March 2024 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

American codebreaker exhibit - but you can't see it
by Jonathan Coopersmith 30 Dec '24

30 Dec '24

https://dcist.com/story/23/09/22/arlington-foreign-service-institute-recogn… Actually, I suspect we could probably arrange a tour. 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) "Technological obsolescence, <https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/05/technological-obsolescence>" National Academy of Engineering *Perspectives* May 23, 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)

2 1

The impact of computer patents
by Brian Randell 30 Dec '24

30 Dec '24

Hi: I would be grateful for recommendations on books and papers containing thoughtful well-justified discussion of the likely or actual practical impact of the outcomes of the various attempts to patent the concept of a programmable computer (whether granted, refused or invalidated) on the early development of the computer industry, in the US and elsewhere. I have in mind the ENIAC and especially the Konrad Zuse patent cases, but am also interested in any others. (My searches for good references have been hampered by the proliferation of articles on software patenting - a topic which I am not trying to cover.) Cheers Brian Randell Sent from my iPhone

2 1

cfa: The Global Cochlear Implant
by Mara Mills 30 Dec '24

30 Dec '24

The Global Cochlear Implant: Provincializing “Brain Implants” through Disability Technocultures Michele Friedner (University of Chicago) and Mara Mills (New York University) have received funding from the US-based National Endowment for the Humanities <https://www.neh.gov/program/dangers-and-opportunities-technology-perspectiv…>for a conference, working group, and book project on “The Global Cochlear Implant” for the period Fall 2023-Fall 2025. We are seeking chapter contributors for our interdisciplinary edited volume that will focus on: -Historical and contemporary accounts of cochlear implant development and utilization in specific geographic contexts, including developing contexts -Pre-histories of cochlear implant development and use (especially in Russia, France, Austria) -Analysis of the ways that cochlear implantation is changing (or not) deaf and disability identities, socialities, solidarities, and life trajectories in specific geographic contexts - Ethics of cochlear implantation development, dissemination, and use in diverse contexts; an exploration of ethics can also include discussions of brain implants and biotechnology more broadly - Humanistic and aesthetic accounts and representations of cochlear implantation - Histories connecting cochlear implants to the broader category of brain implants Doctoral students are welcome and encouraged to apply. Contributors can be at any academic or non-academic rank and will be offered a stipend for their chapters as well as travel and lodging funds to attend the October 2024 conference in Chicago. Participants will also be invited to attend monthly zoom group meetings where they will receive support for writing their chapters. The deadlines are as follows: 1. Submit abstract and cv to michelefriedner(a)uchicago.edu and mmills(a)nyu.edu <mamills(a)nyu.edu> by December 1 2023; please email both with questions and/or concerns. 2. Decisions will be made by Jan 1, 2024. 3. Working group meetings in support of research and writing of papers will commence first week of February. 4. Conference will be held in October 2024 at the University of Chicago; Participants will present talks based on their chapters. 5. Versions of chapters will be sent to the selected press in April 2025. Project Abstract: Perhaps no medical device has sparked more popular discussion of the “dangers and opportunities of technology” than the cochlear implant (CI). The first true bionic device, CIs (re)produce an absent ‘normal’ human function (Blume 2009). Despite ongoing polarizing debates about the ramifications of CI technology, only a few book-length studies of the technology exist, and these have overwhelmingly emphasized U.S. and European perspectives. This collaborative humanities project will document the impacts of the technology itself (e.g. algorithmic bias), the influence of the global corporations that market it, and the range of ways implants have been domesticated, maintained, and re-interpreted. At this pivotal moment for the development and global dissemination of neuroprosthetics, with brain implants widely featured in the popular press, this multi-disciplinary, international project will serve both a documentary and a comparative function, as well as provide a platform, through our conference and published work, for alternative narratives of CI use. Mara Mills <http://maramills.org/> | Associate Professor | Media, Culture, and Communication | New York University Co-Director, NYU Center for Disability Studies <https://disabilitystudies.nyu.edu/> Crip Authorship: Disability as Method <https://nyupress.org/9781479819355/crip-authorship/>, eds. Mills and Sanchez (NYU 2023) Testing Hearing: The Making of Modern Aurality <https://academic.oup.com/book/36957>, eds. Tkaczyk, Mills, and Hui (Oxford 2020)

