October 2015 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

Question about paper/cardboard computer models
by Jaroslav Švelch 15 Oct '15

15 Oct '15

Dear group members, I'm posting here for the first time, so first let me introduce myself - my name is Jaroslav Švelch, I'm at Charles University in Prague, working on history of computer games and hobby computing in 1980s Czechoslovakia (and behind the Iron Curtain in general). (A link to one of my articles: http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/svelch) In my research, I've come across a very popular early 1980s Czechoslovak computer programming learning aid, somewhat similar to Bell Technologies' CARDIAC (http://hackaday.com/2014/10/14/a-clever-cardboard-computer/) or MIT's Little Man Computer. I find it quite fascinating. Do you happen to know any literature (or unpublished knowledge) related to the history of these aids? Thanks! Best, Jaroslav -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jaroslav Švelch, Ph.D. New media and digital games researcher (http://svelch.com) Member of the PolCoRe research group (www.polcore.cz) Faculty of Social Sciences Charles University in Prague Phone: +420 773 988 425

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What can SIGCIS learn methodologically from the history of science, environmental history, etc?
by Thomas Haigh 15 Oct '15

15 Oct '15

Dear SIGCIS, We just had a wonderful meeting, which I could enjoy all the more as it was the first of the seven SIGCIS workshops where I had no operational responsibilities. Nathan really did a great job with the keynote, and it was splendid to see so many people making the transition from list membership to physical participation at SHOT and SIGCIS for the first time. Better still were the people who had been "first timers" in 2013 or 2014 coming back for a second meeting, as this proves they found the experience useful. I think we accounted for a very significant fraction of the overall graduate student attendance at SHOT. My impression was that the research and delivery of the SIGCIS papers held up pretty well against the quality of material in most parts of the main SHOT program. However I also heard a suggestion from one person that many of the papers in both venues tended to be very narrowly framed, telling a particular story without really engaging with a broader literature or being explicit about what general lessons or methodological implications the work holds. To the extent that this is true, one could see an aversion to explicit historiography and to the drawing of broad conclusions as a kind of aesthetic preference rather than a failing of craft or scholarship. Still, I was wondering if list members might be able to suggest recent (say post-2010) papers from other traditions that are effective in using a focused historical study to make a compelling case that we should think differently about a topic of broad interest to the field in question. I'm not thinking necessarily about work related to IT, since the literature in many areas of history of science, environmental history, history of medicine, and other fields is more mature and appears to have developed a clearer sense of what the "big questions" are. However I have had few opportunities since grad school to read systematically in other literatures. So list members, please post away with your nominations of recent articles from other fields with an explanation of what cool thing you think the article is doing methodologically that those of us writing on the history of computing could learn from. Best wishes, Tom

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HSBC Archives
by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo 14 Oct '15

14 Oct '15

Dear all On the trail of the topic of SHOT 2016 in Singapur and the forthcoming special ed of the Annals on computing in south east Asia, some of you might be interested in the 150 year celebrations of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC). The HSBC Archives has posted three short videos (10 min each aprox) on the history of the bank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_qEYIv7gHk&feature=youtu.be&list=PLqeNOlDr… They would like some feedback, if possible through Tweeter using #HSBC150 and or directly to them @HSBC_NOW If you dont do Tweeter but interested then click below for some of the comments, pictures, etc. https://twitter.com/hashtag/HSBC150?src=hash Best wishes Bernardo Bangor University (Wales) Twitter @BatizLazo When tweeting consider using #bizhis or #histtech

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Postdoc openings in the Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research
by Kevin Driscoll 13 Oct '15

13 Oct '15

Hello SIGCIS, It was wonderful to spend time with many of you this weekend. I am looking forward to many more opportunities to cross paths both on- and off-line. I want to share news of two job openings that may be of interest to you or your students. Microsoft Research New England, is currently accepting applications for two postdoc positions for emerging scholars starting in July, 2016. The ideal candidate may be trained in any number of disciplines, but should have a strong social scientific or humanistic methodological, analytical, and theoretical foundation, be interested in questions related to technology or the internet and society or culture, and be interested in working in a highly interdisciplinary environment that includes computer scientists, mathematicians, and economists. A detailed description of the position, information about on-going research in the lab, and application instructions are available here: http://socialmediacollective.org/2015/10/07/the-social-media-collective-is-… Please don't hesitate to contact me off-list if you or your students have any additional questions. All my best, Kevin Driscoll Postdoctoral Researcher Microsoft Research New England

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Visiting Assistant Professor in History of Science and Technology and/or Science and Technology Studies at Carnegie Mellon University
by Lee Vinsel 13 Oct '15

