologists in order to address real biological problems.  Despite all of 
the successes in computer engineering, adaptive computation, bottom-up AI, 
and robotics, Artificial Life must not become simply a one-way bridge, 
borrowing biological principles to enhance our engineering efforts in the 
construction of life-as-it-could-be. We must ensure that we give back to 
biology in kind, by developing tools and methods that will be of real value 
in the effort to understand life-as-it-is.

Finally, it is important that we continue to examine our near-term 
engineering goals in light of the larger issues surrounding the future of 
life on this planet. It is now clear that we are responsible for the nature 
of "Nature" here on Earth. It is time to start taking that responsibility 
seriously by vastly increasing the horizon of time in which we think about 
our scientific, engineering, and social goals, from years and decades to 
centuries and millenia. 

AlifeV will take a retrospective and prospective look at the field of 
Artificial Life. Besides the usual presentations of the latest work in the 
field, we will have special presentations and workshops reviewing the past 
and present, and previewing the future, of both Artificial and Natural life.


** Submission Instructions **

Contributions may be made in the following categories; PAPER and
DEMONSTRATION, which includes robots, computer demos and/or videos.

Some PAPER contributions may be accepted as POSTERs. Presentation of 
posters may include a computer display.

Submissions can be made in 2 different formats: hard-copy or electronic.
- Hardcopy: Authors should send 4 copies of a full paper, not to exceed
  14 pages of 12pt single spaced text to the Program Secretary at the
  address below.
- Electronic: Only LaTex and PostScript submissions will be accepted.

Papers should be sent to:

       ALife V Program Secretary
       ATR Human Information Processing Research Labs.
       2-2 Hikari-dai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun
       Kyoto 619-02 Japan

       alife@hip.atr.co.jp

** Important Dates **

Submission deadline                November 30, 1995
Notification of acceptance         January 8, 1996
Final program                      March 31, 1996


**  ALife-Related Events **

Several Alife-related events are being planned by the "event organizers" 
listed below.  In these events, you are encouraged to participate as an 
active agent of the Nintendo-like game, or by submitting an original game 
strategy to the non-zero-sum game tournament.  In virtual reality or music 
or art events, you will be able to experience the alife-related world, not 
just as a looker/listener, but as a more embedded Alifer.

1. Non-Zero-Sum Multi-Player Strategic Game Tournament
   ---------  Masaru Tomita (mt@sfc.keio.ac.jp), and
              Tsutomu Hoshino (hoshino@kz.tsukuba.ac.jp).

2. Entertainment-Game Contest and/or Demonstration
   ---------  Ken'nosuke Wada (kwada@hip.atr.co.jp), and
              Hitoshi Hemmi(hemmi@hip.atr.co.jp).
3. Virtual Reality
   ---------  Hiroo Iwata(iwata@kz.tsukuba.ac.jp)

4. Music
   ---------  Godo Irukayama(MAF00451@niftyserve.or.jp)

5. A-Life related art - video show and interactive installations
   ---------  Machiko Kusahara (kusahara@aqu.bekkoame.or.jp)

Those who are interested in participating and/or contributing in any
means are encouraged to have contact with these organizers.  Plans are
all in their infant stages and not rigid at all at a moment.  They
will be subject to growing or diminishing, i.e. emerging, so that any
constructive comments and contributions are heartily welcomed.

** Information **

For up-to-date information and announcements, refer to ``Events
supported by ATR'' under the home page for ATR on the World Wide Web
(http://www.atr.co.jp/).


========================================================================

** About Nara **

The conference place, Nara Prefecture Public Hall, is located between
Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Grand Shrine in the Nara Park.

Nara, located about 40km south of Kyoto, has an even longer history than
Kyoto.  In 710, Empress Gemmei established a legally controlled permanent
imperial court in the northern part of the Nara Basin after the model of
the Changan Castle of Tang in China.

Heijo-kyo, as it was generally called, was the capital of Japan for 74
years. Heijyo-kyo measured 4.8km from north to south and 4.3km from east
to west, and is said to have had a population of 200,000.

Nara is the cradle of Japanese civilization, especially the crafts, 
literature and industries. It was in Nara that Buddhism first flourished,
owing to the strong patronage of Emperors who reigned in Nara. The influence
of Buddhism reached its peak with the completion of the Daibutsu (a huge
bronze image of Buddha) in the Todaiji Temple in 752.

Temples in Nara can be regarded as museums since most of them house a 
number of priceless Buddhist statues and other great works of art which
have survived from ancient times.  Walking through the city's quiet streets
is like strolling through the pages of history.

Currently, Nara City has a population of 330,000 and has more than 
13,400,000 visitors annually, not only domestic but also from abroad.
Here, in Nara, one can find peace of mind and spiritual contentment. The
Japanese people today feel that their ancestors are communicating with
them whenever they visit Nara.

Nara Park

This huge wasteland area was made into a park in 1880 and was designed as
a place of scenic beauty in 1922.  In the area between Mt. Wakakusa and Mt.
Kasuga, such famous temples and shrines as Kofukuji, Todaiji and the 
Kasuga Grand Shrine are located.  There is no doubt that such scenic spots,
with their special integration of history and nature, are to be seen 
nowhere else. The gentle deer, which are symbols of Nara, present a 
pleasant scene of serenity.

Todaiji Temple

Todaiji Temple was founded by Emperor Shomu to enshrine the Great Image of
Buddha (Vairocana Buhhda) and as the General Head-temple of all provincial
temples in Japan.  It was completed in the year of Tempyo Shoho (752 A.D.),
and a lavish Ritual Dedication ceremony was held. Unfortunately, fire 
destroyed the edifice twice, and the present structure, which was rebuilt
in the Edo Period (in 1692), was scaled to two-third of the original size.
Nevertheless, it is the largest wooden building in the world and the
magnificent structure is sure to fill its visitors with awe.

Kasuga Grand Shrine

Kaguga Grand Shrine is generally believed to have been founded by the 
Fujiwara Family (the most powerful imperial court nobles in the Tempyo 
Period), to their tutelary deity, after the capital was moved to Heijo
(present-day Nara).  The architectural style of the sanctuary is called
the "Kasuga style", because of the characteristic shape of its roof.
The surrounding vermilion corridors, filled with bronze hanging lanterns,
and surrounded by a thick, green grove, create an elegant atmosphere.

Kofukuji Temple

With the establishment of the new capital at Heijo (present-day Nara)
in the third year of Wado (710 A.D.), the Umayasaka Temple was moved from
Asuka to its present site and was given its present name. In addition to
the five-storied pagoda, which is well known as a symbol of Nara, various
building and historic Buddhist statues remind one of the long, impressive
history of this temple.

** Aoi Maturi

"Aoi Maturi", one of the three largest festivals in Kyoto, is held in May 
15th just before the ALifeV conference, May 16-18.  It was originally a 
ritual held in hope of abundant harvests. The procession in Heian costumes 
and decorated ox-cars proceeds from Kyoto Gosho to Shimogamo and Kamigamo 
Shrines.


-- 
Titus Brown, brown@krl.caltech.edu.