First, I would The editorial board members will play an active role in like to welcome B. Chandrasekaran, guiding the magazine, monitoring progress across the field of The Ohio and assuring that the magazine has timely, high-quality State University, as the articles on significant new developments. I expect the editorial new book review editor, board to have a considerable impact on the magazine, and Robert Morris, of and I am very grateful to the board members for NASA Ames Research Center, accepting this responsibility. I know that they will do an Finally, to expedite the processing of submissions, AI outstanding job, and I urge the AI community to actively Magazine will now accept submissions in electronic form. Full submission guidelines are available on the AI Magazine Chandrasekaran has prepared an editorial, appearing in home page, www.aaai.org/Magazine. I look forward to your this issue, presenting his vision for the book review section.

Austin, Texas, the "live music capital For more information about AAAI is pleased to announce the continued Conferences/conferences.html. Expository Writing Award will be presented members. AAAI is delighted to announce the 31-August 3 in Austin, Texas. This The conference will be held July collocation of SARA-2000 with AAAIaward joins the two special awards 31-August 3, 2000, at the Austin Convention 2000. The Symposium on Abstraction, established last year, the AAAI Classic Center and Hyatt Regency Reformulation, and Approximation Paper Award and the AAAI Distinguished Austin in Austin, Texas. AAAI-2000 will be held July 26-29, just outside Austin in Lago Vista on Lake Travis, Service Award. For more information about The AAAI Effective Expository Writing the Innovative Applications of SARA-2000, please visit sara2000.unl. Award honors the author(s) of a Artificial Intelligence, the Mobile edu/ high-quality, effective piece of writing, Robot Competition and Exhibition, AAAI also welcomes SARA-2000 as accessible to the general public or the Intelligent Systems Demonstrations, our first affiliate conference. For more to a broad AI audience (not just a subarea), the Robot Building Laboratory, information about the AAAI Affiliates written within the last two and the Doctoral Consortium. New Program, please write to Carol Hamilton years. The contribution should be for 2000 will be a technical paper at hamilton@aaai.org. Nominated papers must be Uncertainty: Operations Research AAAI is pleased to announce the continuation in English and must have been published Meets AI (Again)"; Justine Cassell, of its Student Abstract and in a publicly accessible place "Why Do We Need a Body Anyway?"; Poster Program, the SIGART/AAAI (for example, periodical, hard copy, or Carla Gomes, "Structure, Duality, and Doctoral Consortium, and the AAAI online journal but not only as a web Randomization: Common Themes in Scholarship and Volunteer Programs. The author(s) AI and OR"; James Hendler, "Missed Students interested in attending the of the award-winning paper(s) will Perceptions: AI versus the Funding National Conference on Artificial receive a $2500 prize (shared if more Agencies"; Geoff Hinton, "Modeling Intelligence in Austin, July 31-August than one author) as well as lodging High-Dimensional Data Distributions 3, 2000, should consult the AAAI web and travel to the National Conference by Combining Simple Experts"; Rich site for further information about all on Artificial Intelligence.

Austin, Texas, the "live music capital For more information about AAAI is pleased to announce the continued Conferences/conferences.html. Expository Writing Award will be presented members. AAAI is delighted to announce the 31-August 3 in Austin, Texas. This The conference will be held July collocation of SARA-2000 with AAAIaward joins the two special awards 31-August 3, 2000, at the Austin Convention 2000. The Symposium on Abstraction, established last year, the AAAI Classic Center and Hyatt Regency Reformulation, and Approximation Paper Award and the AAAI Distinguished Austin in Austin, Texas. AAAI-2000 will be held July 26-29, just outside Austin in Lago Vista on Lake Travis, Service Award. For more information about The AAAI Effective Expository Writing the Innovative Applications of SARA-2000, please visit sara2000.unl. Award honors the author(s) of a Artificial Intelligence, the Mobile edu/ high-quality, effective piece of writing, Robot Competition and Exhibition, AAAI also welcomes SARA-2000 as accessible to the general public or the Intelligent Systems Demonstrations, our first affiliate conference. For more to a broad AI audience (not just a subarea), the Robot Building Laboratory, information about the AAAI Affiliates written within the last two and the Doctoral Consortium. New Program, please write to Carol Hamilton years. The contribution should be for 2000 will be a technical paper at hamilton@aaai.org. Nominated papers must be Uncertainty: Operations Research AAAI is pleased to announce the continuation in English and must have been published Meets AI (Again)"; Justine Cassell, of its Student Abstract and in a publicly accessible place "Why Do We Need a Body Anyway?"; Poster Program, the SIGART/AAAI (for example, periodical, hard copy, or Carla Gomes, "Structure, Duality, and Doctoral Consortium, and the AAAI online journal but not only as a web Randomization: Common Themes in Scholarship and Volunteer Programs. The author(s) AI and OR"; James Hendler, "Missed Students interested in attending the of the award-winning paper(s) will Perceptions: AI versus the Funding National Conference on Artificial receive a $2500 prize (shared if more Agencies"; Geoff Hinton, "Modeling Intelligence in Austin, July 31-August than one author) as well as lodging High-Dimensional Data Distributions 3, 2000, should consult the AAAI web and travel to the National Conference by Combining Simple Experts"; Rich site for further information about all on Artificial Intelligence.

