- csc-general - CSC Mailman

Elections and General Meeting 5:30PM Tuesday, in the Comfy Lounge
by Computer Science Club 10 May '10

10 May '10

Hello everyone, The spring 2010 elections will be at 5:30PM on Tuesday, May 11 in the Comfy lounge. Nominees are: - President: Jeff Cameron (j3camero), Kevin Farnworth (kfarnwor) - Vice President: Brennan Taylor (b4taylor) - Treasurer: Vardhan Mudunuru (vmudunur) - Secretary: Matt Lawrence (m3lawren), Qifan Xi (qxi) If you would like to vote absentee, please send your ballot to cro(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca with one vote per position before 5:30pm on Tuesday, May 11. In addition, at this meeting the new executive will select a Systems Administrator, decide on various appointed positions (Librarian, Webmaster, Office Manager), and organize and add members to the standing committees (Program Committee, Systems Committee). So, if you want to get involved in running the club in some way or another, come out to elections and volunteer. As a reminder, membership dues must be paid termly, and you must be registered for this term to vote. To renew you can come by the office in MC3036, pay via paypal (instructions are here: http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/about/donations) or come to the elections, there will be time to renew memberships before the voting starts. -- Edgar Bering, Chief Returning Officer ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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Spring Term Nominations and Elections
by Computer Science Club 04 May '10

04 May '10

Hello everyone, The Spring term is now upon us, and with it comes a new CS Club executive. Nominations for President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary are now open, and will remain open until Monday May 10 at 5:30pm. Elections will be Tuesday May 11 at 5:30pm, location TBA. If you would like to nominate yourself or a friend write their CSC username on the whiteboard in the club, or send the nomination to cro(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca. Information on absentee voting will be sent out along with a final list of nominees at 5:30pm on Monday. The election location will be posted soon. -- Edgar Bering, Chief Returning Officer ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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Reminder: Windows Azure Lab Tomorrow
by Computer Science Club 06 Apr '10

06 Apr '10

Hi everyone, This is just a reminder that the Microsoft-sponsored Windows Azure lab is tomorrow at 1pm in MC2037. Come on out to: - Learn about cloud computing systems in the context of Windows Azure - Learn about a cloud computing contest Microsoft is hosting on Azure - Get a free key for temporary Azure access - Enter a raffle for an Xbox360 - provided by Microsoft As usual, if you have questions feel free to e-mail the executive: exec(a)csclub.uwaterloo.ca Thanks, -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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Collaboration requested Hinton
by Computer Science Club 03 Apr '10

03 Apr '10

Dear Hinton, I will like to solicit your help in a business proposition, I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one worried and apprehensive but I am assuring you not to worry, as all will be well at the end of this endeavor. View attached email for details. Regards, Hugo Collins.

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Brush-Based Constructive Solid Geometry
by Computer Science Club 03 Apr '10

03 Apr '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "Brush-Based Constructive Solid Geometry" on 2010-04-06 at 04:30 PM in DC1304. It will be presented by Jordan M. Saunders. For some would-be graphics programmers, the biggest barrier-to-entry is getting data to render. This is why there exist so many terrain renderers: by virtue of the fact that rendering height-fields tends to give pretty pictures from next to no "created" information. However, it becomes more difficult when programmers want to do indoor rendering (in the style of the Quake and Unreal games). Ripping map information from the Quake games is possible (and fairly simple), but their tool-chain is fairly clumsy from the point of view of adding a conversion utility. My talk is about Constructive Solid Geometry from a Brush-based perspective (nearly identical to Unreal's and still very similar to Quake's). The basic idea is that there are brushes (convex volumes in 3-space) and they can either be additive (solid brushes) or subtractive (hollow, or air brushes). The entire world starts off as an infinite solid lump and you can start removing sections of it then adding them back in. The talk pertains to fast methods of taking the list of brushes and generating world geometry. I may touch on interface problems with the editor, but the primary content will be the different ways I generated the geometry and what I found to be best. Light refreshments will be served and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Windows Azure Lab
by Computer Science Club 02 Apr '10

