

Thank you for your interest in the ShadeTree electronic bulletin board
and the ShadeTree newsletter.

ShadeTree, both in the form of the bulletin board system and the
newsletter, is dedicated to providing an alternative, cost effective
means of getting started in the world of artificial intelligence.


ShadeTree BBS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bbs provides a quick, inexpensive source of some of the latest
public domain and shareware AI related programs available.  We also
maintain a library of older programs and versions of those programs for
those need access to them.  There are also quite a few discussion areas
available on ShadeTree, running the gamut from neural nets to machine
learning, pattern matching to expert systems.  Some of the discussion
areas are local to the ShadeTree BBS itself.  We also provide access to
the National FIDONet AI, Robotics and Neural Net echos (echos are
national or international discussion areas).

These echos are wonderful places to seek assistance and guidance when
getting started in AI.  They also provide a good way of helping others
once you've reached a level of expertise and you would like to share
your knowledge and experience with others.


ShadeTree News
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ShadeTree News is published on a bi-monthly basis and is used mainly
as an ongoing tutorial publication and a method of disseminating general
information about various AI related topics.

It also contains a listing of the files currently available on ShadeTree
BBS and provides a means to order those files through the mail should
downloading them from the bbs prove not to be feasible.

We also welcome submissions to the newsletter.  If you would be
interested in writing an article, or perhaps even a regular column,
please request the writer's guidelines or download the file
GUIDELIN.TXT.


Users and Subscribers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have found that the majority of users and readers are already
comfortable with computers.  From that point on, the base diversifies.
Quite a few of the users are computer professionals, some actively or
commercially involved in AI.  Others are people who are involved in
other aspects of compters but are curious about AI and need a place to
get started.  ShadeTree has proven itself to be helpful to both ends of
the spectrum.


If you have any futher questions concerning ShadeTree, please feel free
to write us at the address shown below or contact at out FIDONet address
of 1:129/124.0 or out Internet address of bill.keller@nsf.fidonet.org


                   *** !!!  PLEASE NOTE  !!! ***

***!!  TIMES FOR SHADETREE ARE  8:30 PM TO  8:30 AM SEVEN DAYS A WEEK !!***
                                =======     =======

        (412)  244- 9416    8-N-1   300-1200-2400 BAUD       1:129/124.0


We have the following AI related discussion areas on the bbs:

 1. General Messages (stay on this board)
 2. FIDONet Artificial Intelligence Echo
 3. FIDONet Neural Net Echo
 4. BrainMaker Neural Net Discussion
 5. NeuralWare Users Group
 6. General Expert System Discussion
 7. Management Action Expert System Discussion
 8. OOPS (Object Oriented Programming)/Little SmallTalk
 9. SmallTalk (Digitalk and Little SmallTalk)
10. LISP Programming Language Discussion
11. PROLOG Programming Language Discussion
12. Hypertext Discussion
13. Genetic Algorithm Discussion
14. Machine Learning Discussion
15. Natural Language Processing
16. FIDONet Robotics Echo
17. Logic/Uncertainty (Fuzzy Logic)
18. Pattern Matching/Machine Vision
19. Commercial Demo Program Discussion
20. Electronic Frontier Foundation (laws and
    legislation concerning bbs's)

We have the following AI related file areas on the bbs:

 1. General/Miscellaneous Files and Programs
 2. Miscellaneous AI Files
 3. Miscellaneous Neural Net Programs
 4. BrainMaker Neural Net Programs
 5. NeuralWare Files
 6. Miscellaneous Expert System Programs
 7. Management Action Expert System - the best shareware expert system
 8. OOPS (Object Oriented Programming)
 9. SmallTalk (Digitalk and Little SmallTalk)
10. LISP Language Files
11. PROLOG Language Programs Files
12. Hypertext Programs
13. Genetic Algorithms
14. Machine Learning
15. Natural Language Processing
16. Robotics
17. Logic/Uncertainty (Fuzzy Logic)
18. Pattern Matching/Machine Vision
19. Commercial Demo Programs
20. Electronic Frontier Foundation (laws and
    legislation concerning bbs's) contains
    downloadable files of the Effector On-Line,
    the EFF Electronic Newsletter

If the board sees enough activity, we will convert to an exclusive line
available 24 hours a day.  As users, you can help achieve this in two
ways:

            *  Get involved in the discussion areas
            *  Upload any AI programs or applications
               that you have developed

Please do not be hesitant about getting involved in a discussion.  This
board is dedicated to AI enthusiasts, both BEGINNERS and professionals!!
We will be getting input from the authors of some of the programs but
mainly we are all here due to our curiosity and a desire to learn.

Thank you for your support.

                            Bill Keller, SysOp

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| MAIL to:   ShadeTree                                                      |
|            c/o Bill Keller                                                |
|            417 Peebles Street                                             |
|            Pittsburgh, PA 15221                                           |
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| We are not accepting foreign subscriptions yet but we expect to have      |
| that capability by early 1991.                                            |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|


While we have endeavored to check every program on the bulletin board,
there is always the possibility of some problem sneaking through.  You
use these programs at your own risk and neither ShadeTree BBS nor Bill
Keller is to held responsible nor liable for any loss of data or harm to
equipment.

