February 2025 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

available now for pre-order: Other Networks / A Radical Technology Sourcebook
by Lori Emerson 21 Nov '25

21 Nov '25

Dear all, At long last, my beloved book, Other Networks:A Radical Technology Sourcebook, is officially available from Anthology Editions for pre-order here<https://shop.mexicansummer.com/merch/495898-lori-emerson-other-networks-a-r…>! Sadly, despite publishing many beautifully designed art books, the publisher won’t be around for much longer which means there are only 1000 copies available of Other Networks. If you think you’d like a copy, consider pre-ordering as soon as you can manage it. With deep gratitude to my editor Mark Iosifescu<https://iosifescu.biz/>, book cover designer Robert Beatty<https://robertbeattyart.com/>, and interior book designer Ella Gold<https://ellagold.com/>, Other Networks catalogs 80+ networks that preceded or existed outside of the internet. It is also an educational project that comes out of my belief that we are all capable both of understanding networks from the past and of building alternative networks for the future; a love letter to experimental art and technology; and a liberatory guide for escaping the corporate present. The design brilliantly both recalls the long history of telecommunications networks (exemplified by late 19th century/early 20th century telegraph and telephone manuals) and rewrites that same history to have a more global perspective and to include more women; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; and artist experiments with/on these pre-internet networks. Below is the table of contents. I have also posted on my blog excerpts from or expanded versions of entries on microbroadcasting<https://loriemerson.net/2024/09/21/the-history-of-microbroadcasting-and-how…>, barbed wire fence phones<https://loriemerson.net/2024/08/31/a-brief-history-of-barbed-wire-fence-tel…>, and imaginary networks<https://loriemerson.net/2025/01/04/brief-notes-toward-activating-the-potent…>. Sincerely, Lori (Emerson) *** Chronological List of Networks<https://loriemerson.net/2024/03/15/chronological-list-of-networks-in-other-…> Chronological List of Network Experiments<https://loriemerson.net/2024/03/15/chronological-list-of-network-experiment…> Acknowledgements Foreword Introduction Wireless Networks: Sound Networks [1] Drums [2] Whistling Air Networks [3] Fire or Smoke Signals [4] Pneumatic Tubes [5] Skywriting Water Networks [6] Hydraulic Semaphore Optical Networks [7] Flag Signaling [8] Optical Telegraph [9] Infrared Communication [10] Signal Lamp [11] Heliograph [12] Photophone [13] Ultraviolet Communication [14] Laser Communication [15] Visible Light Communication Radio Networks [16] Amateur Radio [16.1] Radiotelegraphy [16.2] Radioteletype [16.3] Amateur Television [16.4] Hellschreiber [16.5] Earth-Moon-Earth Communication [16.6] Amateur Radio Satellite [16.7] Amateur Packet Radio [17] Radio Broadcast [18] Pirate Radio [19] Radiofax [20] Two-Way Radio [21] Pager [22] Meteor Burst Communication [23] Slow Scan Television [24] Project West Ford [25] Pirate Television [26] Packet Radio Network [27] Microbroadcast [28] Software Defined Radio [29] Wi-Fi [30] Bluetooth Microwave Networks [31] Microwave Radio-Relay [32] Communications Satellite Wired Networks: Electrical Wire Networks [33] Electrical telegraph [33.1] Electrical Printing Telegraph [33.2] Image Telegraph [33.3] Fire Alarm Telegraph [33.4] Pantelegraph [33.5] Telephonic Telegraph [34] Telephone [35] Wired Radio [36] Telautograph [37] Telefacsimile [38] Videophone [39] Telex Barbed Wire Networks [40] Barbed Wire Telegraph [41] Fence Phones Hybrid Networks: [42] Library [43] Book [44] Postal System [44.1] Pigeon Post [44.2] Projectile Post [44.3] Balloon Mail [44.4] Pony Express [44.5] Airgraph and V-Mail [44.6] Email Letter [45] Sneakernet [46] Radio Broadcast Network [47] Broadcast Television [48] Cable Television [48.1] NABU [49] Cellular Network [50] Time-Sharing Network [51] Teletext [52] Videotex Imaginary Networks: [53] Necromancy [54] Pasilalinic-Sympathetic Compass [55] Telephonoscope [56] Telepathy [57] Ley Lines [58] Mundaneum [59] World Brain [60] Memex [61] Faster-Than-Light Communication Networks [62] Project Xanadu [63] Metaverse [64] The Clacks [65] Pandoran Neural Network [66] Cosmic Internet -- “I use technology in order to hate it properly.” — Nam June Paik Lori Emerson | KF0LCB | she/her/they/them Associate Professor | Associate Chair Graduate Studies | Director, Media Archaeology Lab Media Studies Department | University Colorado Boulder Traditional territories of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook<https://shop.mexicansummer.com/merch/495898-lori-emerson-other-networks-a-r…> Mastodon<https://post.lurk.org/@loriemerson> | Bluesky<https://bsky.app/profile/loriemerson.net> | loriemerson.net<http://loriemerson.net/> | mediaarchaeologylab.com<http://mediaarchaeologylab.com/>

