News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Something new
is underfoot
O UT OF THE P AST
March 30, 1916
Grant County Journal
100 years ago
J.L. Stalker has furnished
the necessary bond and will
soon be able to issue fi shing
and hunting licenses. This
will be a great convenience
to Prairie people. Last year it
was necessary to send to the
county seat to get a license,
but now all that is necessary
is to hand the statutory fee to
Mr. Stalker and go out and
catch them. Stalker also has
everything else necessary to
get the fi sh — except the pa-
tience. He states positively
that the fi sherman will have to
furnish that.
March 28, 1941
Blue Mountain Eagle
75 years ago
Community Hall Planned
If the plans go through, and
they will, Seneca will probably
have the fi nest community hall
in the county. It will be built of
logs, standing on end, some-
thing like the famous forestry
building that was built at the
Lewis and Clark fair in Port-
land some 35 years ago.
It will meet all the needs
and necessities of the commu-
nity, with club rooms for wom-
en and one for men, billiards,
reading room, dance hall and
banquet room.
At a meeting held at Seneca
on Friday night, a conference
was held with the Hines offi -
cials, the county court, school
district and Geo. Kennedy.
They plan a tube or tunnel un-
der the highway for a safety
passageway.
March 31, 1966
Blue Mountain Eagle
50 years ago
Merrill Designs Tic-Tac-
Toe Machine
Tic-tac-toe is a simple
game. But try to devise a ma-
chine using 480 baby food
jars and thousands of colored
beads that will “learn” to play
the game.
Yet, that is exactly what
David Merrill, a Grant Union
high school senior, has done.
In learning how to beat its
human opponents, the ma-
chine is really demonstrating
the laws of probability.
There is one condition an
opponent must accept when
playing against the machine,
the machine always makes the
fi rst move. This eliminates the
need for more than 500 addi-
tional baby food jars.
According to Merrill, there
are nearly 480 possible moves
in tic-tac-toe if the machine
has the fi rst move. If the ma-
chine was programmed to
play by starting on the second
move, an additional 500 or
more possibilities exist.
To play the machine, Mer-
rill places 60 jars on eight
shelves on four tables. Each
shelf contains jars with a cer-
tain odd numbered move. No
fi fth move jar would be on a
shelf containing third move
jars. All the moves are odd
numbered because the ma-
chine makes the fi rst move.
Senior center
kitchen gets
new flooring
By Cheryl Hoefl er
Blue Mountain Eagle
From the March 31, 1966, Eagle: Playing Tic-Tac-Toe — David Merrill, a Grant
Union high school senior, is shown here taking a jar to see where he moves
next in a game of tic-tac-toe. Merrill is operating a machine that uses 480 baby
food jars and thousands of colored beads to play the game. The machine
learns to play by trial and error. Once it knows all the moves, it will never lose.
Merrill built the machine for his Advanced Science Research class. Merrill is
shown here playing against Robert Valiant, his science instructor.
On each jar is a tic-tac-
toe chart with all nine spaces
marked with a colored “X” or
an “O.” Merrill operates the
machine by taking the fi rst jar
and tipping it upside down. A
bead will roll into a hole in the
center of the lid.
By noting the color of the
bead, Merrill then looks to see
what position the color occu-
pies on the chart. He places his
mark accordingly.
The opponent makes his
move.
Merrill checks the oppo-
nent’s move. He then looks
for the jar that has an identical
game situation. He takes the jar
and tips it upside down to see
what color bead rolls into the
hole. A quick look at the chart
tells him where to move. This
process continues until there is
a winner or a stalemate.
Presently, the machine is
easy to beat. But it is learning.
When it achieves its maximum
effi ciency it will win or at least
tie (cat) every time.
When Merrill turned a jar
upside down during a game,
he places it back on the shelf
upside down. After a game is
over he “awards” the machine
by placing additional beads of
the winning color in the jar.
He “punishes” the machine by
eliminating beads which re-
sulted in bad moves.
The machine learns by trial
and error.
When the machine knows
the game will end in a tie, it
quits playing because there is
no jar for the next move.
Stupid moves confuse the
machine. But it is learning to
play against illogical moves
by an opponent. The machine
itself will make an illogical
move occasionally. But each
time it does, Merrill takes out
the colored bead which caused
the move. Chances of the ma-
chine to make the same mis-
take twice are reduced.
The idea of the machine
eventuated when Merrill be-
gan searching for ideas for a
project for his Advanced Sci-
ence Research class. Robert
A7
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Valiant is the instructor for the
class.
Merrill was toying with
ideas that were mathematical
in nature when he came upon a
tic-tac-toe machine story in the
Scientifi c American magazine.
This game him a start.
The tic-tac-toe machine de-
scribed in the magazine was
much simpler than Merrill’s
device. It also used matches
instead of beads.
The Grant Union senior
spent long hours planning a
better machine. Once he con-
ceived his idea he began play-
ing tic-tac-toe in his spare time
to determine all the possible
moves in the game.
After collecting the jars and
beads, he began to arrange the
marked jars in a system. Mer-
rill was ready to begin teach-
ing the machine.
Merrill plans to enter East-
ern Oregon College following
graduation from high school.
He plans to major in mathe-
matics. After a year at EOC,
he hopes to complete his edu-
cation by transferring to Reed
College in Portland.
March 29, 2006
Blue Mountain Eagle
10 years ago
Local players named to
all-league teams
Eleven girls from the
Prairie City and Monument/
Dayville basketball teams
were voted members of either
the fi rst, second or honor-
able-mention teams by TriCo
League coaches.
The panthers and Tigers
boys teams had six members
named all-stars.
For the girls, junior Madi
Anspach and sophomore Tif-
fany Hunt from Monument/
Dayville were voted to the
fi rst team as was senior Kayla
Reid from Prairie City.
Senior Tiffnie Ashley and
sophomore Amanda King
from
Monument/Dayville
made the second team along
with Prairie City junior, Dan-
ielle Ricco.
Senior Jill Martens, Junior
Bradi Voigt and freshman
McKenzie Purnell, all from
Prairie City, were named hon-
orable-mention all-stars as
were senior Emma Winkel-
man and sophomore Eliza-
beth Inscore from Monument/
Dayville.
Senior Yazzie Voigt from
Prairie City and Senior Beau
Cruise from Monument/Day-
ville were voted fi rst team
boys all-stars.
Earning second team hon-
ors were senior Guy Anderson
from
Monument/Dayville,
Prairie City junior Levi Voigt
and senior Craig Hunt from
Long Creek.
Senior James Norris from
Long Creek was voted to the
honorable-mention team.
John Day — Don’t look
up — look down, if you
want to see what’s new at
the John Day Senior Center.
The kitchen has a new,
safer fl oor underneath the feet
of busy cooks and helpers
preparing the twice-weekly
senior meals and others who
use the facility.
The fl ooring is a poured
epoxy with a gritty, no-skid
surface. It has a freshly
mopped and shiny appear-
ance that looks wet, but
isn’t.
It was prepared in a pro-
cess that involved sever-
al layers and took about a
week to complete, accord-
ing to Grant County Senior
Programs Manger Veanne
Weddle. It was fi nished just
in time for the Easter feast
at the March 24 senior meal.
Shay Lewis, head cook
for the senior meals, and as-
sistant cook Lisa Pereira are
the primary ones to benefi t
from the new, safer fl ooring.
Lewis, who has worked
for many years as a chef
and cook at area restaurants,
said, “It’s the fi rst time I’ve
ever had a brand new fl oor
to work on.”
The long-overdue im-
provement was purchased
with a $4,200 grant from
the Barbara Emily Knudson
Foundation of Portland, the
same charitable group that
made a new double con-
vection oven possible at the
senior center two years ago.
Money leftover from that
$10,000 grant went toward
new chairs at the center.
Weddle said they thought
they might have to return
those leftover funds, but the
foundation allowed the grant
to be modifi ed for the chair
purchase.
“We are grateful for their
continued support,” Weddle
said.
Senior meals are served
at noon on Mondays and
Thursdays, except for major
holidays. Bingo games fol-
low at 1 p.m. on Thursdays.
The John Day Senior
Center is at 145 N.E. Dayton
St.
For information on meal
costs and facility rental fees,
call 541-575-1825 or visit
the John Day Senior Center
on Facebook.
Committee Volunteers
Needed
Grant County is now recruiting volunteers
to serve on active boards and committees.
Obtain an Application to Volunteer from County
Court, 201 S. Humbolt, Canyon City OR 97820;
(541-575-0059); wrightl@grantcounty-or.gov
Applications are due by Friday, April 8th.
Committees are formal public bodies required to comply
with Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
Library Advisory Board: Seven members serve four year
terms and meet monthly to promote public awareness and
support of library services, receive public input, review and
update library materials, and coordinate activities with the
Grant County Library Foundation. Membership is limited to one
re-appointment.
Senior Citizens Advisory Council: Five members serve a
three year term and meet quarterly to define the needs of
older adults, promote special interests and local community
involvement, and represent senior citizens as an advocate to
the local, state and federal government and other
organizations. Membership is limited to one re-appointment.
Debbie Ausmus
245 South Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845
OPEN WED. & THUR.
9 am - 5 pm
03627
541-575-1113
24 hrs/7 days wk
A MAN
WAKES
UP in the
morning
after sleeping on...
an advertised bed, in advertised
pajamas.
debbie.ausmus@
countryfinancial.com
Your dream backyard...
...Can become a reality
da
m’
s
With the help of our garden section and our green house,
your backyard could look like it’s from a magazine.
Ask our helpful staff about what supplies would
be best for your next project.
Ny
Hardware
652 W. Main St. • John Day • 541-575-0549
He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR,
have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an
ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his
ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an
ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person
hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his
non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE.
Then it’s too late.
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
Blue Mountain Eagle
MyEagleNews.com
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
Grant SWCD Weed Control Dept.
Working for You in 2016
Thanks to the Grant County Court and Northeast Oregon Forests
Resource Advisory Committee, Grant Weed Control is able to offer
Noxious Weed Control on Private Grazing Lands, through a Title II
funded Grant Project. This program will provide a maximum $5,000 of
noxious weed control services to qualifying landowners. To be eligible
for participation, the treatment property must not be irrigated and be
primarily managed for livestock grazing, minimum of 20 acres in size,
located within Grant County, and must contain priority noxious weed
species. Applications for this limited weed control assistance
opportunity will be ranked and funded according to a priority noxious
weed list. Contact the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District
office at 541-575-1554 or visit 721 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR
97845 for applications and additional information.
The application deadline for this program is April 8, 2016.
03563
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