October 2019 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

Internet traffic in northern Virginia
by Ceruzzi, Paul 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

An article in yesterday's Washington Post (by Antonio Olivo, Metro Section, Oct. 13, 2019), is about the changing racial and ethnic demographics of Loudoun County, Virginia, once a sleepy southern farming area, little changed for a century. It is now a diverse, IT- and Defense-oriented exurb of DC. The article mentions in passing that "70% of the world's Internet Traffic passes through" Loudoun County data centers. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/in-fast-growing-va-s… Is this possible? On what sources did the reporter base that information? I've driven by the "cloud servers" in Ashburn, Virginia, and they are impressive. But still? Paul Ceruzzi Curator Emeritus, Department of Space History National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] New Book: Software Rights
by Bernard Geoghegan 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

Hi Con, What a timely and essential intervention—thanks for your work, I can’t wait to read it. We have a few people here in London interested in the intersections of digital media and law, and this will be an exciting contribution to our conversations. Congrats! Best, b -- Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan Senior Lecturer in the History and Theory of Digital Media Chair of the UG Assessment Board, Digital Culture www.bernardg.com Department of Digital Humanities King's College London The Strand Building Room S3.08 WC2R 2LS Office: +44 (0)20 7848 4750 From: Members <members-bounces(a)lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of Jaroslav Švelch <jaroslav(a)svelch.com> Date: Tuesday, 15 October 2019 at 23:18 To: Theodora Dryer <tjdryer(a)gmail.com>, "Dr. Joy Lisi Rankin" <drjoy(a)joyrankin.com> Cc: Sigcis <members(a)sigcis.org>, Gerardo Con Diaz <condiaz(a)ucdavis.edu> Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] New Book: Software Rights Dear Con, Congratulations! Your book sounds fascinating and I’m looking forward to reading it! Best, Jaroslav Jaroslav Švelch, Ph.D. New media and digital games scholar Assistant professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague Postdoctoral fellow (2017-2019), Games and Transgressive Aesthetics project, University of Bergen: http://gta.b.uib.no/ ________________________________________________________ My book GAMING THE IRON CURTAIN: How Teenagers and Amateurs in Communist Czechoslovakia Claimed the Medium of Computer Games Out now on MIT Press, http://ironcurtain.svelch.com @raguklemenso Phone: +420 773 988 425 From: Theodora Dryer Sent: úterý 15. října 2019 19:31 To: Dr. Joy Lisi Rankin Cc: Sigcis; Gerardo Con Diaz Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] New Book: Software Rights Dear Con, Many congratulations!! This is a much needed history and I hope you might sign my copy in Milan. :) All best, Theo On Tue, Oct 15, 2019 at 8:59 AM Dr. Joy Lisi Rankin <drjoy(a)joyrankin.com> wrote: Dear Con, Warmest congratulations on the publication of your book! I’m looking forward to reading it. I know it’s a valuable contribution to our field. Regards, Joy On October 14, 2019 at 5:01:28 PM, Gerardo Con Diaz (condiaz(a)ucdavis.edu) wrote: Dear SIGCIS, I'm happy to share the publication of my first book, Software Rights: How Patent Law Transformed Software Development in America (Yale Press). I attached a flyer with more information about it. You can find it through independent bookstores through Indiebound, major online retailers such as Amazon, or directly from Yale University Press. I look forward to seeing many of you in a few weeks! Best, Con :) _______________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________ 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 -- Dr. Theodora J. Dryer AI Now Institute _______________________________________________ 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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New public TV History of Computing documentary (on MN)--a CBI Collaboration available for streaming
by Jeffrey Yost 15 Oct '19