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Reminder: CfA Research Sabbaticals (Fellowships) and Working Groups at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS)
by Esther Laufer 24 Feb '25

24 Feb '25

The Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) funds innovative research on the societal opportunities and challenges of digital transformation. We support individual researchers (fellows) and collaborative projects (working groups). Fellowships: Time and Space for Focus and Inspiration A fellowship at CAIS provides the freedom to dedicate yourself to your research and the opportunity to engage with a vibrant interdisciplinary community. Step away from your daily work obligations to gain new perspectives and build connections. As a fellow, you can spend either six or three months in Bochum, Germany. During this time, we will cover your sabbatical leave from work through financial compensation (e.g. for a teaching substitute) or provide grants of up to 2.000 € per month. You can invite guests for collaboration and receive financial support for research expenses. Private offices and meeting rooms with modern facilities offer optimal working conditions. In addition, we will provide a fully furnished apartment free of charge. Find out more: https://www.cais-research.de/en/cais-college/fellowships/ Working Groups: Boost Your Research Collaboration A working group at CAIS enables you to assemble your own team of experts from different locations to collaborate in a stimulating environment. We provide modern meeting facilities and catering for groups of up to ten members. In addition, we will cover travel and accommodation expenses. You can spend up to three weeks in Bochum or get together for several shorter meetings. Find out more: https://www.cais-research.de/en/cais-college/working-groups/ Application The next deadline for applications is 28 February 2025. The earliest possible start date for new fellowships is April 2026. Working groups can currently apply for meetings in 2026. Please use the application forms provided on our website. The funding program is open to excellent scholars and practitioners at all career stages and from all disciplines. Both fundamental research and applied projects are welcome. Questions? Please contact esther.laufer(a)cais-research.de mailto:esther.laufer@cais-research.de.

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2025 Computer History Museum Prize nominations due April 30
by Elizabeth Petrick 20 Feb '25

20 Feb '25

Dear SIGCIS, I'm happy to announce that nominations are now open for the 2025 Computer History Museum Prize. We're following a new procedure this year, so please read the instructions below carefully. The Computer History Museum Prize is awarded to the author of an outstanding book in the history of computing broadly conceived, published during the prior three years. The prize of $1,000 is awarded by SIGCIS, the Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society. SIGCIS is part of the Society for the History of Technology. In 2012 the prize was endowed in perpetuity through a generous bequest from the estate of Paul Baran, a legendary computer innovator and entrepreneur best known for his work to develop and promote the packet switching approach on which modern networks are built. Baran was a longtime supporter of work on the history of information technology and named the prize to celebrate the contributions of the Computer History Museum to that field. *2025 Nomination instructions* Books published in 2022, 2023, and 2024 are eligible for the 2025 prize. Books in translation are eligible for three years following the date of their publication in English. Publishers, authors, and other interested members of the computer history community are invited to nominate books. Please note that books nominated in previous years may be nominated again, provided they have been published in the timeframes specified above. Please fill out the Google Form and then send both digital and physical copies of the nominated title to each of the committee members, with a postmark no later than *April 30, 2025*. After you complete the Google Form, you will be shown a confirmation page with the committee members' addresses. If you run into technical problems, please contact me. Please direct any other questions to the 2025 committee chair, Mar Hicks, mhicks(a)virginia.edu. *Google Form* https://forms.gle/L91wB6jGgVZZx6m47 *2025 Prize Committee Members* Mar Hicks (Chair) David Brock Sarah T Roberts All the best, Liz Petrick SIGCIS Co-Chair _________________ Elizabeth Petrick Associate Professor Department of History Rice University

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CFP: IEEE CCECE History Track (UBC, 26-29 May 2025, Deadline March 17)
by Scott Campbell 20 Feb '25

