May 2023 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

New Book on Xerox PARC
by Tinnell, John 25 May '23

25 May '23

Dear SIGCIS, I’m writing to share news of my new book – THE PHILOSOPHER OF PALO ALTO: Mark Weiser, Xerox PARC, and the Original Internet of Things – which is out tomorrow! The book chronicles the rise of ubiquitous computing at Xerox PARC in the 80s and 90s, as well as related developments in wearable computing and AI at the MIT Media Lab. For a longer description + some upcoming author events in Palo Alto, see the University of Chicago Press website: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo194495767.html On June 13 at 4 PM EST, the press is hosting a virtual event, where I’ll be discussing the book with Patrick McCray (UC Santa Barbara) – here’s the registration link if you’d like to join: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/by-the-book-john-tinnell-in-conversation-with-… Best, John John Tinnell, PhD Director of Digital Studies Associate Professor of English University of Colorado Denver johntinnell.com <http://johntinnell.com/about/> -- Early Blurbs for The Philosopher of Palo Alto "This riveting, up-close account reveals how one man’s dream of benevolent computing helped set us on the road to the hyper-connected, surveillance-driven nightmare we inhabit today. A deeply unsettling and cautionary tale." — Fred Turner, author of From Counterculture to Cyberculture and The Democratic Surround "In the life of Mark Weiser, John Tinnell has found a morality tale for our times. For anyone looking to understand how technology is shaping society today, The Philosopher of Palo Alto is a compelling and necessary read." — Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows and The Glass Cage "Along with Doug Engelbart’s intelligence augmentation and Alan Kay’s Dynabook, Mark Weiser’s ubiquitous computing is one of the three big concepts that Silicon Valley has fed off of for decades. Tinnell has done a wonderful job of capturing the arc of Weiser’s ideas." — John Markoff, author of Whole Earth

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technological obsolescence
by Jonathan Coopersmith 24 May '23

24 May '23

I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful and helpful references about software modernization failures. I am the wiser as hopefully are the readers of https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/05/technological-obsolescence Stay sane, Jonathan Jonathan Coopersmith Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science Professor Emeritus Department of History Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-4236 979.739.4708 (cell) "A Chief Skunk Looks Back," <https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/a-chief-skunk-looks-back/> (interview with Sherm Mullin) *Aerospace America* March 2023 It's taking longer to vote - especially if you are Black or Hispanic <https://theconversation.com/its-taking-more-time-to-cast-a-ballot-in-us-ele…> , theconversation.com Preserving space archives: https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/ *FAXED. The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine* (Johns Hopkins University Press)

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Call for Participants: The Universal Ambitions of Computing (Pre 4S Workshop, Hawaii, Nov6/7, 2023)
by David Ribes 22 May '23

22 May '23

Workshop, The Universal Ambitions of Computing, Hawaii, Nov 6-7 2023 (Pre 4S) We are seeking applicants for our upcoming workshop in Hawaii (November 6-7, 2023) right before the Social Studies of Science (4S) annual conference, where we will be exploring “The Universal Ambitions of Computing” from an STS perspective—broadly construed, both historical and contemporary. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please send a CV and a one-page statement of interest on the topics of the workshop to dribes(a)uw.edu and francis(a)francislee.org before 17th of July. This workshop seeks to cultivate a conversation around the present capacities and future ambitions of computational universalism—ie. the practices of producing algorithms, infrastructures, data, and systems that work here, there, and everywhere—and to foster the exploration of new theories, concepts, and categories as well as cases that can shed light on this issue. Just as with the advent of formal statistics in the 17th and 18th century, computation in the 21st century is making wide claims to knowledge making and ontology. The tools, practices, and infrastructures of computation are becoming a new universal machinery of both truth-making and world-making. Computer science and cognate fields seem to be becoming the lingua franca of the 21st century, with enormous efforts invested in giving “the computational” the power to flatten complex relationships and turn complex worlds into flat and universal systems of knowing and doing. We want to explore questions such as: - What are the effects and consequences of this movement towards computational universalism? - What are the techniques and methods of computational universalism? Who are its actors and drivers? - How is power entangled with universalization? How are computational collectives intertwined and shape the spaces for agency in our world? What actors gain, and which ones lose? - What is excluded from becoming in the world through universalizing practices? The workshop aims to cover lodging and meals during the event (Nov 6-7). Unfortunately we cannot fund all participants’ travel, but we hope that if you are already attending the 4S conference that you will consider joining (we do have a small set of additional travel funds available, so please write to us to discuss if you are pressed for funds). Please note that a 5-page position paper on a topic of your choice will be due in October before the workshop. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at dribes(a)uw.edu and francis(a)francislee.org. We look forward to seeing you in Hawaii, Francis Lee, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, https://francislee.org/ David Ribes, University of Washington, USA, https://davidribes.com

