Another British Institution Falls - The "Alex" Cartoon is gone - Gasp!

I cannot say I was an avid reader, but I knew it existed and I did read the occasional one. I probably only "half got" the jokes. Nevertheless I am sad to hear of Alex's passing. It is like seeing the destruction of an industrial cooling tower, the empty space is frightening when its gone because it signifies "there is no need for it anymore". Really? I think we need Alex's view on things (see below, the poignant obituary and the last cartoon):  

https://www.alexcartoon.com/

Raising a coffee to you Alex, respect for your long service, diligence and cutting razor sharp humour and wit. Most of all "Thank you!" As the genius of humour should always be treasured. 

The Start of my "Sharpe Practice" French Collection - A Simple Man of the Line

He is a Perry 1812 to 1815 lad and has been cut from his spue and undercoated (see below, from these small beginnings huge things are expected): 

Viva La France! Well until Waterloo.

A Napoleonic Trip to Portugal : Sharpe Practice

The Frenchman on the horse at the rear of the picture (see below) is the rather flamboyant deployment marker for the French forces. The French Commander Colonel La Panne had only recently arrived in Spain and was still getting accustomed to the rather hot climate. To his distress all of his classmates, the intelligent and ambitious ones, were seeking glory on the "enterprises of enterprises" in Russia. There it would be a much more sensible climate. 1812 was going to be a glorious year for the Emperor, one knew that he would confirm the place of France as the rightful superpower of the world. Yet, here he was in this hell-hole of a Spanish backwater. Rivulets of sweat poured down this face and again he dabbed his brow. Damn them, he knew the Portuguese were watching his every move, but he could see nothing of them (see below, like the books told him to do, skirmishers to the front and main body behind. Trouble is he did not know what. if anything, was hiding in the scrub ahead):   

They approached the nondescript scrap of scrub and the danger seemed to have passed. Then it started. Seemingly harmless clouds of white smoke appeared to his front from the scrub. Birds flew up into the air. The smoke grew cloud grew and obscured his front, musket balls whizzed by like angry swarms of hornets. At least his skirmishers, the Voltigeurs, handled themselves well, taking this "shock" in their stride, they were his best trained troops. They could fight and fire like demons under the experienced eye of Big Pierre - he called their mechanical actions Sharpe Practice (see below, at least La Panne's men seemed to be more numerous that these Portuguese, but worryingly they were matching Big Pierre in his professionalism):     

To La Panne's horror a regular line of brown clad infantrymen approached in line to the sound of a monotonous drumbeat. The sound rolled down towards them, for a moment he thought we was back in Austria fighting Grenzers. The moment passed as a crackle of gunfire swept into the French skirmish line and brough La Panne to his senses. His skirmishers were looking a tad ragged now. Big Pierre was shouting encouragement but twice as much fire was incoming than outgoing. La Panne barked orders to hasten his own troops forwards, but his boys could barely keep stride and keep their lines properly dressed. To ask for more much speed would be asking for chaos (see below, march to the sound of the guns and into the smoke):  

The French were being badly pressed and losing the firefight. With two units to fight Big Pierre could not bring either unit under telling fire and his best was to "hold his ground" - to the Portuguese this was good sport, they were dropping Frenchmen (see below, then suddenly the Portuguese skirmishers to the right withdrew after being caught by an accurate volley, briefly they was a ray of hope, but then a second unit of Portuguese skirmishers now appeared to Big Pierre's left, curse these phantoms):    

Big Pierre's skirmishers dropped back to reform behind the main French Line, they were a sad and bloodied sight. The two regular formations faced off against each other. Crashing volleys spoke out across the battlefield and brave men dropped dead while others fought off the shock and confusion of battle. The French had won the better position through Big Pierre's bravery, it provided a small difference in cover, but the Portuguese Line unit outshone its French counterpart. It seemed to fire three volleys to La Panne's every two. The men were beginning to buckle and also the Portuguese skirmishers had rallied quicker than the French. La Panne cast an anxious look at his second formation of French Line down in the valley, they would not get to him in time. It was time to retire (see below, there are more holes and more shock on the French forces, with great difficulty La Panne escaped, even if his forces were depleted they would still be useful): 

Musing in the cool of his tent, after touring the charnel house that the Regiment called a hospital, it was clear that his opposition was well drilled in the art of war. Old Sergeants shook their heads in disbelief and told him that the Portuguese were different this year. They now "meant it" when they came to fight, the British had instilled some of their "Iron" in the Portuguese bellies. La panne ruminated that he had truly missed the boat when he missed a posting to Russia. If he was not careful Spain would be his grave.

