NKS and Stylized Problems: Progress and New Directions

George E. Danner

Industrial Science, LLC

Abstract

In 2004 I proposed a stylized problem form--the Easter Egg Problem (EEP)--which later created threads of research showing the promise such a class of problem (and associated solutions) might hold. Of special note is the work of Dr. Adrian German using Turing machines for the search, to be presented in a separate talk. While these results are in their infancy, it is not too soon to speculate on the outcomes of this work, in particular the implications of solutions to EEP on real-world problems. In my discussion I will be expanding on the latter. What do these EEP solutions mean? Are they generalizable, and if so how? I will also introduce some of our latest thinking on a new problem form, and how the selection of that problem form was shaped by early progress on EEP.