March 2012 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

another book by Knuth which is not another volume of TAOCP
by Dave Walden 08 Mar '13

08 Mar '13

See my review at <http://www.tug.org/books/reviews/tb103reviews-knuth9-walden.html>http://www.tug.org/books/reviews/tb103reviews-knuth9-walden.html It will be published in the upcoming issue of the TeX User Group's journal. As the review says, I think this will be a useful volume for computing historians whose research brings them toward Knuth's life and publications.

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New book about Turing Award winner Peter Naur
by Edgar Daylight 20 Jun '12

20 Jun '12

************ Book announcement *********** `Pluralism in Software Engineering: Turing Award Winner Peter Naur Explains' --- by Edgar G. Daylight As a software engineer and aspiring historian of computing, I have had the honor of meeting the computing pioneer Peter Naur at his home in Copenhagen in the spring of 2011. My lengthy discussion with Naur is documented in my new book and is published by Lonely Scholar. I invite historians of science to have a look at the book's summary at: http://www.lonelyscholar.com/node/7 Naur discusses varying topics, ranging from astronomy to programming and from philosophy to psychology. An underlying theme is Naur's rejection of Western philosophy. best wishes, Edgar G. Daylight www.dijkstrascry.com

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Bloomberg Blog
by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo 29 Mar '12

29 Mar '12

Please check the Bloomberg.com “Echoes” blog where SIGCIS chairman, Thomas Haigh, and members David Stearns and myself have a piece at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-29/visions-of-a-cashless-society-echo… Please support this research by visiting the site Thanks Bernardo (Bangor University, Wales) -- ================== Twitter @BatizLazo Technological Innovation in Retail Finance: International Historical Perspectives Edited by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo, J. Carles Maixé-Altés, Paul Thomes http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/books/details/9780415880671 Home page: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/business/staff/bernardo_batiz-lazo.en.php Working papers: http://ideas.repec.org/e/pba14.html

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New Database - All Information Technology Hardware
by Info ＠ IT History Society 29 Mar '12

29 Mar '12

1,692 down and over 5,000 to go! The IT History Society is pleased to show you the official opening of our Information Technology Hardware Database. The purpose of the database is to provide a single repository, or think of it as an index to access all the Information Technology equipment ever manufactured. Almost 1,700 devices have been entered into the database and we have several thousand to go. We are adding between 40 to 60 new entries per day. By the end of this year or early in 2013, we expect the database to be fairly complete. The database, a work in process, is located http://www.ithistory.org/hardware/hardware-name.php Please take a look; we are confident you will see some old memories. We can also use your help. If you have some hardware memories and experiences that are not in the database, please fill out an online form to submit your entry at http://www.ithistory.org/hardware/hardware-form.php If you too busy to fill out the form, just send us the name of the hardware to: info(a)ithistory.org <file:///C:\Users\David%20G.%20Arscott\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Tempo rary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\1AHLMSG9\info(a)ithistory.org> . Coming soon will be our new databases for both IT companies and software. Any comments? We would appreciate hearing from you. Please join the IT History Society, if you have not already done so. Membership is free. Tell a friend or associate too. Also, please have your friends join at http://www.ithistory.org/membership/member-form.php The IT History Society is supported by donations from its members. If you wish to donate, please do so at http://www.ithistory.org/about/donate.php Thank you. The IT History Society is committed to supporting the preservation of our Information Technology "Past" as a springboard for and a better understanding of our future. The IT History Society databases are meant to be a 'table of contents' and 'glossary' of where information technology history is located around the world. IT History Society One Blackfield Drive - Suite 331 Tiburon, CA 94920 (415) 435-2263 <mailto:info@ITHistory.org> info(a)ITHistory.org <http://www.ithistory.org/> www.ITHistory.org Sm logo dropEnsuring the Future by Preserving the Past <http://www.twitter.com/ithistoryorg> twitter <http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/It-History-Society/143799552346273> find-us-on-facebook

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FW: CFP : ASIS&T History Fund Awards 2012
by Thomas Haigh 28 Mar '12