15 Oct '19

Dear Colleagues, Wanted to make people aware of an hour-long history of computing documentary on Minnesota IT history. It was a collaborative project of the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA-an industry association with 300 member companies), Twin Cities Public Television (TPT), the Charles Babbage Institute (CBI), the Minnesota Historical Society, the Dakota Country Historical Society, and The VIP Club (ERA/Univac retirees group). The documentary is titled: Solid State: Minnesota's High-Tech History. I participated in a pre-screening event last week and had the opportunity to serve on the panel following the screening at TPT with the film-maker Kevin Dragseth, MC MHTA CEO Jeff Tollefson, and a few IT pioneers, and we had several hundred guests in the audience (Oct. 8th). It aired on public television on TPT on Oct.13th, and it will likely be shown on some public television affiliates throughout the nation, especially in high tech regions (such as in San Francisco/San Jose/Palo Alto/S. Valley, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, etc.) in the near future. The easier way to see it if interested (or to use in a class), it is now, and will remain, available to stream in full--see URL below. Despite not having Control Data (for a time 2nd to only IBM) since its early 1990's liquidity crisis, receivership, and breakup, there is still much IT here in the Twin Cities, but some it more behind the scenes. The HQs of Target and Best Buy and their advanced logistics systems, 3M as a leading force in the Internet of Things (IoT) in manufacturing (Accenture estimates IoT in manufacturing, factory sensors/transmission to the Cloud/associated analytics, will save $15 Trillion globally in efficiencies by 2030), and Optum (an absolute giant health information services platform/provider used in 150 countries) that represents half the income of its parent the nation's 6th largest public company Minnetonka, MN's United Health, as well as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, Medtronic, and other constituents of our Medical Alley to name just a few. Documentary is available at: https://www.tpt.org/solid-state/ Former CBI Director, HSTM and ECE Prof. Emeritus, and current SHOT President Tom Misa is the on-air historian throughout (author of Digital State on MN's IT history and an inspiration for the documentary). In addition to extensive footage and insights from Tom, about 20 video interviews with IT pioneers were used (including with early ERA engineers, as well as with leading women and African Americans advancing IT here and beyond). CBI Archivist Amanda Wick was the lead archivist advisor, I was the lead historian advisor, and UMN History of Science Tech and Med (HSTM) ABD student Liz Semler was the chief researcher/project manager and did absolutely incredible work on the effort (on both the documentary and the website www.mncomputinghistory.com) HSTM Postdoc and former CBI GSRA Dr. Jonathan Clemens (a senior consultant) also provided very important work and input throughout. Most of the footage and many of the photographs are from the Charles Babbage Institute Archives. Best, Jeff Jeffrey R. Yost, Ph.D. Director, Charles Babbage Institute Research Professor, Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine 222 21st Avenue South University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 612 624 5050 Phone 612 625 8054 Fax

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New Book: Software Rights
by Gerardo Con Diaz 15 Oct '19

15 Oct '19

Dear SIGCIS, I'm happy to share the publication of my first book, Software Rights: How Patent Law Transformed Software Development in America (Yale Press). I attached a flyer with more information about it. You can find it through independent bookstores through Indiebound<https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780300228397>, major online retailers such as Amazon<https://www.amazon.com/Software-Rights-Transformed-Development-America/dp/0…>, or directly from Yale University Press<https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300228397/software-rights>. I look forward to seeing many of you in a few weeks! Best, Con :)

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Fw: Question from a reporter - TI calculators
by Jesiek, Brent K 15 Oct '19

15 Oct '19

Hi all, see inquiry below about TI calculators. With Maya's permission, I am forwarding her message to this list. If you can assist, please contact her directly at: Maya Kosoff <mekosoff(a)gmail.com> Best, Brent ________________________________ From: Maya Kosoff <mekosoff(a)gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2019 11:29 AM To: admin(a)sigcis.org <admin(a)sigcis.org> Subject: Question from a reporter Hi! I'm a reporter writing for GEN<https://gen.medium.com/>, a Medium publication focused on culture and politics. I'm hoping to speak to someone from SIGCIS who may be able to help me with a story I'm writing. I'm reporting about income inequality and Texas Instruments graphing calculators, and I've mostly spoken with teachers who have had to buy TI calculators for their students in low-income districts. I'm hoping to speak with someone from SIGCIS who can help me understand how Texas Instruments became the de facto brand of graphing calculator in schools everywhere, even though I understand the calculators make up a relatively small percentage of Texas Instruments' overall business. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Best, Maya Kosoff -- Maya Kosoff @mekosoff<https://twitter.com/mekosoff> (717) 644-5691

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Introduction and SHOT Talk
by Salem Elzway 15 Oct '19

