January 2022 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

2021 Mahoney Prize nominations
by Elizabeth Petrick 10 May '22

10 May '22

Hello everyone, It's time for the 2021 Mahoney Prize for outstanding article in the history of computing and information technology, broadly conceived. Articles published in 2018, 2019, or 2020 will be considered. Self-nominations and nominations of others are both welcome. Please email a copy of the article to members of the prize committee, listed here: https://www.sigcis.org/mahoneyprize Deadline is May 1, 2021. Best, Liz ------------- Elizabeth Petrick Associate Professor Department of History Rice University http://elizabethpetrick.com/

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Historical Computing Machines Series Volumes
by STEPHEN KAISLER 19 Mar '22

19 Mar '22

Folks: Over the past four years, I have published six volumes in my Historical Computing Machines Series through Cambridge Scholars publishing of Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. These books are available through their website: https://cambridgescholars.com The six volumes to date are: Birthing the Computer: From Relays to Vacuum Tubes Birthing the Computer: From Drums to Cores First Generation Mainframes: The IBM 700 Series Second Generation Mainframes: The IBM 7000 Series Mainframe Computer Systems: The General Electric Corporation The Univac Corporation: In From The Beginning The next book in the series: The Burroughs Corporation: Innovation in Architecture, will be submitted in a few week. The next books in the series are anticipated to be (tentative titles): Mainframe Computer Systems: Honeywell Incorporated Control Data Corporation: Speed and More Speed I continue to search for manuals, documents, reports, etc. that can help me provide an accurate picture of these machines that have contributed to the development of Computer Science and Information Processing. Steve Kaisler, D.Sc.

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CHI workshop: Towards a Material Ethics of Computing
by Anne Pasek 29 Jan '22

29 Jan '22

Hello all, I wanted to reach out regarding an upcoming CHI workshop. My colleagues (Jen Liu, Cindy Lin, Robert Soden, Lace Padilla, Daniela Rosner, Steve Jackson) and I are organizing a workshop at the ACM CHI 2022 conference called “Towards a Material Ethics of Computing”. For more information about the call for 2-4 page position papers or multimodal work, please refer to the submission details here: https://t.co/4eY6PdRumi Please do consider participating in this workshop if you are interested in thinking about how (the history of) computing has both shaped environmental impacts and offered new possibilities for transnational labor and tech solidarities and organizing! The deadline for submission is Feb 24, 2022. Thank you and do send me an email if you have any questions. Best Regards, Anne Pasek

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CONF: Born Digital Cultural Heritage
by Melanie Swalwell 28 Jan '22

28 Jan '22

You're invited to join us for the second iteration of the Born Digital Cultural Heritage conference (#BDCH22), from 16-18 February, 2022, Australian time. This free, online conference is hosted by the Play It Again game history and preservation team, in conjunction with our partners the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, and AARNet, Australia's Academic and Research Network. The conference features keynote addresses from Klaus Rechert (University of Freiburg) entitled "Mastering the Preservation of Computers Games is Mastering the Preservation Game" and Dene Grigar (Washington State University) entitled "Saving Flash Art: Interventions and Mediations", plus discussion panels over 3 days comprising digital heritage researchers and practitioners from the many domains informing digital preservation. In the interests of making this the best event possible, we are embracing the possibilities of what an international conference in the Zoom era can be. Panel format emphasises shorter presentations followed by facilitated discussion and Q&A. Timeslots have been optimised to work with presenters' timezones, to prioritise the benefits of liveness. This means there are some big gaps programmed when you can take some time away from the screen without missing out (stretch, go for a walk, do some work if you have to). Or head over to our Discord server with your beverage of choice for some informal chat outside of scheduled sessions. If you do miss something you wanted to hear, recorded panels will be available for viewing afterwards. To register, please go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/born-digital-cultural-heritage-conference-ti… For the full program and speaker bios, please go to https://playitagainproject.com/conference/ Some additional special events will be held at ACMI, live for those in Melbourne and streamed for those who are not. These include panels "Hollywood and Videogames in the 1990s"; "Howzat! A brief history of Australian cricket games"; and an 'In Conversation' with game developer, John Passfield. Find details of the free ACMI events and get tickets at https://www.acmi.net.au/whats-on/play-it-again-preserving-australias-videog… We look forward to your participation. Please forward to anyone potentially interested. -- Melanie Swalwell, Project Leader: Play It Again -- 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 http://transformativemedia.swinburne.edu.au/ Tel +61 3 9214 3911 AS426 mswalwell(a)swin.edu.au @melswal 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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"Few Women on the Block: Legacy Codes and Gendered Coins" Blockchain and Society
by Jeffrey Yost 25 Jan '22