28 Mar '12

Could be worth applying for the small awards below. The number of submissions is not always enormous, and SIGCIS members have had some success in the past. Tom -----Original Message----- From: sighfis-l-bounces(a)asis.org [mailto:sighfis-l-bounces@asis.org] On Behalf Of Lai Ma Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 1:21 PM To: asis-l(a)asis.org; sighfis-l(a)asis.org Subject: [Sighfis-l] CFP : ASIS&T History Fund Awards 2012 The ASIS&T History Fund Advisory Board announces the following two competitive awards for 2012: 1) The ASIS&T History Fund Research Award This award will be for a maximum of $1,000 and will be awarded for the best research support proposal submitted by May 1, 2012. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology may be proposed. The proposal should state: the central topic or question to be researched, qualifications of the researcher (brief vita should be included), a budget, and how the funds will be expended. All funds must be expended by June 30, 2013. Submit proposal to http://www.softconf.com/asist/History_Fund/ (choose the "Research Award" category) by May 1, 2012. If an award is made for 2012, the winner will be notified by June 1, 2012. 2) The ASIS&T History Fund Best Paper Award This award will be for a maximum of $500 and will be awarded for the best paper submitted by May 1, 2012. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology will be considered. The paper should not have been previously published or submitted to a journal. The paper should not exceed 30 pages double-spaced, including notes/references, using APA style manual. The ASIS&T History Advisory Board will review all submissions and decide if an award is to be made by June 1, 2012. If an award is made the winner will be expected to present the paper at the 2012 ASIS&T Annual Meeting pre-conference and give first rights of refusal for publication to the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Submit papers to http://www.softconf.com/asist/History_Fund/ (choose the "Research Award" category). The ASIS&T History Fund was established by the ASIS&T Board of Directors in June, 2000 for the purposes of supporting and encouraging research and publication in the history of information science and technology. The Fund is supported by donations (including book royalties) from ASIS&T members and others with interest in the history of information science and technology. The Fund Advisory Board encourages further donations from anyone interested in supporting historical study of information science and technology. Members of the ASIS&T History Fund Advisory Board for 2012 are: Kathryn La Barre, Chair Sarah Buchanan, Chair-Elect Julian Warner, Past Chair Michael Buckland Samantha Hastings For further information on submitting a proposal for the grant award or the best paper award for 2012 please contact Lai Ma at lama(a)indiana.edu. _______________________________________________ Sighfis-l mailing list Sighfis-l(a)asis.org http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sighfis-l

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Sol Rosenthal
by Evan Koblentz 28 Mar '12

28 Mar '12

Sol was in charge of wiring the ENIAC. He died last week. Bill Mauchly interviewed him last year. Here's a snippet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIsn4H25NXo&feature=youtu.be

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Chair and commentator slots for SHOT
by Thomas Haigh 26 Mar '12

26 Mar '12

Hello, It seems likely that SIGCIS will be organizing two panel submissions for this year's SHOT (Copenhagen). One would focus on the early development of information societies, looking at technologies of knowing from a political perspective. Likely participants Giuditta Parolini (statistical tables), Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan (importation of cybernetics to French ethnography) and Ksenia Tatarchenko (Soviet visions of the information society as expressed in computer education). The other is a little less settled, but will probably concern the politics of IT manufacturing in NY State (analog computers), Europe (IBM typewriters) and India (an early personal computer company during an era of protectionism). I'll probably either chair or comment on one session myself, but we'd need at least three other people to volunteer as chair or commentator (give preference for role and session if you have them). Let me know in the next day or two if you are interested. Tom

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"The Hunger Games" Exposes the Myth of Technological Progress
by Marie Hicks 26 Mar '12

26 Mar '12

Hi all, The article that Janet's reporter contact was writing has been posted. Jolie, Eden, Bernie and I all offered input--nice to see a reporter talking to so many historians of technology for perspective! http://www.innovationnewsdaily.com/987-hunger-games-technologies-progress.h… Best, Marie _______________ Marie Hicks, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of History of Technology Lewis Department of the Humanities Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL mhicks1(a)iit.edu www.mariehicks.net

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cashless society
by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo 25 Mar '12

25 Mar '12

Colleagues There is a new forum under the aegis of SIGCIS for those interested in discussing issues about the cashless society, electronic money, mobile payments, etc. If it is of interest, you can subscribe here: http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/cashless kind regards from the moderators, Bernardo Batiz-Lazo (Bangor, UK) and Dave Stearns (Seattle Pacific, USA)

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Roundup of classic computer journalism
by Thomas Haigh 24 Mar '12

24 Mar '12

Hello, Last week Slate featured "The Longform Guide to Early Computing." This is a feature they run at weekends to round up classic writing on a particular topic. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/longform/2012/03/steve_jobs_and_the _new_ipad_the_greatest_stories_ever_written_about_the_early_computer_industr y_.single.html The subtitle of "the greatest stories ever written about the first computers" made me smile, as the earliest writing is from 1972 (predictably, Stuart Brand's Rolling Stone article on Spacewar). So no danger of combat between fans of Atanasoff and Zuse. They also miscredit Gary Wolf's Wired article on Xanadu to 1985, which was almost a decade before Wired launched. Still, all the articles are worth reading and might be assigned for classes dealing with the personal computer era. If you have any favorites they missed, you might want to share them with the list. My suggestions: Steven Levy's classic "A Spreadsheet Way of Knowledge" (1984) https://files.nyu.edu/ap70/public/levyss.htm Langdon Winner's Mythinformation - an abridged version is at http://www.eco-action.org/dt/mythin.html Tom

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