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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓¬S␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305


␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415-497-1391␈↓ 	nFebruary 6, 1975



␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dr. Patrick H. Winston
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Arti≡cial Intelligence Laboratory
␈↓ ↓H␈↓545 Technology Square
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Cambridge, Mass. 02139

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Winston,

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Enclosed␈α⊃is␈α⊃my␈α∩review␈α⊃form␈α⊃and␈α∩annotated␈α⊃copy␈α⊃of␈α∩M.␈α⊃Sintzo≥'s␈α⊃paper,␈α∩␈↓↓Static␈α⊃Backtracking␈↓.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor␈αCordell␈αGreen,␈αto␈αwhom␈αyou␈αoriginally␈αsent␈αthe␈αpaper,␈αfelt␈αthat␈αI␈αshould␈αreferee␈αit␈αsince
␈↓ ↓H␈↓it␈αfalls␈αcloser␈αto␈αmy␈αarea␈αof␈αinterests␈αthan␈αhis.␈α I␈αam␈αa␈αdoctoral␈αcandidate␈αin␈αComputer␈αScience,␈αin
␈↓ ↓H␈↓my third year here at Stanford; my dissertation work is in Automatic Theory Formation.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓The␈α∞paper␈α∂attacks␈α∞a␈α∂reasonable␈α∞question:␈α∂how␈α∞to␈α∂look␈α∞at␈α∂a␈α∞problem␈α∂speci≡ed␈α∞in␈α∂state␈α∞variable/
␈↓ ↓H␈↓operator␈α∀formulation␈α∀where␈α∀many␈α∀operators␈α∀might␈α∀apply␈α∀in␈α∀any␈α∀given␈α∀state,␈α∀and␈α∪routinely
␈↓ ↓H␈↓transform␈αit␈αinto␈αa␈αproblem␈αwhere␈αat␈αmost␈αone␈αoperator␈αis␈αapplicable␈αin␈αany␈αgiven␈αstate.␈α Sintzo≥
␈↓ ↓H␈↓provides␈α
a␈α
partial␈α
analysis,␈α
and␈α
a␈α
procedure␈α
which␈α
often␈α
works.␈α
 Unfortunately,␈α
his␈αpresentation
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of␈α↔the␈α↔problem,␈α↔of␈α↔his␈α↔procedure,␈α↔and␈α⊗of␈α↔examples␈α↔to␈α↔illustrate␈α↔that␈α↔procedure,␈α↔are␈α⊗all
␈↓ ↓H␈↓incomprehensible.  Several hours were wasted deciphering unde≡ned terms and notations.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓My␈αrecommendation␈αdoes␈αnot␈αfall␈αneatly␈αinto␈αone␈αof␈αthe␈αfour␈αcategories␈αon␈αthe␈αreview␈αform.␈αI␈αfeel
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈αthere␈α
␈↓↓is␈↓␈αan␈αidea␈α
here,␈αand␈αthe␈α
paper␈αshould␈αbe␈α
accepted,␈αbut␈αonly␈α
after␈αmajor␈α
revisions.␈α In
␈↓ ↓H␈↓addition␈αto␈αthose␈αpointed␈αout␈αin␈αthe␈αreview␈αform,␈αand␈αthose␈αannotated␈αon␈αthe␈αpaper␈αitself,␈αI␈αhave
␈↓ ↓H␈↓enclosed␈αfour␈αadditional␈αsheets␈α
to␈αshow␈αSintzo≥␈αthe␈α
kind␈αof␈α"readable"␈αintroduction␈α
and␈αconcrete
␈↓ ↓H␈↓example that the paper most lacks.  If you see ≡t, please pass these along to him.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Part␈αof␈αthe␈α
di≠culty␈αis␈αwith␈α
English.␈α Many␈αconstructions␈α
are␈αawkward;␈αsome␈α
of␈αhis␈αtechnical␈α
uses
␈↓ ↓H␈↓for␈α⊃common␈α⊃words␈α⊃(e.g.,␈α⊃Maybe,␈α⊃Weak,␈α⊃Comprise,␈α⊃Help)␈α⊃con∨ict␈α⊃with␈α⊃standard␈α⊃usage.␈α⊂ When
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sintzo≥␈αmodi≡es␈α
his␈αpresentation␈αwith␈α
respect␈αto␈α
motivation␈αand␈αsimplicity,␈α
I␈αshall␈α
be␈αhappy␈αto␈α
re-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓edit the paper for minor language errors.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓Douglas B. Lenat