According to ideas of the zoologist Richard Dawkins - and other scholars and biologists - about darwinian evolution in natural and cultural scope, we have implemented the evolutionary model of a memetic ecosystem where the avatars with their behaviors, actions and mood effects in the Amusement scenes and games represent all the memetic phenotypes interacting. A few simple numerical parameters regulate and codify, as real genes-memes units, for some files that controls the behavior, the actions and expressions of every avatar while he's playing.

Every Complex Scene CS, constituting the representation of a particular Game Instance (or the choice of a game mate at the beginning of a game instance), has been implemented as the Memic-Phenotype, P, of an evolving Memic- Genotype G, that represents the particular meme. The Genotype has constituted, in turn, by single Genes (G1...GN). The evolution of the latter has been implemented using state of the art Genetic Programming.

The single genes - implemented by means of sets of simple numerical values - compete under the selective pressure of:
1. the other genes and both;
2. the rules of the game, and
3. the behavior of the real players.

For example, the characteristics (governed indirectly by its genes) of a given avatar (at a given time!) is described implicitly by a genome (an evolving numerical set) and an expression function (constant) that maps the genotype recipe into the phenotype effects, expressions and actions. We have implemented, using genetic descriptions, not only the general appearance of the avatar, but its character and behavior as well. More in detail, for example, we can describe some behavior of the avatar as a Situation-Response pair (i.e. if Situation=S then Response=R) and let it evolve under the selective pressure of the environment (i.e. hestetic sensibility and pleasure of the real players). The response is formally described as a trajectory in the space of all responses Rm. The phenotype of the response is a m-dimensional vector of sequences. Each sequence can be formally described as a succession of functions. The set of parameters of that succession can be regarded as the genotype of response. In the genotype are present, as well, the parameters defining some partitioning of the Situation space in subsets (lexicalization). As consequence, the appropriateness of the response is simply the association of a given subset of situational genes in the same chromosome of a given set of response genes. The genome of behaviors can be translated in the set of all the environmental-response pairs. The user, hence, have not to worry about every movement, action or mood expression at each moment: this is boring and complicated, not natural. The only part of the physical appearance that evolve, once the player has chosen or has been given a physical appearance, is the clothing and accessories. That is, the expression of moods via the "clothing language" evolves according to the memic paradigm. So, we think that it is able for i3 to build new Intelligent Information Interfaces according to this darwinian vision of the reality.

Riccardo Antonini
Professional Activities:
1984-86: Field Engineering in the Medical Department of Hewlett Packard
1984: Engineering for Progesi Consulting on an Industrial Automation project for Angelini Pharmaceutics
1982: Consulting for Barzano & Zanardo (Industrial Patents)
Scientific Activities:
Since 1997: Section Coordinator of the Italian part of the European Project "Esprit" n. 25197 "Amusement, an International Virtual Space for individual and collective presence and interaction"
1993-94: Invited Professor for the courses of "Artificial Intelligence" and "Advanced Software Design" at the University of Madrid "Carlos III"
1991-94: International. School on Disarmament on Conflicts, Folgaria.
1990-92: Participant at the International Summer School on Global Security Arms Control and Disarmament.
1984-92: "Authorized Civil Researcher" for the Aerospace Medical Center of Italian Air Force.
Since 1986: Researcher at the Department of Electrical Engineering for II^ University of Rome "Tor Vergata"
1992-93: R & D dir. For V.A.I. Video Applicazioni Industriali, Aprilia - Italy
1990-92: Consulting for Telesia Group. Rome
1986-90: Consulting for Microsistemi, Rome.
1983-86: External Researcher for the Department of Sport Science of Physiology for the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI)
1984-85: Invited Professor of Informatics at the School of Sport of CONI
1983: Research in the fields of Brain Stem Auditive Evoked Potentials (BSAER) for the University of Rome "La Sapienza"
Theory Research:
1990-91: Spreadsheet Simulation of Neural Networks
1986-80: Graphic Introduction and Signal Processing of Vectors 3 Dimensional Time Dependents
1986-88: Study on "Isomorphism and Deconvolution with application of Finite Computational Structures" Experimental Research:
Since 1990: Six Degrees of Freedom Dynamic Weightlessness Simulation
Since 1990: Smooth pursuit evaluation in acute hypobaric hypoxia
Since 1990: R-R Interval in Microgravity
Since 1984: Six Degrees of Freedom Dynamic Motion Simulation
Owner of the following patents:
Since 1997: System for the Automatic recognition of digital prints
Since 1997: System for the Laser reading of Crypto-olograms (owner along with Poligrafico dello Stato)
Since 1991: "Skydata" Trademark for Olivetti Data Broadcast Systems
Since 1990: Inflatable Helmet
Since 1990: Inflatable Child Car Seat
Affiliations:
Since 1991: Member of the Board of Administration (BOA) of "Promedus", a company of the European Space Agency dedicated to the "Promotion of Medical Use in Space"
Since 1991: Member of the BOA of the Italian Aero Space Medicine Society
1988-92: Member of the BOA of the International Neural Network Society
Languages:
1 Fluent Spanish; 2 Fluent English; 3 Fluent French; Good German; Ancient Greek ; Latin.
Degrees:
1983 Degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Rome "La Sapienza"
Military:
1978-79: Vol. Italian Firemen Corp.
Personal Data:
Born in Rome on July 4th, 1957.