15 Oct '19

Greetings everyone, I've long been a spectator of the SIGCIS mailing list and thought now would be a good time to formally introduce myself. My name is Salem Elzway and I'm a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan. I'm currently researching and (slowly) writing my dissertation that will explore the history and political economy of industrial robots. Although robots are the fulcrum of the dissertation, I'm equally interested in rethinking how industrial and national security policy formation and implementation became mutually-oriented around specific processes and technologies in the post war world. (And speaking of "mutual orientation," Paul Edwards said I could drop his name as one of my committee members, just to give myself some street cred!) The dissertation is essentially envisioned as a follow-up to David Noble's *Forces of Production.* And, like all good sequels, I'm picking up where Noble left off with the hope that the next phase of the story will lead to new insights and constructive complications of the original. Also, I'll be presenting a paper in Milano (shameless plug, I know!) called "Arming the Artificial Intelligentsia: AI, Robots, and the Design of National Security" that's essentially an extremely condensed version of two in-progress dissertation chapters: one on MIT and the other on Stanford. Please come to what I'm sure will be an excellent panel (Session #S18, "Controlling the AI Future: Shaping Emerging Technologies") chaired by Jonathan Coopersmith, and featuring talks by Andrew Meade McGee, Ramesh Subramanian, and myself. Excited to meet any and all of you in Italy, and looking forward to some great conversations in the years ahead! Best, Salem -- Salem Elzway PhD Candidate Department of History University of Michigan (402)730-4775 selzway(a)umich.edu

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tribute to Ricardo Uribe
by Irish, Sharon Lee 14 Oct '19

14 Oct '19

Hello all, My colleague Jamie Hutchinson wrote a thorough and thoughtful tribute to Ricardo Uribe. “Ricardo Uribe, an inspiring and unconventional teacher with an intriguing life story, died May 14, 2019, at the age of 83. In his long career as a lecturer in ECE [Electrical and Computing Engineering], Uribe won the high admiration of generations of students.” https://ece.illinois.edu/newsroom/article/34542 Sharon Irish University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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SIGCIS events @ SHOT in Milano, October 24-27
by Andrew Russell 12 Oct '19

12 Oct '19

Dear friends - The SHOT Annual meeting is right around the corner - October 24-27 - so I thought I’d write with a few reminders and announcements for SIGCIS-related events. NB: online registration is now closed, but onsite registration will be available in Milan. SHOT program: https://www.historyoftechnology.org/annual-meeting/2019-shot-annual-meeting… <https://www.historyoftechnology.org/annual-meeting/2019-shot-annual-meeting…> Of particular note on the SHOT program is the Friday SIGCIS Lunch meeting, along with several sessions on the history of computing and information as well as the role of computation in other domains, from art and sound to video storytelling, medicine, and mysticism. It is an exceptionally large and fascinating program! Please bring some extra Euros to the Friday SIGCIS lunch meeting. We’ll be mixing it up this year by running a book raffle, in the place of our traditional book auction. Laine Nooney and Con Diaz are in charge, and we’re depending, as always, on book donations from our members! If you plan to bring a book or two, it will help us tremendously if we know the title and author in advance—so please do some planning and then send that information to me. In addition, we will once again feature some new titles donated by our friends at MIT Press. Finally, we’re really excited about our Sunday SIGCIS Conference, “EXCEPTION ERROR: Fatal, Illegal, Unknown.” The schedule - packed, as always, with amazing papers - is here: http://meetings.sigcis.org/ <http://meetings.sigcis.org/>. We will begin the program on Sunday by announcing and celebrating the 2019 winners of the CHM Prize <http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize>, the Mahoney Prize <http://www.sigcis.org/mahoneyprize>, and the SIGCIS Travel Awards <http://www.sigcis.org/travelaward> including the CHM Travel Award, MIT Press Travel Award, and Michael S. Mahoney Travel Award. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to meeting up again in Milano! Andy Russell SIGCIS Chair

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CFP: AI and its Discontents
by Colin Shunryu Garvey 09 Oct '19

09 Oct '19

Please circulate widely, especially to your scientist friends! Very keen to get contributions from people who've lived through earlier AI booms, whether as programmer or the programmed...! *Artificial Intelligence and its Discontents* Call for Papers for a special issue of *Interdisciplinary Science Reviews* Guest Editor: Colin Shunryu Garvey, Fellow, Human-Centered AI Institute, Stanford University Journal Editor: Willard McCarty, Professor emeritus, Dept. of Digital Humanities, King’s College This is increasingly the Age of AI. Artificial Intelligence, the suite of technologies that make machines capable of performing tasks considered “intelligent” when performed by people, is colonizing an increasing number of domains, from Internet search and social media to the natural sciences and even criminal sentencing. AI may soon become ubiquitous; coextensive with civilization itself, a taken-for-granted feature of modernity like electricity or running water. But this does not mean that all is well: AI has, and has always had, its *discontents*; those who doubt, question, challenge, reject, reform and otherwise reprise “AI” as it is practiced and promoted. With the hope of scaffolding deeper understandings of both the epochal transformations being wrought by AI technologies and the range of responses these changes, this special issue of *Interdisciplinary Science Reviews *will bring together reflections from practitioners, assessments from scientists in fields transformed by AI, and historically-informed accounts of AI and its critics, both past and present, in order to capture something of the significance of this historical moment for future generations. A few questions worth pondering might be: · Who are AI’s discontents and how have they contended with the technology’s advance? · How has AI been challenged in areas from scientific knowledge production to daily life? · What is being left out of the increasingly dominant “machine learning” paradigm, and why? · Where is the line drawn between “AI” and everything else, and who patrols that boundary? · Why has criticism regarded differently in AI than in other technosciences? Contributions can range in length from reflective contributions of only a few pages to full research articles (maximum of 8000 words including citations and references, in most cases). The deadline for abstracts is *November 15, 2019*. Final papers will be collected *January 15, 2020*. The issue will be finalized by mid-March and sent to press for a projected *June 2020 *release. Please contact Colin Shunryu Garvey with any questions or proposals: shunryu(a)stanford.edu

