September 2021 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Question about early female architect barred from men's club
by Len Shustek 11 Sep '21

11 Sep '21

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Question about early female architect barred from men's club
by Ellen Spertus 11 Sep '21

11 Sep '21

Thanks so much, Len. IIRC, this would have been in the 40s or 50s. I'm sorry I can't remember more. On Thu, Sep 9, 2021 at 6:19 PM Len Shustek <len(a)shustek.com> wrote: > At 09:08 PM 9/8/2021, Ellen Spertus wrote: > >Back in the 1990s I attended a Systers lunch at an > >architecture-related conference, maybe ASPLOS-V (1992, Boston). Gwen > >Bell told us about a female computer architect who worked for one of > >the first computer firms until she was unable to attend a meeting > >with a client because the club/restaurant only allowed men, after > >which she was fired. Do any of you know the full story (or can you > >ask Gwen Bell)? > > We asked Gwen, and she doesn't remember. > I also asked Lynn Conway, who was fired by IBM in the 60s. She said > it isn't her, but if it is a true story she'd like to know who it was. > -- Len > >

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(Oral History) Interviewing in Practice and Theory: free, online. Sept 21 & 22
by thomas.haigh＠gmail.com 10 Sep '21

10 Sep '21

Hello SIGCIS, With Valérie Schafer (Luxembourg) and Sebastian Giessmann (Siegen) Ive organized a small workshop, Interviewing in Practice and Theory as part of Siegen Universitys enormous grant funded Media of Cooperation project. The university is shifting to hybrid formats for the rest of this year, so I am scheduled to be there in person to lead two sessions of three hours each on oral history issues. Those will be interactive, seminar style events with some pre circulated readings and a chance for the participants to discuss their planned or ongoing oral history research with me and with each other. If any of you live within easy travel of Siegen and would like to attend in person then Id be thrilled to have you there, and I believe we can provide food. However, given the short notice of this public announcement and (connected) return of pandemic-related uncertainty and terror we expect most participation to be virtual. We also have two blocks of three hours each of talks plus a roundtable. Those are times later in the day, so that US participants can potentially listen to them without waking up absurdly early. As well as the organizers, the lineup will include David Brock (Computer History Museum) and Milica Popovic (Global Observatory on Academic Freedom, Central European University). Ill be giving a talk on what to do when things go wrong in an interview, which might be fun. For the full program and information on registration, please visit https://www.socialstudiesof.info/interviewworkshop/ Im rather hoping that Germany is not about to follow Sweden and the Netherlands by imposing bans on vaccinated travelers from the US. Best wishes, Tom

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Question about early female architect barred from men's club
by Len Shustek 10 Sep '21

10 Sep '21

At 09:08 PM 9/8/2021, Ellen Spertus wrote: >Back in the 1990s I attended a Systers lunch at an >architecture-related conference, maybe ASPLOS-V (1992, Boston). Gwen >Bell told us about a female computer architect who worked for one of >the first computer firms until she was unable to attend a meeting >with a client because the club/restaurant only allowed men, after >which she was fired. Do any of you know the full story (or can you >ask Gwen Bell)? We asked Gwen, and she doesn't remember. I also asked Lynn Conway, who was fired by IBM in the 60s. She said it isn't her, but if it is a true story she'd like to know who it was. -- Len

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Very sad news--Arthur Norberg passed away early this morning
by Jeffrey Yost 09 Sep '21

09 Sep '21

Dear Colleagues, I have some very sad news to report. Arthur Norberg just passed away. Arthur was of course the Founding Director of the Charles Babbage Institute and served as Director in two tenures. Bill Aspray had the great pleasure of serving with him in his first tenure at CBI in the 1980s and I in his second, 1999 to mid 2005 (when he retired). From the start, Arthur, having earlier managerial/academic experience at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library and at NSF as a program officer, emphasized collection development, research, sponsored projects, and oral history, which were (and remain) critical to setting CBI on an impactful course, helping to create an infrastructure for our field. We at CBI wish his wife Pam the best at this difficult time. May he rest in peace. 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, Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Founder and Co-Editor (w/ Amanda Wick), *Interfaces: Essays and Reviews in Computing and Culture* c <https://cse.umn.edu/cbi/interfaces>se.umn.edu/cbi/interfaces <https://cse.umn.edu/cbi/interfaces> 222 21st Avenue South University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 612 624 5050 Phone 612 625 8054 Fax

