November, 1991 The Computing Center

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon 97403

Vol. 7 #2

Profiles in Computing ., . Architecture's Kevin Matthews

Kevin and Rusty take a break from problem-solvin g

Tucked away in anobscure corner of a draftingstudio in 204 Pacific is amodest little office bathed i nnorth light. Its friendl yclutter looks unassuming, butin fact it is a hotbed ofresearch and invention, th ecenter for computin ginnovation for the UODepartment of Architecture .Visitors are warmly greetedby Rusty, the affable dog-in-residence, and his frien dKevin Matthews, Assistan tProfessor and Coordinator o fArchitectural Computing .

Professor Matthews is thewizard who brings blueprintsto life, integrating computersinto the architecture curric-ulum as teaching tools an ddramatic 3-D imaging de-vices. He is presently enter-ing his third year of involve-ment in the architecturedepartment's Macintosh-based design program, teach-ing a course in 3-D modelingand continuing to researc hways to supplement tradi-tional drafting techniqueswith high-tech capabilities .Matthews sees his job as acombination of problem -solving, developing, thensharing the essence of wha the's learned about the role o fcomputing in all aspects o farchitecture-especially as i tcan function in design, bu talso in other subject areas ,such as computer graphics .He views computers as tool sthat can make it easier to dobetter work, not as tota lreplacements of traditiona ldrafting techniques . "Com-puters, " as he puts it, "shouldbe a part of the woodwork,not some oddball specia lthing." His approach is toask, "What's the best tool fo rthe job?" with the thought

that sometimes, but no talways, a computer might bethe best tool .

Matthews' architectura ldesign course, an introduc-tion to Macintosh-base ddesign often referred tosimply as "Mac studio," is auniquely intensive three-termsequence that begins by intro-ducing basic computing andarchitectural media skills anddevelops them to a level ofsophistication far beyond thenorm for first-year students .He recently obtained a gran tfrom Apple to aid hi sprojects, and is in the midstof negotiations to publish hi s"Great Buildings Collection,"a remarkable CD-ROM data-base with images of, an dinformation about, more than1000 of the world's mos tsignificant buildings . Withthis database at theirfingertips, designers ca nquickly find the buildin gthey're seeking by using aHyperCard-like menu tha tlets them search by buildin gname, architect, building

materials, or location, toname but a few options .Many views of each buildingare accessible, from scannedstill images to video clips thatallow the viewer to mov ethrough the building, paus-ing at will to note structuraldetail, color, or the effects o flight.

The ebullient Matthewsseems so much in his elementhere that it is easy to supposehe always intended a careerin architectural design. Butin fact his path to the UODepartment of Architecturehas been full of detours .Without ever really intendingto, Matthews has come fullcircle : back to Eugene, thetown where he was born 3 2years ago, after a uniqueodyssey that, despite it stwists and turns, has its ownsatisfying symmetry .

Although he grew up nearthe headquarters of theDigital Equipment Corpora-tion in Massachusetts and hadearly exposure to computers ,Matthews' earliest passion

involved a far more primitiv etechnology : blacksmithing .Blacksmithing was appealingbecause he "enjoys theinterplay between technicalextremes," in this case, anancient craft that can hav every modern applications .The craft perfectly met hispenchant for uniting utilityand beauty, an interest whicheventually led him toarchitectural studies.

Continuing to follow hisbent for combining idealismwith practicality, Matthewsattended the unorthodo xDeep Springs College inDeep Springs Valley ,California--a tiny, self-contained community thatincorporates traditional aca-demic training with devel-oping the practical skill sessential to everyday life .While there, Matthews

"Computersshould be a part ofthe woodwork, no tsome oddball specialthing."

revived an abandoned black-smith shop and continued tohone his skills. A DesertSprings professor inspiredhim to continue his educationat UC Santa Cruz, and aftergraduation and a "starvin gartist" period as a blacksmith ,designing and forgin garchitectural ornaments ,Matthews was eventually ledto the study of architectureitself, going on to earn aMaster's degree from UCBerkeley .

It was at Berkeley tha tcomputers began to play amore significant role in his

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November, 1991 The Computing Center University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon 97403

Vol. 7 #2

Mac Network Users:

New MacTCP Release Ready

to Use

If you've installed System 7 on your Mac, you'll be glad toknow that the latest version of MacTCP (1 .1) is now available.MacTCP is a key component of network software that i srequired to run Telnet, Eudora, and many other TCP/IP-base dprograms commonly used at the UO.

Until the advent of version 1 .1, installing MacTCPsoftware was a bit tricky for System 7 users . Now, however,you'll find its installation simple and direct. To install theupgrade, open the Network Software folder on the Computin gCenter's Public Domain Software volume. Then, open theMacTCP 1 .1 subfolder and follow the installation instructionsin the README file.

(The new MacTCP version also works with System 6.0 ,and is installed in the same way .)