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2020-2021 Lemelson Center Fellowships and Travel Grants (Apps Due: 1 Nov 2019)
by Hintz, Eric 08 Oct '19

08 Oct '19

Dear SIGCIS members - I hope you will considering applying for one our Lemelson Center fellowships or travel grants. NMAH has great computing and IT collections, and we've had several SIGCIS folks among our alumni fellows<https://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellows-1996-present>. Contact me with any questions! Eric Hintz, hintze(a)si.edu<mailto:hintze@si.edu> --- Fellowships and Travel Grants from the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center Apps Due: 1 November 2019 Through its fellowships and travel grants, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation supports research projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and innovation in American society. Projects may include (but are not limited to) historical research and documentation projects resulting in dissertations, publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, documentary films, or other multimedia products. Our programs provide access to the expertise of the Institution's research staff<http://americanhistory.si.edu/about/staff> and the vast invention and technology collections of the National Museum of American History (NMAH). The NMAH Archives Center<http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/collections> documents both individuals and firms across a range of time periods and subject areas. Representative collections include our extensive Computer Oral History Collection and the Ralph Baer Papers. In addition, the NMAH Library offers long runs of historical technology serials like Scientific American and the American Trade Literature collection<http://library.si.edu/trade-literature>, 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/. Topics: The Lemelson Center invites all applications covering the broad spectrum of research topics in the history of technology, invention, and innovation. However, the Center especially encourages proposals that align with one (or more) of its strategic research and programmatic areas, including 1) projects that illuminate inventors from diverse backgrounds or any inventions and technologies associated with under-represented groups, such as women, minorities, LGBTQ, and the disabled; (2) projects exploring innovation in sports and sports technology; or (3) projects that explore the broader ecosystem of individuals and institutions that support inventors, including inventors' professional organizations; angel investors, venture capitalists, and financiers; incubators and entrepreneurial coaches; patent agents and IP attorneys; product designers, manufacturers, and marketers; and bankruptcy-liquidation specialists. The Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship supports the work of an experienced author or senior scholar (associate/full/emeritus professor level or equivalent) from the history of technology, science and technology studies, business history, museum studies, STEAM education, or an allied field. The specific arrangement is flexible: the Molella Fellow may use the funds as a sabbatical supplement; for several short-duration visits; for a single residency focused on research and writing; or for a series of lectures leading to a major publication. The stipend is $35,000. Funds may be used flexibly to support travel for several short-term visits, living expenses for longer residences up to six months, and related research expenses; dates are flexible. Applications are due 1 November 2019. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/arthur-molella-distinguished-fellowship. Applicants may wish to consult with the fellowship coordinator before submitting a proposal; contact historian Eric S. Hintz, PhD at +1 202-633-3734 or hintze(a)si.edu<mailto:hintze@si.edu>. 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 will be $750/week for pre-doctoral fellows and $1,000/week for post-doctoral and professional fellows. Applications are due 1 November 2019. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellowship-program. Researchers may wish to consult with the fellowship coordinator before submitting a proposal; contact historian Eric S. Hintz, PhD at +1 202-633-3734 or hintze(a)si.edu<mailto:hintze@si.edu>. The Lemelson Center Travel to Collections Award Program annually awards 3 to 4 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 1 November 2019. See http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-travel-collections-awards for application procedures and additional information. Researchers may wish 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>. Click the links to see project descriptions for past and current fellows<https://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellows-1996-present> and travel grantees<https://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-travel-collections-awards-recipien…>. Applications due 1 November 2019!

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