November 2021 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

SHOT roundtable Tech History in Tech Policy
by Meg Leta Jones 19 Nov '21

19 Nov '21

To all attending SHOT, please consider joining us for a Friday morning (or afternoon or evening depending on your time zone) coffee discussion of tech history in tech policy. We'll be hosting a roundtable conversation in an hour at 9AM central time - please add your voice and insights. No panel - just a group talking through these seemingly simple questions: 1) How has the work of historians of technology been valuable or abused in policy discussions? 2) How are historians of technology situating their own work as interventions in policy discussions? 3) How should historians of technology situate their work in relation to policy discussions? Hope you can come! Meg ----- Meg Leta Jones, J.D., Ph.D. Communication, Culture & Technology Associate Professor Ethics Lab Faculty Fellow Science, Technology, & International Affairs Core Faculty Institute for Technology Law & Policy Affiliate Faculty Georgetown University Meg.Jones(a)Georgetown.edu MegLeta.com <http://megleta.com/> iSPYLab.net Author of *Ctrl + Z: The Right to Be Forgotten <http://nyupress.org/books/9781479881703/>* (NYU Press, 2016)

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Call for book reviews: Information & Culture
by James A Hodges 18 Nov '21

18 Nov '21

Greetings, and apologies if my cross-posting results in multiple copies of this call landing in your email. I’m James Hodges, Senior Book Reviews Editor for Information & Culture ( https://infoculturejournal.org/) We are currently seeking book reviewers with expertise in the areas of information and media technologies, broadly construed. In recent months, we have also committed to diversifying the subject matter and authorial perspectives in our book reviews section. This means that we are particularly interested in covering books by authors or concerning regions and cultures currently underrepresented in Global North academic literature, as well as in publishing reviewers from such backgrounds. Additionally, we are currently seeking reviewers for the following specific titles: "Surveillance Capitalism in America," edited by Josh Lauer and Kenneth Lipartito (U Penn Press, https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/16260.html) “Chinese Internet Buzzwords: Research on Network Languages in Internet Group Communication” by Zhou Yan (Routledge, https://www.routledge.com/Chinese-Internet-Buzzwords-Research-on-Network-La… ) “The Black Technical Object: On Machine Learning and the Aspiration of Black Being” by Ramon Amaro (MIT Press, https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/black-technical-object) Please get in touch with the reviews desk at reviews(a)ischool.utexas.edu if you would like to join our reviewer pool, propose a specific review, or offer your own recent publication for review (published within the last 18 months). Sincerely, James -- *JAMES A. HODGES, PH.D.* Bullard Postdoctoral Research Fellow The University of Texas at Austin School of Information http://www.jameshodges.net Senior Book Reviews Editor Information & Culture <https://infoculturejournal.org/> Member, Committee on Publication Ethics <https://publicationethics.org/> (COPE) Junior Fellow, Rare Book School Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography <https://rarebookschool.org/admissions-awards/fellowships/sofcb/>

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Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society
by Schmitt, Martin 18 Nov '21

18 Nov '21

Dear Sigcis, first, I wanted to thank you all for the amazing feedback on my request about the floppy disks. It is remarkable in how many places floppy disks are still in use. Legacy systems carry on with their material data carriers. Second, I am happy to announce as the Weizenbaum Study Award winner 2021 (3rd prize) a new interdisciplinary journal for digitalization research: The Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society. "Permeating all areas of human life, digitalisation is a contested process interacting with political structures and participation, economic and legal relationships, education, and everyday life in general, calling for an interdisciplinary research perspective. Collaborative research at the intersection of several disciplines such as ethics, law, economics and political science can provide a deeper understanding of the role of digitalisation and shed light into the intricate net of dependencies surrounding it. Against this background, the overarching goal of this journal is to attract interdisciplinary research that investigates issues surrounding digital technologies from more than one disciplinary perspective, as well as disciplinary research that contributes strongly to questions and consequences of society and digitalisation.“ Articles from the history of computing are especially welcomed! Learn more at their website: https://www.weizenbaum-institut.de/weizenbaum-journal-of-the-digital-societ… The first issue is available at: https://ojs.weizenbaum-institut.de/index.php/wjds/issue/view/1_1 Editors are: Martin Emmer (communication science); Hanna Krasnova (information systems); Martin Krzywdzinski (sociology); Axel Metzger (law); Sonja Schimmler (computer science); Lena Ulbricht (political science) Stay safe and take care in these days. Best Martin Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter | Post-Doc | digital enthusiast Technische Universität Darmstadt Institut für Geschichte Fachgebiet Technikgeschichte Mail: martin.schmitt(a)tu-darmstadt.de<mailto:martin.schmitt@tu-darmstadt.de> Tel: +49 6151-16-57327 http://www.computerisierung.com & Assoziierter Wissenschaftler LEIBNIZ-ZENTRUM FÜR ZEITHISTORISCHE FORSCHUNG | POTSDAM Vice Chair IFIP WG 9.7 „History of computing" Zuletzt erschienen: Leslie, Christopher und Martin Schmitt (eds.): Histories of Computing in Eastern Europe, Cham: Springer International Publishing 2019 (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology 549), https://www.springer.com/978-3-030-29159-4