Note: MacTCP works fine with NCSA/BYU Telnet versions2.3.4 and 2.4 .6, but some problems have been reported wit hother versions . If you use NCSA/BYU Telnet, now would b ea good time to upgrade to version 2.4 .6 to avoid possibleproblems, and to cure an existing bug in VT100 emulatio nwhen using the EVE editor on a VAX system. We are notaware of problems with other TCP/IP-based software, but ifyou encounter any, please report them to the Computin gCenter's Network Services group (ext. 6-4395) .

More Fall WorkshopsPoch term the Computing Cent :offers short intibductory workshops on a variety of computer topics . These bon-civil

workshops are offered free of charge to University faculty, staff, and students. Unless otherwise noted, pre-registration isrequireor most courses. To pre-register. call 346-I700

Pick up a flyer at either of the Center's reception counters for brief descriptions of the workshops and final schedulinginformation . If you have further questions, call Howard Loewinger at 346-1718 .

. . .Matthews (continued)evolution. While there, hehelped to install the uni-versity's new micro/VAXCAD system and was one ofthe first three people to learnto use it and to instruct othersin its use . And although hisdegree was in architecturaldesign, his thesis was on atechnical topic, "ImprovedInterfaces for 3-D Model-ing," which explored po-tential uses for Macintoshcomputers in aiding thevisualization of architecturaldesigns. After graduation, hecontinued to pursue thistheme, both as a privateconsultant and as the in-structor of UC Berkeley' sfirst advanced class inapplying 3-D modelingtechniques to architecture .His focus became increas-ingly technical when heaccepted an invitation toconsult in developing anintegrated computing systemfor the new Superconducting

Super Collider Laboratorybeing built in Dallas, Texas.The challenge was exhil-arating, but after about a year ,Matthews found himselfmissing architectural design .

Enter Charles Rusch, UOarchitecture professor, whomMatthews met at an edu-cator's forum in 1989 .Professor Rusch was alreadyengaged in pioneering the useof Macintosh modeling in theUO design studio, andencouraged Matthews to joinhis effort. And that is howMatthews came to be amon gus, exploring the tech-nological frontiers ofarchitectural design. Al-though his path has led himfull circle, no one who ha smet him and felt his energyand excitement of discoverycould suppose that Matthews 'journey has ended. On thecontrary, it is just beginning .

n2) 245 Computing Center

3-4 3m

Introduction to Eletxmnic Matz -165 Computing CentetT s by,Nev.12

3 -4

:tOS 504. windawtr 165 cootputing CenterWednesday, Nov.' :13Wednesday, Nov: 20

4 6:0 rn both days

Introduction to System 7 - 245 Computing Center(a two-part workshop)

Pan I - Thursday , Nov. 21 Upgrade and itnew Flitter and System Folder fcatureS such asalesing, enhanced ea of-use, andcurt a

Part 2 - Friday, Nov. 22 Metnary optiot~, working withapplications, and network features (including publish andsubtbe, linking, and file sharing)

1 :30 - 3:30prn both days

ittroductain to -OS/2 (a vendorpresentation)

Mraoday,Nov : 1!l

Introduction to NeXT" Computers - 245 Computing Cente(a vendor presentation)

Times to be announced

2

November 1991 The Computing Center University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon 97403

Vol. 7 #2

VNEWS Supplants NEWSVNEWS, a USEnet news reader, is now available to VAX/VMS users,

replacing the NEWS facility that's served this function for the past fewyears. VNEWS offers a familiar UNIX®-like interface and should be morereliable, utilize less resources, and provide access to more newsgroups thanits predecocsor.

VNEWS is introduced in the new Fall edition of E-Com on theVAXcluster, the Center's electronic communication resources guide . Anonline document provides complete information on the program, includinga description of how to use it, available commands, helpful hints, and aglossary . You can display this document or print out a copy by typing

$ type (or print) sys$document:vnews .doc

While running VNEWS, you can type a ? (question mark) or the letter h(for help) in response to any prompt to generate a display of validcommands that you may issue at that prompt .

At the end of Fall Term, the old NEWS reader will be removed fromthe VAXcluster.

Learn VMS, SAS OnlineWant to team more about VAX/VMS or the SAS

statistics package without turning a page? If you havea VAX account, you can access online tutorials an dlearn at your own pace from your keyboard .

Start the VAX/VMS tutorial by typin g

$ vms_tutor

To run the SAS tutorial, type

$ cbtsas

Type y in response to the "Do you want tocontinue?" prompt, and press Return in response t oEtc "identifier" prompt. A subdirectory named CBTis automatically created. Then identify your devicetype as a VT100.

If you have further questions about these tutaials,call Howard Loewinger at 346-1718, or send him a ne-mail message (use'mame HOWARDL).

This month the Computing Center staff installed asmorgasbord ofnew statistics packages and software updateson OREGON, including SHAZAM, a long-awaite deconometrics package from the University of BritishColumbia, and new releases of SPSS, the Exponent GraphicsLibrary, SCA, and RATS.

