March 2009 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

Another question - "Giant Brains"
by Evan Koblentz 31 Oct '09

31 Oct '09

Was the term "Giant Brains" already popular when Edmund Berkeley used it in his 1949 book title, or should he get credit for popularizing it? I'm mentioning the term in a footnote and want to be sure credit goes to the right source.

17 25

Computer History Museum Book Prize
by Jeffrey D. Tang 17 May '09

17 May '09

The Computer History Museum Prize is awarded by SIGCIS to the author of an outstanding book in the history of computing broadly conceived, published during the prior three years (e.g. books published in 2006-2008 are eligible for the inaugural 2009 award). Books in translation are eligible for three years following the date of their publication in English. The prize of $1000, established through the generosity of an anonymous donor who wishes to honor the Computer History Museum, is administered by SIGCIS, SHOT’s special interest group for computers, information and society. Publishers, authors, and other interested members of the computer-history community are invited to nominate books. Send one copy of the nominated title to each of the committee members listed below. To be considered, book submissions must be postmarked by 1 April 2009. For more information, please contact the prize committee chair or SIGCIS secretary (secretary(a)sigcis.org) Thomas J. Misa [chair] Charles Babbage Institute 211 Andersen Library 222 - 21st Avenue South University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 tmisa(a)umn.edu Paul E. Ceruzzi MRC 311 National Air and Space Museum PO Box 37012 Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20013-7012 CeruzziP(a)si.edu Jennifer S. Light Northwestern University School of Communication Frances Searle Building 2240 Campus Drive, Room 2-152 Evanston, IL 60208-2952 light(a)northwestern.edu

4 3

Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Introducing myself
by Armand Van Dormael 09 May '09

09 May '09

Dear Colleagues, It is a great pleasure for me to join Sigcis. I hope I can make a contribution to your research. Several eminent historians have drawn attention to major gaps in the history of computing. Much of computing technology was developed in Europe, but its originators are not recognized even in their home country. Since Europe has no computer industry, historians have not been interested. On February 24, 2003, the New York Times published an article titled: Herbert F. Mataré. An Inventor of the Transistor Has His Moment. Fifty-five years after the fact, this was the first time Mataré was given credit for his work. In 1986, the Boston Computer Museum held a contest to determine who invented the microcomputer. The Micral created by François Gernelle was recognized as the first commercially distributed microcomputer. . Both Mataré and Gernelle have provided me with ample documentation and information about their work. My forthcoming book The Silicon Revolution explores this unmapped area of history. It constitutes a documented analysis and a coherent narrative of the development of computing in the United States, Europe and Asia. Please see:/http://www.avandor.net IEEE paper The French Transistor. NY Times: Herbert F. Mataré. An Inventor of the Transistor Has His Moment. Armand Van Dormael 33A Drève de la Meute 1410 Waterloo Belgium Tel/fax +32 2 354 96 63 a.vandormael(a)skynet.be

6 5

Chairs and commentators needed for SHOT panels
by Thomas Haigh 29 Mar '09

29 Mar '09

Hello everyone, We're putting the finishing touches on two new SIGCIS panel proposals for the SHOT 2009 meeting. These are (provisionally) entitled . Paths Not Taken in the History of Information Technology . Materiality Meets Practice Each needs a chair and a commentator. Volunteers are sought. You are allowed to chair a session and present in another one. I'm not sure whether you can comment and present at the same meeting. The presenters are all based in North America and all male, so gender and geographical diversity would be particularly helpful in chairs and commentators. The deadline is coming up, so if you're interested please let me know ASAP. Tom

1 0

Free to good home -- AFIPS Fall & Spring JCC proceedings.
by Ceruzzi, Paul 27 Mar '09

27 Mar '09

Fellow SIG members: I have a semi-complete set of AFIPS Fall and Spring Joint Computer Conference proceedings, which I would like to give to a good home. I offered them to CBI, which already has most of them (I sent them a few to fill in gaps), to J.F. Ptak, who no longer deals much in this subject, and to the Smithsonian Archives, which is not interested. I don't have time to do an exact inventory, but I estimate about 30 volumes. If you've ever used them you know they are quite heavy, so I will have to ship them in multiple mailings. I don't think I can handle an international shipment. The ideal recipient would be a library where they would be appreciated. I would love to keep them myself but I am really hurting for space, both at work and at home. Paul E. Ceruzzi, MRC 311, National Air and Space Museum, PO Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012. phone: 202-633-2414. -----Original Message-----

