August 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)

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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

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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)

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A new book on writing computer and information history
by William Aspray 02 Oct '24

02 Oct '24

Some of you may be interested in a book that I edited, published by Rowman & Littlefield (as of last week, now part of Bloomsbury), entitled Writing Computer and Information History: Approaches, Reflections, and Connections. The e-book is already out, and the hardcover will launch June 14. The book includes chapters by 18 authors experienced in writing computer history or information history: Toni Weller, Thomas Haigh, James Cortada, Laura Skouvig, Geoffrey Bowker and John Leslie King, David Gugerli and Daniela Zetti, Shane Greenstein, Daniel Garcia Swartz and Martin Campbell-Kelly, Philip Doty and William Aspray, Valerie Schafer, Matthew Jones, Howard Rosenbaum, Greg Downey, and Liesbeth De Mol. Bill Aspray

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NSA releases 1982 Grace Hopper lecture
by Eileen Buckholtz 26 Aug '24

26 Aug '24

NSA just released the 1982 Grace Hopper lecture. https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-Release-View… eCheers, Eileen -- Eileen Buckholtz Queens of Code <https://www.facebook.com/queensofcode> Inspiring True Stories from NSA's Computing Women MIT Press, April 2025 https://www.queensofcode.com https://www.facebook.com/queensofcode

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1982 NSA Grace Hopper lecture - a challenge in accessing?
by Jonathan Coopersmith 26 Aug '24

26 Aug '24

https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2024/jul/10/grace-hopper-lost-lectur… Where's MacGyver when really needed? 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) David Thompson, "Commercial Space Trailblazer, <https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/commercial-space-trailblazer/> " *Aerospace America* June 2024 "Technological obsolescence, <https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/05/technological-obsolescence>" National Academy of Engineering *Perspectives* May 23, 2023 Preserving space archives: https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/

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Fwd: Old SI Publications
by JC tamu 22 Aug '24

22 Aug '24

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ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories: Editorial Assistant Needed
by Laine Nooney 21 Aug '24

21 Aug '24

*ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories* is currently seeking an Editorial Assistant. The Editorial Assistant will work closely with the Managing Editor to execute all elements of the journal’s editorial process in a timely and professional manner. Estimated workload is 5-8 hours per month, with the higher volume occurring during our publication schedule (June/July and November/December). This is an unpaid, volunteer-based service role intended for a professional academic. As this is an unpaid role, a PhD in a related field and secured employment is preferred. Job responsibilities include assisting the Managing Editor with the following tasks: - handling general correspondence with authors and reviewers - sending copy out for peer review and following up on reviewer timelines - processing copy through ROMchip’s online submission system, and between authors and our freelance copy editor - formatting copy for online publication - drafting our biannual newsletter/issue announcements - drafting social media posts based on provided templates - attending monthly Editorial Group meetings and updating the agenda - additional editorial tasks deemed appropriate by the Managing Editor *Submission Guidelines* Please send your application to Henry Lowood [lowood(a)stanford.edu] as a single PDF with 3 sections: 1. A letter of intent outlining your interest and relevant experience (1 pg max) 2. CV 3. Name, affiliation, and email for two references Material due by September 30, with interviews to follow in mid-late October. Anticipated start by late November/early December 2024; 6 month trial period to start. -- Laine Nooney <http://www.lainenooney.com/> Associate Professor | MCC <http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/mcc/> @ NYU <http://www.nyu.edu/> | they/them Managing Editor | ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories <https://romchip.org/index.php/romchip-journal> | Join our Newsletter <http://eepurl.com/crCul1> -Need to make an appt? Click, don't email: https://calendar.app.google/V9ZuMRWEKnnUBdQ56 -Probably typed by voice recognition, so please cherish typos

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New Book: Oral history of Gamergate’s aftermath — out today
by David Wolinsky 13 Aug '24

