September 2015 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

Marvin Minsky quotation
by Mary Murrell 21 Mar '16

21 Mar '16

I was hoping that the list might help me with the source of a quotation. Marvin Minsky is often quoted as having said the following: "Can you imagine that they used to have libraries where the books didn't talk to each other?" I have not been able to find any actual source for this. Citations, if they exist, are circular, citing back to a source that itself provides not citation. Does anybody know of a published source for this quotation? Thanks, Mary -- Mary Murrell marymurrell(a)fastmail.fm

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Help Needed Identifying Computer Component
by Laine Nooney 29 Sep '15

29 Sep '15

To my favorite cabal of computer historians: I've been contacted by a colleague of a colleague who is an art historian writing on the work of Chilean artist Guillermo Núñez <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez>. In the late 1970s, Núñez produced a seriograph (v. similar to a silkscreen) partially depicting what my colleague believes is a piece of computer technology in it. She is trying to identify what the image is of so she can write about it with a bit more specificity. I'm providing a dropbox links to two image files, on of the full seriograph and one that is a close up. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/86iutdvvbkz2814/AAB8IdZ5IMGcK_h4gAiAGG2la?dl=0 CONTEXT: Núñez told the art historian that he used a photo that he had found of "one of those computers that takes up a whole room," then xeroxed it, then superimposed it over his own photograph and used those images to make the serigraph stencil. Thus the image is not very detailed, as its been processed through several kinds of media. It is also like that Núñez put put some pieces of string on the canvas when he printed, and then removed them, so in addition to any wires that may be in the original image, there are also imprints that resemble wires as well. Núñez made the prints in 1977-1979, so the images are from that time period or earlier. He sourced all kinds of images from different countries, usually from magazines and old books. There is no reason to believe the image or the technology represented in Chilean or South American. Obviously, the thing looks like a breadboard. What I don't know is how common place something like this would have been in mid-century computer equipment, what its function might have been, etc. This is all well beyond my area of expertise. There's a bit of writing you can read on the board in the second image. I welcome any comments or thoughts as replies to the group or individually, and I'll pass them on. Best, Laine -- Laine Nooney www.lainenooney.com DM <http://dm.lmc.gatech.edu/> @ LMC <http://lmc.gatech.edu/> @ GT <http://www.gatech.edu/> Assistant Professor

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e-Books? Never mind, books are back.
by McMillan, William W 24 Sep '15

24 Sep '15

Dear SIGCISers, Promising signs for the future of the book: http://fortune.com/2015/09/23/e-books-digital-publishing/ Regards. Bill

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Reproduction SCELBI 8B Project
by Mike Willegal 19 Sep '15

19 Sep '15

I just put up a video showing a demonstration of a number of the SCELBI 8B's features. It’s not professional quality, but it gives you an idea of what the system was capable of. http://www.willegal.net/podcast09-18-15.mov <http://www.willegal.net/podcast09-18-15.mov> regards, Mike Willegal > On Sep 17, 2015, at 2:15 PM, Dag Spicer <dspicer(a)computerhistory.org> wrote: > > GREAT work Mike!! > > CONGRATS!!!!!! > > Dag > -- > Dag Spicer > Senior Curator > Computer History Museum > Editorial Board, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing > 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard > Mountain View, CA 94043-1311 > > Tel: +1 650 810 1035 > Fax: +1 650 810 1055 > > > > On Sep 17, 2015, at 7:20 AM, Mike Willegal <mike(a)willegal.net<mailto:mike@willegal.net>> wrote: > > Hi, > > I hope that this might be of some interest to some of you on this list. > > I just finished bringing up a complete operating reproduction of a SCELBI 8B with TTY and Cassette interfaces. I have previously completed a SCELBI 8H reproduction. Between the two projects, it has taken 3 and 1/2 years, required reproducing 13 different printed circuit boards. Each reproduction system contains over 900 components, including over 100 memory ICs. > > The SCELBI 8H was the first microcomputer known to be marketed to hobbyists. The first ad for the SCELBI 8H was published in QST magazine in March, 1974. The SCELBI 8B was released about a year later and included more memory capability (16K) and a built in monitor, assembler and editor, essentially a complete integrated development environment. There are only a few surviving SCELBI 8B’s and as far as I know, none of them are in fully functional condition. > > More information on the SCELBI and my reproduction efforts can be found by following these links. > http://www.scelbi.com > http://www.willegal.net/scelbi/the8008andScelbi.html > > and my blog > http://www.willegal.net/blog/ > > > best regards, > Mike Willegal > _______________________________________________ > This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org >

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Fwd: Anyone working the history of computer manuals?
by Murray Turoff 17 Sep '15

