Salton Award Lecture: On theoretical argument in information retrieval

Preamble:
First, let me say how pleased I am to receive this award. I am flattered indeed to be invited to join this – I was going to say “august” company, but august is a Latin word, more specifically Roman. I think in deference to our present location, I should perhaps say something different. I don’t think the Greeks had an exact equivalent (not having gone in for emperors like the Romans), but perhaps “olympian” will serve the purpose. At any rate, I really appreciate the honour accorded to me by SIGIR and the committee of holders of the award who take the decision.