November 2019 - 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

6 5

2019 BSHS Ayrton Prize for digital engagement: nominations open
by James Sumner 04 Jan '20

04 Jan '20

Of likely interest to some listmembers... JS The British Society for the History of Science’s Outreach and Engagement Committee <https://www.bshs.org.uk/category/outreach-and-education> is delighted to invite nominations to the *BSHS Ayrton Prize 2019.* This prize is awarded once every two years to recognise outstanding digital engagement in the history of science, technology and medicine (HSTM). We interpret the term “digital engagement” broadly to include: •publicly accessible websites, or clearly defined contributions to existing web-based projects •podcasts and audio or video projects created for online delivery •online forums for public dialogue and discussion •social media initiatives (the nomination should be for a well-defined and publicly identifiable campaign or series of activities, rather than a general engagement presence) •smartphone apps •citizen science-style public engagement projects delivered online •virtual/augmented reality environments •simulations and models based on historical sources or data •projects using digital methods to make source materials more accessible to a wider audience (for example, 3D imaging of historical objects) •research projects which apply digital humanities approaches to HSTM sources or metadata, provided they have a public engagement element •digital tools and utilities to aid the work of public engagement professionals. If you are interested in nominating a project which seems to fall outside these categories, please contact the organisers for clarification. To be eligible, entries should •have been created or updated with substantial new content within the last two years •directly or indirectly support engagement or dialogue between specialists in the HSTM community and non-specialists •Reflect current best practice in both HSTM and digital engagement. *Judging* The projects will be evaluated using the following criteria: •Does the project reflect current scholarship in HSTM? •Does the project display good digital design principles? Is it easily navigable and accessible? •Is it innovative in its technical and/or scholarly approach? •Does it make effective use of the medium? •Is the content accurate and, where appropriate, supported by appropriate references to scholarly sources or further material? •Is it useful to HSTM practitioners and/or is it informative and interesting to public audiences? •Are there clear and feasible plans to secure the longer-term future of the project? *Entering* Nominations should come from representatives of the projects themselves. If you feel that a project you did not work on directly should be nominated, please encourage the project developers/managers to apply. Entrants should complete the short form available at https://www.bshs.org.uk/ayrton-prize-2019-nominations-open and send it to ayrton(a)bshs.org.uk <mailto:ayrton@bshs.org.uk>. All queries should also be sent to this address. The closing date for entries is *Monday 6 January 2020.*

1 1

Ars Technica - The triumph and tragedy of OS/2
by Joly MacFie 30 Nov '19

30 Nov '19

Ars Technica used the Thanksgiving lull to rerun Jeremy Reimer's history of OS/2, first published in 2013. It's a good read. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/half-an-operating-sy… -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- -

1 0

ACM History Fellowship Competition--Deadline Feb 15th, 2020
by Tracy, Kim 30 Nov '19

30 Nov '19

Dear Colleagues, The link below provides an announcement to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 2020 fellowship competition for research projects on or centrally related to ACM history. The ACM History Committee runs this program, which has resulted in 30 fellowships awarded since the start of this fellowship program in 2009. Many of these awards have gone to scholars (graduate students to senior scholars) in the SHOT and SIGCIS communities. The submission deadline for applications is February 15, 2020. http://history.acm.org/public/public_documents/acm_history_fellowship_annou…<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhistory.acm…> Thanks, --Kim Kim W. Tracy Visiting Asst. Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering (pronouns: he, him) ROSE-HULMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 5500 Wabash Avenue | Terre Haute, IN 47803-3999 Room: Moench D216 | tracy(a)rose-hulman.edu<mailto:tracy@rose-hulman.edu> Phone: 812.877.8343 | Fax: 812.872.6060 www.rose-hulman.edu<http://www.rose-hulman.edu>

1 0

Formal Methods: historical source papers
by Cliff Jones 27 Nov '19

27 Nov '19

The Springer Journal “Formal Aspects of Computing” will produce an edition (31:6) which has papers relating to “Formal Methods”. At the moment, 5 papers, an editorial and an obituary of Zohar Manna are already visible on-line at https://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/165 If your institution has a Springer account, you ought be able to download PDFs free of charge The editorial is by Jones&Oliveira [you have to hunt down the page for some of these] Haigh on “Assembling a prehistory for formal methods: a personal view<https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00165-019-00494-z>“ [please read this first - the following articles offer historical source material - they are written by the experts involved - not by card carrying historians] Apt&Olderog on “Hoare Logic” Moore on “… ACL/2" Paulson,Nipkow&Wenzel on “… Isabelle” Pous&Sangiorgi on “Bi-simulation and co-induction” Dershowitz&Waldinger wrote the obituary of Zohar cliff jones

