<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">I wouldn’t worry about it too much, have a conversation with the student and see where it leads - after all it’s his assignment, not yours.<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Regards,</div><div class="">Mike Willegal</div><div class=""><br class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Feb 22, 2019, at 12:11 AM, Hintz, Eric <<a href="mailto:HintzE@si.edu" class="">HintzE@si.edu</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Hi SIGCIS-<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">My buddy emailed and said (paraphrasing): “My son’s a 6<sup class="">th</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>grader; he and his classmates are doing research projects. They have to interview an expert on some topic. His classmate wants to research ‘the first computer.’ Can my son’s classmate interview you?” Being an all-purpose “expert,” I said yes! <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">As historians, we tend to reject absolutes, hedge, and use qualifying adjectives like the first “electronic” or “programmable” or “personal” computer. But this is a 6<sup class="">th</sup>grader, so I don’t want to confuse him with too many carefully constructed hedges. So I appeal to the wisdom of this crowd… <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Q: How would you approach this 6<sup class="">th</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>grader’s legitimate interest in the first computer? Which computer(s) should I/we focus on? Best books or other resources (e.g. Ceruzzi’s<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i class="">Concise History</i>) to help me and the sixth grader get the facts straight? <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Many thanks!<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Eric Hintz<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class="">======================<br class="">Eric S. Hintz, Ph.D.<br class="">Historian, Lemelson Center for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class=""> the Study of Invention and Innovation<br class="">National Museum of American History<br class="">Smithsonian Institution<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class="">MRC 604, P. O. Box 37012<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class="">Washington, DC 20013-7012<br class="">WORK: 202-633-3734<br class="">CELL: 610-717-7134<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class="">FAX: 202-633-4593<br class=""><a href="mailto:hintze@si.edu" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline;" class=""><span style="color: blue;" class="">hintze@si.edu</span></a><br class=""><a href="http://invention.si.edu/" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline;" class=""><span style="color: blue;" class="">http://invention.si.edu</span></a><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">This email is relayed from members at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://sigcis.org/" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">sigcis.org</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. 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