Another good outing for Sharpe Practice. I am getting rather fond of this set of rules. I need to start painting my own Frenchman now!

Note to Self: Good Chat GPT explanation - from Stephen Wolfram

Just click the link and read: 

https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/what-is-chatgpt-doing-and-why-does-it-work/

Urban Combat: Rubbletown Game by David Burden

If you are interested in Urban Warfare, this is well worth a look (see link below, David is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Bath Spa in wargaming): 

https://taunoyen.com/wiki/doku.php?id=rubbletown:rubbletown

The Three Block War

Once upon a time the professional soldiery side of the West, there was the prevailing thought was that they only ever face the "Three Block War" problem and it was a matter of training (see link below, courtesy of the US Marine Corp): 

https://www.mca-marines.org/wp-content/uploads/1999-Jan-The-strategic-corporal-Leadership-in-the-three-block-war.pdf

Then came along the prospect of a peer adversary conflict in a First World setting, and a resurgent Southern Hemisphere "New World Order" to contend with! The times are certainly "a changing"!  

A Book of its Time: Them: Adventures with Extremists

In retrospect the world of 2012 seems such a quainter quieter place, where when we worried it was about the possible "what ifs?", that we really did not think would come to pass, despite the history of 9/11 (2001) and "The War on Terror". The world still seemed "bounded and explainable" to all those fortunate not to be in a war zone. Afghanistan was heading down a road "we thought" we [The West] controlled and could and would be put to rights. Afterall there was only one global Superpower in town - the USA and its weight was unstoppable  (see below, Jon Ronson gives an off the wall, humourous assessment of idiosyncratic and peculiar dangers the world was facing. The danger was from within, it seemed adolescent and seemed to be small. You could make jokes about it. a bit like a BBC2 family sit-com):  

It seems that what you are not looking for, like another major war in Europe the like of which has not been seen since the Second World War, a Superpower Trade Wars and the complete failure of Western intervention in non-westernised cultures, these are the things we should have really been worried about!

Note to Self: Trillion Credit Squadron - Clarifications on Origins 1981 and Lenat

Also see previous post:  https://exiledfog.blogspot.com/2025/03/navy-fleet-design-and-lessons-of.html

Question to Self: Am I getting the basics about Eurisko, Lenat and The Trillion Credit Squadron (TCS) Tournament, staged at Origins in 1981 correct? It is forty four years ago and is definitely drifting into the legend and folklore territory.

It seems to have been a messy and emotional thing, like a lot of human endeavours and as above, with the passage of time, some forty four years, it is becoming less and less clearer. From an academic perspective on AI the Origins 1982 TCS event was largely ignored. I don't think it helped get Lenat tenure and may have even harmed him (the toxic nausea academia can have with respect to "games" was perhaps stronger then). The GDW Trillion Credit (TCS) Tournaments were not inundated with AI postdoc research students from respected AI Departments in leading universities trying to be "King" TCS Admiral. That much seems clear (and I think, much to the relief of Origins and GDW staffers).

For the record in 1981 there were three nation TCS competitions: 

• Origins (San Mateo, California, winner Douglas Lenat)
• Gen-Con East (Cherry Hill, New Jersey, winner Martin Misciagna)
• Gen-Con XIV, near Kenosha Wisconsin, winner Mike Moline). 