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Online Event on December 9th honoring Lillian Schwartz
by David C. Brock 16 Nov '21

16 Nov '21

For your consideration: A free online event on December 9th honoring artist Lillian Schwartz as a Fellow of the Computer History Museum. Starting at 5PM Pacific Time. https://computerhistory.org/events/celebrating-fellow-lillian-f-schwartz/ <https://computerhistory.org/events/celebrating-fellow-lillian-f-schwartz/> It will feature comments by historian Zabet Patterson and curator Barbara London, screening selections from three of Schwartz’s films from the early 1970s incorporating computer animation, Ken Thompson (of UNIX fame) presenting the award, and a contemporary artist using computation, Refik Anadol. You can register at the link above, or at this direct Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breaking-boundaries-creativity-with-computer-a… <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breaking-boundaries-creativity-with-computer-a…> +++++++++++++++ David C. Brock dcb(a)dcbrock.net 40 Russell Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Mobile: 413-522-3578 Skype: dcbrock Twitter: @dcbrock Pronouns: he, him, his

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ACM FAccT 2022 deadlines extended & travel support available
by FAccT Publicity 15 Nov '21

15 Nov '21

Dear all, we are pleased to announce that the abstract registration & paper submission deadlines for ACM FAccT 2022 have been extended. UPDATED DEADLINES Paper pre-registration: December 15, 2021 Paper submission: January 14, 2022 Conference: June 21-24, 2022 Please note that all deadlines are at 11:59 PM Korea Standard Time (KST) on the given date. Our Call for Papers is available here: https://facctconference.org/2022/cfp.html TRAVEL SUPPORT ACM FAccT is committed to ensuring that no-one is unable to present their work at the in-person conference due to resource constraints, and as such there is a substantial travel scholarship fund available to support in-person attendance. Other support for diversity, equity and inclusion at FAccT 2022 will be announced soon. ABOUT ACM FACCT 2022 The 2022 conference will be held both in-person and online. The in-person conference will take place in Seoul, South Korea on June 21-24, 2022 Korea Standard Time (KST). The online conference--including both live-streamed elements of the in-person conference, and online-only content--will also begin on June 21, with content and discussion available for two weeks from that date, and a library of content available subsequently. ACM FAccT solicits work from a wide variety of disciplines, including computer science, statistics, law, social sciences, the humanities, and policy, and multidisciplinary scholarships on fairness, accountability and transparency in computational systems (broadly construed). We welcome contributions that consider dimensions beyond individual decisions, including equity and justice in systems, policy, and human rights. We welcome submissions in the following areas: - Algorithm Development e.g. Fairness; Interpretable and explainable models; Causality; Data collection and curation - Data and Algorithm Evaluation e.g. Metrics; Audits; Evaluations, both quantitative and qualitative - Applications e.g. Natural Language Processing; Computer vision; Health; Information retrieval; Recommender systems; Programming languages; Databases - Human Factors e.g. Human-computer interaction; Humans-in-the-loop; Information visualization; UX design; Community or participatory-research design - Privacy and Security e.g. Formal approaches; Privacy-preserving models; Usable privacy and security - Law e.g. Data protection; Non-discrimination; Fair Procedures; Human Rights; Oversight mechanisms - Policy e.g. Organizational governance; Codes of ethics; models from historically marginalized perspectives - Historical and Cultural Critiques e.g. Interrogating foundational concepts; Bridging critical concepts across fields; Historical perspectives on FAccT issues - Philosophy e.g. Philosophical foundations of machine learning; values in scientific inquiry; social epistemology; moral, legal and political philosophy of data and AI - Social Sciences e.g. Algorithms and computing in organizations and institutions, including education; Social and cultural shaping of algorithmic phenomena; algorithmic impacts on social phenomena We especially welcome contributions that incorporate perspectives and investigations on FAccT that are relevant to or grounded in the cultures, norms, laws, and/or sociopolitical systems from regions that are usually not featured prominently at FAccT, which has so far been composed mainly of North American and European scholarship. Announcements about our call for tutorials, CRAFT, a doctoral colloquium and a number of special initiatives to follow soon! Questions? Contact the Program Co-chairs: program-chairs(a)facctconference.org. And stay tuned for updates by following @facctconference on Twitter or joining the FACCT-ANNOUNCE listserv. Best wishes, Deb Raji & Annette Zimmermann Publicity Co-Chairs Fairness, Accountability and Transparency conference

