November 2018 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Konrad Zuse's 1936 patent - German text?
by Brian Randell 24 Sep '20

24 Sep '20

Hi Mark: I have a copy of the original 1936 Zuse patent application that I had translated into English for my Origins book. (It took some finding - some of my Zemanek documents had strayed into the middle of the Zuse documents, and so had obscured them! :-) It is a type-written document, on the letterhead of Zuse’s patent attorney Dr.-Ing. Bruno Wolf, Berlin Charlottenberg 5, Kantstrasse 85, dated 9.4.36 (i.e. 9 April 1936). It is some twenty or so pages in length. However I should warn you that some of the pages are barely legible (though could probably be deciphered by someone who knows German - which I don’t). I could scan this document for you if you wish. (I have about two inches thick of documents about Zuse’s work, including a number of patents and patent applications, some pre-war, immediately some post-war, together with several typescripts from him. My plan is that this material will be added to the archive of my files held in the Special Collections section of Newcastle University Library. This already holds all the extensive correspondence that I was involved in while compiling Origins.) Cheers Brian On 24 Jan 2017, at 10:58, Mark Priestley <m.priestley(a)gmail.com<mailto:m.priestley@gmail.com>> wrote: Dear list, Zuse's 1936 patent "Method for Automatic Execution of Calculations with the Aid of Computers" is reprinted in Brian Randell's "Origins of Digital Computers" collections. Does anyone know if/where I can get hold of the German original? Thanks in advance. Mark _______________________________________________ This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org<http://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 -- School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK EMAIL = Brian.Randell(a)ncl.ac.uk<mailto:Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk> PHONE = +44 191 208 7923 FAX = +44 191 208 8232 URL = http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/people/profile/brianrandell.html

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What happened on the list last year
by drjoy 17 Dec '18

17 Dec '18

Hello SIGCIS Colleagues, First, thank you for your many on- and off-list messages of congratulations and support for my book. I deeply appreciate them, especially in the context of what I'm about to share. Those of you who were on the list last spring saw my work savaged by a man named Brian Dear. Even then, I received on- and off-list messages of support for my scholarship. But what happened publicly was only one piece of a terrible, terrible year. Here is a fuller picture: https://medium.com/@drjoy/why-im-firing-michigan-state-sexual-harassment-on… SIGCIS as an organization did the right thing, and for that, I'm grateful.Regards, Joy

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Belated Book Announcemnt
by Brian McCullough 30 Nov '18

30 Nov '18

Hey everyone: Belated book announcement here: How The Internet Happened From Netscape To The iPhone <https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1631493078?pf_rd_p=c2945051-950f-485c-b4d…> . Just got word that the book was named Best of Technology Nonfiction <https://www.libraryjournal.com/?page=best-books-2018> from Library Journal for 2018. Kirkus Starred Review <https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/brian-mccullough/how-the-interne…>. Wall Street Journal review <https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-internet-happened-review-building-a-wo…>. The book was designed to be a mainstream-accessible introduction to how technology infiltrated all our lives over the last 25 years. Would make a great syllabus addition to provide a baseline for almost any course you're teaching in the history of tech, business or what have you. Published by Norton, available in e-book format and audiobook as well, I hope you'll read, enjoy and consider assigning it. My thanks especially to Laine and Luke for introducing me to y'all and all I met at the SIGCIS event at the Computer History Museum a few years ago. Your encouragement and support helped this book happen! -- Brian McCullough Internet History Podcast internethistorypodcast(a)gmail.com @brianmcc @nethistorypod

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Reminder: Community Values and Acceptable Use Policy
by Irish, Sharon Lee 30 Nov '18