Austin, Texas, the "live music capital For more information about AAAI is pleased to announce the continued Conferences/conferences.html. Expository Writing Award will be presented members. AAAI is delighted to announce the 31-August 3 in Austin, Texas. This The conference will be held July collocation of SARA-2000 with AAAIaward joins the two special awards 31-August 3, 2000, at the Austin Convention 2000. The Symposium on Abstraction, established last year, the AAAI Classic Center and Hyatt Regency Reformulation, and Approximation Paper Award and the AAAI Distinguished Austin in Austin, Texas. AAAI-2000 will be held July 26-29, just outside Austin in Lago Vista on Lake Travis, Service Award. For more information about The AAAI Effective Expository Writing the Innovative Applications of SARA-2000, please visit sara2000.unl. Award honors the author(s) of a Artificial Intelligence, the Mobile edu/ high-quality, effective piece of writing, Robot Competition and Exhibition, AAAI also welcomes SARA-2000 as accessible to the general public or the Intelligent Systems Demonstrations, our first affiliate conference. For more to a broad AI audience (not just a subarea), the Robot Building Laboratory, information about the AAAI Affiliates written within the last two and the Doctoral Consortium. New Program, please write to Carol Hamilton years. The contribution should be for 2000 will be a technical paper at hamilton@aaai.org. Nominated papers must be Uncertainty: Operations Research AAAI is pleased to announce the continuation in English and must have been published Meets AI (Again)"; Justine Cassell, of its Student Abstract and in a publicly accessible place "Why Do We Need a Body Anyway?"; Poster Program, the SIGART/AAAI (for example, periodical, hard copy, or Carla Gomes, "Structure, Duality, and Doctoral Consortium, and the AAAI online journal but not only as a web Randomization: Common Themes in Scholarship and Volunteer Programs. The author(s) AI and OR"; James Hendler, "Missed Students interested in attending the of the award-winning paper(s) will Perceptions: AI versus the Funding National Conference on Artificial receive a $2500 prize (shared if more Agencies"; Geoff Hinton, "Modeling Intelligence in Austin, July 31-August than one author) as well as lodging High-Dimensional Data Distributions 3, 2000, should consult the AAAI web and travel to the National Conference by Combining Simple Experts"; Rich site for further information about all on Artificial Intelligence.

Austin, Texas, the "live music capital For more information about AAAI is pleased to announce the continued Conferences/conferences.html. Expository Writing Award will be presented members. AAAI is delighted to announce the 31-August 3 in Austin, Texas. This The conference will be held July collocation of SARA-2000 with AAAIaward joins the two special awards 31-August 3, 2000, at the Austin Convention 2000. The Symposium on Abstraction, established last year, the AAAI Classic Center and Hyatt Regency Reformulation, and Approximation Paper Award and the AAAI Distinguished Austin in Austin, Texas. AAAI-2000 will be held July 26-29, just outside Austin in Lago Vista on Lake Travis, Service Award. For more information about The AAAI Effective Expository Writing the Innovative Applications of SARA-2000, please visit sara2000.unl. Award honors the author(s) of a Artificial Intelligence, the Mobile edu/ high-quality, effective piece of writing, Robot Competition and Exhibition, AAAI also welcomes SARA-2000 as accessible to the general public or the Intelligent Systems Demonstrations, our first affiliate conference. For more to a broad AI audience (not just a subarea), the Robot Building Laboratory, information about the AAAI Affiliates written within the last two and the Doctoral Consortium. New Program, please write to Carol Hamilton years. The contribution should be for 2000 will be a technical paper at hamilton@aaai.org. Nominated papers must be Uncertainty: Operations Research AAAI is pleased to announce the continuation in English and must have been published Meets AI (Again)"; Justine Cassell, of its Student Abstract and in a publicly accessible place "Why Do We Need a Body Anyway?"; Poster Program, the SIGART/AAAI (for example, periodical, hard copy, or Carla Gomes, "Structure, Duality, and Doctoral Consortium, and the AAAI online journal but not only as a web Randomization: Common Themes in Scholarship and Volunteer Programs. The author(s) AI and OR"; James Hendler, "Missed Students interested in attending the of the award-winning paper(s) will Perceptions: AI versus the Funding National Conference on Artificial receive a $2500 prize (shared if more Agencies"; Geoff Hinton, "Modeling Intelligence in Austin, July 31-August than one author) as well as lodging High-Dimensional Data Distributions 3, 2000, should consult the AAAI web and travel to the National Conference by Combining Simple Experts"; Rich site for further information about all on Artificial Intelligence.

