Kari & Dines Bjørner December 26, 2006The Bjørner Japan Diary
Trivia &
Photos: "Blow-by-Blow"
Late August 2006 - Late January 2007
Kari went to Denmark Thu. 24 August. She have three courses in how to make a bag according to the technique of Japanese "folding" for almost 36 ladies, 12 in each class, Sunday 27 August at the annual "get together" of the Danish Patchwork Society in the city of Roskilde, 45 kms. from our home.
Dines flew Thu. 13 Sept. to Copenhagen. Had meetings next day, Friday, at the Techn. Univ. with the dept. head - and intimated his intention to retire upon return to Denmark. Some surprise.
Saturday Kari and Dines flew to our beloved Vienna, to stay two lovely days and nights at the comfortably central Hotel Wandl . We had a stand-up lunch at Trzezniewski (also click this!) (off Graben) and went to Perchtoldsdorf to a Heuriger where Dines' secretry, the lovely and beautiful Miss Helene Neiss works at the schrank the 17 weeks alongb the year when that heuriger is allowed to serve its own wines. In the evening we had invited and thus went out to a fancy restaurant in the 10th district of Vienna, on a 22nd floor. Next day Kari and Dines had invited and 16 of our friends from the Vienna days (1973-1975) came for lunch at Plachutta , Wollzeile. Splendid and heartwarming occasion.
Monday an early train from Westbahnhof to Budapest. Peter Szeredi picked us up, with his son. We stayed at the very nice, central and affordable ``designer'' Hotel Parlament. Tuesday and Wednesday the Informatics Section of the Academiae Europaea - of which Dines is current chair - had organised, and Dines had done that with great organisational and indefatigable help from Peter Szeredi, the first big, open event of that section: an International Symposium on Grand Challenges in Informatics. Dines had managed to get a most gracious personal gift of US$50,000 from Charles Simonyi of Microsoftt fame and now having his own, very interesting company: Intentional Software. The gift allowed us to invite and pay for the travel and full subsistance (hotel, all meals) of more than 40 "young" researchers from 20 countries from "the former Soviet block"! An additional 40 Hungarian computer scientists attended, and all-in-all there was 140 registrations and most around 120 in the very lively audience. All were fed, wined and dined (on a ship crusing the Danube).
You can hear and see the live presentations of the above speakers by surfing to the NIIF Video on Demand:
Yes, the event was "broadcast" live across the world: more than 35 sites in more than 20 countries with more than 350 different log-ons were recorded! Truly a great event. Peter Szeredi was a very definite part of the great success.
Thursday after a morning meeting of the AE Council Kari and Dines took the train to Linz: 13:10-17:52. Bruno Buchberger was there to fetch us. Next day we met the Raiffeissenbank director and his staff: to show us suitable land parcels for possible villas. Then lunch with the Mayor of Hagenberg, Herrn Fischerlehner. He later took us around the very impressive SoftwarePark: 900 professionals + 1300 BSc students at the Upper Austria University of Applied Science's IT campus in Hagenberg: The mayor had a key for all doors, see that's a real mayor! He and his wife then took us around in their car to show us the beautiful rolling hills, valleys, churches and villages around Hagenberg. In the late afternoon Dines then discussed with a group of Bruno's colleagues the possible formation of an International School for Informatics - to start October 1, 2007.
We flew back together, all the way, via bus to Haneda Airport, to Kanazawa.
Our friends Elsa and Kaj Møller Jensen - we knew them from our five years in Macau when they lived in Hong Kong. Now they live in Canton. We visited them there in May or June 2005. Now they visited Japan and we met at the same, our favourite hotel in Kyoto, the Hyatt Regency. Kari and Dines went there the 3rd in the morning and left the 5th in the afternoon. Elsa and Kaj arrived 4th at 2 pm. We then enjoyed Kyoto and the hotel restaurants: the bar, big cigars, etc. Kari managed to scrape up some 20 more fabrics.
Dines gave an invited talk at the Japan Association for Software Process Improvement in the science& technology city of Tsukuba, 45 mins. by express train from downtown Tokyo. We had a delightful country inn lunch with Dines' host here i Japan, Prof. Kokishi Futatsugi and his wife Junko. And Kari enjoyed being with Junko who is a very accomplishyed patchworker and quilter herself.