2 1

SIGICS update
by Andrew Russell 01 Jul '24

01 Jul '24

Dear SIGCIS friends - I’m writing to share the news that I’m stepping down as SIGCIS Co-Chair. I started as Chair back in 2014, and became Co-Chair when Melanie Swalwell joined me in this role in 2020. I’m really proud of what we’ve built and sustained together as a community! At the same time, I think it’s healthy for SIGCIS to have some rotation in leadership. The tipping point for me came a couple of months ago, when I was named as Officer-in-Charge (aka interim president) of my university, SUNY Polytechnic Institute. This assignment is as rewarding as it is time-consuming, and leaves me little choice but to pull back from some of my professional commitments, including SIGCIS. Fortunately, Melanie Swalwell has agreed to continue on as SIGCIS Chair. She will be writing to the list soon with an update about SIGCIS in 2023 and beyond. Thank you for your support and kindness over the years, and for making SIGCIS a welcoming and fun place to be :) All the best, Andy — — — — — — — — — — — Andrew L. Russell, Ph.D. Officer-in-Charge SUNY Polytechnic Institute 100 Seymour Road Utica, NY 13502 257 Fuller Road Albany, NY 12203 https://sunypoly.edu/ https://arussell.org/

6 5

ROMchip Presents: Whit Pow on People Orientations // FRI April 12 @ 2PM EST
by Laine Nooney 29 Mar '24

29 Mar '24

Join us Friday, April 12, as *ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories *hosts scholar Whit Pow for their talk "People Orientations: Toward a Transgender Video Game and Software History." The event will be at 2PM EST on the *ROMchip *Twitch channel, https://www.twitch.tv/romchipjournal. Sign up for our newsletter <https://romchip.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=27c1594af9abf2dc80455091b&…> to never miss an update. REGISTER HERE <https://www.tickettailor.com/events/romchipajournalofgamehistories/1175812> *About the Talk* Pow's talk traces historically trans critiques, subversions, and re-imaginings of the sovereignty of the computer through the work of three trans programmers and game designers, Danielle (Dani) Bunten Berry, Jamie Faye Fenton, and Cathryn Mataga. Between 1978 and 1998, they programmed and designed experimental video glitch art, artificial intelligences, and networked online media that imagined unprecedented uses for video games and computer software—new methods that questioned the binary of computer code and challenged the sovereignty of the computer systems on which their games and programs were designed to be played. In their work, Berry, Fenton and Mataga positioned the home computer and video game console not as the site of unlimited futures and possibilities, but as objects that were inherently limited, that oversimplified, and that could never really hold or simulate the complexity of human life and choice during a period of great change with regard to the shifting visibility, diagnosis, and control of trans people in medical history. *About the Author*Whit Pow (they/them) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University. Their book project, *People Orientations: Toward a Transgender Video Game and Software History*, looks at the intersection of trans medical history, surveillance, and policy with computer and video game history. Their work has been published in and is forthcoming from *Camera Obscura*, *Feminist Media Histories*, *ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories*, the art magazine *Outland*, and on the Social Science Research Council’s *Just Tech* platform, among others. Pow is a recipient of the NYU Center for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship. *About ROMchip**ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories <https://www.romchip.org/>* is a free, online scholarly journal for game history. *ROMchip *develops, edits, and publishes ad-free, open access game history research for a range of audiences. It supports any discipline of work enlivening the history of games in local and global contexts, and embraces diversity in how game history is studied, documented, collected, preserved, and practiced. Learn more about our Spring Fundraiser <https://donate.romchip.org/>!* ROM* *c**hip* is a donation-based organization fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation <https://hackclub.com/fiscal-sponsorship/> (d.b.a. Hack Club), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 81-2908499).

1 0

A paper on Konrad Zuse and Percy Ludgate
by Brian Randell 28 Mar '24

28 Mar '24

Dear SIGCIS: I trust I might be permitted to publicise here the fact that the paper: "How Percy Ludgate’s 1909 paper (and IBM) helped thwart Konrad Zuse’s Computer Patent in 1960" by Brian Coghlan, Ralf Buelow and myself has been accepted for publication in the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. It is due to appear in Volume 46, Issue 3, July-September 2024. Paper Abstract: "This investigation outlines how Percy Ludgate’s 1909 paper describing his design for a mechanical computer, his “Analytical Machine”, was used in 1960 by a German patent attorney to thwart Konrad Zuse’s computer patent, just in time, as the patent (first applied for on 16th June 1941), was about to be granted. This narrative is then followed by analyses of, and discovery of proof of, the role of IBM in preventing Zuse from getting what would have been the premier patent on the concept of a programmable computer, and then by an exploration of how information about Ludgate’s 1909 paper was found by (or for) the opposing German patent attorney." The accepted paper is available online at: https://www.scss.tcd.ie/SCSSTreasuresCatalog/ludgate/lnk131.html In addition, English translations of all the relevant Zuse patent litigation documents are provided onlne (side-by-side with transcriptions of the German originals from the ZIB.de Zuse Archive file as interleaved PDF documents), together with a large number of other supporting documents, at: https://www.scss.tcd.ie/SCSSTreasuresCatalog/ludgate/lnk610.html Quoting from our paper's Concluding Remarks: "The very fact that Ludgate’s 1909 paper on his Analytical Machine was employed to thwart Zuse’s attempt to patent the computer refutes the prevalent assumption that Ludgate had no influence on modern computing, and that his work is just of historical interest. Whatever the scale of their influence, patents can impact the commercial activities in the sector they apply to. Hence Ludgate’s paper clearly did have a potential influence on the commercial future of computers, even if his work was unknown to the developers of the early electronic computers. However, we have deliberately avoided speculating on the types or the extent of the possible commercial consequences, either to Zuse’s company, or to the rest of the computer industry, of the thwarting of Zuse’s attempts to obtain what would have been the first patent on a programmable computer." We would however be interested to receive informed comments on this issue, and also suggestions as to any further avenues we might pursue in attempting to identify exactly how information on Ludgate's work reached the opposing patent attorney. 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 = https://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/staff/profile/brianrandell.html