1 0

SAGE & other Hardware in Hollywood
by Ceruzzi, Paul 26 Nov '19

26 Nov '19

We've had discussions about the question of SAGE's effectiveness for air defense, but at least Hollywood liked it. The sci-fi series "The Time Tunnel," produced by Irwin Allen and aired for one season on ABC in 1966-67, used SAGE consoles and tape drives for props, with sufficient "blinkenlights." Here's an overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MByhY6aSUo&list=PLdoMV9SEY_anq8jVhAK6f0Hg8… At the time of this production, SAGE was still very much operational, at least some of the centers were. I also just watched a new episode of "The Crown," in which Queen Elizabeth & the Royal family are gathered around a television watching someone accessing a time shared computer with an ASR-33 Teletype. Paul Ceruzzi Curator Emeritus, Department of Space History National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414

1 0

Tony Brooker, R.I.P.
by Brian Randell 26 Nov '19

26 Nov '19

Hi: I’ve recently received this sad news of the passing of Tony Brooker, a British computer scientist who is best known for his very influential early work on compilers , and the compiler-compiler at Manchester University: > R A (Tony) Brooker’s son Richard has circulated this message: > I am writing to let you know that sadly Tony died on the 20th November, peacefully in his sleep. During 2019, he had become increasingly frail both physically and mentally and since July had been looked after in a nursing home not far from where he and Vera lived in Hexham. > > We have not yet finalised the funeral arrangements, but I anticipate that this will be a relatively small event for family and friends. > Please feel free to pass on the news to any of Tony's old colleagues or acquaintances with whom you might be in contact. > kind regards and best wishes, > Richard Brooker. The Wikipedia account of Tony's career suggests that his Mk 1 Autocode, which was available from March 1954, "was probably the world's first publicly available High-Level Language” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Brooker I remember Tony well - he was much liked and respected, and very influential in the early years of computing here in Britain. Cheers Brian Randell School of Computing, Newcastle University, 1 Science Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5TG EMAIL = Brian.Randell(a)ncl.ac.uk PHONE = +44 191 208 7923 URL = http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/people/profile/brianrandell.html

1 0

George Marsaglia and Gail Gasram?
by Jeff Thompson 21 Nov '19

21 Nov '19

Hi everyone, not sure if this is exactly SIGCIS material so please feel to point me elsewhere! I’ve been researching random number generation for a course I’m teaching on chance and randomness in the arts, including George Marsaglia’s “Dieharder” software suite. In the documentation, he quotes someone named Gail Gasram as saying “Nothing is random, only uncertain.” But after a lot of digging, I find almost nothing on Gasram online except papers and books with the same quote. I posted this on the Statistics Stack Exchange site <https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/437174/who-is-gail-gasram> and got an interesting answer: “Gail Gasram” is “Marsaglia G” backwards! It was also noted that some sources cite “Gasram” as having written much of the Dieharder code, all of which leads to the question why would Marsaglia create this alter ego? Is this a mathematician inside joke or something more complex? If anyone has any info or suggestions for how to look into this, it would be most appreciated! Cheers and thanks for letting an artist lurk in the group! Jeff - - - Jeff Thompson Assistant Professor, Program Director Visual Art & Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology www.jeffreythompson.org @jeffkthompson

1 0

Call for Papers: The Economy of Promises 2020
by Hatton-Proulx, Clarence 20 Nov '19