13 Oct '15

Dear SIGCIS Members, Professor Jay Aronson of the Carnegie Mellon History Department asked me to pass this notice of a visiting professorship onto the SIGCIS community. Very best, Lee Visiting Assistant Professor in History of Science and Technology and/or Science and Technology Studies at Carnegie Mellon University The History Department at Carnegie Mellon University invites applications for a one-year visiting assistant professor in History of Science and Technology and/or Science and Technology Studies for the 2016-2017 academic year. We encourage applications from scholars who can provide social and cultural insight into fields that have a strong presence at Carnegie Mellon. The successful applicant will teach two courses per semester (four total), including at least one broad introduction to the history and/or social studies of science and technology. Applicants should have their Ph.D. in hand by June 30, 2016. Term of appointment: August 1, 2016-July 31, 2017. Compensation: $50,000 plus benefits, and $2,500 summer research budget. This position may be renewable for up to one additional year pending departmental approval and availability of sufficient funding to do so. Please send letter of application (including information about previous teaching experience); full CV; graduate transcript; a single writing sample the equivalent of 60 or fewer double-spaced manuscript pages; and three letters of reference to HST/STS Search Committee, Department of History, Carnegie Mellon University by email via the following address: historysearch(a)andrew.cmu.edu. All questions should be sent to this email address as well. Carnegie Mellon is an AA/EOE employer committed to diversity. Deadline for applications: January 31, 2016. -- Assistant Professor Program on Science and Technology Studies College of Arts and Letters Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 leevinsel.com Twitter: @STS_News

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"CSIRAC: Last Of The First" available in PDF
by Justin Zobel 13 Oct '15

13 Oct '15

CSIRAC, one of the first computers built, was documented in the book the Last Of The First (McCann and Thorne, 2000), a comprehensive overview of the machine itself, its history, and how it was used. This book, published by the University of Melbourne, has just been made freely available as a PDF from http://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/2155137. Originally designed and built in Sydney as the CSIR Mk1 in 1947-49, it was one of the first few stored-instruction computers, and as far as we know is the oldest computer that is still substantially intact; it is a permanent exhibit at Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. It was relocated to Melbourne in 1955 and relaunched as CSIRAC in 1956, where it operated until 1964. Since then it has been preserved and documented by a dedicated team, including several of its original users; over the last decade, the core of this team was Judith Hughes, Jurij Semkiw (the engineer who assembled it on arrival in Melbourne in 1955), John Spencer (dec. 2014), and Peter Thorne. The Melbourne Museum maintains information about CSIRAC at http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whatson/current-exhibitions/cs…. You can also read about CSIRAC on our web pages, http://www.cis.unimelb.edu.au/about/csirac/ – and you can listen to examples of the very first computer music, played by the CSIR Mk1 in a public exhibition in 1951. Justin Zobel Head, Department of Computing & Information Systems University of Melbourne

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SHOT 2015 Robinson Prize
by M. Hicks 11 Oct '15

11 Oct '15

Hi all-- I case you didn't make it to SHOT this year, or you did but weren't at the banquet, I just wanted to let you know that one of the papers on the SIGCIS-EDITH panel (that I co-organized with Ruth Cowan) won the Robinson Prize for 2015! Sarah McLennan's paper "Computing and the Color Line" looked at black women computers at NASA, employing oral histories as well as written records to tell the story. I'm so glad Sarah's paper got this recognition and, by extension, that the SIGCIS got recognition for the new and diverse perspectives on computing history we are helping bring to SHOT. Best, Marie ______________________ Marie Hicks, Ph.D. Asst. Professor, History of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL USA mariehicks.net | mhicks1(a)iit.edu | @histoftech

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AT&T Archives and History Center
by HOCHHEISER, SHELDON H 07 Oct '15

07 Oct '15

I look forward to seeing many of you at SHOT starting tomorrow. As many of you may know, in June I returned to AT&T where I am once again Corporate Historian and Manager of the AT&T Archives and History Center in Warren, NJ. I'd be delighted to talk to folks about AT&T history, and the resources of the AT&T Archives. And since a couple of folks asked before I returned to AT&T, while there are drafts here of a number of never published chapters from the old History of Engineering and Science in the Bell System, none of them are about any aspect of Bell Labs' computing work. Sheldon Sheldon Hochheiser, Ph.D. Corporate Historian, AT&T AT&T Archives and History Center 5 Reinman Road Warren NJ 07059 P: 908-546-5247 sheldon.hochheiser(a)att.com<mailto:sheldon.hochheiser@att.com>

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2016-2017 Lemelson Center Fellowships, Smithsonian Institution (Apps Due: 1 Dec 2015)
by Hintz, Eric 07 Oct '15