02 Apr '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a Windows Azure Lab on 2010-04-07 at 1:00 PM in MC2037. It will be presented by Colin Melia. We are in the midst of an industry shift as developers and businesses embrace the Cloud. Technical innovations in the cloud are dramatically changing the economics of computing and reducing barriers that keep businesses from meeting the increasing demands of today's customers. The cloud promises choice and enables scenarios that previously were not economically practical. Microsoft's Windows Azure is an internet-scale cloud computing services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers. The Windows Azure platform, allows developers to build and deploy production ready cloud services and applications. With the Windows Azure platform, developers can take advantage of greater choice and flexibility in how they develop and deploy applications, while using familiar tools and programming languages. Get the opportunity to learn about Microsoft's Cloud Services Platform, Windows Azure. Attend the Hands-on-lab session sponsored by Microsoft. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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NUI: The future of robotics and automated systems
by Computer Science Club 29 Mar '10

29 Mar '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "Catch a Glimpse of the Future" on 2010-03-30 at 4:30 PM in DC1304. It will be presented by Sam Pasupalak. Bill Gates in his article “A Robot in every home” in the Scientific American describes how the current robotics industry resembles the 1970’s of the Personal Computer Industry. In fact it is not just Microsoft which has already taken a step forward by starting the Microsoft Robotics studio, but robotics researchers around the world believe that robotics and automation systems are going to be ubiquitous in the next 10-20 years (similar to Mark Weiser’s analogy of Personal Computers 20 years ago). Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) are going to revolutionize the way we interact with computers, cellular phones, household appliances, automated systems in our daily lives. Just like the GUI made personal computing a reality, I believe natural user interfaces will do the same for robotics. During the presentation I will be presenting my ongoing software project on natural user interfaces as well as sharing my goals for the future, one of which is to provide an NUI SDK and the other to provide a common Robotics OS for every hardware vendor that will enable people to make applications without worrying about underlying functionality. If time permits I would like to present a demo of my software prototype. Light refreshments will be served and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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A Final Party of Code
by Computer Science Club 25 Mar '10

25 Mar '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting A Final Party of Code on 2010-03-26 at 7:00 PM in MC7001. There is a CSC/CMC Code Party Friday starting at 7:00PM (1900) until we get bored (likely in the early in morning). Come out for fun hacking times, spreading Intertube memes (optional), hacking on open source projects, doing some computational math, and other general classiness. There will be free energy drinks for everyone's enjoyment. This is the last of the term so don't miss out. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Memory-Corruption Security Holes: How to exploit, patch and prevent them.
by Computer Science Club 18 Mar '10

18 Mar '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "Memory-Corruption Security Holes: How to exploit, patch and prevent them." on 2010-03-23 at 4:30 PM in MC5158. It will be presented by Peter Barfuss. Despite it being 2010, code is still being exploited due to stack overflows, a 40+ year old class of security vulnerabilities. In this talk, I will go over several common methods of program exploitation, both on the stack and on the heap, as well as going over some of the current mitigation techniques (i.e. stack canaries, ASLR, etc.) for these holes, and similarly, how some of these can be bypassed as well. Light refreshments will be served and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Another Party of Code
by Computer Science Club 18 Mar '10

18 Mar '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting Another Party of Code on 2010-03-18 at 7:00 PM in Comfy Lounge. There is a CSC Code Party Friday starting at 7:00PM (1900) until we get bored (likely in the early in morning). Come out for fun hacking times, spreading Intertube memes (optional), hacking on the OpenMoko, creating music mixes, and other general classiness. There will be free energy drinks for everyone's enjoyment. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Approximation Hardness and the Unique Games Conjecture
by Computer Science Club 13 Mar '10

13 Mar '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "Approximation Hardness and the Unique Games Conjecture" on 2010-03-16 at 4:30 PM in MC5158. It will be presented by Elyot Grant. Talk Abstract: The theory of NP-completeness suggests that some problems in CS are inherently hard—that is, there is likely no possible algorithm that can efficiently solve them. Unfortunately, many of these problems are ones that people in the real world genuinely want to solve! How depressing! What can one do when faced with a real-life industrial optimization problem whose solution may save millions of dollars but is probably impossible to determine without trillions of years of computation time? One strategy is to be content with an approximate (but provably "almost ideal") solution, and from here arises the theory of approximation algorithms. However, this theory also has a depressing side, as many well-known optimization problems have been shown to be provably hard to approximate well. This talk shall focus on the depressing. We will prove that various optimization problems (such as traveling salesman and max directed disjoint paths) are impossible to approximate well unless P=NP. These proofs are easy to understand and are REALLY COOL thanks to their use of very slick reductions. We shall explore many NP-hard optimization problems and state the performance of the best known approximation algorithms and best known hardness results. Tons of open problems will be mentioned, including the unique games conjecture, which, if proven true, implies the optimality of many of the best known approximation algorithms for NP-complete problems like MAX-CUT and INDEPENDENT SET. I promise fun times and no gruesome math. Basic knowledge of graph theory and computational complexity might help but is not required. Light refreshments will be served and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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A Party of Code
by Computer Science Club 11 Mar '10