17 Sep '15

forgot to copy this on user manuals to the whole membership ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Murray Turoff <murray.turoff(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 6:13 PM Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Anyone working the history of computer manuals? To: Thomas Haigh <thaigh(a)computer.org> A lot of work in the early days was oriented to single page manuals. There is some good examples in the book The Network Nation: Human Communication via computers by hiltz and turoff 1978 and 1993 reprinted. A number of manuals for some vary complicated user systems were done on the EIES system from 1974 to 1990. The detailed manuals and descriptions of some of the user oriented communication systems are free from the NJIT library at http://library.njit.edu/archives/cccc-materials/index.php there are reports with user guiders from 1972 to 1995 and some specific user manuals. On Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 11:47 AM, Thomas Haigh <thaigh(a)computer.org> wrote: > Hello SIGCIS, > > > > I have an interesting request from Angela Creager, a professor at > Princeton, who is wondering if anyone out there is working on computer > manuals. My impression is that she is looking for historical or STS work > with manuals as a focus, rather than archival or preservation efforts. If > you, or someone you know, is taking this approach then please let her know. > Contact detail is Angela N. Creager creager(a)princeton.edu. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > Tom > > > > _______________________________________________ > This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion > list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member > posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list > archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and > you can change your subscription options at > http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org > -- *please send messages to murray.turoff(a)gmail.com <murray.turoff(a)gmail.com> do not use @njit.edu <http://njit.edu> addressDistinguished Professor EmeritusInformation Systems, NJIThomepage: http://is.njit.edu/turoff <http://is.njit.edu/turoff>* -- *please send messages to murray.turoff(a)gmail.com <murray.turoff(a)gmail.com> do not use @njit.edu <http://njit.edu> addressDistinguished Professor EmeritusInformation Systems, NJIThomepage: http://is.njit.edu/turoff <http://is.njit.edu/turoff>*

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Anyone working the history of computer manuals?
by Thomas Haigh 17 Sep '15

17 Sep '15

Hello SIGCIS, I have an interesting request from Angela Creager, a professor at Princeton, who is wondering if anyone out there is working on computer manuals. My impression is that she is looking for historical or STS work with manuals as a focus, rather than archival or preservation efforts. If you, or someone you know, is taking this approach then please let her know. Contact detail is Angela N. Creager creager(a)princeton.edu <mailto:creager@princeton.edu> . Best wishes, Tom

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Reproduction SCELBI 8B Project
by Mike Willegal 17 Sep '15

17 Sep '15

Hi, I hope that this might be of some interest to some of you on this list. I just finished bringing up a complete operating reproduction of a SCELBI 8B with TTY and Cassette interfaces. I have previously completed a SCELBI 8H reproduction. Between the two projects, it has taken 3 and 1/2 years, required reproducing 13 different printed circuit boards. Each reproduction system contains over 900 components, including over 100 memory ICs. The SCELBI 8H was the first microcomputer known to be marketed to hobbyists. The first ad for the SCELBI 8H was published in QST magazine in March, 1974. The SCELBI 8B was released about a year later and included more memory capability (16K) and a built in monitor, assembler and editor, essentially a complete integrated development environment. There are only a few surviving SCELBI 8B’s and as far as I know, none of them are in fully functional condition. More information on the SCELBI and my reproduction efforts can be found by following these links. http://www.scelbi.com http://www.willegal.net/scelbi/the8008andScelbi.html and my blog http://www.willegal.net/blog/ best regards, Mike Willegal

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HaPoC 2015: Final Call for Participation
by Giuseppe Lettieri 14 Sep '15

14 Sep '15

Final Call For Participation HaPoC 2015: 3rd International CONFERENCE on the HISTORY and PHILOSOPHY of COMPUTING October 8-11, 2015, Pisa, Italy http://hapoc2015.di.unipi.it *** Early Registration extended until September 20, 2015 ! *** **** Now the program is available at http://goo.gl/QVJFqv **** This is an invitation to attend the 3rd International Conference on the History and Philosophy of Computing (HaPoC 2015). The conference brings together researchers interested in the historical developments of computers and their sciences, as well as those reflecting on the sociological and philosophical issues springing from the rise and ubiquity of computing machines in the contemporary landscape. The conference is composed of 30 research presentations, with no parallels sessions, and 6 invited talks from renowned experts in the relevant fields. The conference will take place in Pisa, the cradle of Italian computer science: here the first Italian computers were designed in the mid-Fifties and the first Master course in informatics was established in 1969. The Museum of Computing Machinery (Museo degli Strumenti per il Calcolo), part of the University of Pisa, shows some artefacts from the early days of Italian CS, as well a selection of personal computing machines. Besides its artistic attractions, among them the world-famous leaning tower, during the days of the conference Pisa will host the Internet Festival, devoted to all the aspects of the net (http://www.internetfestival.it) Invited speakers ------------------- Nicola Angius, Universita' di Sassari Lenore Blum, Carnegie Mellon University David Alan Grier, IEEE & George Washington University Furio Honsell, Universita' di Udine Pierre Mounier-Kuhn, CNRS & Universite' Paris-Sorbonne Franck Varenne, Universite' de Rouen Visit http://goo.gl/ubgl2E for the list of abstracts. Accepted Talks --------------- The list of accepted abstracts can be found at http://goo.gl/BTJsTC Venue ------ The conference will take place in Pisa, at the Museum of Computing Machinery. Additional information can be found at http://goo.gl/APJPff Registration information -------------------------- Registration is required to attend. You may find all the information concerning the registration fee at http://goo.gl/j0mZMV

