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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Dear SIGCIS,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Anyone curious about <i>A New History of Modern Computing</i> (MIT Press, 2021) which I wrote with Paul Ceruzzi, but not curious enough to have actually read the book, might be interested in my latest to the February issue of <i>Communications of the ACM</i>. “Becoming Universal: A New History of Modern Computing” looks at some of the special challenges of writing an overview history of a technology as mutable as the computer, talks about some of our decisions and key themes, and gives an idea of how the book differs from earlier overview histories.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>You can read it at <a href="https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2022/2/258223-becoming-universal/fulltext">https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2022/2/258223-becoming-universal/fulltext</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My next contribution will be a delayed reaction to the death of Clive Sinclair, focused on the machine that his obituaries tended to overlook: the Sinclair QL. If any of you have QL stories to share, let me know. Also, if anyone has contact information for Tony Tebby, David Karlin, or Jan Jones I’d be interested to get it. If you haven’t heard of the QL but like reading about 1980s computer platforms, take a look at <a href="https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/12/archaeologic_sinclair_ql/">https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/12/archaeologic_sinclair_ql/</a> for the story. Also chapter 8 of Adamson and Kennedy’s book <i>Sinclair and the ‘Sunrise’ Technology</i> which is available at <a href="https://www.readanybook.com/online/681933">https://www.readanybook.com/online/681933</a>. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><br>Tom<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>