30 Nov '18

Greetings, As a regular reminder we moderators of the SIGCIS list share the SIGCIS Community Values and Acceptable Use Policy. Links and text below. ~Sharon Irish on behalf of the moderators https://www.sigcis.org/about_values<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sigcis.org_about-5…> About SIGCIS - Community Values SIGCIS Community Values 1. We study the past: SIGCIS is a community dedicated to studying the past of information technology. We tackle this common task using many disciplinary perspectives and analytical methods. 1. We embrace SHOT’s call for openness and pluralism: SIGCIS welcomes SHOT’s description of SIGs as groups aimed at “bringing together scholars and professionals with interests in specific fields of the history of technology.” 1. We aim to bring people and institutions together: SIGCIS values our community’s ability to bring together people from a broad range of institutions—which include universities, museums, libraries, clubs, corporations, and professional associations. Our members also include independent scholars, journalists, and others with an interest in history. Students at all levels of their training are welcome, and we have a commitment to providing training, mentoring, and fellowship opportunities for their professional development. 1. We are strengthened by our community’s diversity: SIGCIS recognizes that our members’ social diversity and breadth of disciplinary approaches constitute our core strengths as a scholarly community. 1. We are committed to supporting our community’s diversity: SIGCIS does not tolerate oppressive behavior. This includes, but is not limited to, objectification, online or off-line harassment, and stereotyping or discriminating based on gender, race, class, national origin, religion, or professional affiliation and background. Adopted by unanimous approval of SIGCIS Officers, August 2017 For further reading: American Historical Association Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/statements-sta…<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.historians.org_job…> Ada Initiative resources on conference codes of conduct and anti-harassment policies https://adainitiative.org/continue-our-work/conference-policies/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__adainitiative.org_cont…> https://www.sigcis.org/aup<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sigcis.org_aup&d=D…> Acceptable Use Policy for members(a)SIGCIS.org<mailto:members@SIGCIS.org> Mailing List History and Function The SIGCIS mailing list was founded in 2004 by Thomas Haigh, based on the email addresses of a small group of colleagues who participated in that year’s annual SIGCIS Workshop (now known as the SIGCIS Conference<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__meetings.sigcis.org&d=D…>). It became the official SIGCIS mailing list shortly thereafter, welcoming not only those who participated in the annual workshops but also individuals with an interest in the history of computing and information science more generally. Today, there are more than 550 subscribers to the list, broadly varied in both profession experience and intellectual tradition. Our community includes academics and scholars from the history of technology/science, media studies, library science, computer science, critical race and gender studies and countless allied disciplines, as well as engineers, museum curators, librarians, journalists, computing history enthusiasts and more. In August 2017, the Executive Committee of SIGCIS introduced volunteer-based moderation to the list. In order to affirm the group’s commitment to inclusive policies that support our diverse membership, the Committee also revised and expanded our statement of community standards and expectations and our acceptable use policy. SIGCIS members are encouraged to use our email list to transmit news and announcements. All subscribers to the list should be aware of the following: * All messages sent to the list are publicly archived. Conversation on the list is never closed or private. * The members(a)SIGCIS.org<mailto:members@SIGCIS.org> list relays a copy of any email message sent to it to all SIGCIS members. * Any registered SIGCIS member can send a message to this list. If the email account used to send the message is subscribed to the list, the message will be automatically forwarded to all subscribers without the need for moderator approval, except as outlined below. Community Standards and Expectations Subscribing to the list constitutes your understanding that participation in the SIGCIS community is conditional upon abiding by the Community Standards and Expectations. The moderators or the listserv manager have the authority to suspend listserv privileges (temporarily or permanently) to members who do not abide by these standards and expectations. 1) SIGCIS is an inclusive community: We recognize and value the fact that our community is intellectually and socially diverse, and we welcome the breadth of identities, backgrounds, and disciplinary perspectives that our community brings together. 2) SIGCIS does not tolerate oppressive behavior: Unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to, objectification, online or off-line harassment, and stereotyping or discriminating based on gender, race, class, national origin, religion, or professional affiliation and background. 3) SIGCIS values respect and healthy disagreement: In the spirit of fostering productive and respective dialogue, we expect members to follow the guidelines below when posting to the listserv: * Embrace our social diversity: Remain open to the possibility that an enlightening thought can come from anyone in our list, regardless of their identity and background. * Embrace our methodological diversity: When discussing scholarly traditions with which you are inexperienced, aim to learn from the discussion, and not to dismiss or attack the tradition or its methods. * Discuss ideas, not individual members: Focus on discussing the merits of an idea in the terms in which its author offers it. Refrain from critiquing authors’ ideas by attacking their character, their professional credentials, or the validity of their discipline’s methods. * Offer constructive criticism: Offer criticism meant to further an author’s vision for a work, not to tear it down or dismiss it. Forms of unacceptable criticism include those intended to dismiss individuals and their work, negate the contribution of an individual or group, or attack an individual on a public stage. * Respect other members’ time: Remember that our listserv exchanges are publicly archived, and that we each receive every email you send. Refrain from posting repeatedly over a short period of time, and consider moving extended discussions with other members to a private email exchange. Acceptable Topics The following topics are suitable for posting to the members(a)SIGCIS.org<mailto:members@SIGCIS.org> list: * Announcements of scholarly interest to the group, such as significant publications (books, articles, journal issues, reviews, etc) or new resources (archival collections, web sites, reference guides, digital libraries). * Calls for Papers for scholarly or historically-oriented events, registration reminders, or solicitations for panel or paper collaborators. * Appeals for answers to specific research questions or brief comments related to a relevant topic raised on the list. * Public or ticketed events related to the history of information technology, including exhibitions, workshops, screenings, etc. * Job postings related to the history of computing or information technology, academic or otherwise. * Grants, awards and fellowship opportunities, including both initial posting and announcement of winners. * Announcements relevant to SHOT or SIGCIS itself, such as meetings, calls for volunteers, elections, and other administrative business, as well as requests to share rooms or pool transport. Restricted Topics The moderators or the listserv manager have the authority to suspend listserv privileges (temporarily or permanently) to members who send messages that fall into the categories below. * Messages in violation of the community standards and expectations. * Any messages seeking to buy, sell, exchange or obtain valuations for computer hardware or software. * Commercial solicitations, even if related to the history of information technology. This includes offers for promotional copies of books made after the book’s initial announcement to the list by its publisher or authors. * Any message with an attachment of more than 100 KB will be blocked automatically. If you want to distribute a larger file, such as a picture or piece of research, please upload it to the web somewhere and forward a URL to the list. * Anything sent automatically from another email list. Individuals may forward specific messages of interest from their own user accounts. The SIGCIS list should never be subscribed to any other email list directly. Revised by unanimous affirmation of the SIGCIS Officers in August 2017

