Category Archives: Algorithms

Saturday 10th January 2015

Global Game Jam (Does what it says on the tin)

Some gaming news for a change; we probably don’t do this sort of thing often enough on this blog … On Friday 23rd of January, students and staff across the world will be taking part in the two-day Global Game Jam (GGJ) event. GGJ’s goal is for tens of thousands of would-be developers to come together in a shared attempt to make thousands of computer games from start to finish within a strict 48-hour period. The event is designed to bring people together from all backgrounds and encourage creative thinking – resulting in the development of a variety of small but innovative and experimental games.

As a local illustration, once again, Glyndwr University is representing Wales in the 2015 GGJ and, by participating, its students and staff are hoping to help set another world record for the world’s largest ‘Jam’. Continue reading

Leave a comment | tags: Computer games, Game design, Game development, Game programming, Games jam | posted in Academia, Algorithms, Computing, Education, Software

Thursday 11th December 2014

The Travelling Santa Problem

By Vic Grout

Why is the annual Father Christmas world tour ‘NP-Complete’? What is ‘NP-Complete’ anyway? In fact, what’s ‘NP’ even? And why can only Santa do it? And what’s a ‘Decision Elf’? And just how awesome is Rudolph’s nose? What’s ‘Inspirational Magic’? This and so much more you didn’t know about the annual Christmas Eve ritual …

We all know the problem well enough … Father Christmas has to travel around the world, visiting all the good girls and boys, in a single night, and return to where he started at the North Pole. Sounds like a tall order! Can it be done?

4 Comments | tags: NP, NP-complete, Travelling Salesman Problem, TSP | posted in Algorithms, Computer Science, Mathematics, Philosophy

Wednesday 20th August 2014

Shazam for People?

By Vic Grout

When Shazam first arrived on the scene, it was pretty amazing stuff; now, we rather take it for granted. But could the same idea soon work for people?

We know the scenario … You’re in a bar or a shop or listening to the radio or TV … or … just about anything really … and you hear a song that you either like or think you recognise or both … but you don’t know what it is. Frustrating, isn’t it? At least it was until music identification services such as Shazam first appeared. After that, no worries; simply allow your mobile to listen to the music for a few seconds, search the central database and, after a few more seconds, it reports back to you with full details of the name, artist and origin. It might even link you to a central library where you can find more of the same or possibly buy it.

Simple enough; but, might the same principle one day work for people? It’s really not that hard to imagine …

Accessible text version of photo

Then: “Ah, but this is only the free stuff. If you’re prepared to pay, I can tell you a lot more about him … “

It sounds like a science fiction ‘Big Brother for Everyone’ nightmare scenario. But could it happen? If so, how soon? Continue reading

10 Comments | tags: Big Connectivity, Big Data, Global Awareness, Internet of Things, Privacy, Real Internet of Things, Shazam | posted in Algorithms, Computer Science, Computing, Hardware, Industry, Philosophy, Politics, Software

Monday 16th June 2014

What Does the Turing Test Test?

By Vic Grout

So, a computer has passed the ‘Turing Test’ for ‘intelligence’, has it? No, not really; in fact, no, not at all. But, boy, has it stirred up some public interest in the subject? That alone has to be good. More than that, it’s got senior computer scientists debating anew about how the test should be implemented … and even what it actually means.

The usual bite-sized version of the Turing Test (TT) for public consumption is this … Put a human in one room, in communication with both another human and a computer in a different room. In modern terms, the communication would take the form of something like a text message conversation with each. If the first human couldn’t say which of the second human or the computer was which (or got it wrong), then that would make the computer intelligent. Last week, there was widespread coverage in the press that a computer – well a computer program – had passed the test.

Well, it’s hard to know where to begin with what’s wrong with this … Continue reading

Leave a comment | tags: Imitation game, Machine intelligence, Turing Test | posted in Algorithms, Computer Science, Philosophy