Dines gave two invited presentations at the annual conference of the Software Engineering Specialist Group of the Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ).
Dines went on a "longish" tour:
Flew into HKG after an overnight stay at the Narita Airport ANA hotel. Went straight from the airport to his tailor: Lee Barron to order a new winter suit and 6+1 shirts. Then from there to Macau by the Kowloon jetfoil.
Dines arrived at one of these more-or-less "disaster" hotels, the Golden Dragon at 6pm. At 7:10, 20 minujtes too early, Dines was at one of our favourite Macau restaurants, Afonso III in Rua Central. Afonso is the epitome of a patron: Always there, circling in the tiny rest., overlooking the Portuguese cooking, etc. The Janowski family were my hosts that evening. Next day sightseeing with my Danish colleague, Miss Anne Haxthausen all around Taipa and Coloane Villages with a delightful lunch at Espaco de Lisboa. Antonio Coelho, as always, took good care of us. The week, from Sunday am to Friday am went with workshops and a conference. Dines gave an invite workshop paper. So did Anne - a gret one, as also always, btw. Tuesday pm there was no event so Dines went back to HKG to fit clothes at the tailor. Otherwise, as also also ..., a wonderful week: meeting "all" the old friends, the young ladies and the scientific staff of UNU-IIST, if anything, one of Dines' great achievements - to put it very modestly (!) - always a joy to revisit and to saunder around old Macau. The Chinese have done excellently after taking over from the Portugues - who, it must be credited, made significant improvements to Macau in their last years.
Early Sat. to HKG, checked into the Kowloon Hotel, now our favourite in HKG, just behind The Peninsula, and 4-5 mins. walk from Dines' tailor. Fetched the finished suit and seven shorts - has them put in a new, huge excellent pink suitcase, bought inside the labyrinths of Chogqing Mansions for a mere US$35, and had the tailor bring that to the hotel. Meanwhile lunch at Cesa, the Swiss rest. at The Peninsula. Looked for books at Swindon's and otherwise worked in the hotel room. At night dinner at Alain Ducasse's rest. in the Intercontinental, the former Regent, hotel. Next morning up, 7am b'fst and off to the airport and home 5th in the late evening.
Dines back in Tokyo Monday 8th, with JAIST colleagues for a meeting with IBM Tokyo Research Lab, people.
Kari flew off Wedn. - via Haneda and bus - to the annual quilt event: Intl. Quilt Week at Pacifico in Yokohama. Kari stayed at the Washington Hotel. Went to IQW three times: Thu., twice, and Fri., twice.
We then flew off, Dines from Komatsu, Kari from Haneda to meet in Fukuoka. Dines arriving before noon. Kari at 5:20 pm. Dines met Kari at Airport. Had already checled in at Hyatt Residential Suites in Fukuoka.
Sunday a delightful young researcher, Dr. Omori, from Kyushu Univ. took Kari and Dines, by rented car, to the huge area of the Aso caldera: Aso Crater, the world's largest. An unbelievably beautiful day.
Dines held 2+2+1 75 min. lectures at the Grad. School of Info. Sci. & Elect. Eng., Kyushu University in Fukuoka. After the lectures on Monday and Tuesday Dines had some rather interesting discussions with colleagues of his host, Prof. Keihiro Araki. Maybe one of these might visit Dines in Europe next spring.
Prof. Araki had organised that a very bright MSc. Thesis student, Miss Xiaojing Zhang (from China,perfect English) and his secretary Miss Kojima took Kari and Dines by taxi, one train and one more taxi out and two trains back to visit Mrs. Reiko Yamaguchi - at 534-1 Kitanomachi Imayama, Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture 830-1122, to see her phantastic production of exquisite Quilts. What an afternoon.
Morning train to Nagasaki. Afternoon walk around most of the old, European parts of Nagasaki, the Clover Garden, Hollander Slope, etc. Also fascinating stories told in stones and bricks and in interiors and old photos of European settlers: business folks etc.
Morning train via Fukuoka to Beppu City, the onse, i.e., the hot spa city of Japan. We stayed, all the time at the - in the local opinions of the Japanese - rather fancy Suginoi Hotel.
We went to Tokyo Tue. 21 Nov. Stayed at the Prince Hotel Roppongi (IHJ was fully booked months ahead). That evening we went to a nice Italian rest.: Bellini in walking distance from our hotel.