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] What happened on the list last year
by Alper, Meryl 28 Nov '18

28 Nov '18

Joy (and all), I stand in deep admiration your bravery, grace, and courage, in the face of such vile cowardice and cruelty, on both an individual and institutional level. Thank you for adding your voice publicly to our collective struggle as a society. I hope that this compelling piece drives even more readers to your important scholarship. All my best, Meryl -- Meryl Alper Assistant Professor Department of Communication Studies Northeastern University Holmes 217 m.alper(a)northeastern.edu<mailto:m.alper@northeastern.edu> merylalper.com<http://merylalper.com> BOOK: Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality (MIT Press<https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/giving-voice>, 2017) *2018 Association of American Publishers, PROSE Award Honorable Mention* *2018 American Sociological Association, Outstanding Publication in the Sociology of Disability Award*

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Demo@50 - two anniversary events commemorating Engelbart's 1968 demo
by Marc Weber 27 Nov '18

27 Nov '18

The 50th anniversary of Doug Engelbart’s “Mother of All Demos” is coming up in December. Two of the main commemorations, quite different from each other, will be at the Computer History Museum and also live-streamed: Demo@50: December 9th and 12th, 2018 The inventions Doug Engelbart's showed at his 1968 demo, including the mouse, would revolutionize computing and the Internet. But for him these were stepping stones to his real goal – to solve the world’s great problems by beefing up our "collective IQ.” Solving Today's Great Problems? Lessons from Engelbart's Demo Wednesday, 12/12, 6:00 pm, Computer History Museum. Can Engelbart's ideas for radically accelerating innovation help address climate change, nuclear risks, and more? Panel of experts moderated by futurist Paul Saffo, historical introduction by Christina Engelbart. Free registration: computerhistory.org/events/upcoming/<http://www.computerhistory.org/events/upcoming/#solving-todays-great-proble…> Engelbart Symposium. Sunday, 12/9, all day, Computer History Museum. All-day symposium with demos and evening reception, featuring Tim O’Reilly, Wendy Hall, Ted Nelson, Brewster Kahle, Tim Berners-Lee, many more. Details and tickets: thedemoat50.org/symposium<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthedemoat50.org%2Fsymposium%3F…> Both events will be livestreamed. Best regards, Marc Marc Weber<http://www.computerhistory.org/staff/Marc,Weber/> | marc(a)webhistory.org<mailto:marc@webhistory.org> | +1 415 282 6868 Internet History Program Curatorial Director, Computer History Museum 1401 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View CA 94043 computerhistory.org/nethistory<http://computerhistory.org/nethistory> Co-founder, Web History Center and Project, webhistory.org<http://webhistory.org>

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] LANL release of historical supercomputing center periodicals
by Grider, Gary Alan 20 Nov '18

20 Nov '18

Correction for url for historical publications: https://www.lanl.gov/projects/ultrascale-systems-research-center/history-ne… Thanks ot Kim Tracy for fixing it. Gary --Kim

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LANL release of historical supercomputing center periodicals
by Grider, Gary Alan 20 Nov '18

20 Nov '18

FYI, we collected up our old periodicals from our center and made them available at http://dev-g.lanl.gov/projects/ultrascale-systems-research-center/history-n… Happy perusing and happy holiday. Gary Grider LANL

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"yet another" book-- on GPS
by Ceruzzi, Paul 19 Nov '18

19 Nov '18

I have just published a “concise history” of the Global Positioning System: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/gps. I know we had a discussion here about dockless bicycles & scooters, which some of you felt was off-topic. In this book I try to show that geolocation—effected by not only GPS but also by cell-phone and wi-fi triangulation—is as potentially game-changing as the introduction of the internet was to personal computing. Not just dockless scooters but also Uber, Yelp, robot taxis, civil and military drones, “flying cars,” et al. The future is going to get very weird! Paul Ceruzzi ceruzzip(a)si.edu<mailto:ceruzzip@si.edu> 202-633-2414

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Cray 1 serial number 01 being put together on Facebook Live at SC 2018
by Irish, Sharon Lee 18 Nov '18

18 Nov '18

Editor’s note: I cropped the image and reduced its size because the file was too big for the list. ~ Sharon Irish Greetings, Please let me offer this image from the Cray-1 that was on display at SC18 in Dallas last week, an image taken when it was disassembled. It is a closeup of the manufacturer tags showing it to be a Cray-1B serial number 1. Hopefully it helps to confirm this one small detail. Also, let me note that this machine garnered much attention from many of the 13,000 SC18 attendees. Cheers, Dana Freiburger, Graduate Student Researcher, SC18 30th Anniversary Committee Doctoral Candidate, History of Science Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison [cid:C1CF2343-932E-47A2-8DCC-C40E03523633]

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