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REMINDER: SIGCIS 2021 Conference | Registration Info
by Laine Nooney 09 Sep '21

09 Sep '21

Hi ya'll, This is just a friendly reminder to register, if you haven't already, for our annual conference, SIGCIS 2021: Online Edition, from Sept 23-25: https://bit.ly/3jP1LPF. *You must register to receive the links to the conference and the recorded videos*. No registration with SHOT, our parent organization, is required. We're using Eventbrite to handle registration, and running registration as donation only, pay what you can. We provide tiered recommendations, but everyone should only pay what they feel capable of contributing. If you can't pay anything, shoot me an email and we'll make sure you're registered. We have over 50 participants from across the globe giving presentations over the course of the conference's three days. Our keynote panel is called "Stack Trace: The Limits of History," and features Rayvon Fouché, Lisa Nakamura, Jason Edward Lewis + Lucy Suchman, moderated by Morgan Ames. We expect this to be a fantastic 3 days! You can check out the full program here: http://meetings.sigcis.org/ <http://meetings.sigcis.org/> This event is a single channel conference hosted on Zoom. Since participants are from across time zones, we'll be recording presentations and making them available to registered attendees and participants for two weeks after the conference. Looking forward to seeing you all at the conference! --SIGCIS Meetings Organizing Committee Laine Nooney, New York University (SIGCIS Vice-Chair of Meetings) Stephanie Dick, University of Pennsylvania Morgan G. Ames, University of California, Berkeley Xiaochang Li, Stanford University Laine Nooney <http://www.lainenooney.com/> Assistant Professor | MCC <http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/mcc/> @ NYU <http://www.nyu.edu/> | she/they -Need to make an appt? Click, don't email: https://bit.ly/2GIHuK0 -Probably typed by voice recognition, so please cherish typos

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Question about early female architect barred from men's club
by Ellen Spertus 09 Sep '21

09 Sep '21

Back in the 1990s I attended a Systers lunch at an architecture-related conference, maybe ASPLOS-V (1992, Boston). Gwen Bell told us about a female computer architect who worked for one of the first computer firms until she was unable to attend a meeting with a client because the club/restaurant only allowed men, after which she was fired. Do any of you know the full story (or can you ask Gwen Bell)? Thank you. Ellen

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2022-2023 Lemelson Center Fellowships and Travel Grants (Apps Due: 1 Nov 2021)
by Hintz, Eric 08 Sep '21

08 Sep '21

**Hi SIGCIS - Check out the Lemelson Center's call for fellowship applications, which is somewhat limited again because of the ongoing COVID pandemic. The National Museum of American History holds tremendous collections in the history of computing, and we count several SIGCIS members among our alumni fellows, so we hope you'll consider applying! Best, Eric Hintz Fellowships and Travel Grants from the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center **Note: Due to reduced operational capacity resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center is limiting its fellowship and travel grant offerings for 2022-2023. Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship: Accepting applications, due 1 November 2021. Lemelson Center Fellowships: Suspended for 2022-2023, not accepting applications. Lemelson Center Travel Grants: Suspended for 2022-2023, not accepting applications. Through its fellowships and travel grants, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation<https://invention.si.edu/> 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 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 the Computer Oral History Collection and the papers of video game inventor Ralph Baer. In addition, the NMAH Library offers long runs of historical technology serials like Scientific American and American Machinist, 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 virtual appointment 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 teaching buyouts, travel for several short-term visits, living expenses for longer residences up to six months, and related research expenses. Dates are flexible and we expect that fellows may wish to pursue the fellowships virtually during the pandemic. Applications are due 1 November 2021. 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 (all ranks) is suspended for 2022-2023; we are not accepting applications. However, to learn more see http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellowship-program. The Lemelson Center Travel to Collections Award Program (all ranks) is suspended for 2022-2023; we are not accepting applications. However, to learn more see http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-travel-collections-awards. Program Alumni: 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…>! _________________ Eric S. Hintz, PhD (he/him), Historian, Lemelson Center Office +1 202-633-3734 | Mobile +1 610-717-7134 |Fax +1 202-633-4593 Email hintze(a)si.edu<mailto:hintze@si.edu> | americanhistory.si.edu<http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/> | invention.si.edu<http://www.invention.si.edu/> Author, American Independent Inventors in an Era of Corporate R&D<https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/american-independent-inventors-era-corporate…> (MIT Press, 2021) Co-editor, Does America Need More Innovators?<https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/does-america-need-more-innovators> (MIT Press, 2019)

