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May 27, 2009

Lieutenant Commander Data (a.k.a. will NLP ever make Data realistic?)

Filed under: Conference Participants, General Audience, Miscellanoids — Tags: data, speech, star trek — Chris Henry @ 1:47 pm

Having watched the reboot of Star Trek recently (and spending this morning musing of what to post for the blog), I remembered one of my favourite characters from the Star Trek of my generation, a.k.a. Star Trek – The Next Generation (TNG): Lt. Cmd. Data. [I was born in 1986, too young to appreciate the original Star Trek. Sadly, my memory of TNG is not exactly very lucid either, but here goes an attempt.]

Lt. Cmd. Data

Well, Data is definitely the pinnacle, one of the end points that NLP can reach. An android that is able to communicate with humans in human language, rather than in programming languages, clicks of a mouse, or touch on the screen. Given the fact that he’s able 60 trillions operations a second (and over 80 petabytes of memory), that might not be too surprising. Well, no, actually, now that I think about it, it is pretty surprising. Assuming 3GHz processor, current computers can perform those 60 trillions operations in under 10 minutes. Given the fact that natural language processing and computational linguistics sometime utilize tens of machines (heck, Google utilizes clusters of probably hundreds of machines and megahuge corpus), those 60 trillions operations suddenly seems very small. Yet, we are still so far behind what is portrayed by Data. Or do we really?

Truth be told, yes, I do believe we’re behind Data. But if you had been faithfully following Star Trek, Data isn’t that good with NLP (actually I only realized this now). He has not mastered contractions (shortening of “I am” to “I’m”, “is not” to “isn’t”, etc.). His speech is also more monotonous and rigid (although in one of the episode, where we were shown a future Data who is a professor at Cambridge, Data is portrayed as having more nuanced speech). Data is also less capable to use inflections. Minus these points, on the other hand, Data represents a possibility for NLP that we have not yet attained. It is very exciting indeed. (:

Lastly, of course, I can’t write a Star Trek post without alluding to universal language translator engine that is supposed to instantaneously translate languages into understandable language (well, in this case, English; or whatever language Star Trek is being dubbed into). Can we ever make such devices? What do you think about it? (: [Talking about universal language translator, I think Star Wars' protocol droids (such as C-3PO), which can translate between many languages, are more likely to be created than this one.]

Acknowledgment: Lt. Cmd. Data screenshot is taken from Wikipedia. As this is a screenshot of an actual films, the copyright likely falls to the studio. However, it is believed that usage as identification of a character in a character review qualifies under fair use under US Copyright Law.

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May 25, 2009

Visit to Singapore Visitors Centre @ Orchard

Filed under: Conference Participants, Destination Singapore — Tags: brochures, orchard, visitors centre — Chris Henry @ 12:43 am

So today I decided to do my homework and actually update myself with all the new things in Singapore. [And boy, a lot of things have changed during the 8 years of my stay in Singapore.] Okay, so I decided to check out Singapore Visitors Centre on my way to Plaza Singapura (a shopping centre right above Dhoby Ghaut MRT station) this evening. Btw, this is one of the place you may want to visit once you get to Singapore. The visitors centre has tonnes of brochures on what’s happening around in Singapore, which places you may want to visits, and (this one is important!) free maps, lots of different kind of free maps! The best thing is that there is one visitors centre right at Changi Airport, in all three terminals, open from 6am to 2am. So remember to pick up those brochures if you’re coming via air travel.

Brochures!

Okay, back to this evening. So I tried to act a little like a tourist when I was at the visitors centre (at Orchard) and grabbed almost all of the relevant brochures that they have. I noticed that there were quite a few good ones, some I have not even visited before. My favourite brochures were (as always) the walking tours brochures. [I really love walking tours, where you got to enjoy the architectures and cultures of the place, eat good food, and, if you're lucky and happen to have a tour guide with you (maybe some local friends who are familiar with the place or hired tour guides), you'll get the local insights and some history of the place.] There were also brochures on museums, night life, historic places, and shopping and food guides, among others.