20 Feb '25

Send on behalf of David Michelson, IEEE: The IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, https://ccece2025.ieee.ca will be held at UBC in Vancouver from 26-29 May. The conference will feature a special session on the History of Technology. This is a great opportunity for those pursuing STS studies in this field to engage with practitioners and share their work. Either abstracts (up to 250 words) or full papers (5-7 pages) concerning, but not limited to, the following topics are welcome: * the history of electrical engineering, electronics, and computing, their applications, and their impact on social and economic development * the people, programs, places, policies, institutions, and organizations that have shaped the history of electrical engineering, electronics and computing * efforts to preserve and promote our technological history and heritage Only full papers will be submitted to IEEE Xplore. Contributions from academia, government, industry, non-profit organizations, and IEEE members and OUs are all encouraged. Important Dates: * Deadline for submission of full papers (5-7 pages) or Abstract (up to 250 words): March 17, 2025 * Notification of Acceptance: March 24, 2025 * Author Registration & Camera-Ready Submission: March 28, 2025 * Conference: 26-29 May 2025 Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require further information. — David Michelson dmichelson(a)ieee.org

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deus ex machina: naive question
by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo 18 Feb '25

18 Feb '25

Hello I am asking for a colleague, would anyone be able to point me in the right direction? Looking for academic work (particularly in the history of computing) around the concept of deux ex machina and its intersection with entrepreneurship. Thank you Bernardo (Northumbria, Newcastle) -- ================== Twitter @BatizLazo Cash and Dash: How ATMs and Computers Changed Banking By Bernardon Batiz-Lazo (Oxford University Press, 2018) https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cash-and-dash-9780198782810?cc=gb&l… The Book of Payments: Historical and Contemporary Views on the Cashless Society Edited by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo and Leonidas Efthymiou (Palgrave, 2016) http://www.palgrave.com/de/book/9781137602305 Technological Innovation in Retail Finance: International Historical Perspectives Edited by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo, J. Carles Maixé-Altés, and Paul Thomes (Routledge, 2011) http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/books/details/9780415880671 Home page: https://researchportal.northumbria.ac.uk/en/researchers/bernardo-batizlazo(… Working papers: http://ideas.repec.org/e/pba14.html

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2025 Mahoney Prize nominations
by Elizabeth Petrick 17 Feb '25

17 Feb '25

Dear SIGCIS, Nominations are now open for the 2025 Mahoney Prize. The Mahoney Prize recognizes an outstanding article in the history of computing and information technology, broadly conceived. The Mahoney Prize commemorates the late Princeton scholar Michael S. Mahoney, whose profound contributions to the history of computing came from his many articles and book chapters. The prize consists of a $500 award and a certificate. For the 2025 prize, articles published in the preceding three years (2022, 2023, and 2024) are eligible for nomination. The Mahoney Prize is awarded by the Special Interest Group in Computers, Information, and Society (SIGCIS). We plan to present the prize at the annual SIGCIS meeting.. Please email copies of articles being nominated to the 2025 Prize Committee by April 15, 2025. Self-nominations are welcome, as are nominations from SIGCIS members. Information on previous winning essays may be found on the website: https://www.sigcis.org/mahoneyprize <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.sigcis.org/mahoneyprize__;!!BuQPrrm…> 2025 prize committee information: David Murphy (Chair) Senior Lecturer, Digital, Tech, Innovation & Business Staffordshire University david.murphy(a)staffs.ac.uk Janet Toland Adjunct School of Information Management Victoria University of Wellington janet.toland(a)vuw.ac.nz Luke Stark Assistant Professor Faculty of Information and Media Studies University of Western Ontario cstark23(a)uwo.ca Best, Liz Petrick _________________ Elizabeth Petrick Associate Professor Department of History Rice University

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[CfP] Network Ecologies Reimagined (Irvine, CA: 5/16–17 | Deadline: 3/2)
by Alexander Rudenshiold 12 Feb '25

12 Feb '25

Hello SIGCIS community! Excited to announce this year’s UC–Irvine Digital Humanities Exchange conference which might be of interest to some here—to be held in-person 5/16 & 5/17—which is themed this year around intersections of internet and environment. We encourage submissions from a variety of disciplines, and hope you’ll consider applying. You can find the full CfP at this link <https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vS3Duxh9es44SoijyBvIlkRtLGj…>. The deadline for 300–500 word proposals is 3/2. Thanks, and looking forward to reading your submissions! – Alex Rudenshiold (on behalf of the conference organizing committee) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Alexander <https://twitter.com/rudenshiold>@ <https://twitter.com/rudenshiold>Rudenshiold <https://twitter.com/rudenshiold> Film & Media Studies Ph.D. student @ UC – Irvine + UAW 4811 head steward + C.A.T.S. Lab (UCI Informatics) rudenshiold.com <https://rudenshiold.com/> // Infant Island <https://infantisland.bandcamp.com/> // Mattachine <https://mattachine.bandcamp.com/>