25 Jan '22

Dear Colleagues, Apologize for any duplication as I have written some but wanted to announce a new blog series and site I am doing, Blockchain and Society: Political Economy of Crypto. I just published the second blog essay it is "Few Women on the Block: Legacy Codes and Gendered Coins" <https://blockchainandsociety.com/> It examines gender disparity and bias in cryptocurrency (much more pronounced, lower participation by women, than in IT for what many see as Web 3.0 or a blockchain decentralized Web of the future). It places current and extreme gender imbalance and biases in a longer historical trajectory of gender in computing/software, gender in computer security, cypherpunks and gender in crypto... It highlights Judith Milhon, or St. Jude, programmer, hacker, journalist, who coined "Cypherpunk" and was the lone woman of the "Crypto Rebels" who became the "Cypherpunks," from which cryptocurrency originated. I also present three rare women founders of crypto. Some colleagues have written to me about the glossary and the timeline on my site (doing it independent of CBI) being useful to their students, terminology and jargon is so extensive in both crypto and in finance, and thus especially so in cryptocurrency, hence creating further barriers and a less inviting culture. VCs being over 90% male extend inequality in the space further. And with the blog it is a longer form essay style, so I try to offer a bit of depth. Please check it out. And please consider subscribing, sharing on social media, and linking. *Blockchain and Society - Home* <https://blockchainandsociety.com/> Many thanks!!! Best, Jeff The blog focuses on power, imbalances, algorithmic biases, IT social justice opportunities with blockchain and limitations, etc. *"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 612 624 5050 Phone 612 625 8054 Fax

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future research project: history of autoincorrect
by Jonathan Coopersmith 21 Jan '22

21 Jan '22

There's an interesting topic here, waiting for its Boswell. https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/software-is-subbing-mistak… Stay sane and get a booster (partially for you; more for others), Jonathan Jonathan Coopersmith Professor Department of History Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-4236 979.739.4708 (cell) 979.862.4314 (fax) Voting challenges: https://theeagle.com/opinion/columnists/texas-should-be-the-model-for-secur… Preserving space archives: https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/ International standards battles: https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/geek-life/history/lets-thwart-this-terr… <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/geek-life/h…> *FAXED. The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine* (Johns Hopkins University Press)

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WEBCAST TODAY: Queens of Code – Stories of NSA’s Computing Women
by Joly MacFie 20 Jan '22

20 Jan '22

Simulcast of today's event. REAL TIME TEXT https://bit.ly/3FIMqc9 ISOC Live posted: "On Thursday January 20 2022 at 4pm-5pm EST (21:00-22:00 UTC) the Maryland Women's Heritage Center Queens of Code project will host a virtual session 'Stories of NSA's Computing Women'. Queens of Code is a women's technology history project that collects s" [image: livestream] <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/queensofcode>On *Thursday January 20 2022* at *4pm-5pm EST* (21:00-22:00 UTC) the *Maryland Women's Heritage Center <https://MDWomensHeritageCenter.org>* Queens of Code project will host a virtual session '*Stories of NSA's Computing Women <https://bit.ly/3r5faXv>*'. *Queens of Code <https://queensofcode.com/>* is a women's technology history project that collects stories, experiences, and insights from women who worked in information technology at National Security Agency in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. *Laura Nelson*, *Kathy Jackson* and *Eileen Buckholtz* will share their experiences of being technology pioneers at NSA as well as advice for students considering a STEM career. This event will be simulcast through a partnership with the *Internet Society Washington DC Chapter <https://isoc-dc.org>.* *LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/queensofcode <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/queensofcode>* *PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3r5faXv <https://bit.ly/3r5faXv>* (AI Captions) *REAL TIME TEXT (*see*ISOC.LIVE <https://isoc.live/14974>)* *TWITTER #QueensofCode <http://bit.ly/queensofcode> Laura Nelson @cryptmf Kathy Jackson Eileen Buckholtz @MDWomensCtr Laura Nelson @NSAGov #WomenInTech #WomenWhoCode #STEM* *SIMULCASTS* *https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/ <https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/>* *https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive <https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive>* *https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ <https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/> *(AI Captions) *ARCHIVE* *https://archive.org/details/queensofcode <https://archive.org/details/queensofcode>* *Permalink* https://isoc.live/14974/ -- - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 --------------------------------------