One of the best things about the visitors centre was the service. Having lived in Singapore for 8 years and interned in California for 7 months last year, I found that some establishments in Singapore (commercial and otherwise) lack hospitality[, especially with some restaurants (maybe because restaurants are entitled to 10% service charge, so waiters don't really need to work extremely hard to get that extra tip from customers)]. The guides in the centre was very helpful. When one of the guides saw me overloaded with tonnes of brochure, he approached me with a plastic bag and offered to put the brochures in the bag. We ended up chatting about this blog. He let me know that I should come for another visit in June or July to pick up latest brochures about events happening in end of July and August. You don’t really get this level of service in many other establishments (even commercial ones).

I also noticed that the centre has two electronic massaging machines and a water dispenser for visitors. Very thoughtful.

Singapore Visitors Centre @ Orchard

Overall, this visitors centre is pretty cool and deserving of at least a short visit in the midst of your shopping spree at Orchard Road. The centre is pretty obvious; you’ll definitely spot it when you’re walking along Orchard. Drop by to chat with the guides and they might be able to provide you with something new to visit that you didn’t think of earlier. For me, I will be able to write even more posts now that I have these tonnes of brochures with me. (: Wait for it!

Acknowledgment: The photo of the brochures is taken by yours truly, while the centre’s photo is taken by zephyr too under Creative Commons.

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May 20, 2009

Entering Singapore (visa requirement)

Filed under: Conference Participants, Destination Singapore — Tags: visa — Chris Henry @ 4:51 pm

To enter Singapore, you may be required to apply for entry visa. However, Singapore has made visa-free (or visa-on-arrival) arrangements with many countries. The list of countries whose citizens would need a visa can be found here (however, please still check with Singapore Overseas Mission in your country of residence whether your passport will need a visa—such information is usually available in the mission’s website).

If you needed to apply for visa, we would encourage you to submit your visa application as soon as you received letter of invitation from the conference organizers. If you have not requested for the letter of invitation, you can request it from Mr Lawrence Por at tcpor[at]i2r.a-star.edu.sg with your accepted paper information, full name as in your passport, affiliation, postal and email address. Check out Singapore Overseas Mission’s website at your country of residence for the full requirement for Visa application.

Additionally, when you arrived in Singapore, you also need to make sure that you have the following documents (from here):

Valid travel document (minimum validity of 6 months);
Onward / return ticket;
Entry facilities to next destination (that means visa to the next country of destination, if needed);
Sufficient funds to stay in Singapore; and
Visa for Singapore (if applicable)

If your travel documents allow visa-free access to Singapore but you plan to extend your stay for longer (for business or social purposes), you should check that the visa-free entry period allows you to do so. If not, you would need to apply for a visit pass.

Finally, due to recent swine flu hit, be sure to hit the Ministry of Health website from time to time to make sure that no additional restriction has been imposed for your country. For example, recently, Singapore has imposed visa requirement and a short-term quarantine order for visitors from Mexico (this requirement has been lifted in the past week). Furthermore, short-term quarantine order was also applied to visitors with recent travel to Mexico (has also been lifted). To avoid frustration and disappointment, keep a close watch on Ministry of Health and Immigration and Checkpoint Authority press releases. We will also post updates to the blog when such event occurs.

We will also be posting about visa requirements to surrounding ASEAN countries very soon.

Disclaimer: While we try to ensure that the information we post is as accurate as possible, there may be unforeseen changes that we did not catch. Hence, we would still encourage you to visit the website of Singapore Overseas Mission in your country of residence for the most up-to-date reference.

Acknowledgment: Image courtesy of Steel Wool (license: CC).