2 1

NYU Zoom Panel April 4 - Computer Pasts/Computer Futures
by Joly MacFie 27 Mar '24

27 Mar '24

https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/events/deans-public-square-series-computer-pasts… Retold by the chosen few, mythologies about the development of the computer industry account for much of the contemporary understanding of how innovation transpires. How can a historical reconsideration dismantle the assumptions that drive computing today? How might computer history reconfigure technological change? Sparked by Assistant Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication Laine Nooney's book, The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal, this discussion features some of today's most provocative thinkers and writers; including Cory Doctorow, Malcolm Harris, Laine Nooney, Charlton McIlwain. Moderated by Joanne McNeil. Note on Accessibility: This virtual event requires an internet connection and a computer or a smartphone. Zoom automatic captioning will be enabled for this event. NYU provides reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations for events and services should be submitted at least two weeks before the event. Please email steinhardt.events(a)nyu.edu for assistance. -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

1 0

Python
by Troy Astarte 26 Mar '24

26 Mar '24

Hi list, Does anyone have any sources on the history of the Python programming language, its uses in education, healthcare, and AI, and how it has shaped the way computing is done in these areas? A quick around my library of sources didn’t turn up any obvious starting points. Asking for a student :-) Best, Dr. Troy Kaighin Astarte (they/them / nhw) Lecturer, Computer Science / Darlithydd, Cyfrifiadureg Swansea University / Prifysgol Abertawe For students: my drop in hours are on the Intranet<https://fse-intranet.swan.ac.uk/intranet/staff_officehours?selected_staff_i…> (office CoFo 407) I fyfyrwyr: mae fy oriau swyddfa ar y fewnrwyd. Meeting booking: via Office Booking<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/8e101a47e22e4af793d033901758d0e4…>. Zoom office: https://swanseauniversity.zoom.us/my/t.k.astarte Every email has a cost to the climate. Please think before sending short emails. Mae gan bob e-bost gost i’r hinsawdd. Meddyliwch cyn i chi anfon e-byst byr. Due to RSI sometimes I’ll need to dictate messages and they might come out a bit weird. Thanks for your patience.

4 3

Research Sabbaticals (Fellowships) and Working Groups at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS)
by CAIS-CFA 18 Mar '24

18 Mar '24

The Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) funds innovative projects that deal with the social opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation. We support individual researchers and groups. You want to spend a sabbatical in a vibrant interdisciplinary research community? Become a fellow at CAIS! A fellowship at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) releases you from your regular work obligations and opens up new perspectives. As a fellow, you can spend either six or three months in Bochum, Germany. During this period, we will finance your sabbatical leave from work through compensation (e.g. for a teaching substitute). Alternatively, we will pay grants of up to 2.000 € per month. You can invite guests for collaboration and will receive financial support for research expenses. Individual offices and meeting rooms with modern facilities offer optimal working conditions. In addition, we will provide comfortable apartments free of charge. Find out more at https://www.cais-research.de/en/cais-college/fellowships/ You want to boost your collaboration? Bring your group together at CAIS! Working groups bring together experts from different locations to work on joint projects in an inspiring environment. We provide modern meeting facilities and catering for working groups of up to twelve members. In addition, we will cover travel and accommodation expenses. You can spend up to three weeks in Bochum or get together for up to three shorter meetings. Find out more at https://www.cais-research.de/en/cais-college/working-groups/ Application The next deadline for applications is 30 April 2024. The earliest possible starting date for new fellowships is April 2025. The earliest possible starting date for new working groups is January 2025. You can also combine both programs. Please use the application forms provided on our website. The funding program is open to excellent scholars and practitioners, to all career stages, disciplines and areas of investigation, as well as to pure research and to projects that are more applied in orientation. Further questions? Please contact esther.laufer(a)cais-research.de<mailto:esther.laufer@cais-research.de>. ***** Dr. Esther Laufer Leiterin CAIS Kolleg/ Director CAIS College Telefon: +49 234 95315029/ 0176 42404004 email: esther.laufer(a)cais-research.de<mailto:esther.laufer@cais-research.de> Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) gGmbH Konrad-Zuse-Straße 2a 44801 Bochum Deutschland / Germany Sitz/ HQ: Bochum - Amtsgericht Bochum HRB 16476 Geschäftsführer:innen/ Board of Directors: Prof. Dr. Christiane Eilders, Tim Pfenner Vorsitzende des Aufsichtsrats/ Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board: Dr. Christina Reinhardt