13 Aug '24

Hello all, I’m a former Onion and NBC editor turned documentary researcher, oral historian, and now author. While I’m not an academic, Stanford has recognized the significance of my independent oral history work on Gamergate, which has officially become a book as of today: The Hivemind Swarmed <https://www.beacon.org/The-Hivemind-Swarmed-P2122.aspx>. For the past 10 years, ever since Gamergate began, I’ve been on an odyssey to make sense of it by interviewing everyone humanly possible — a quest I’ve pursued whenever my schedule as a scraping-by freelancer would allow. I’ve conducted over 500 interviews, bringing together a group of interdisciplinary narrators from all over the world. Most of these interviews have been made available online as time allowed (this project has been only me) at Don’t Die <https://nodontdie.com/>. Stanford houses everything <https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13768655> I haven’t been able to find time to transcribe, polish, etc. from the last decade. THE HIVEMIND SWARMED, an oral history exploring Gamergate’s aftermath, examines where we are today as a result, and what has (or hasn’t) changed in videogame industry and culture. It represents stories from 90 additional narrators, and where they think the whole debacle got us. I believe this book could serve as a valuable resource for scholarship or classroom instruction, offering a comprehensive and diverse perspective on a pivotal moment in digital culture. If you need a quick refresher on Gamergate, The Week <https://theweek.com/culture-life/what-was-gamergate-and-why-are-we-still-ta…> just ran a good overview of why it still matters, and Wired <https://www.wired.com/story/gamergates-legacy-lives-on-in-attacks-against-k…> has a pretty timely update on how what it set in motion continues to live on. Sincerely, I hope my book helps people. And just wanted to make you all aware! https://www.beacon.org/The-Hivemind-Swarmed-P2122.aspx ///// “Out of the transient and ephemeral effluvia of the internet comes something ivied, revelatory, permanent. Bravo.” —Ken Burns, filmmaker Description: *An incisive oral history that brings together the voices of major figures in gaming, tech, media, and politics to reflect on the long shadow of Gamergate* With *The Hivemind Swarmed*, oral historian and documentary researcher David Wolinsky invites readers to sit in on a series of urgent, intimate conversations between some of the most distinguished voices across entertainment industries and media as they reflect on the longstanding impact of Gamergate. What went wrong, and what can we learn from Gamergate to help us build a more equitable online world? The backstory: 10 years ago, a disgruntled software developer named Eron Gjoni posted online to accuse his ex-girlfriend, game developer Zoë Quinn, of sleeping with game critics in exchange for positive reviews. He offered no evidence to back up his claims. However, his posts were picked up by extremists in the gaming community who built a vicious online movement targeting women, minorities, and progressive voices. Rallying under the hashtag #gamergate, they sent their victims round-the-clock death and rape threats. Game companies, for the most part, declined to take action as their female employees were harassed out of their jobs. The FBI launched an investigation but found “no true threat.” Gamergate holds the grim distinction of being the first modern online harassment campaign. It arguably served as a model for the alt-right movement that would help propel Donald Trump to the White House. And it highlighted a toxic media culture—not just in gaming, but in film, TV, journalism, and more—in which leaders, through their passivity, took the side of the oppressor. Now, 10 years later—in the wake of #MeToo, Charlottesville, the Trump years, and the January 6 insurrection—the questions discussed here are more important than ever.

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The fake chess-playing automaton/the mysterious Peruvian abacus
by herbert.bruderer＠bluewin.ch 08 Aug '24

08 Aug '24

Dear all: To this day, it is unknown how the Inka calculated with their mysterious abacus, the Yupana. Perhaps of interest to you: Bruderer, H. (2024). How did the Inka Calculate? The Yupana, a Mysterious Peruvian Abacus. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13174318 https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13174317 Bruderer, H. (2024). Yupana, ein rätselhafter peruanischer Abakus. Wie haben die Inka gerechnet? Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13175212 https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13175211 And: The fake chess-playing automaton: Technical Marvels, Part 5: Chess Automatons – Communications of the ACM Chess robots, from a fake automaton to a world champion-defeating program. Best wishes, Herbert Bruderer -- Bruderer Informatik Seehaldenstrasse 26 Postfach 47 CH-9401 Rorschach Switzerland Telefon +41 71 855 77 11

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