There was no national play-off, but I think it is safe to say the Lenat/Eurisko would have won, because the other two winners were regarded as "conventional fleets. Lenat/Eurisko's fleet stats for Origins 1981 were:

Winning TCS fleet -  Origins 1981 San Mateo California
Lenat/Eurisko Fleet 
Fleet Parameters: 
Tech level 12. 
Jump-3. 
1-G.
100 pilots. 
All ships, gas giant skimming required    
Fleet Summary: 
96 Space Ships in total
89 Buffered Planetoids so teh fleet looked like an "asteroid belt" 
86 space ships immediately on table [79 of them looking very rock-like]
75 on table in the Main Battle Line (all Buffered Planetoids) 
11 on table in the Reserve Line (7 Wedges and 4 Buffered Planetoids) 
10 tucked away inside their mother ships in the Reserve Line
These 10 fighters are all Buffered Planetoids too 
Note: All human pilots (96 out of a possible 100)
*----- MAIN BATTLE LINE ----- (75 Space Ships - Rocks [Buffered Planetoid]) -----*
Seventy-five Eurisko class (Purpose - Battle Armoured [Buffered Planetoid] Missile Ships): 
BA-Eurisko ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BA-K952563-J41100-34003-0 
Cost MCr 13,030.385 
Tech Level C (12) Tonnage 11,100
Ship Characteristic Breakdown
BA-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Class - Battle Armoured
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Tonnage [10,000 - 19,999 tons] (actually 11,100 tons)
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Ship Type - Buffered Planetoid
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Jump (5)
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Manoeuvre (2) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Power Plant (5) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Computer (6) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Crew (3) Complement of 131 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Hull Strength (J) [Planetoid + Buffered Armour]  (Value 19) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Sand Casters (4) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Meson Screen (1) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Nuclear Dampeners (1) 
 Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Force Field  - None
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Repulsors - None 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Lasers (3) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Energy Weapons (4) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Particle Weapons - None  
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Meson Gun - None
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Missiles (3) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Fighter Squadrons - None  
Defensive (Blue) and Offensive (Red) Batteries and Batteries Bearing: 
Ba-K952563-J11100-1100V-0  : Batteries Bearing
Ba-K952563-J11100-1100V-0  : Batteries
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Sand Casters (4) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Lasers (3) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Energy Weapons (4) 
Ba-K952563-J41100-34003-0  : Missiles (3) 
Crew=131; Agility=2; Fuel=555; Passengers=0; Cargo=8; Low=0; Fuel 555; EP 555; Marines=35 
Note: L-hyd drop tanks add 5,550 tons of fuel and mass, change the agility to 1, and cost 5.56. (BA-K931363), change Agility to 1 and cost MCr5.56.  The ship is designed to manoeuvre when carrying up to 16,650 tons of drop tanks.
Design Notes (Exploited TCS Characteristics): 
**-*9*****-*******-*****-*  : The '9' implies it is a planetoid, basically a hollowed out asteroid. The advantage of this is that it is cheap to build.
**-*******-*******-****3-*  : Nuclear Missile Batteries had unlimited ammunition.
*----- RESERVE LINE SPACE SHIPS ----- (11 Space Ships (4 of them looking like rocks and 7 of them looking like  wedges) with another 10 small ships (all looking like rocks) carried in these, 21 in total) -----*
Four Garter class (Purpose Fleet Tender - To Jump the other Space Ships into the battle): 
TB-Garter ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1
Cost MCr 17,584.104
Tonnage 12,000
Ship Characteristic Breakdown
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Class - Tender/Tanker Battle
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Tonnage [10,000 - 19,9999] 12,000 Tonnes
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Ship Type - Needle/Wedge
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Jump (5)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Manoeuvre (6) 
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Power Plant (7) 
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Computer (F - 6fib)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Crew (3) Complement 170
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Hull Strength (B) Metal (Value 11)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Sand Casters (4)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Meson Screen (1)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Nuclear Dampeners (1)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Force Field - None 
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Repulsors (6) 
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Lasers (3)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Energy Weapons (4)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Particle Weapons - None
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Meson Weapons - None 
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Missiles (9)
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1  : Fighters (1)  Wasp Fighter [Lifeboat]
Defensive (Blue) and Offensive (Red) Batteries and Batteries Bearing: 
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1c : Batteries Bearing C 1 EE 7 
TB-K1567F3-B41106-34009-1c : Batteries C 1 EE 7 
Agility=4; Fuel=840; Cargo=4.3 low=170 
Design Notes:
Needle-Wedge shape
Note: L-Hyd drop tanks add 6000 tons of fuel and mass, change the agility to 4, and cost MCr6.01.(TB-K1344F3) The ship is designed to manoeuvre when carrying up to 72,000 tons of drop tanks and one Wasp fighter.
Four Cisor class: BD-Cisor 
BD Cisor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
Cost MCr22,291.175 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0 
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
BD-K9525F3-E41100-340C5-0
Bearing 1 11 1U 19,980 tons Batteries 1 11 1U crew= ? Agility=0; Fuel=999; Cargo=19.1 low=95 Note: L-Hyd drop tanks add 9,990 tons of fuel and mass, and cost MCr10. (BD- L9313F3) The ship is designed to manoeuvre when carrying up to 29,970 tons of drop tanks.
**-*9*****-*******-*****-* the '9' implies it is a planetoid, basically a hollowed out asteroid. The advantage of this is that it is cheap to build.
Three Queller class (Purpose - Life-Boat Killer): BH-Queller 
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02-1 
MCr27,802.392
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
BH-K1526F3-B41106-34Q02
Bearing Z 1 NN1 N 19,600 tons Batteries Z 1 NN1 N crew=263 Agility=0; Fuel=1,176; Cargo=10.72 low=232; marines=200 Note: L-hyd drop tanks add 9,800 tons of fuel and mass, and cost MCr9.81. (BH-L1314F3) The ship is designed to manoeuvre when carrying up to 29,400 tons of drop tanks and two fighters (one Wasp and one Bee).
Notes: 
Needle-Wedge Shape
**-*******-******-**Q**-* the Q implies a very large particle accelerator weapon, the idea being it can blow up other peoples Lifeboats (or Shield Maiden if you care to call them that).
-- Smaller Ships -- 10 in total, Wasp (7 x 1,000 tons) and Bee (3 x 99 tons) -- 
Note: These are carried on other ships
Seven Wasp class (Purpose - Lifeboat [Almost unhittable ship] creates Shield so other ships can retire and repair damage, then return to fight): IL-Wasp 
Il-A90ZZF2-J00000-00009-0 MCr896.75 Bearing 1 1,000 tons Batteries 1 Crew=19 Agility=6; Fuel=60; Cargo=0 low=0
Notes:
**-*9*****-*******-*****-* the '9' implies it is a planetoid, basically a hollowed out asteroid. The advantage of this is that it is cheap to build.
Agility 6 therefore hard to hit!
Three Bee class: FF-Bee
FF-0906661-A30000-00001-0 MCr127.945 Bearing 1 2 99 tons Batteries 1 2 crew=2 Agility=0; Fuel=5.94; Cargo=0
Notes:
**-*9*****-*******-*****-* the '9' implies it is a planetoid, basically a hollowed out asteroid. The advantage of this is that it is cheap to build.
90 Rocks and 6 Needle Space Ships
- End of Fleet --