SPSS 4. 1Here are but a few of the features available on this newly -

installed release:

• improved performance and response time

• new FLIP procedure, for transposing rows and columns

• new EXAMINE procedure, which allows exploration ofdata via stem-and-leaf plots, boxplots, tests of normality,and other descriptive statistics

• new MATRIX procedure, which enables you to perfor mmatrix operations on data, much hie SAS's PROC IM L

• the ability to retrieve ORACLE data d irectly

• the ability to compute kappa and risk statistics usingCROSSTABS

For detailed information about all the new SPSSprocedures, run the following SPSS job:

$ eve info.spsinfo all since 3 . 3Ctn1/Z$ spss/out info$ print infosps+info.lis

SHAZAMISHAZAM, the University of British Columbia's popular

econometrics package, is now available to VAX users. Ofall the stat packages currently installed on OREGON,SHAZAM arguably offers the best assortment of diagnostictests and the best access to advanced econometric methods.The package performs bootstrapping and jackknifing, logit/probit/tobit models, 2SLS and GLS, Goldfeld-Quandt andChow tests, and tests for unit roots and cointegration, as wellas estimating models corrected for heteroskedastic errors.

To run SHAZAM interactively, type

$ shazam

at the VMS prompt. For a quasi-interactive demonstration ofSHAZAM's capabilities, type DEMO in response to theprogram's TYPE COMMAND prompts . If you need onlinehelp while testing the package, type HELP at any TYPECOMMAND prompt.

A typical SHAZAM regression job in batch mode (withoutput to a file named SAMPLE .LIS) might look like this:

$ eve sample.shazfile 11 my .da tsample 1 200read (11) cigs age stress frndsmo kols cigs age stress frndsmokstopCtrl/Z$ shazam sample.shaz sample.lis

For further details on the package, you may order the

November, 1991 The Computing Center University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon 97403

Vol. 7 #2

SHAZAM User's Reference Manual directly from McGraw -Hill (13311 Monterey Ave ., Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294 ;ISBN 0-07-069587-3) . Send an e-mail message tousername JOE for more information, or for help with anySHAZAM question .

Exponent Graphics 1. 1This new release fixes a number of problems noted i n

Release 1 .0. For more information on using the ExponentGraphics Library, send an e-mail message to username JOE .

SCA lV3Although procedural commands are identical to those i n

the earlier version, this version of SCA offers severa lenhancements, notably :

• the extended UTS module has been adapted toaddress missing data in a time series

• a new MISSING option for ACF and PACF plot sthat identifies time series models with missing data

New documentation for most modules will be availablethis month, with the exception of documentation for theTime Series module, which will arrive in early 199 2

RATS 3.11Some of the new features of this release are• a MAXIMIZE instruction to estimate singl e

equations via maximum likelihood methods• MVFRACTILE and MVSTAT to estimate fractiles

and statistics for a moving window of data• an ICORR function to compute inverse

autocorrelations• support for panel data

If you've made special arrangements to run BIGRATS, acustomized large version of RATS, and wish to upgrade itfor the new release, send an e-mail message to usernam eJOE.

Stat Packs for NeXT UsersTwo popular stat packs, SAS and SHAZAM, are no w

available to users of NeXT;" computers.SAS for the NeXT is a full-fledged implementation of the

SAS system that employs conventional "batch mode," andalso exploits the NeXT s unique

interface. Ifpoint-and-clickyou're interested in purchasing the package, call the SASInstitute at 919-677-80000 .

SHAZAM, the same package just installed on OREGON,may be ordered through UCB Economics (telephone 604-822-5062) . The price is $395 per copy, the same as for theOS/2, Windows, and SPARC versions of SHAZAM .

Reading SPSS System Files from Within SASIf you have data in SPSS system files or in export

("transport") files, you can now access that data using theSPSS engine provided with SAS 6.06.

For example, to import the SPSS system fileSUMM76.SYS, you'd use statements like

libname myspsfil spss 'summ76.sys' ;libname mysaslib base '[ ]

data mysaslib .newsum76;set mysaslib ._frst_

You can then do whatever you wish with the SAS datase tNEWSUM76, which would be in your default directory .

For more information on this feature, see page 148 in th eSAS Companion for the VMS Environment, Version 6, FirstEdition .

New SAS ManualSAS Institute recently released the second (and last )

volume of the SAS Version 6 Language and ProceduresUsage Guide . This guide is filled with tips and examples tohelp you learn to perform some of the trickier SASmaneuvers, such as

• reshaping data• taking random samples• reading hierarchical files• performing table lookups• generating different types of report s

To order the guide, call the SAS Institute Book Sale sDepartment at 919-677-8000, or write them at SAS Campu sDrive, Cary, NC 27513 . The guide's order number is ISBN1-55544-445-8 .

A Note to NetworkersIf you missed the Computing Center's recent talk on

"Accessing and Using Network Resources," you maypurchase printed copies of the overheads from that talk at th eComputing Center Documents Room (205) for a nominalcharge .

- Joe St Sauver

Computing News is published monthly during theacademic year by the Office of University CompaqComputing Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR97403 . Telephone : (503)346-1700.

Newsletter Editor : Joyce Winslo wEditorial Advisor : David Ulrich

You may reprint articles from Computing News,provided you credit the source .

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