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Archives of IT: free events on the history of the IT industry
by Research 19 Jan '22

19 Jan '22

Of interest to all historians of the industry We have an online event coming up on 17 February in conjunction with the Computer Conservation Society and BCS looking at what we can learn from history to inform the future of the IT industry - including an intro the Archives https://archivesit.org.uk/learning-from-history-reflections-on-past-and-fut… We recently hosted a seminar, in conjunction with the CCS, from one of the Fathers of the Internet, Vint Cerf, talking about history and future challenges and you can see the record of it here https://archivesit.org.uk/video-of-vint-cerf-seminar/ Best wishes for 2022 Tom Abram Dr 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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legal challenges to video game research and preservation
by Jonathan Coopersmith 18 Jan '22

18 Jan '22

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/01/12/video-game-preservati… Stay sane and get a booster (partially for you; more for others), Jonathan Jonathan Coopersmith Professor Department of History Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-4236 979.739.4708 (cell) 979.862.4314 (fax) America's "stab in the back"myth: https://theeagle.com/opinion/columnists/unnerving-similarities-to-jan-6/art… Preserving space archives: https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/ International standards battles: https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/geek-life/history/lets-thwart-this-terr… <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/geek-life/h…> *FAXED. The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine* (Johns Hopkins University Press)

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Latest news from Northern Virginia
by Ceruzzi, Paul 17 Jan '22

17 Jan '22

Recent statistics from Cushman & Wakefield show Northern Virgnina having by far the largest concentration of Data Centers in the world, way ahead of Silicon Valley, among other places. They call the centers around Ashburn, Virginia "Data Center Alley," although most followers of SIGCIS know it as "Internet Alley" 🙂. Ashburn is running out of room, so now there are plans to build centers in nearby Manassas. That has gotten the attention of Ken Burns, of all people, who feel the centers will be too close to the Civil War battlefield. The news article talks about gigawatts of power used by the Data Centers, but they don't say where the power comes from. Dominion Energy, the principal supplier, is committed to renewable sources, including wind farms off-shore. But the centers still rely to a large extent on a large coal-fired plant in Mount Storm, West Virginia. It is due to be phased out, but not for a while. TL;DR: if you use a smartphone, you're burning coal. https://wtop.com/business-finance/2022/01/n-virginia-still-tops-global-data… [https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AP9468901167796733-1-scaled.jpg]<https://wtop.com/business-finance/2022/01/n-virginia-still-tops-global-data…> Northern Virginia still tops global data center markets (and, what’s a gigawatt?) | WTOP News<https://wtop.com/business-finance/2022/01/n-virginia-still-tops-global-data…> Cushman & Wakefield’s 2022 rankings of the Top 10 Data Center markets in the world places Northern Virginia at the top, a title it has held for years. And it is not even close. Silicon Valley ... wtop.com https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/01/ken-burns-speaks-out-about-pr… [https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/sites/default/files/article-teaser-im…]<https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/01/ken-burns-speaks-out-about-pr…> Ken Burns Speaks Out About Proposed Digital Data Center Near Manassas<https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/01/ken-burns-speaks-out-about-pr…> A digital data center being considered for more than 2,000 acres next to Manassas National Battlefield Park has been called the "greatest threat" in recent history to the battlefield and drawn opposition from filmmaker Ken Burns, who has urged Prince William County officials to oppose the project. www.nationalparkstraveler.org Paul Ceruzzi

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