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travel to University of Minnesota=based archival collections
by Thomas J. Misa 08 Sep '15

08 Sep '15

Dear Colleagues, In addition to support from the Norberg Travel Fund (deadline upcoming in mid-January), several CBI researchers have successfully been supported by the Elmer L. Andersen Research Scholars Program <https://www.lib.umn.edu/pdf/ELAResearchScholars2015.pdf>: up to $2,000 with a deadline of 25 September. The key here is to find more than one archival collection, since the University Libraries loves such cross-collection funding. So that could be CBI "plus" any of the following: • Andersen Horticultural Library • Children’s Literature Research Collections • Givens Collection of African American Literature • Immigration History Research Center Archives • James Ford Bell Library • Kautz Family YMCA Archives • Northwest Architectural Archives • Performing Arts Archives • Sherlock Holmes Collections • Social Welfare History Archives • Special Collections and Rare Books • Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies • University Archives • Upper Midwest Jewish Archives • Upper Midwest Literary Archives • Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine Best, Tom (Misa)

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Grad student/early-career Lovelace workshop deadline extended
by James Sumner 08 Sep '15

08 Sep '15

Apropos recent discussions... still time to submit proposals for this up to Friday 18th. JS -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Deadline extended: CfP Ada Lovelace Postgraduate Workshop Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2015 10:21:43 +0100 From: Kanta Dihal <kanta.dihal(a)ELL.OX.AC.UK> Reply-To: Kanta Dihal <kanta.dihal(a)ELL.OX.AC.UK> To: MERSENNE(a)JISCMAIL.AC.UK *Texts and contexts: the cultural legacies of Ada Lovelace* /“That brain of mine is more than merely mortal; as time will show.”/ A workshop for graduate students and early career researchers Tuesday 8 December 2015 Mathematics Institute and St Anne’s College, Oxford The mathematician Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), daughter of poet Lord Byron, is celebrated as a pioneer of computer science. The notes she added to her translation of Luigi Menabrea’s paper on Charles Babbage’s analytical engine (1843) are considered to contain a prototype computer program. During her short life, Lovelace not only contributed original ideas to the plans for this early computer; she also imagined wider possibilities for the engine, such as its application to music, and meditated on its limitations. Lovelace leaves a legacy not just as a computer scientist, but also as a muse for literary writers, a model to help us understand the role of women in science in the nineteenth century, and an inspiration for neo-Victorian and steampunk traditions. As part of the University of Oxford’s celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of Lovelace’s birth, this one-day workshop will bring together graduates and early career researchers to discuss the varied cultural legacies of this extraordinary mathematician. The day will feature an expert panel including graphic novelist *Sydney Padua* and biographer *Richard Holmes*, as well as a keynote address from *Professor Sharon Ruston*, Chair in Romanticism in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Lancaster University. The day will conclude with a reception and buffet when there will be opportunities to meet with speakers from the Ada Lovelace 200 Symposium, which will also take place in the Mathematics Institute on the following two days (9-10 December). Researchers from all disciplines are invited to submit proposals for papers on the influences of Lovelace’s work, on topics including, but not limited to, literature, history, mathematics, music, visual art, and computer science. This might include: * Lovelace’s place in the study of the history of science; * Lovelace and *women in science* in the nineteenth century; * Early nineteenth-century *scientific networks*, including Lovelace’s relationship with such individuals as Charles Babbage and Mary Somerville. We also encourage papers which consider other scientific networks from this period, beyond Lovelace’s circle; * Lovelace and discussions about the *role of the imagination in scientific practice* in the nineteenth century; * Lovelace as *translator and commentator*; * *Mathematics**and music*, and the musical possibilities Lovelace envisaged for Babbage’s engine; * Lovelace’s own *textual legacies*, such as her correspondence, childhood exercises and mathematical notes held in the Bodleian; * Lovelace’s *technological legacies*, from her seminal work on Babbage’s Analytical Engine to her impact on computer programming today; * Lovelace’s role in the *steampunk tradition*, from Gibson and Sterling’s /The Difference Engine/ to Sydney Padua’s /The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage/, and neo-Victorian fashion; * Efforts and activities to *commemorate and memorialise *Lovelace, from the recent Google Doodle to the annual Ada Lovelace Day. Proposals, not exceeding 250 words, for 15-minute papers should be submitted to adalovelaceworkshop(a)ell.ox.ac.uk <mailto:adalovelaceworkshop@ell.ox.ac.uk> by *Midnight**, Friday 18 September 2015*. Those who are accepted to speak at this graduate workshop will also be offered free registration for the Ada Lovelace 200 Symposium taking place on the following two days.

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