Austin, Texas, the "live music capital For more information about AAAI is pleased to announce the continued Conferences/conferences.html. Expository Writing Award will be presented members. AAAI is delighted to announce the 31-August 3 in Austin, Texas. This The conference will be held July collocation of SARA-2000 with AAAIaward joins the two special awards 31-August 3, 2000, at the Austin Convention 2000. The Symposium on Abstraction, established last year, the AAAI Classic Center and Hyatt Regency Reformulation, and Approximation Paper Award and the AAAI Distinguished Austin in Austin, Texas. AAAI-2000 will be held July 26-29, just outside Austin in Lago Vista on Lake Travis, Service Award. For more information about The AAAI Effective Expository Writing the Innovative Applications of SARA-2000, please visit sara2000.unl. Award honors the author(s) of a Artificial Intelligence, the Mobile edu/ high-quality, effective piece of writing, Robot Competition and Exhibition, AAAI also welcomes SARA-2000 as accessible to the general public or the Intelligent Systems Demonstrations, our first affiliate conference. For more to a broad AI audience (not just a subarea), the Robot Building Laboratory, information about the AAAI Affiliates written within the last two and the Doctoral Consortium. New Program, please write to Carol Hamilton years. The contribution should be for 2000 will be a technical paper at hamilton@aaai.org. Nominated papers must be Uncertainty: Operations Research AAAI is pleased to announce the continuation in English and must have been published Meets AI (Again)"; Justine Cassell, of its Student Abstract and in a publicly accessible place "Why Do We Need a Body Anyway?"; Poster Program, the SIGART/AAAI (for example, periodical, hard copy, or Carla Gomes, "Structure, Duality, and Doctoral Consortium, and the AAAI online journal but not only as a web Randomization: Common Themes in Scholarship and Volunteer Programs. The author(s) AI and OR"; James Hendler, "Missed Students interested in attending the of the award-winning paper(s) will Perceptions: AI versus the Funding National Conference on Artificial receive a $2500 prize (shared if more Agencies"; Geoff Hinton, "Modeling Intelligence in Austin, July 31-August than one author) as well as lodging High-Dimensional Data Distributions 3, 2000, should consult the AAAI web and travel to the National Conference by Combining Simple Experts"; Rich site for further information about all on Artificial Intelligence.

The robot exhibition had a very successful 1998. At the conference, we had 11 robot demonstrations (including three multirobot demos), 5 oral presentations, and an additional 5 video or poster submissions. The exhibition also included a published video proceedings for the first time. One of the most interesting features of the exhibition was the variety of capabilities shown. From a mechanical point of view, indoor wheeled robots were, as usual, the most common form of robot, but the exhibit also featured several outdoor wheeled robots, several legged robots, two humanoids, a snake, and a plant. From a software perspective, the exhibit featured general-purpose robot-control software, vision, teleoperation, language learning, teamwork and expression of emotion. A significant number of entries addressed the important, emerging research area of robot-human interaction, both for entertainment purposes and ease of use.