20 Nov '19

Dear all, The Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie (CIRST) is proud to organize an international conference on the role of forecasts, projections, and anticipation in scientific research and technological innovation. Here is the call for papers<https://www.cirst.uqam.ca/en/nouvelles/2019/appel-a-communications-les-econ…>: Recent scientific developments in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in what is called "deep learning" has led to a renewed interest in the possibilities of applications of new algorithms to a wide range of fields (medicine, industry, automotive, etc.). This mirrors the fervor for technological progress already observed in the previous decade with nanotechnology and genomics. Discourses linked to these technological advances are typically framed in terms of an inevitable technological future that has, however, yet to unfold. Such discourses are even more prevalent when a given technology is viewed as a liberating force or a means to revolutionize human and social life. Forecasting, projection and anticipation are all part of scientific research and technological innovation. In their article on the sociology of expectations, Borup et al. (2006) acknowledge that "very little in innovation can work in isolation from a highly dynamic and variegated body of future-oriented understandings about the future." Research and innovation are framed by such understandings, that stimulate investment and organize scientific and technological fields. Presentations of 20 minutes in French or English will be accepted. We particularly welcome the following topics: § Economic predictions; § Announcements of a 4th industrial revolution; § Promises and research funding (promises formulated to receive a grant or the rhetoric of research grants); § Social dynamics of post-secondary education; § Sociology and anthropology of technological futures § Promises and climate change (forecasts to change policies, geoengineering, government promises-e.g. COPs-, expert committees, etc.); § Rhetoric of hope and fear in technological governance and regulation. Proposals for papers (between 200 and 300 words) must include a title and a short resume. The CIRST encourages student participation. A portion of the program will be reserved for graduate students presentations. Two travel grants will be offered to the most promising proposals from Canadian graduate students. It is also possible to propose a panel of up to 4 speakers. In addition to a summary of the panel's theme (between 200 and 300 words), the organizer must provide the names of the speakers, a summary of their presentation (200-300 words), and a short bio for each participant. All documents must be sent before January 10, 2020 to the following address: cirst(a)uqam.ca<mailto:cirst@uqam.ca>. Accommodation and travel expenses will not be covered, but daytime meals will be provided to the participants. The conference will take place during the week of August 24-29, 2020. The exact dates will be confirmed in the spring of 2020. Organizing committee: Daniel Letendre (CIRST), Guillaume Dandurand (University of Sherbrooke), Florence Lussier-Lejeune (UQAM) Scientific committee: François Claveau (University of Sherbrooke), Yves Gingras (UQAM), Vincent Larivière (University of Montreal), Mathieu Marion (UQAM), Florence Millerand (UQAM), Éric Montpetit (University of Montreal) Regards, [CIRST | Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie]<http://www.cirst.uqam.ca/> Clarence Hatton-Proulx Responsable des communications et soutien à la coordination Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie UQAM, Pavillon Paul-Gérin-Lajoie (N) Bureau N-8475 Téléphone : 514-987-3000 # 3971 Courriel : hatton-proulx.clarence(a)uqam.ca<mailto:hatton-proulx.clarence@uqam.ca> Suivez le CIRST<https://www.cirst.uqam.ca/> sur Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/leCIRST/> et Twitter<https://twitter.com/leCIRST?lang=fr>

1 0

Linda Hall Library, 2020-21 Fellowships
by Benjamin Gross 15 Nov '19

15 Nov '19

Dear SIGCIS Friends: I am writing to inform you that the Linda Hall Library<https://www.lindahall.org/> is now accepting applications for its 2020-21 fellowship program. These fellowships provide graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and independent scholars with financial support to make use of the Linda Hall Library's outstanding science and engineering collections. The Linda Hall Library holds over half a million monograph volumes and more than 48,000 journal titles documenting the history of science and technology from the 15th century to the present. Its collections are exceptionally strong in the engineering disciplines, chemistry, and physics. The Library also boasts extensive resources related to natural history, astronomy, environmental and earth sciences, aeronautics, life sciences, infrastructure studies, mathematics, and the history of the book. The Linda Hall Library is pleased to offer three types of fellowships this year: * Travel fellowships, lasting between one and three weeks, support brief, exploratory visits to the Linda Hall Library. Funding is available for up to $750 per week to defray the costs of travel and living in Kansas City. * Residential fellowships, lasting between one and four months, support scholars conducting more extensive research using the Library's collections. Fellowship funding is offered up to $3,000 per month for doctoral students and up to $4,200 per month for postdoctoral scholars. * A new History of Science and Medicine fellowship, sponsored by the Linda Hall Library and the Clendening History of Medicine Library<https://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/history-and-philosophy-of-medicine/…> at the University of Kansas Medical Center, will provide a doctoral student with a $3,000 stipend to conduct research in both libraries' collections for one month. All Linda Hall Library research fellows participate in a vibrant intellectual community alongside scholars from nearby libraries and universities, including the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Kansas, and the Clendening History of Medicine Library. Fellows may also attend the Library's many lectures and public programs. I encourage you to share this information with graduate students, colleagues, or anyone else who might be interested in the Linda Hall Library's fellowship program. All application materials are due no later than January 17, 2020. For further information, please visit https://www.lindahall.org/fellowships/ or e-mail fellowships(a)lindahall.org<mailto:fellowships@lindahall.org>. Thank you, and best wishes from Kansas City! -Ben Gross Benjamin Gross, PhD Vice President for Research and Scholarship Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology 5109 Cherry Street Kansas City, Missouri 64110 816.926.8718 grossb(a)lindahall.org<mailto:grossb@lindahall.org> www.lindahall.org<http://www.lindahall.org/>

1 0