07 Oct '15

Dear SIGCIS colleagues- I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at SHOT/SIGCIS in Albuquerque Oct 8-11! Please stop and say hi if you are interested in learning more about our Lemelson Center fellowships and travel grants! Best- Eric Hintz --- Research Opportunities at the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center Apps Due: 1 Dec 2015 The Lemelson Center Fellowship Program and Travel to Collections Award Program support projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and innovation in American society. These include, but are not limited to, historical research and documentation projects resulting in dissertations, publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, documentary films, or other multimedia products. The programs provide access to the expertise of the Institution's research staff and the vast invention and technology collections of the National Museum of American History (NMAH). The NMAH Archives Center documents both individuals and firms across a range of time periods and subject areas. Representative collections include the Western Union Telegraph Company Records, ca. 1840-1994 and the Earl S. Tupper Papers, documenting Tupper, and his invention, Tupperware. In addition, the NMAH Library offers long runs of historical technology serials like Scientific American and American Machinist, and the American Trade Literature collection, which includes 300,000 catalogs, technical manuals, and advertising brochures for some 30,000 firms, primarily from 1880-1945. For a comprehensive catalog of objects, manuscripts, images and research materials available at the NMAH (and other Smithsonian units), see http://www.collections.si.edu/. The Lemelson Center invites applications covering a broad spectrum of research topics that resonate with its mission to foster a greater understanding of invention and innovation, broadly defined. However, the Center especially encourages project proposals that will illuminate the role of women inventors; inventors with disabilities; inventors from diverse backgrounds; or any inventions and technologies associated with groups that are traditionally under-represented in the historical record. Pertinent NMAH collections include the papers of Victor L. Ochoa, a Mexican-American aeronautical inventor; the papers of Dr. Patricia Bath, an African-American inventor of a patented cataracts treatment; the Safko International papers, documenting assistive technologies built for the physically disabled; and the HIV/AIDS and LGBT Reference Collections, which document innovative public health programs and associated technologies. The Lemelson Center Fellowship Program annually awards 2 to 3 fellowships to pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and other professionals who have completed advanced training.　 Fellows are expected to reside in the Washington, D.C. area, to participate in the Center's activities, and to make a presentation of their work to colleagues at the museum. Fellowship tenure is based upon the applicants’ stated needs (and available funding) up to a maximum of ten weeks. Stipends for 2016-2017 will be $630/week for pre-doctoral fellows and $925/week for post-doctoral and professional fellows. Applications are due December 1, 2015. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellowship-program. Researchers are encouraged to consult with the fellowship coordinator before submitting a proposal - contact historian Eric S. Hintz, Ph.D. at +1 202-633-3734 or hintze(a)si.edu<mailto:hintze@si.edu>. The Lemelson Center Travel to Collections Award Program annually awards 2 to 3 short-term travel grants to encourage the use of its invention-related collections. Awards are $150 per day for a maximum of 10 business days and may be used to cover transportation, living, and reproduction expenses; they are intended only for applicants who reside or attend school beyond commuting distance of the NMAH. Applications are due December 1, 2015.　 See http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-travel-collections-awards for application procedures and additional information. Researchers are encouraged to consult with the travel award coordinator before submitting a proposal - contact archivist Alison Oswald at +1 202-633-3726 or oswalda(a)si.edu<mailto:oswalda@si.edu>.

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If coming to SHOT, remember to bring books (& cash) for the auction
by Thomas Haigh 07 Oct '15

07 Oct '15

Dear SIGCIS, Those of you coming to the annual SHOT meeting, starting Thursday evening, please remember to scour your shelves before you leave for the airport and throw in a book or two relevant to the interests of our members. I've been asked by Andy Russell, the current SIGCIS chair, to reprise my traditional role as book auctioneer to raise money to fund our graduate student travel awards. So bring a nice wad of cash with which to bid generously on the books donated by others. The auction will take place during the SIGCIS lunch meeting which I've been able to confirm is as usual on Friday. Some of the SHOT program is online at http://www.historyoftechnology.org/media/ABQ/2015_schedule_of_sessions.pdf but there is apparently a deliberate policy not to put the complete program with locations, SIG events, etc. online to deter freeloaders. I don't think the meeting website information even tells you when and where to register to get the real program! Fortunately there is an overview schedule of sessions hiding inside the newsletter PDF at http://www.historyoftechnology.org/media/newsletters/SHOT_2015_newsletter.pd f. Details of the SIGCIS workshop, all day Sunday, are at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop15. I note that the SHOT online program claims that the workshop starts at 8am, but our own website promises a much less scary 9am start. In this case, trust SIGCIS. Best wishes, Tom

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