Computers may not be able to master poetics like Aristotle, but they have become smart enough to know a metaphor when they see one. An online database called The Mind Is a Metaphor, created by Brad Pasanek, an assistant professor of English at the University of Virginia, is a searchable bank of phrases, verses, and lines from literature that…

A primary goal of this project was to develop an interface that would provide direct access for inexperienced users to existing online bibliographic information retrieval networks. The experiment tested the concept of a virtual-system mode of access to a network of heterogeneous interactive retrieval systems and databases. An experimental…

The currently operational version of the INGRES data base management system gives a relational view of data, supports two high level, non-procedural data sublanguages, and runs as a collection of user processes on top of a UNIX operating system. The authors stress the design decisions and tradeoffs in relation to (1) structuring the system into…

Described is a complete and technical description of one component of the Information System for Vocational Decisions (ISVD) total data storage and access system. Both a verbal and a graphic flow chart of its functions within the system are presented. (TL)

Discusses what generalized data-based management systems are and how they can be utilized in the field of education. Advantages of using the system and its effect on educational management are considered in detail. (DN)

Presents the rationale behind and description of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) system, which is intended to assist people in performing online bibliographic searches through the use of another computer as intermediary. (CWM)

This paper explains DASM, a package of programs and routines for Direct Access Storage Management on 70/564 disc packs. Its basic unit of data is a record. DASM processes (retrieves and maintains) records by techniques which require the user to reference a record by its name (both record and file name). The steps through which a user can create a…

The computer is seen as a powerful tool that offers great potential for administrators in tertiary institutions. The impact of the computer on processing data, database concept, computer communication, utilization of operations data for analytical reports, use of management science tools, and evolution in administrative data processing are…

It is possible to separate the use of computers for instructional purposes into four modes, distinguished by the style of user interaction and sometimes by the implementation methods used. The four major modes are: 1) conversational, in which the interaction resembles an exchange between two persons; 2) data-based, wherein one component of the…

Three outstanding features of the Rapidly Extensible Language (REL) System are discussed. REL itself is an integrated software system designed to facilitate conversational interaction with the computer, especially by those working with dynamic, highly interrelated data. The system's main parts are: 1) the operating system, which manages the…

Reviews three types of online bibliographic retrieval studies: evaluation studies, including online service costs, manual versus online searching and vendor comparison; use and user studies, examining various populations; and projects designed to improve user access and user aids, such as vocabulary search aids and inter-system compatibility.…

Describes the formation of the supercomputer system which reaches from Seattle to South Florida. Explains the major obstacles of international protocols, billing, priority routing, and security. (RT)

This paper presents background information about the development and functions of hypertext and predicts future changes in converting text into hypertext. The paper describes hypertext as a computer system that allows the interconnection of information in a way that is "transparent" (does not intrude on or interfere with the reader's…

Relative cost and effectiveness of techniques for preparing a computer compatible data base consisting of approximately one million words of natural language are outlined. Considered are dollar cost, ease of editing, and time consumption. Facility for insertion of identifying information within the text, and updating of a text by merging with…

Two accomplishments have increased the feasibility of taking preparatory steps for the construction of machine intelligence systems which can acquire knowledge about facts or descriptions of facts through man-machine dialogue in the user's natural language. One is a better understanding of the relationship between perception, language, and…