11 Mar '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting A Party of Code on 2010-03-12 at 7:00 PM in Comfy Lounge. A fevered night of code, friends, fun, energy drinks, and the CSC. Come join us for a night of coding. Get in touch with more experianced coders, advertize for/bug squash on your favourite open source project, write that personal project you were planning to do for a while but haven't found the time. Don't have any ideas but want to sit and hack? We can find something for you to do. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Registration for the 17th Annual Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference is now open
by Computer Science Club 07 Mar '10

07 Mar '10

A word from the CSC Exec: The CUMC is not just about Pure Mathematics, Computer Science as a mathematical discipline is also welcome and a part of the conference, keep that in mind as you read the following message from the organizers: Registration for the 17th Annual Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference is now open! Don't miss an exciting opportunity this summer! Travel to the University of Waterloo from July 6th to July 10th, and take part in the premier Undergraduate Mathematics event in North America. Visit the conference website at: http://cumc.math.ca Click on the Registration tab to sign up early! Registration fees will be going up at the beginning of the summer. If you are an Undergraduate student who is interested in Mathematics, don't miss this year's conference. It's a fantastic opportunity to travel, learn more mathematics and meet other talented students. -What is the Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference: The Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference (CUMC) is an annual gathering of undergraduate students with interests in the mathematical sciences. It is the largest event of its kind in North America. Each year it attracts over a hundred students of all abilities, from diverse fields such as pure math, applied math, physics, economics, bioinformatics, statistics, computer science, mathematical finance, and actuarial science. The 17th CUMC will be held at the University of Waterloo (located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) from July 6 to July 10, 2010. We encourage students who are interested in any math-related field to participate. This is a great opportunity to not only learn about new areas of mathematics, but also to meet students from across the country with similar interests, and to practice giving a mathematical talk (which is encouraged but not required). -Why attend the CUMC? The CUMC is a unique event in North America. No other conference has run seventeen consecutive years for undergraduate students, by undergraduate students. The conference provides an inclusive, non-competitive environment for students with interests in Mathematics. There students of all abilities can meet, exchange ideas and socialize with others interested in math. The conference is an invaluable opportunity to learn, travel and become exposed to the broader mathematical world. Signed: the 2010 CUMC organizing committee

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Software Transactional Memory and Using STM in Haskell
by Computer Science Club 04 Mar '10

04 Mar '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "Software Transactional Memory and Using STM in Haskell" on 2010-03-09 at 4:30 PM in DC1304. It will be presented by Brennan Taylor. Concurrency is hard. Well maybe not hard, but it sure is annoying to get right. Even the simplest of synchronization tasks are hard to implement correctly when using synchronization primitives such as locks and semaphores. In this talk we explore what Software Transactional Memory (STM) is, what problems STM solves, and how to use STM in Haskell. We explore a number of examples that show how easy STM is to use and how expressive Haskell can be. The goal of this talk is to convince attendees that STM is not only a viable synchronization solution, but superior to how synchronization is typically done today. Light refreshments will be served and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Bowling
by Computer Science Club 03 Mar '10

03 Mar '10

Hi everyone, The CSC is going bowling this Saturday (March 6th) at the Waterloo Bowling Lanes. We'll be bowling from 5pm-7pm. The bowling alley is located at 14 Princess Street West, but if you don't feel like navigating we will be meeting at the CSC Office starting at 4pm and going to the bowling alley some time after that. If you go bring $9.75; this covers 2 games and shoe rental, which is what we'll be staying for, though you are welcome to continue bowling after the first two games. -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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CSC Talk "QIP=PSPACE"
by Computer Science Club 26 Feb '10