Wed. 22 Nov. Dines gave a talk at Tokyo University in honour of Kouichi Kishida on the occassion of his 70th anniversary. Meanwhile Kari flew to Seattle. Next morning Dines flew to Europe.
Kari had two wonderful weeks with Jakob, Katrine, Marianne, Nikolaj and Bodil at their grand house in Woodinville. Weather was generally terrible - and thus called for indoor family life. A Christmass tree was bought and Kari revelled in observed the children decorating it.
Again Dines ``toured'' Europe:
Charlotte fetched Dines at the Airport and he had dinner with her, Camilla and Caroline. Next day he applied for a new passport. The old was only 28 months old, but no blank pages left for January's visas to Laos etc. Then he went to the Technical University of Denmark, to the main administration, to sign his letter of resignation to Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark - being a royally appointed professor! After meetings with head of department and department colleagues Dines went hometo sleep off the jetlag. Saturday breakfast with Danish breakfast delights at Charlotte's place. Lunch at Ulla and Jørgen, our neighbours. Sunday visits to Kari's octogonerian friend Mrs. Jytte Grindsted and Dines' 95 year old uncle Ebbe. Then back to Charlotte with the white & blue Chinese Silk Rug that Kari and Dines bought in China some 16 years ago. Dinner that evening with Dines' cousin Klaus and Anne Hendil: a great dish of delicately boiled and seasoned codfish.
Next morning, Monday, early to FaM. Worked at the hotel, in the woods near the FaM airport. And slept. All Tuesday meetings concerning evaluation of German IT&C research projects of the German Research Council, the third in two year.
Early Wedn. light to Linz where Ms. Betina Curtis fetched Dines at the airport. Stayed in HiM till Sunday 6:10 am. Discussed plans for the International School for Informatics at HiM: see ISI Flyer [Draft] and ISI Poster [Draft]. This is a project with Prof. Bruno Buchberger. More on this as from February 2007. Then try this URL: ISI: International School for Informatics.
Early morning train: 6:44-10:57 to Prague. Met at station by the Penicka family. Well installed in Dines' favourite Prague hotel, Hotel Pariz. Lunch with the Penicka family at a nice fish restaurant: Rby Trh. In the evening Dines saw and heard La Traviata at the Czech National Theatre: 1st balcony, 1st row, centre seat #16! Marvellous. This is Europe! Monday morning stroll, as on Sunday afternoon, around Prague, taking loads of photos. Monday afternoon at 2 pm: Martin Penicka's successful PhD defence. And in the evening Dines saw and heard Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre, Parterre, 2nd row seat #2, in the left side: Also great: ``The Theatre where Amadeus Mozart himself conducted the world premiere of his Don Giovanni in 1787 '' .
7am flight to Copenhagen. Taxi via Virum Police Office to fetch new passport to Fredsvej. Repacking suitcases and off to the airport again. Then nice and comfortable business class to Tokyo.
Dines flew into Tokyo at 9:20 am and Kari at 3:15 pm. Dines had then checked into our favorite (academic club) hotel International House of Japan. When Kari arrived in the lobby shortly after 6:20 pm Dines was ready with a Gin Tonic.
Again a meeting at the JAIST Tokyo Tamachi Campus. So again a two night stay at IHJ. All this flying!
So Kari and Dines spent the days betwen Dec. 13 and Dec. 21 preparing for our leaving Japan. Many, in fact 7 (seven) forms were signed Tuesday Dec. 19 at JAIST on the matter of resignation - the staff were extremely courteous and helpful. Movers came Monday Dec. 25 to pack around 15 boxes with books, fabrics, bric-a-brac, more-or-less antique imari porcelain, files, etc. We packed 10 suitcases ourselves: clothes, shoes, etc.
We moved out of the apartment Tuesday noon, Dec. 26. Christmas was otherwsie "celebrated" by eating out at several of our local, ordinary but good restaurants.
Dines to give six lectures at NUS School of Computing - hosted by Prof. Jin Song Dong:
Before software can be designed we must understand its requirements - that is well known. But before requirements can be formulated we must understand the application domain - that is less well appreciated.
