Genetic programming for the minimum time swing up and balance control acrobot problem

This work describes how genetic programming is applied to evolving controllers for the minimum time swing up and inverted balance tasks of the continuous state and action: limited torque acrobot. The best swing-up controller is able to swing the acrobot up to a position very close to the inverted ‘handstand’ position in a very short time, shorter than that of Coulom (2004), who applied the same constraints on the applied torque values, and to take only slightly longer than the approach by Lai et al. (2009) where far larger torque values were allowed. The best balance controller is able to balance the acrobot in the inverted position when starting from the balance position for the length of time used in the fitness function in all runs; furthermore, 47 out of 50 of the runs evolve controllers able to maintain the balance position for an extended period, an improvement on the balance controllers generated by Dracopoulos and Nichols (2012), which this paper is extended from. The most successful balance controller is also able to balance the acrobot when starting from a small offset from the balance position for this extended period.

Did We Fail? (Counter-)Transference in a Qualitative Media Research Interview

Drawing on Joke Hermes’ (2006) account of a troubling interview, this article reproduces and reflects on passages from a qualitative interview with a user of a social networking site that was experienced as uncomfortable by both interviewee and interviewer (myself). The psychoanalytic concept of (counter-)transference is used to analyse the possible processes that led to the emergence of two narratives by the interviewee and interviewer and resulted in an unsuccessful research encounter. It is suggested that the analysis of the interview narratives may contribute to Wanda S. Pillow’s (2003) notion of an ‘uncomfortable reflexivity’. It may further add to methodological discussions of the interview in media research by placing an emphasis on a complex theory of the subject and intersubjective dynamics.