A 1987 Apple concept film shows an intelligent assistant managing a professor's schedule, messages, and research. It retrieves Jill Gilbert's work on Amazon deforestation and its effect on Saharan rainfall, pulls a 2006 critique by John Fleming of Uppsala University, and runs a simulation showing what happens if logging drops to 100,000 acres per year.
You have 3 messages. Your graduate research team in Guatemala, just checking in. Robert Jordan, a second semester junior, requesting a second extension on his term paper. And your mother reminding you about your father's surprise birthday party next Sunday. Today you have a faculty lunch at 12 o'clock. You need to take Kathy to the airport by 2. You have a lecture at 4:15 on deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Right. Let me see the lecture notes from last semester. No, that's not enough. I need to review more recent literature. Pull up all the new articles I haven't read yet.
Journal articles only?
Mm-hmm. Fine.
Your friend Jill Gilbert has published an article about deforestation in the Amazon And its effects on rainfall in the sub-Sahara. It also covers drought's effect on food production in Africa and increasing imports of food.
Contact Jill.
I'm sorry, she's not available right now. I left a message that you had called.
Okay, let's see. There's an article about 5 years ago, Dr. Flemson or something. He really disagreed with the direction of Jill's research.
John Fleming of Uppsala University. He published in the Journal of Earth Science of July 20th, 2006.
Yes, that's it. He was challenging Jill's projection of the amount of carbon dioxide being released to the atmosphere through deforestation. I'd like to recheck his figures.
Here's the rate of deforestation he predicted.
Mm-hmm. And what happened? Hmm. He was really off. Give me the university research network. Show only universities with geography nodes. Show Brazil. Copy the last 30 years at this location at 1-month intervals.
Excuse me, Jill Gilbert is calling back.
Great, put her through.
Hi, Mike, what's up?
Jill, thanks for getting back to me. Well, I guess that new grant of yours hasn't dampened your literary abilities. Rumor has it that you've just put out the definitive article on deforestation.
Aha. Is this one of your typical last-minute panics for lecture material?
No, no, no, no, no, that's not until, um, 4:15. Well, it's about the effects that reducing the size of the Amazon rainforest can have outside of Brazil. I was wondering, um, it's not really necessary, but, uh—
Mm, yes?
It would be great if you were available to make a few comments. Nothing formal. After my talk, you would come up on the big screen, discuss your article, and then answer some questions from the class.
And bail you out again? Well, I think I could squeeze that in. You know, I have a simulation that shows the spread of the Sahara over the last 20 years. Here, let me show you.
Nice, very nice. I've got some maps of the Amazon area during the same time. Let's put these together.
Great. I'd like to have a copy of that for myself. Hmm.
What happens if we bring down the logging rate to 100,000 acres per year? Hmm, interesting. I can definitely use this. Thanks for your time, Jill. I really appreciate it.
No problem. But next time I'm in Berkeley, you're buying the dinner.
Dinner, right.
See ya, 4:15.
Bye-bye.
While you were busy, your mother called again to remind you to pick up the birthday cake.
Fine, fine, fine. Um, print this article before I go.
Now printing.
Okay, I'm going to lunch now. If Kathy calls, tell her I'll be there at 2 o'clock. Also, find out if I can set up a meeting tomorrow morning with, um, Tom Lee.
Enjoy your lunch. Hello, Professor Bradford is away at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?
Michael, this is your mother. I know that you're there. I'm just calling to remind you to call your sister and pick up— No.