26 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "QIP=PSPACE" on 2010-03-02 at 4:30 PM in DC1304. It will be presented by Dr. John Watrous. His description follows below: The interactive proof system model of computation is a cornerstone of complexity theory, and its quantum computational variant has been studied in quantum complexity theory for the past decade. In this talk I will discuss an exact characterization of the power of quantum interactive proof systems that I recently proved in collaboration with Rahul Jain, Zhengfeng Ji, and Sarvagya Upadhyay. The characterization states that the collection of computational problems having quantum interactive proof systems consists precisely of those problems solvable with an ordinary classical computer using a polynomial amount of memory (or QIP = PSPACE in complexity-theoretic terminology). This characterization implies the striking fact that quantum computing does not provide any increase in computational power over classical computing in the context of interactive proof systems. I will not assume that the audience for this talk has any familiarity with either quantum computing or complexity theory; and to be true to the spirit of the interactive proof system model, I hope to make this talk as interactive as possible -- I will be happy to explain anything related to the talk that I can that people are interested in learning about. Light refreshments will be provided and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Contest Closing Ice Cream Party
by Computer Science Club 25 Feb '10

25 Feb '10

Hi everyone, As you might recall the Google AI Challenge (that we have organized) started February 1st. Well, it is now almost over, and to help you finalize your submissions we're having an ice cream party starting at 7:00pm on Feb 26 (Tomorrow!), and going until a little after the close of submissions (11:59pm) when we will announce winners and hand out prizes. If you haven't started a submission (or forgot) more information about the contest can be found on the website: contest.csclub.ca So come on out, have some icecream, and hack hack hack. -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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CSCF Town Hall Discussion
by Computer Science Club 22 Feb '10

22 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is co-hosting a CSCF Town Hall meeting on 2010-02-25 at 4:30 PM in DC1302. It will be presented by the CSCF Management. Come to a town hall style meeting with the managers of CSCF to discuss how to improve the undergraduate (student.cs) computing environment. Have gripes? Suggestions? Requests? Now is the time to voice them. CSCF management (Bill Ince, Associate Director; Dave Gawley, Infrastructure Support; Dawn Keenan, User Support; Lawrence Folland, Research Support) will be at the meeting to listen to student concerns and suggestions. Information gathered from the meeting will be summarized and taken to the CSCF advisory committee for discussion and planning. Cookies will be served and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Talk: "The Best Algorithms are Randomized Algorithms"
by Computer Science Club 21 Feb '10

21 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "The Best Algorithms are Randomized Algorithms" on 2010-02-23 at 04:30 PM in MC5136B. It will be presented by Dr. Nicholas Harvey. Talk Abstract: For many problems, randomized algorithms are either the fastest algorithm or the simplest algorithm; sometimes they even provide the only known algorithm. Randomized algorithms have become so prevalent that deterministic algorithms could be viewed as a curious special case. In this talk I will describe some startling examples of randomized algorithms for solving some optimization problems on graphs. Light refreshments will be provided and I hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Member Talk: An Introduction to Vector Graphics Libraries with Cairo
by Computer Science Club 08 Feb '10

08 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "An Introduction to Vector Graphics Libraries with Cairo" on 2010-02-09 at 4:30 PM in DC1304. It will be presented by club member Nathaniel Sherry. Cairo is an open source, cross platform, vector graphics library with the ability to output to many kinds of surfaces, including PDF, SVG and PNG surfaces, as well as X-Window, Win32 and Quartz 2D backends. Unlike the raster graphics used with programmes and libraries such as The Gimp and ImageMagick, vector graphics are not defined by grids of pixels, but rather by a collection of drawing operations. These operations detail how to draw lines, fill shapes, and even set text to create the desired image. This has the advantages of being infinitely scalable, smaller in file size, and simpler to express within a computer programme. This talk will be an introduction to the concepts and metaphors used by vector graphics libraries in general and Cairo in particular. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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2010 Intelligent Systems Challenge: Call for Participation
by Computer Science Club 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

The Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (CAIAC) and Precarn Inc are inviting students at all levels (high school, college and university) to participate in the 2010 Intelligent Systems Challenge. Computer professionals in industry and academia are also invited to pass this message to interested students and to consider advising a student team. The challenge is a programming contest where students are asked to write a program that is able to automatically characterize events reported in news media, particularly when there are multiple data sources providing context for the information. This year's challenge was proposed by CAE. CAE is a world leader in providing modelling and simulation technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry, defence forces, public security agencies, and healthcare organizations around the globe. To participate, please visit the challenge website: http://www.intelligent-systems-challenge.ca. Download the full problem description and start programming today! Registration is currently open (until Feb 28). Cash prizes will be awarded to the best solutions in each student category (high school/college, undergraduate and graduate levels). Winners will be announced at the 2010 Intelligent Systems Collaborative Conference in Ottawa, Ontario which runs from May 31-June 2. The challenge is a joint initiative of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (CAIAC) and Precarn Inc. The goal of this annual competition is to promote innovation in Canada; establish and strengthen contacts between academia and industry in Canada; increase the awareness of and interest in technologies and methods from the areas of artificial intelligence and intelligent systems for addressing the challenges faced by Canadian industry, organizations and society as a whole; contribute to the development of students’ aptitude and ability through solving challenging real world problems. -- Kate Larson, University of Waterloo Froduald Kabanza, Universite de Sherbrooke Michael Horsch, University of Saskatchewan (The 2010 IS Challenge Organizing Committee) and Holger H. Hoos, University of British Columbia (on behalf of the IS Challenge Steering Committee)