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May 13, 2009

What to do near Suntec [Overview]

Filed under: Conference Participants, Destination Singapore — Tags: clarke quay, esplanade, orchard rd, singapore art museum, singapore flyer — Chris Henry @ 8:53 pm

So today I’ve decided to write a little about what you can do near the conference venue while attending the conference. The list is not exhaustive, and I’ll also write more about ad-hoc events happening in Singapore around the time of the conference. Do leave a comment on what kind of events would interest you! My job would be to hunt for those events. (;

[Originally, I've intended this as a really short overview only, but it seems that I got too excited writing and went slightly overboard... s: ]

Orchard Road

Night scene @ Orchard

What description of Singapore would be complete without Orchard Road! It is the shopping hub of Singapore, and lined with shopping centres from one end to the other end. My favourite places include Takashimaya, with a Kinokuniya bookstore occupying half a floor, and great food stalls on the second basement (and lots of branded shops); Plaza Singapura, again food and cheaper range of clothes; and Paragon shopping centre. You can also take a leisure walk along the road. Wait. No, no leisure walk there! At least not on the weekend. It is usually packed enough that I wouldn’t call it leisure. The best part is that Orchard Road is just about 10 minutes bus ride from the conference venue at Suntec (Suntec is also a great place to shop, btw), and since most shops and dining place opens until at least 9pm (mostly 10pm, Borders bookstore at Wheelock Place is open even until midnight!), you can put this on your visit list one evening after the conference.

Singapore Flyer

Singapore Flyer fireworks

Currently, Singapore Flyer, at 165 metres, is the largest Ferris wheel in the world, it overshadows London Eye by 30 metres and Star of Nanchang by (mere) 5 metres. Try it before it got beaten by Beijing Great Wheel (at 208 metres; planned opening late 2009) and you can brag to your friends that you have ridden the largest Ferris wheel in the world! You can view beautiful view of Singapore skyline from the flyer with the waterfront on the opposing side. Ticket for adult is going for SGD29.50 (with VIP ticket going for thrice the normal price). You can also shop and dine at the flyer’s retail terminal. The flyer is also a short distance away from Suntec, making it a wonderful destination for the evening. Check out the official website and remember to make an online booking beforhand to avoid disappointment.

Singapore Art Museum

From the few museums in Singapore that I have visited, Singapore Art Museum leaves the best impression. It actually reminds me quite a bit of SFMOMA (granted SFMOMA has impressive collections). The building itself is a leftover from colonial era. It used to be a middle school, St. Joseph’s Institution/SJI, which has moved to a new location at Malcolm Rd (yes, I know a lot because SJI is my alma mater, which might explain my bias towards SAM as well). You can check out their current exhibitions here nearer to August. While it usually closes at 7pm, it opens until 9pm on Friday, plus they usually have free admission on Friday, 6pm-9pm. If you can spare an hour or two, take a walk from Suntec to SAM, which is just about one kilometre away. You can enjoy a late dinner at a nearby Kopitiam food court as well. Alternatively, throw in a dining experience at another colonial-style building, which used to be another middle school (CHIJ), CHIJMES, just across the road from SAM (check out the list of restaurants here). Meanwhile, check out SAM website.

The Esplanade

For those among you who love music, dance, theatre, or visual arts, don’t forget to visit Esplanade, Theatre on the Bay, which is linked directly to Suntec (it’s just across the road! And there is an underpass connecting the two together). Also affectionately known as the Durian (yes, you have to remind me to write about this fruit) due to its shape, it’s the premier location for performing arts. Check out the events closer to August, and make advanced booking for the more popular show just in case. You can also shop and dine in the vicinity. Finally, library@Esplanade is tucked in neatly on a corner of the third floor and boasts collections relevant to performing arts (including tonnes of music scores!). Check out the official website here.

Clarke Quay

Clarke Quay at Night

Finally, for the night life and bars, visit Clarke Quay. Located at the waterfront of a historical riverside quay near the mouth of Singapore River, the place is always buzzing at night. Enjoy fine dining, bars, and club scene as well. Opens until late night! There is also this little attraction: the reverse bungee, within the vicinity. If you visited when the sun is still up, you might be able to ride on a boat along Singapore River.