1 0

ACM-HC: Short-term Fellowships in ACM History (deadline 30 April)
by tmisa＠umn.edu 27 Mar '09

27 Mar '09

Dear colleagues, Please think seriously about developing a proposal for this new fellowship opportunity. As I mentioned in the "early" version, this is an experiment. If there are numerous, high-quality proposals it's more likely that the experiment will continue. The 'fine print' is true: there are not extensive requirements or restrictions; the intent is to cultivate ACM history -- and to draw attention -- and use -- to the ACM research materials. Best, Tom Misa ===================================================== website: <history.acm.org/content.php?do=fellowship> ACM History Committee Short-term Fellowships in ACM History The Association for Computing Machinery, founded in 1947, is the oldest and largest educational and scientific society dedicated to the computing profession, and today has members in more than 100 countries. To encourage historical research, the ACM History Committee announces a new program of short-term fellowships in ACM history. This year we plan to make up to two $2,500 awards to support historical research on the wide variety of ACM related activities, including ACM members, officers, and prize winners, as well as ACM as an organization. Successful candidates may be of any rank, from graduate students through senior researchers. To Apply: Applicants should send 2-page CV as well as a 750-word project description that [a] describes the proposed research project; [b] identifies the importance of specific ACM historical materials, whether traditional archival collections or online historical materials (oral histories, digitized conference papers, ACM organizational records, et al.); and [c] discusses the project's planned outcome (e.g. conference paper, journal article, book or dissertation chapter, teaching resource, museum exhibit, etc.). In preparing a proposal, applicants should examine the extensive list of ACM historical resources posted at <history.acm.org/content.php?do=fellowship>. Other research materials relating to ACM's rich history may also be used. Applications should include a letter of endorsement from their home department or institution. Proposals are due by 30 April 2009. Proposals should be submitted as .pdf documents to <history-webmaster(a)acm.org>. Notification of awards will be made within six weeks.

2 2

CFP - Conference on History of Records and Archives, London, July 2010
by Thomas Haigh 25 Mar '09

25 Mar '09

Hello everyone, You'll find below a call from a related group whose existence I was previously unaware of. The themes given appear to have a business history focus that would be relevant to people studying the history of data processing, accounting, office management, etc. Note the early deadline - 14 months before the meeting! Tom From: Barbara Craig [mailto:] Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:25 AM To: Matthew Gilmore; HTECH-L-request(a)SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU; thaigh(a)computer.org; info(a)archimuse.com; devorsey(a)amnh.org; rozov(a)nsu.ru; millarj(a)lib.muohio.edu; digicult(a)cec.eu.int; susanmclinney(a)mail.ogc.umn.edu; ANTHRO-L-request(a)listserv.buffalo.edu Subject: CALL FOR PAPERS - I-CHORA 5: Fifth International Conference on History of Records and Archives Good morning Moderators: I enclose and attach a call for papers which we think will appeal to you readers. Many thanks in advance for posting this call for I-CHORA 5 and we hope many of you members will consider submitting proposals. blc ............................................................................ ............................................................................ ........................................................................ *Apologies for cross-posting* CALL <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ichora5/papers.htm> FOR PAPERS I-CHORA 5: Fifth International Conference on History of Records and Archives 'Records, archives and technology: interdependence over time' Following previously successful I-CHORA conferences in <http://www3.fis.utoronto.ca/research/i-chora/ichora1programme.html> Toronto (2003), Amsterdam (2005), <http://www3.fis.utoronto.ca/research/i-chora/home.html> Boston (2007) and <http://www.archivists.org.au/ichora/ICHORA4/index.html> Perth (2008), <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/> The National Archives, <http://www.infostudies.ucl.ac.uk/> University College London and <http://www.liv.ac.uk/lucas/> University of Liverpool are delighted to announce the forthcoming I-CHORA to be held in London from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 July 2010. Proposals are now invited for papers, which may address (but are not restricted to) issues in the following themes: 1. Early technologies and the origins of recordkeeping 2. Technology, records and the growth of bureaucracy 3. Creating and using records in the workplace 4. Responding to technological change Please submit 500-word abstract by 30 April 2009 For more information please visit our website at: <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ichora5> http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ichora5 I-CHORA5(a)nationalarchives.gov.uk Records, archives and technology: interdependence over time -- Barbara L. Craig Faculty of Information 140 St. George Street Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G6 Canada Tel: 416-978-7093 Fax: 416-971-1399 (Not a Private Fax) E-Mail: Barbara.Craig(a)utoronto.ca