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UNIX 101, Two Sessions
by Computer Science Club 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting UNIX 101 on 2010-02-10 at 4:30 PM in MC3003, with an encore presentation on 2010-02-11 at 4:30 PM in MC3005. New to Unix? No problem, we'll teach you to power use circles around your friends! We will run two sessions of the popular tutorial, in case you can't make one. This first tutorial is an introduction to the Unix shell environment, both on the student servers and on other Unix environments. Topics covered include: using the shell, both basic interaction and advanced topics like scripting and job control, the filesystem and manipulating it, and ssh. If you feel you're already familiar with these topics don't hesitate to come to Unix 102 to learn about documents, editing, and other related tasks, or watch out for Unix 103 and 104 that get much more in depth into power programming tools on Unix. Hope to see you there. If you can't make either tutorial, or want to read ahead, check out: http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/unix/ If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca.

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Movie Night: Tron and Hackers. 7pm Thursday in the Comfy Lounge
by Computer Science Club 02 Feb '10

02 Feb '10

Hi everyone, This week we're helping MathSoc run their movie night, and as such we get to pick the movies. So, if you want to watch some classic films about computer culture and enjoy free popcorn come to the Comfy Lounge this Thursday at 7pm for Tron and 8:45pm for Hackers. Bring your friends! -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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Programming contest starts today in MC3003
by Computer Science Club 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Hi everyone, come out today to the contest kickoff event in MC3003 at 4:30PM. The contest this year is being run in conjunction with Google, who will be promoting it worldwide, but its being run by us, and it would certainly be a shame if we lost. Can't make the kickoff? Just check out the website and get started! Learn how to create an intelligent game-playing program. No past experience necessary. Submit your code online to watch it compete with programs written by other students from around the world. Follow your ranking on the Global Leaderboard. Beginners and experts welcome! Cash prizes will be awarded to the top entries. There is a special prize for the top entry by a first-year student. Check out the website for everything that you need to get started today! contest.csclub.uwaterloo.ca Google AI Challenge Organized by the University of Waterloo Computer Science Club Feb 1 to February 27 contest.csclub.uwaterloo.ca -- Edgar Bering, Vice President ebering at uwaterloo dot ca Computer Science Club http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~ebering Mathematics Society MC 3036, (519)888-4567,x33870 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2L 3G1

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"Deep learning with multiplicative interactions" a talk by Dr. Geoff Hinton
by Computer Science Club 24 Jan '10

24 Jan '10

Hello, the CSC is hosting a talk entitled "Deep learning with multiplicative interactions" on 2010-01-26 at 05:00 PM in DC1302. It will be presented by Geoffrey Hinton. Geoffrey Hinton, from the University of Toronto and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, will discuss some of his latest work in learning networks and artificial intelligence. The talk will be accessable, so don't hesitate to come out. More information about Dr. Hinton's research can be found on his website[1]. The detailed abstract: Deep networks can be learned efficiently from unlabeled data. The layers of representation are learned one at a time using a simple learning module, called a "Restricted Boltzmann Machine" that has only one layer of latent variables. The values of the latent variables of one module form the data for training the next module. Although deep networks have been quite successful for tasks such as object recognition, information retrieval, and modeling motion capture data, the simple learning modules do not have multiplicative interactions which are very useful for some types of data. The talk will show how a third-order energy function can be factorized to yield a simple learning module that retains advantageous properties of a Restricted Boltzmann Machine such as very simple exact inference and a very simple learning rule based on pair-wise statistics. The new module contains multiplicative interactions that are useful for a variety of unsupervised learning tasks. Researchers at the University of Toronto have been using this type of module to extract oriented energy from image patches and dense flow fields from image sequences. The new module can also be used to allow motions of a particular style to be achieved by blending autoregressive models of motion capture data. Hope to see you there. If you have any questions about the event e-mail the executive or check http://csclub.uwaterloo.ca. [1] http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~hinton/

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