Clarke Quay is unfortunately a little further from Suntec than would have been convenient. Check out gothere.sg to plan your journery there (in fact, you can use gothere.sg to plan for just about any journey within Singapore; I always do, whenever I’m visiting unfamiliar places). Clarke Quay website can be found here.

So that’s it for today. Remember to leave a comment on what you would like to hear from me about Singapore and its surrounding (and if I can’t answer, I’ll find someone who can!). Hope you enjoyed reading the article. (:

Acknowledgment:

Night scene @ Orchard is courtesy of Steel Wool (license: CC).
Singapore Flyer/Fireworks courtesy of haechoo (license: CC).
Singapore Art Museum courtesy of terryansimon (license: CC).
Esplanade, Theatre on the Bay courtesy of neilalderney123 (license: CC).
Clarke Quay at night courtesy of wenzday01 (license: CC).

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May 9, 2009

Welcome to ACL-IJCNLP blog

Filed under: Admin — Tags: blog, cl, Conference, nlp — Chris Henry @ 10:13 pm

Welcome to ACL-IJCNLP 2009 blog! I am Chris and I will be posting in this blog and getting people involved in ACL-IJCNLP to post some short articles here.

So first of all, the readers might wonder what exactly is ACL-IJCNLP? Having lived in Singapore myself, I have seen my fair share of acronyms, but even for me, ACL-IJCNLP is rather long (and I often have a slip of tongue when saying it quickly… try it!). Well, it is a joint conference between two organizations. One is the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) and the other is the Asian Federation of Natural Language Processing (AFNLP). Both of these organizations, as their name implies, consist of researchers who are involved in natural language processing (NLP) and computational linguistics research. Both NLP and computational linguistics overlap significantly. Computational linguistics is described more towards using statistical and rule-based model to solve natural language problems, while NLP is a more general term revolving around research concerning interactions between natural language and computers. Such research span a great breadth from typographical correction (hey, who have not benefited from MS Word or iPhone auto-correction) to automatic word sense disambiguation (determining whether an ambiguous word/phrase means one thing or another) to semantic analysis (who does the word ‘he’ in that sentence refer to?).

In fact, NLP has become more pervasive in recent years. iPhone is now able to correct typo based on probabilistic model depending on the key you pressed on the on-screen keyboard. Google utilizes research in computational linguistics to statistically classify crawled news articles based on keywords analysis. A more exhaustive yet accessible list of things that natural language processing tries to accomplish can be found in wikipedia (here and here).

But we digressed. Back to the conference, ACL-IJCNLP is actually short for “Joint conference of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics and the 4th International Joint Conference on Natural Language Processing of the Asian Federation of Natural Language Processing”. Yes, it is a mouthful, and we almost never use the full name of the conference in day-to-day conversation, ACL-IJCNLP suffices. In this conference, researchers who are active in both fields will present cutting-edge papers on their own research. The fields are so diverse that you would expect seeing publications from many different subfields. The list of accepted papers can be viewed here.

Now the purpose of this blog is two-fold. For conference participants, we will be posting announcements (most of them will arrive to your e-mail too) and tid-bits about Singapore and what you could do when you are here. For general public, we hope to increase interests in NLP and computational linguistics and also interests around the conference itself. Throughout the next three months, we will also have guest bloggers to write article concerning aspects of the research in the field and on the conference. In addition to posting articles myself, I will also be tweaking the blog design and plugins meanwhile (yes I know it is still the all too typical default design right now; worry not, it will change soon ).

The easiest way to follow this blog is to subscribe to the RSS feed with your favourite RSS readers (mine is Google Reader).

We hope to see you around come August, meanwhile we hope you will enjoy reading this blog. Comments on how we can improve will be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

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