Austin, Texas, the "live music capital For more information about AAAI is pleased to announce the continued Conferences/conferences.html. Expository Writing Award will be presented members. AAAI is delighted to announce the 31-August 3 in Austin, Texas. This The conference will be held July collocation of SARA-2000 with AAAIaward joins the two special awards 31-August 3, 2000, at the Austin Convention 2000. The Symposium on Abstraction, established last year, the AAAI Classic Center and Hyatt Regency Reformulation, and Approximation Paper Award and the AAAI Distinguished Austin in Austin, Texas. AAAI-2000 will be held July 26-29, just outside Austin in Lago Vista on Lake Travis, Service Award. For more information about The AAAI Effective Expository Writing the Innovative Applications of SARA-2000, please visit sara2000.unl. Award honors the author(s) of a Artificial Intelligence, the Mobile edu/ high-quality, effective piece of writing, Robot Competition and Exhibition, AAAI also welcomes SARA-2000 as accessible to the general public or the Intelligent Systems Demonstrations, our first affiliate conference. For more to a broad AI audience (not just a subarea), the Robot Building Laboratory, information about the AAAI Affiliates written within the last two and the Doctoral Consortium. New Program, please write to Carol Hamilton years. The contribution should be for 2000 will be a technical paper at hamilton@aaai.org. Nominated papers must be Uncertainty: Operations Research AAAI is pleased to announce the continuation in English and must have been published Meets AI (Again)"; Justine Cassell, of its Student Abstract and in a publicly accessible place "Why Do We Need a Body Anyway?"; Poster Program, the SIGART/AAAI (for example, periodical, hard copy, or Carla Gomes, "Structure, Duality, and Doctoral Consortium, and the AAAI online journal but not only as a web Randomization: Common Themes in Scholarship and Volunteer Programs. The author(s) AI and OR"; James Hendler, "Missed Students interested in attending the of the award-winning paper(s) will Perceptions: AI versus the Funding National Conference on Artificial receive a $2500 prize (shared if more Agencies"; Geoff Hinton, "Modeling Intelligence in Austin, July 31-August than one author) as well as lodging High-Dimensional Data Distributions 3, 2000, should consult the AAAI web and travel to the National Conference by Combining Simple Experts"; Rich site for further information about all on Artificial Intelligence.

Austin, Texas, the "live music capital For more information about AAAI is pleased to announce the continued Conferences/conferences.html. Expository Writing Award will be presented members. AAAI is delighted to announce the 31-August 3 in Austin, Texas. This The conference will be held July collocation of SARA-2000 with AAAIaward joins the two special awards 31-August 3, 2000, at the Austin Convention 2000. The Symposium on Abstraction, established last year, the AAAI Classic Center and Hyatt Regency Reformulation, and Approximation Paper Award and the AAAI Distinguished Austin in Austin, Texas. AAAI-2000 will be held July 26-29, just outside Austin in Lago Vista on Lake Travis, Service Award. For more information about The AAAI Effective Expository Writing the Innovative Applications of SARA-2000, please visit sara2000.unl. Award honors the author(s) of a Artificial Intelligence, the Mobile edu/ high-quality, effective piece of writing, Robot Competition and Exhibition, AAAI also welcomes SARA-2000 as accessible to the general public or the Intelligent Systems Demonstrations, our first affiliate conference. For more to a broad AI audience (not just a subarea), the Robot Building Laboratory, information about the AAAI Affiliates written within the last two and the Doctoral Consortium. New Program, please write to Carol Hamilton years. The contribution should be for 2000 will be a technical paper at hamilton@aaai.org. Nominated papers must be Uncertainty: Operations Research AAAI is pleased to announce the continuation in English and must have been published Meets AI (Again)"; Justine Cassell, of its Student Abstract and in a publicly accessible place "Why Do We Need a Body Anyway?"; Poster Program, the SIGART/AAAI (for example, periodical, hard copy, or Carla Gomes, "Structure, Duality, and Doctoral Consortium, and the AAAI online journal but not only as a web Randomization: Common Themes in Scholarship and Volunteer Programs. The author(s) AI and OR"; James Hendler, "Missed Students interested in attending the of the award-winning paper(s) will Perceptions: AI versus the Funding National Conference on Artificial receive a $2500 prize (shared if more Agencies"; Geoff Hinton, "Modeling Intelligence in Austin, July 31-August than one author) as well as lodging High-Dimensional Data Distributions 3, 2000, should consult the AAAI web and travel to the National Conference by Combining Simple Experts"; Rich site for further information about all on Artificial Intelligence.

This he reinforcement learning problem microcosm; how can we build then tied back together in a unified history is an early example of a series an agent that can plan, learn, perceive, way. Innovations such as backup diagrams, of detailed literature reviews, found at and act in a complex world? There's a which decorate the book cover, the end of each chapter, which could great new book on the market that help convey the power and excitement alone justify the expense of purchasing lays out the conceptual and algorithmic behind reinforcement learning the book.