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Job posting: Assoc. Director, Undergrad Program in Data Science & Social Systems, Stanford
by Paul N. Edwards 15 Nov '21

15 Nov '21

All, a new program opening up here has an open position. This isn’t a typical academic post. It's a sort of hybrid job - part admin, part program-building, possible teaching role, with private- and public-sector connections a high priority. https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/associate-director-undergraduate-pro… Best, Paul ________________________ Paul N. Edwards<https://profiles.stanford.edu/paul-edwards> Director, Program on Science, Technology & Society<http://sts.stanford.edu> William J. Perry Fellow in International Security and Senior Research Scholar Center for International Security and Cooperation<http://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/> Co-Director, Stanford Existential Risks Initiative<https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/stanford-existential-risks-initiative> Stanford University Professor of Information<http://www.si.umich.edu/> and History<http://www.lsa.umich.edu/history/> (Emeritus) University of Michigan

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New material in Archive of IT
by Research 15 Nov '21

15 Nov '21

An important, new digitised research resource has recently been donated to the Archives of IT and may be of interest to your, your department and students. The Butler Cox Foundation<https://archivesit.org.uk/publications/butler-cox-reports/> reports which were produced between 1977 to 1991 advising IT Directors on issues in technology and systems are free to access on our website. The collection comprises 220 newsletters, reports and conference proceedings, tracking the advance of information technology as it moved out of the closeted world of 'computing' or 'data processing' into communications, office systems and publishing. It heralded the world of the PC, e-mail, the mobile phone and the Internet, identifying and explaining the nature and significance of new developments. As well as influencing the uptake of technology by leading users and the product offerings of major suppliers, the findings of the Foundation research were communicated to the UK Government on numerous occasions and had a bearing on public policy. Below is just one small snippet to pique your interest: Systems Security<https://archivesit.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/BCF-RRMS-08-1990-Iss1.…> published in 1990 "Many managers consider the stories about vast computer frauds, perpetrated by gangs of master criminals or clever juveniles, overplayed and irrelevant to their own business operations." They truly are a mine of valuable and fascinating information, I hope you will enjoy taking a closer look. Thanks Tom Tom Abram Director - Archives of IT research(a)archivesit.org.uk www.archivesit.org.uk<http://www.archivesit.org.uk/> > Subscribe<https://archivesit.org.uk/sign-up/> to our e-newsletter > Follow us on Twitter @ArchivesIT<https://twitter.com/ArchivesIT> > Please support us at https://archivesit.org.uk/get-involved-4/make-a-difference/ Registered Charity No: 1164198 This e-mail is confidential and may be privileged. It may be read, copied and used only by the intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please contact the sender immediately by return e-mail. Please then delete the e-mail and do not disclose its contents to any person.

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Algorithms vs Logarithms
by thomas.haigh＠gmail.com 12 Nov '21

12 Nov '21

Hello SIGCIS, As the eyes of the world turn towards my own region of SE Wisconsin for the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse (the cosplaying militia wannabe teen who shot and killed two unarmed demonstrators in Kenosha last summer) we get a glimpse of how deeply suspicion of algorithms has permeated general awareness and of how little they are sometimes understood. According to this article from The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/10/22775580/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-judge-ap ple-ai-pinch-to-zoom-footage-manipulation-claim the defense yesterday made a successful argument to the judge that the zoom feature on an iPad video showing the killings should not be used in court on the grounds that it involved artificial intelligence and "logarithms." Yes, LOGARITHMS. The things some of you may remember looking up in tables to add together to find approximate answers when multiplying large numbers. "iPads, which are made by Apple, have artificial intelligence in them that allow things to be viewed through three-dimensions and logarithms," the defense insisted. "It uses artificial intelligence, or their logarithms, to create what they believe is happening. So this isn't actually enhanced video, this is Apple's iPad programming creating what it thinks is there, not what necessarily is there," they added. According to the story, the judge deferred to this argument: Judge Schroeder argued that it was the prosecution - not the defense - that had the burden of proving that Apple doesn't use artificial intelligence to manipulate footage, demanding that they provide an expert to testify, and didn't allow the prosecution to adjourn to find that expert before bringing Rittenhouse up for cross-examination. Meanwhile, I stumbled on a nice analysis of the extent to which the word "algorithm" is understood my many to imply some connection to machine learning in this short article by Kristian Lum and Rumman Chowdhury: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/26/1020007/what-is-an-algorithm/. Can it be long until we see products sold as "algorithm free"? Or, possible, "logarithm free." Tom