In this seminar I shall outline what is meant by a domain, by a domain description (i.e., a domain model), and what I mean by domain engineering: the construction, with stakeholders of a domain description: from identification of domain stakeholders via domain knowledge acquisition and analysis, to domain modelling, and model verification and validation. The emphasis of the presentation will be on principles and techniques of domain description: from rough sketches of business processese to narratives and formal models of domain facets: the intrinsics, support technologies, management & organisation, rules & regulations, scripts and human behaviour. The seminar starts with a simole, small example of a domain model (of transportation networks) and some ontological remarks on description concerning atomic and composite entities (and their mereology), functions, events and behaviours.
We narrate and formalise an answer to the retoric question: "What is a Document?". Document operations include create, edit, read, copy, calculate, and shred (trash). Documents contain text (which we do not consider!), have authors, and possess various notions of location, time and (hence) traceability. The audience is warned: Our presentation is of that of a domain of documents - of what it is possible to speak of wrt. documents, there is no reference to or assumption of computing or communicaton !
The aim of the seminar is to illustrate a simple example of domain modelling. The objective of the seminar is to eventually arrive at a sound theory of documents underlying any electronic document system.
A Family of License Languages: Work in progress
DRM: Digital rights management "is in": IPod and all that! In this colloquium (reporting of work in progress) we will first recount a simple (electronic music etc.) license language and its formal semantics. Then we will do two things: generalise the notion of a license and "spread" it to cover language for hospitalisation and for public government - adminstration around documents.
The presentation is discursive and suggestive.
Verified Software for Ubuiquitous Computing - a project proposal
We present a considerably extended and generalised version of Tony Hoare's 'Ideal of Correct Software': VSTTE: Verified Software, Theories, Technques and Experiments. We focus on a case study, an experiment (the E in VSTTE), the development of software for computing systems for the automated highway. If we are to fully trust such computing systems then it is our claim that we must first develop domain descriptions (informal and formal) of what a transportation network and what transport is, then create a domain theory around such domain models, then "derive" functional requirements from the (possibly commensurate) domain descriptions, then relate these requirements to interface and machine requirements as well as to the domain models. Finally we can then develope the software, as for the previous phases, in stages and steps, and prove propeties (incl. of refinement). The assertions (of Tony Hoare's conception of VSTTE) now, it is conjectured, reflect all three aspects: Domain (D), Requirements (R), and Software (S), and according to the dogma: D,S |= R - to verify that S is correct wrt. R we must record assumptions about D.
The seminar is informal (no formalisations, no proofs!), discursive, and is aimed at interaction with the audience. The seminar has as its objective to try enlist NUS scientists in the worldwide VSTTE effort.
The Triptych Process Model: Process Assessment and Improvement
In the (typically US-oriented) SE industry community the notion of Software Process is still a "hot topic" - and with it the notion of software process improvement - say as related to Watts Humphrey's CMM: Capability Maturity Model.
In this seminar I will first outline the Triptych notion of Sofware Engineering as progressing from domain engineering through requirements engineering to software design. An emphasis of the talk will be on the (enormous variety of) documents produced in a software development (also) based on the Triptych approach - and of the documents having pragmatics, syntax and semantics - that is, with some documents being necessarily informal (i.e., not subject to calculations), but with others being "computable", i.e., formal. Then we shall explain the notion of software processes in the light of this - the Triptych - notion of software development. Finally, in some 10 steps, we shall speculate about process assessment and improvement issues.
The aim of this seminar is both to highlight the Triptych approach to informal and formal SE and to bring Triptych issues of formal SE to bear on industrial concerns of software quality management.
Security Rules: Examples and Thoughts on Modelling
ISO has 'standardise' a set of Codes of Practice for IT Management. In this colloquium we suggest how one might formally answer the (retoric) question: What is IT Security. Industry leaders like IBM and CISCO offer customers "gadgets" and software/computing & commu- nication systems to improve cusotmers' IT security. But how can we "measure" what level of security one offering presents over another?
I shall illustrate some of the ISO codes of practice for IT management. I shall then try unfolrd a model of the "thinhs" being security managed and/or prone to security breaks. Finally I shall speculate on how one might develop instantiations, for specific customers, of the ISO Codes of Practice for IT Security.
Thus the talk is of work-in-progress. It invites the audience to join this research.
The year 2006 sadly saw the passing away of three of our dearest friends:
God bless Ivan.
Ivan Bach, April 2006
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