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THIS FRIDAY @ 2PM ET: Tom Boellstorff & Braxton Soderman on the Mattel Intellivision
by Laine Nooney 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

Join us Friday, February 14, as *ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories *hosts scholars Tom Boellstorff and Braxton Soderman for a talk about their co-authored book *Intellivision: How a Videogame System Battled Atari and Almost Bankrupted Barbie.* The event will be at 2PM ET on the *ROMchip *Twitch channel, https://www.twitch.tv/romchipjournal. Get tickets HERE <https://www.tickettailor.com/events/romchipajournalofgamehistories/1498801> and sign up for our newsletter <https://romchip.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=27c1594af9abf2dc80455091b&…> to never miss an update. **Tickets serve as calendar reminders for the event; they are not required to attend. Head to https://www.twitch.tv/romchipjournal to join the talk on Feb 14** *About the Book* *The engaging story of Intellivision, an overlooked videogame system from the late 1970s and early 1980s whose fate was shaped by Mattel, Atari, and countless others who invented the gaming industry.* *Astrosmash*, *Snafu*, *Star Strike*, *Utopia*—do these names sound familiar to you? No? Maybe? They were all videogames created for the Intellivision videogame system, sold by Mattel Electronics between 1979 and 1984. This system was Atari's main rival during a key period when videogames were moving from the arcades into the home. In *Intellivision*, Tom Boellstorff and Braxton Soderman tell the fascinating inside story of this overlooked gaming system. Along the way, they also analyze Intellivision's chips and code, games, marketing and business strategies, organizational and social history, and the cultural and economic context of the early US games industry from the mid-1970s to the great videogame industry crash of 1983. While many remember Atari, Intellivision has largely been forgotten. As such, *Intellivision* fills a crucial gap in videogame scholarship, telling the story of a console that sold millions and competed aggressively against Atari. Drawing on a wealth of data from both institutional and personal archives and over 150 interviews with programmers, engineers, executives, marketers, and designers, Boellstorff and Soderman examine the relationship between videogames and toys—an under-analyzed aspect of videogame history—and discuss the impact of home computing on the rise of videogames, the gendered implications of play and videogame design at Mattel, and the blurring of work and play in the early games industry. *About the Speakers* Tom Boellstorff is Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of *The Gay Archipelago*, *A Coincidence of Desires*, and *Coming of Age in Second Life*. Braxton Soderman is Associate Professor in the Department of Film & Media Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of *Against Flow: Video Games and the Flowing Subject* (MIT Press). *Upcoming Events* February 22 @ 11AM-11PM ET: ROMchip Twitch Fundraiser Stream, ft Phil Salvador, merritt k, qdot, Paolo Pedercini, tinahacks, Jason Scott and more! Come through for 12 hours of games, prizes, and historical hijinks. Learn more HERE <https://donate.romchip.org/>. *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. *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). -- 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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Book Talk - Analog Superpowers: How Twentieth-Century Technology Theft Built the National Security State
by Brian Berg 06 Feb '25

06 Feb '25

Hello, A hybrid event on Tue, 11 March, at 7pm Pacific Time (Wed, 12 March at 2am GMT) will feature author Dr. Kate Epstein about how both the British and US government stole intellectual property in the interests of defense. *In this talk, which draws on her new book Analog Superpowers: How Twentieth-Century Technology Theft Built the National Security State <https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo222008444.html>, Katherine C. Epstein will explore a little-known but important chapter in the history of analog computing, and its surprising connections with today’s world of digital devices and great-power competition.* *In the decade before World War I, two British civilians named Arthur Pollen and Harold Isherwood invented an artificially intelligent analog computer for aiming the big guns of battleships. Rather than pay for their invention, however, first the British navy and then the US navy pirated it. When the inventors sued for patent infringement, both governments invoked legal privileges to withhold evidence on the grounds of national-security secrecy. The US lawsuits became entangled with high-level Anglo-American diplomacy during World War II and with the Manhattan Project. The talk will thus speak to several major—and timely—issues: the intersection of computer technology and geopolitical rivalry, the impact of patent laws on defense innovation, and the scope of government secrecy.* Register for this event at https://californiaconsultants.org/event/analog-superpowers-how-20th-century… _________________________ Brian A. Berg / bberg(a)StanfordAlumni.org Berg Software Design - LinkedIn Profile <https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianaberg/> 180 Lithia Way, Suite 201, Ashland, OR 97520 USA 14500 Big Basin Way, Suite J, Saratoga, CA 95070 USA Voice: 408.741.5010 / Cell: 408.568.2505 Consulting: Flash Memory/USB/Storage/Patents FMS Technical Chair: www.FutureMemoryStorage.com IEEE Milestones Subcommittee <https://www.ieee.org/about/history-center/history-committee.html> Past Chair IEEE Region 6 <https://ieee-region6.org/about-us/region-6-officers/> History/Milestones Chair Curator: www.SiliconValleyMilestones.com IEEE SCV Section <http://www.ieee.org/scv/> Past Chair / IEEE-CNSV <http://www.CaliforniaConsultants.org> Board Director IEEE Silicon Valley Tech History Committee <http://www.SiliconValleyHistory.com/> Vice-Chair Co-Organizer: Celebrating 50 Years of the Internet <https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ieee_ieee-activity-7221529803944771586-HB7S/> _________________________ Brian Berg FMS Technical Chair 408.568.2505 brian.berg(a)FutureMemoryStorage.com www.FutureMemoryStorage.com