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CALL FOR PAPERS: Histories of Computing in Oceania Conference- 24 February 2022
by Janet Toland 11 Nov '21

11 Nov '21

Having trouble viewing this email? View online version.<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…]<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> Histories of Computing in Oceania Conference: Call for Papers 24 February 2022 [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…] Virtual Paper Development Conference:Call for Papers The virtual conference presented by the Business and Labour History Group<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> at the University of Sydney Business School, is based on the theme of Histories of Computing in Oceania, in line with the upcoming special issue of the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. The region of Oceania includes Australasia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. To date, the history of computing in this vast and relatively lowly populated region is underrepresented, notwithstanding recent efforts to expand the geographical scope of the history of computing. The geographical characteristics of Oceania have facilitated the development of innovative, interesting (and often unique) patterns of information and knowledge exchange. For instance, despite limited interaction with work undertaken overseas, Trevor Pearcey built CSIR Mark 1, the first digital stored program computer in the world that played music, in Australia between 1947-49. Nonetheless, representations of these important contributions made to the history of computing in Oceania in the academic discourse are still scant. For the virtual conference we are seeking the submission of extended abstracts on the broader theme of the special issue. The conference seeks to expand on the currently sparse discourse on the history of computing in Oceania. For an overview of some of the existing literature please look at the selective bibliography below. We endeavour to document a history currently often only published in grey literature. Examples of topic include but are by no means limited to: Historical, post-colonial, and regional perspectives on the development, appropriation, and use of computing technologies in Oceania; * The regional, national, or transnational politics of computing and telecommunications; * Exploration of multinational versus local initiatives; * National and international transfer of technologies, knowledge, and people; * Critical analyses of the development of computing education; * Studies of community computing, ICT4D, and the role of NGOs; and * Histories and critical analyses of digital initiatives that involve Indigenous people. Important Dates Submission of Extended Abstracts: Friday 10 December 2021 Notification of Acceptance: Friday14 January 2022 Date of Virtual Conference: Thursday 24 February 2022 Submission of Extended Abstract Conference attendance is based on the acceptance of an extended abstracts of about 1,000 words in length. Extended abstracts should discuss your research topic, outline your research approach and provide some preliminary findings. [VIEW SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND TEMPLATE]<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> Please email submissions by 10 December 2021 to : janet.toland(a)vuw.ac.nz<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> and sebastian.boell(a)sydney.edu.au<mailto:sebastian.boell@sydney.edu.au> [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…]<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…]<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…]<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…]<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…]<https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-…> ENQUIRIES For more information please contact: Glenn Howell T +61 2 9351 6625 E business.researchgroups(a)sydney.edu.au<mailto:business.researchgroups@sydney.edu.au> The University of Sydney Business School [https://prod-swiftdigital-staticassets.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/sd_i…] Copyright (c) 2016 The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia. 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Fall 2021 CBI Bits & Bytes
by Jeffrey Yost 10 Nov '21

10 Nov '21

Dear Colleagues, Please find below the link to the new CBI Bits & Bytes (Fall 2021). It reports on developments at CBI and our community. Along with news on programs and new initiatives, this issue also contains a biographical and reflective essay honoring CBI's founding director, Prof. Arthur L. Norberg, who passed away in September 2021. CBI News: Bits & Bytes | CHARLES BABBAGE INSTITUTE <https://cse.umn.edu/cbi/cbi-news-bits-bytes> Best, Jeff *"Injustice wears the same harsh face wherever it shows itself."*-Ralph Ellison Jeffrey R. Yost, Ph.D. Director, Charles Babbage Institute Research Professor, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Co-Editor (w/ Gerardo Con Diaz) *Studies in Computing and Culture book series, Johns Hopkins University Press* *Committee Member, **National Academies, NAE Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society * Founder and Co-Editor (w/ Amanda Wick), *Interfaces: Essays and Reviews in Computing and Culture* *Making IT Work: A History of the Computer Services Industry (MIT Press 2017)* <https://www.amazon.com/Making-Work-Computer-Services-Computing/dp/026203672X> 222 21st Avenue South University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455

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