1 0

CfP - History of the Philosophy of Technology
by Ward, Jacob (HISTORY) 18 Mar '24

18 Mar '24

Apologies for x-posting, and on behalf of the conference organisers Darryl Cressman and Massimiliano Simons, SIGCIS members may find this CfP of interest: Call for Abstracts Conference on the History of the Philosophy of Technology October 28-30, 2024, Maastricht University, the Netherlands The History of the Philosophy of Technology Working Group at Maastricht University invites submissions for its first conference on the History of the Philosophy of Technology. We define the philosophy of technology as a wide-ranging and comprehensive field of study that includes the philosophical study of particular technologies and the different ways that technology, more broadly, has been considered philosophically. We encourage and promote work that explores these aspects historically, expanding established narratives by mapping interactions between technology and philosophy across different epochs and cultures. For our first conference, we invite papers on any topic related to the history of the philosophy of technology, and in particular we are interested in the following topics and themes: · The work of different thinkers about technology throughout history, both well-known and overlooked figures and narratives, including non-western traditions and narratives that engage with technology · Identifying and analyzing the cultural, social, political, and sociotechnical contexts that have shaped philosophical responses to technology, including historical responses to new and emerging technologies (cybernetics, automation, printing press, etc.) · Exploring the disciplines and intellectual traditions whose impacts can be traced across different philosophies of technology, including Science and Technology Studies (STS), the history of technology, critical theory, phenomenology, feminist philosophy, hermeneutics, and ecology, to name only a few. · Histories of different "schools" of philosophical thought about technology, for example French philosophy of technology, Japanese philosophy of technology, Dutch philosophy of technology · The empirical turn and other intellectual histories of the philosophy technology · Mapping the hidden philosophies of technology in the work of philosophers (e.g. Foucault, Arendt, Sloterdijk) and traditions whose work is not often associated with technology (e.g. German idealism, logical empiricism, existentialism, Lebensphilosophie) · Investigations of premodern philosophical perspectives on craftsmanship, artisanal knowledge, and their relevance to contemporary debates on technology · Investigations of historical conceptions of nature, the environment, and their entanglements with technology in philosophical discourses · Exploring the contributions of literature, art, design theory, architecture, and media theory/history towards a philosophy of technology Please submit abstracts of 250-300 words + a short biography by Monday 13 May, 2024 to histphiltech(a)gmail.com<mailto:histphiltech@gmail.com>. We are also interested in panels of 3-5 papers. We welcome submissions from scholars at all career stages. Notifications of acceptance and conference program will be sent out by early June 2024. If you have any questions, please contact either darryl.cressman(a)maastrichtuniversity.nl<mailto:darryl.cressman@maastrichtuniversity.nl> or massimiliano.simons(a)maastrichtuniversity.nl<mailto:massimiliano.simons@maastrichtuniversity.nl> Keynotes Dr. Federica Buongiorno (Florence) Dr. Buongiorno is an assistant professor in theoretic philosophy and the phenomenology of technology at the University of Florence. She has published work on Italian phenomenology, media theory, Edmund Husserl's ideas about technology, and Bernard Stiegler's work. She is also the Italian translator of Byung-Chul Han's books. Dr. Francois-Xavier Guchet (Compiègne) Dr.Guchet is professor at the Université de technologie de Compiègne. He has written extensively across topics in the philosophy of technology, including work on Gilbert Simondon, Hans Jonas, and André Leroi-Gourhan. He also served as one of the editors for the book French Philosophy of Technology: Classical Readings and Contemporary Approaches (2018). Jacob Ward Assistant Professor in History and STS Department of History/MUSTS Research Cluster Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences j.ward(a)maastrichtuniversity.nl <mailto:j.ward@maastrichtuniversity.nl> https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/j.ward<https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/p70066608> Visiting address: 2.031, Grote Gracht 80-82, 6211 SZ Maastricht Mailing address: FASoS/History Maastricht University P.O. Box 616 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands

1 0