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two more new books!
by Melanie Swalwell 08 Sep '21

08 Sep '21

Hi SIGCIS, It's great to hear all this love and appreciation for recent publications! I am pleased to be able to add 2 more to the tally of computer history books published recently. 1. In August, my monograph Homebrew Gaming and the Beginnings of Vernacular Digitality was published, with MIT Press. Here's the blurb: >From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, low-end microcomputers offered many users their first taste of computing. A major use of these inexpensive 8-bit machines-including the TRS System 80s and the Sinclair, Atari, Microbee, and Commodore ranges-was the development of homebrew games. Users with often self-taught programming skills devised the graphics, sound, and coding for their self-created games. In this book, Melanie Swalwell offers a history of this era of homebrew game development, arguing that it constitutes a significant instance of the early appropriation of digital computing technology. Drawing on interviews and extensive archival research on homebrew creators in 1980s Australia and New Zealand, Swalwell explores the creation of games on microcomputers as a particular mode of everyday engagement with new technology. She discusses the public discourses surrounding microcomputers and programming by home coders; user practices; the development of game creators' ideas, with the game Donut Dilemma as a case study; the widely practiced art of hardware hacking; and the influence of 8-bit aesthetics and gameplay on the contemporary game industry. With Homebrew Gaming and the Beginnings of Vernacular Digitality, Swalwell reclaims a lost chapter in video game history, connecting it to the rich cultural and media theory around everyday life and to critical perspectives on user-generated content. The title is #6 in the MIT Press Game Histories series, edited by Henry Lowood and Raiford Guins. More info: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/homebrew-gaming-and-beginnings-vernacular-di… 1. In May, my latest anthology Game History and the Local was published by Palgrave. The blurb: This book brings together essays on game history and historiography that reflect on the significance of locality. Game history did not unfold uniformly and the particularities of space and place matter, yet most digital game and software histories are silent with respect to geography. Topics covered include: hyper-local games; temporal anomalies in platform arrival and obsolescence; national videogame workforces; player memories of the places of gameplay; comparative reception studies of a platform; the erasure of cultural markers; the localization of games; and perspectives on the future development of 'local' game history. The title brings together some of the most exciting authors and work happening in game history at the moment, in my opinion. I think it will be of particular interest to scholars working at the interface of game history/computer history, but hopefully many others as well. Chapters 1 and 12 are available open access. If your institution has Springerlink, then you may have access to the whole thing here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-66422-0 Regards, Melanie -- Melanie Swalwell Professor of Digital Media Heritage Co-Chair, SIGCIS<http://www.sigcis.org/> Centre for Transformative Media Technologies School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education Swinburne University PO Box 218, Hawthorn Vic 3122 Australia Tel +61 3 9214 3911 AS419 mswalwell(a)swin.edu.au http://transformativemedia.swinburne.edu.au/ New books out in 2021! Homebrew Gaming and the Beginnings of Vernacular Digitality<https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/homebrew-gaming-and-beginnings-vernacular-di…> Game History and the Local<https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-66422-0>

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CHM Fellow Award nominations still open till September 15
by Hansen Hsu 07 Sep '21

07 Sep '21

Know of someone who’s changed the world using computing technology? Why not nominate them for a CHM Fellow award? The Computer History Museum Fellow Awards Program honors technology pioneers—both unsung heroes and well-known legends—for their contributions to computing and the evolution of our digital age, one that started decades ago and which now shapes every aspect of our daily lives. As Steve Jobs once noted, “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it… Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.” Who do you know who has built our modern world? Fellows are selected annually through a public nomination process and honored at an exciting online gala ceremony. The selection committee is made up of historians, computer scientists, engineers, journalists, past Fellows, and even a SIGCIS member or two! Past Fellows have included: Grace Murray Hopper, Steve Wozniak, Katherine Johnston, Lee Felsenstein, Margaret Hamilton, Harry Huskey, Lynn Conway, Ed Catmull, Bill Joy, and over 60 others. (See them all in our Hall of Fellows: https://computerhistory.org/hall-of-fellows/) Send in your nominations here: https://computerhistory.org/fellow-awards/#fellow%20nominations Deadline: September 15, 2021. Thank you! CHM Computer History Museum<http://www.computerhistory.org/> 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 810-1010 main (650) 810-1055 fax Follow Us: CHM Blog<http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/> I Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/computerhistory> I Twitter<http://www.twitter.com/computerhistory> I YouTube<http://www.youtube.com/computerhistory>

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