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BOOK TALK THIS MONDAY - new book about tech, truth, and Trump 2.0
by Morten Bay 06 Feb '25

06 Feb '25

Dear fellow SIGCIS'ers! My new book, Mediating Plureality, comes out on February 15, and though it is mostly about media and technology in society, there's actually also a chapter in it that you might find interesting. The chapter discusses the materiality of computing with a grounding in its history. I make a Kittler-esque argument that for ethical reasons, we should begin understanding computing more as the result of physical processes than symbolic, harking back to the 1937-38 period and Stibitz, Atanasoff, and Zuse experimenting with relays. And yes, there are a lot of citations containing the names "Haigh" and "Randell" :-) I am presenting the book at a book talk at USC Annenberg<https://annenberg.usc.edu/events/annenberg-research-seminar/mediating-plure…> on Monday the 10th at 12 noon PST. It will also be streamed live here: Zoom: https://usc.zoom.us/my/mortenbay YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mortenbay I hope you will join us! Morten ABOUT THE BOOK Mediating Plureality: Technology, Perception and Ethics in a Divided Democracy is one of the first books of the second Trump administration to deal with affective polarization and truth. Author Morten Bay asks what role media and tech have played in the current democratic decline and finds provocative answers. In the book, he claims that: * Contrary to popular belief, social media content is not to blame. * The problem began with the shift to a high-choice media environment in the early 1990s, including talk radio and the early Web. * Around this time, to stave off online competition, news media began insisting that they owned The Truth. * Simultaneously, the tech industry's faith in data and prediction fostered a new epistemic overconfidence. * This led to widespread epistemic arrogance becoming morally acceptable. * Which, in turn, led to increased self-sorting and the rise of affective polarization. * Even scholars began ignoring centuries of basic epistemology despite of new, neuroscientific advances supporting a constructivist approach to reality perception. Drawing on political theorists who argue that these are perfect conditions for authoritarianism, Bay contends that democratic decline from epistemic arrogance must be met with epistemic humility. He calls for a cultural shift toward greater acceptance of other people’s reality perceptions and proposes an ethics of pluralist realities – a plureality. It begins with those who control the media platforms as well as media users committing to a more ethical media conduct. Mediating Plureality: Technology, Perception and Ethics in a Divided Democracy at Lexington Books.<https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666945201/Mediating-Plureality-Technology-Perce…> "By fostering a more empathetic, less normative analysis, Bay delivers a kind of palliative clarion call to advocate for more pluralistic democratic society." - David Craig, Associate Professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and author of Apocalypse Television "Bay has hit the nail upon the proverbial head: We need to rethink media before we can rethink democracy." - Aram Sinnreich, Professor at American University and author of The Secret Life of Data: Navigating Hype and Uncertainty in the Age of Algorithmic Surveillance Morten Bay teaches courses on media, technology, and society at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He holds a PhD from UCLA and has covered the media and technology industries as a journalist for two decades. Previously, he worked as a digital media consultant for Fortune 50 companies as well as small startups and has advised US and EU lawmakers on media and tech regulatory policy. Mediating Plureality is his fourth book on how media technologies influence human life and the first written solely for an academic audience. Morten Bay, Ph.D. Lecturer Research fellow, Center for the Digital Future Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism [/var/folders/7r/0g5sp4hd73zb53c9ymmmwly00000gn/T/com.microsoft.Outlook/Content.MSO/FA4B91CC.tmp]

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