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Internet Histories, Volume 7, Issue 2 (2023) 2022 is now available online
by Asger Harlung 22 May '23

22 May '23

To whom it may concern, The Editorial Staff of Internet Histories is pleased to announce that; Internet Histories, Volume 7, Issue 2 (2023) is now available online. One article (When Wikipedia met Tor) is open access. The full issue may be accessed at this URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rint20/7/2 In this issue: Articles When Wikipedia met Tor: trials of legitimacy at a key moment in internet history | Open Access Sebastiaan Gorissen & Robert W. Gehl Let’s play something awful: a historical analysis of 14 years of threads Brian McKitrick, Martin Gibbs, Melissa J. Rogerson, Bjørn Nansen & Charlotte Pierce Emigration to the internet: “Samizdat” and the genesis of contemporary Russian nationalism Dmitry Mikhailov, Nikolay Ternov & Ivan Bobrov Situating the Internet as infrastructure: the case of post-socialist Lithuania Migle Bareikyte The first propaganda war through computer networks: STEM academia and the breakup of Yugoslavia Mato Brautovic Book Review Resistance to the current: the dialectics of hacking Michael Kurzmeier Kind regards on behalf of the editors, Asger Harlung Editorial Assistant, Internet Histories

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DHST Global History of Science and Technology Festival, 28-30 september 2023
by Liesbeth De Mol 22 May '23

22 May '23

*Call for participation: DHST Global History of Science and Technology Festival 2023* /The Future of History of Science and Technology / History of Science and Technology for the Future/ https://dhst-festival.sciencesconf.org/ /28-30 Sep 2023/ It is our greatest pleasure to announce the first DHST Global History of Science and Technology Festival 2023 to be held as a 24-hours rolling on-line festival across the globe. It will start on september 29, 00:01 am UTC. The theme of the conference is: /The Future of History of Science and Technology / History of Science and Technology for the Future/ The speakers of the festival have been nominated by the different communities represented within DHST (Division for the History of Science and Technology). These will give short talks related to the main topic in one single track with lots of time for discussion. In that sense we aim for a truly global festival in which the different voices represented by DHST will have an opportunity to exchange and discuss together on the main theme. Everyone is free to participate but if you would prefer to stay up to date you can register with your mailing address here: https://dhst-festival.sciencesconf.org/registration We cordially thank the British Society for the History of Science for their generous support in helping us host the event and in particular Sam Robinson who will be in charge of the whole process of running the event on-line. If you would have any further questions regarding this event, please do not hesitate to contact us at: dhst-festival(a)sciencesconf.org with best wishes, Thomas Haddad & Liesbeth De Mol Co-Chairs of the Global HST Festival 2023

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Permanent academic position at Swansea University
by Troy Astarte 16 May '23

16 May '23

Dear SIGCIS Swansea University Department of Computer Science is looking to recruit a lecturer or senior lecturer in Digital Technology. This post would suit a candidate with interdisciplinary research interests studying the interactions between computing technology and society. We invite applications from researchers in fields like history of science, science and technology studies, Digital media, or human centred computing. A successful candidate would be expected to contribute to teaching in computer science. For more information, to make an informal enquiry, or to apply, see: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/jobs-at-swansea/current-vacancies/details/?nPosti… Please note the deadline for application is 2023–05–04. Apologies for the late notice. Best, Dr. Troy Kaighin Astarte (they/them / nhw) 📱 I am currently dictating messages due to RSI. Please forgive any strange spelling. Lecturer, Computer Science / Darlithydd, Cyfrifiadureg Swansea University / Prifysgol Abertawe

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CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods in New York City
by Renzo Taddei 16 May '23

16 May '23

*Apologies for cross-posting. A few seats are still available. Please disseminate this call to potentially interested parties. * *16th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods in New York City* Online: June 19 to 30, 2023 – 9 AM to 12 PM EDT On-site in New York City: July 24 to August 4, 2023 – 9 AM to 12 PM EDT The Comitas Institute for Anthropological Study (CIFAS) is pleased to announce the 16th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods. The course will take place in two sessions: one in an online format at the end of June and another in a face-to-face modality in New York City in July. The Field School aims to offer training in the foundations and practice of ethnographic methods. The faculty works closely with participants to identify the required field methods to address their academic or professional needs. The Field School is suitable for graduate and undergraduate students in social sciences and other fields of study that use qualitative approaches (such as education, communication, cultural studies, health, social work, human ecology, development studies, and consumer behavior, among others), applied social scientists, professionals, and researchers who have an interest in learning more about ethnographic methods and their applications. *Program:* - Foundations of ethnographic research - Theory and practice: social theories in the field - Ethics - Research design - Data collection techniques - Planning the logistics of field research - Digital ethnography - Ethnography in interface with Social Network Analysis and other trends in the field of the digital humanities - Ethnography in specific fields of activity (applied social sciences, health, social service, environmental studies, public policy design, business, and others) - Principles of organization and indexation of field data - Analyzing field data; qualitative analysis software packages: basic principles The total workload of the course is 30 hours. In this edition of the summer school, the option of earning credits is not available. Places are limited. The tuition fee is US$ 1,200. *Comitas Field School Fellowship:* a limited amount of fellowships are available to students from underrepresented minorities and low-income countries. See information on how to apply at the end of the application form. The application should be completed online *here* <http://cifas.us/field-school-registration-form/>. For more information, please see https://cifas.us/field-school/ or email us at fieldschool(a)cifas.us.