1 0

Ph.D. scholarships in history of User Interfaces at IT University of Copenhagen
by Anker Helms Jørgensen 16 Mar '09

16 Mar '09

Dear Colleagues. Please pass this announcement to relevant parties. Thanks – Anker Helms Jorgensen, IT University of Copenhagen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A n n o u n c e m e n t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - At the IT University of Copenhagen (ITU) a considerable number of Ph.D. study scholarships are offered in a broad range of areas within IT, among these User Interface History. The PhD will last three years and will commence in the fall 2009. The scholarships are fully funded. The applicants are expected to submit a max. 5 page research proposal. The application deadline is April 16. For further detail see below. User interface history To the best of my knowledge, no historians have yet embarked on user interface history, although user interfaces are as old as digital, electronic computers. So far only researchers from Human-Computer Interaction and Media Studies have addressed their history. This PhD call aims at attracting applicants with a degree in history of techology or history of computing. ITU and history ITU offers the PhD scholarships although ITU does not have a study program in technology history. The reputation of ITU in this area is limited, but history is considered important at the ITU. The PhD student will be supervised by me (Anker Helms Jorgensen) who in recent years has done research in history of user interfaces. Although being a relative newcomer in history of computing, I have substantial experience in PhD supervision as I have supervised 11 PhDs - at the ITU and University of Copenhagen - in HCI, virtual worlds, and video games. My approach to user interface history The background to my interest in user interface history interest is threefold. Firstly, my activities in HCI as researcher, teacher and practitioner for three decades. As time passes, interest in the past often surfaces. Secondly, user interfaces are coming of age and I find that the time is ripe to address their history – just like the history of computers and computing has been addressed for several decades. Many papers and books address selected aspects of HCI history and user interface history – some in great depth – but only a handful of papers address user interface/HCI history in general. Written mostly by HCI scholars, their historiographic genre must be considered internalistic - with a few exceptions. Thirdly, the generation growing up seems to have very little knowledge about historical aspects of user interfaces - and computing for that matter. I would like to help remedy this by creating more focus on user interface history. My aim is to adopt a contextual approach as this seems timely and most beneficial. My recent paper “Context and Driving Forces in the Development of the Early Computer Game Nimbi”, appearing in the July issue of IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, illustrates this approach. The key point is that early gaming was far more than entertainment and invoved organisational and social aspects such as educating the general public about the potential of computers. In addition, my approach to user interface history is “history from below”. This contrasts current studies, most of which address the development of the predominant graphical user interface and the influence of early visionaries such as Vannevar Bush, Douglas Engelbart and Alan Kay, i.e. a “history from above” approach. Examples of “from below” projects are plugboard programming, portraits of user interface designers of the 1960s, the role of the pervasive IBM 3270 display protocol, and the user interface of WordPerfect (a loved and hated word processor of the 1980s). Further detail Applicants are expected to submit a maximum 5 page project proposal. I’m more than willing to help potential applicants write a convincing project proposal. We expect that successful applicants have earned a MA in Technology History, History, or similar. The deadline is April 16 at noon Danish time. For further detail please visit http://www1.itu.dk/sw65235.asp http://www1.itu.dk/graphics/ITU-library/Intranet/Personale/ Stillingsopslag/TAP/Stillingsopslag%202009/PhDSpring%202009-2.pdf Please don’t hesitate to contact me for further information: anker(a)itu.dk, phone: +45 72 18 50 20. -o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Anker Helms Jorgensen Associate Professor, PhD IT University of Copenhagen Rued Langgaardsvej 7 DK-2300 Copenhagen S Denmark anker(a)itu.dk http://www1.itu.dk/sw4489.asp +45 72 18 50 00

1 0

"pre-announcement" of new ACM short-term history fellowship --> 30 April deadline
by tmisa＠umn.edu 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