Note: I have been unable to locate the 1982 Lenat/Eurisko Fleet. It was almost the polar opposite to the above, being fast and unarmoured, but again numerous. In 1983 he was asked, "not to participate" by the organisers. Credit should also be given to the nameless runner up at Origins 1981 who has a similar (relatively individually small sized 10k+ [when compared to 75,000 tonne Dreadnoughts] but heavily armoured fleet, so numerous space ships - without the "specialist ships" Lenat had) fleet. He/She (but let's face it probably a "he") too would have beaten all the conventional fleets. 

According to the Trillion Credit Traveller booklet the Origins 1981, 1982 and 1983 TCS Tournaments conformed to the following rules (they seem to have been advancing the Tech Level by one each year): 

Douglas Lenat did include the event in his published research papers as an example of a test-case use of Eurisko, alongside other more standard domains (such as helping with Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit Design [VLSI]). It was a supplementary research issue that helped him think about his core interest, that is common-sense logic, that is a form of knowledge representation we have yet to crack. He was in the Symbolic-Ontology camp, even if it became uncool (see below. Lenat on Cyc, in one sense the ongoing evolution of Eurisko): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjkbmLjwXO8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2rK40bNrrY

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ogbl#search/ontology/QgrcJHrnzwWHQQTPRRXBqPthsMKBxgQvtRV?projector=1

https://www.first.army.mil/Mission/Units/Division-West/videoid/913493/dvpTag/ACT3/igphoto/2003313038/

Citizens of the Imperium - Forum Threads on TCS and Eurisko:

https://www.travellerrpg.com/threads/eurisko-and-tcs.38249/page-2