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CfA - last call: HaPoC 2023 - 7th International Conference on the History and Philosophy of Computing
by Mate Szabo 15 May '23

15 May '23

*Apologies for cross-posting* Dear all. We will accept submissions for the 7th edition of HaPoC for a few more days. The deadline was today, 15 May, but submissions received by the end of Sunday 21 May (anywhere on Earth) will receive full consideration. If you need any more time, please let us know. Important dates: - Submission deadline: May 21 (extended from April 30) - Notification of acceptance/rejection: June 30th, 2023 - Registration opens: July 1 - Conference: October 18-20, 2023 Conference website: https://hapoc2023.sciencesconf.org/ Submission website: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=hapoc7 HaPoC website (with links to past conferences): https://hapoc.org/ Keynote speakers (confirmed): - Liesbeth de Mol, Lille - Marcin Miłkowski, Warsaw - Corey J. Maley, Lawrence The conference will be held in a hybrid format that is mostly directed at non-presenters. We expect that all presenters will be able to attend in person but will seek to accommodate if need arises. Conference fees will be modest thanks to support from the Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences at Warsaw University of Technology and the National Science Centre. Young researchers who lack travel funding may apply for travel grants of 250 € per person. How to submit: We cordially invite researchers working in a field relevant to the main topics of the conference to submit two items for review: i. a short abstract of 180-200 words and ii. an extended abstract of at most 1.000 words (references included) Submissions shall be made through EasyChair under this link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=hapoc7 All abstracts will be reviewed by the members of the Programme Committee. We look forward to meeting you at HaPoC-7 in Warsaw! The local organising committee --- Lecturer in Computing School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences University of Greenwich https://gre.academia.edu/MateSzabo he/him

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FW: Early history of computation and India?
by Brian Randell 12 May '23

12 May '23

Hi: ’ve been contacted by Martin Gluckman m.gluckman(a)alumni.anu.edu.au<mailto:m.gluckman@alumni.anu.edu.au> and Daniel Grings daniel(a)vedicsociety.org<mailto:daniel@vedicsociety.org> who “are doing a project researching the link between Indian knowledge systems (grammar especially Panini, Logic called Nayaya and Indian mathematics) and the development of computation." They are "in the survey phase and looking for any people who have record of potential influence or links on Boole, Babbage and De Morgan and others." They would appreciate any insights into this topic, or suggestions as to key people. Cheers Brian Randell From: Martin Gluckman <m.gluckman(a)alumni.anu.edu.au> Date: Wednesday, 10 May 2023 at 11:03 To: Brian Randell <brian.randell(a)newcastle.ac.uk> Subject: Early history of computation and India? Dear Dr. Randell, We are doing a project researching the link between Indian knowledge systems (grammer especially Panini, Logic called Nayaya and Indian mathematics) and the development of computation. We are in the survey phase and looking for any people who have record of potential influence or links on Boole, Babbage and De Morgan and others. If you have any insights or key people please do let me know. With warmest wishes, Martin

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James Pelkey - in memory
by Ceruzzi, Paul 12 May '23

12 May '23

Thank you, Andrew for that tribute to James Pelkey. His emphasis on the importance of INTEROP is appropriate and needs emphasis. I cannot resist a story about the INTEROP that took place in Crystal City, outside Washington, in 1987. [Any attendees: please correct me if my memory is faulty, but here goes]: One evening of the meeting, the group was invited to a reception at the National Air and Space Museum, including a screening of the famous IMAX movie "To Fly." I was asked to introduce the film, and when I arrived at the theatre, I noticed the front rows were occupied by folks in Star Trek and related costumes (this is before Cosplay, people!). Some of them heckled me mercilessly, causing me to completely lose it. But a good time was had by all, so I was OK. Later on there was a reception in the main hall, and a woman recognized me, and she blurted out, "Do you have any idea what it's like to be married to one of these people?" Looking back, I feel blessed to have been present at the Creation. Paul Ceruzzi

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