Dear colleagues, The ACM History Committee has created a new source of support for computer history, aimed naturally enough at research on activities in which ACM played some important role. The announcement will formally be launched when the <history.acm.org> site is updated, but the basic information is all here (see the announcement text below). The "back story" is this: ACM has devoted substantial resources in recent years to creating historical documentation (about its members, its prize winners, and about its organization -- both its central HQ and its three dozen SIG's). The ACM History Committee (which I recently joined) wants to make sure that these research materials actually get USED. As an experiment, ACM-HC created this "short term fellowship" to attract historians' attention to these materials as well as to support two projects directly. The awards are modest, $2,500; but the conditions are rather wide-open. You might travel to Stanford and use ACM-relevant materials there, or to Hagley, or anywhere (even CBI). There are also on-line materials, including some organizational records, conference proceedings, and a growing set of oral histories with ACM luminaries. (For some of these, you'll need access to the ACM Digital Library.) The deadline for proposals is SOON -- 30 April. Please have a look at the announcement below, or the formal announcement soon to appear on <history.acm.org>. Then, please frame a research project that has *some* significant ACM angle: for instance, you might investigate how an ACM conference sparked interest in a particular set of computing developments; or investigate one of the ACM Turing Award winners; or even examine some organizational aspect of ACM's universe of SIGS). Merely mentioning that someone was an ACM member is likely under-the-bar for significance. We hope to get a solid out-pouring of proposals. Especially if there are a good number of high-quality proposals, it's more likely that future funding would be continued -- possibly even expanded. Thanks for your attention! Best, Tom Misa ==================================== ACM History Committee Short-term Fellowships in ACM History The Association for Computing Machinery, founded in 1947, is the oldest and largest educational and scientific society dedicated to the computing profession, and today has members in more than 100 countries. To encourage historical research, the ACM History Committee announces a new program of short-term fellowships in ACM history. This year we plan to make up to two $2,500 awards to support historical research on the wide variety of ACM related activities, including ACM members, officers, and prize winners, as well as ACM as an organization. Successful candidates may be of any rank, from graduate students through senior researchers. To Apply: Applicants should send a 2-page CV as well as a 750-word project description that [a] describes the proposed research project; [b] identifies the importance of specific ACM historical materials, whether traditional archival collections or online historical materials (oral histories, digitized conference papers, ACM organizational records, et al.); and [c] discusses the project's planned outcome (e.g. conference paper, journal article, book or dissertation chapter, teaching resource, museum exhibit, etc.). In preparing a proposal, applicants should examine the extensive list of ACM historical resources posted at <history.acm.org> (click on Links and choose ACM Research Materials). Other research materials relating to ACM's rich history may also be used. Applications should include a letter of endorsement from their home department or institution. Proposals are due by 30 April 2009. Proposals should be submitted as .pdf documents to <history-webmaster(a)acm.org>. Notification of awards will be made within six weeks. ============================================

1 0

30th anniversary of the CD
by Sandra Mols 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

Dear colleagues, To those who may interested, I here forward a mail regarding a recently past conference on the 30th anniversary of the CD, With apologies for crossposting, Sandra Mols -------- Message original -------- Sujet : Upcoming events IEEE Benelux Section Date : Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:11:03 -0500 De : IEEE E-Notice <owner-ieee-e-notice(a)ieee.org> Références : <A12344586649147546325.jra(a)info.fundp.ac.be> Dear IEEE member, On March 6 we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the compact disc (CD) audio player by Philips. This outstanding achievement will officially be recognized as an IEEE Milestone. Everyone is invited to attend this celebration event in Eindhoven, but advance registration is required. See also http://www.ieee.nl/milestone.html for all details and the registration form. It is also my pleasure to announce the newly elected members of the 2009 IEEE Benelux Section Executive Committee : Chair: Georges Gielen, K.U.Leuven Vice Chair: Wim van Etten, retired from U Twente Secretary: Dirk Van Hertem, K.U.Leuven Treasurers: Dirk Rabaey, Alcatel-Lucent & Jan Bergmans, TU Eindhoven We will update you regularly about upcoming events within the Benelux. You can also find this information on our website : www.ieee.be or www.ieee.nl If you have not re-registered yet as IEEE member for 2009, please do so before the end of February 2009 ! Sincerely, Georges Gielen Benelux Section Chair 2009-2010 benelux(a)ieee.org

1 0