August 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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Research Fellowships from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center (apps due 15 Oct 2025)
by Hintz, Eric 27 Aug '25

27 Aug '25

**Hi SIGCIS– Check out the Lemelson Center’s call for fellowship applications, due October 15, 2025. Over the years we’ve had several SIGCIS members join us at research fellows and NMAH has great collections in the history of computing such as the Ralph Baer papers<https://sova.si.edu/record/NMAH.AC.0854>, the Grace Murray Hopper collection<https://sova.si.edu/record/NMAH.AC.0324>, the Computer Oral History Collection<https://sova.si.edu/record/NMAH.AC.0196>, the Video Game Pioneers Oral History collection<https://sova.si.edu/record/nmah.ac.1498> and many other gems. Best, Eric Hintz Through its fellowship programs, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation<https://invention.si.edu/> supports research projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and innovation in American society. Projects may include (but are not limited to) historical research and documentation projects resulting in publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, documentary films, or other multimedia products. Collections: Our programs provide access to the expertise of the Institution's research staff<http://americanhistory.si.edu/about/staff> and the vast invention and technology collections of the National Museum of American History (NMAH). The NMAH Archives Center<http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/collections> holds the archival papers of several inventors including Earl Tupper (Tupperware), Joseph Friedman (flexible straw), Robert Kearns (intermittent windshield wiper), Leo Baekeland (Bakelite synthetic plastic), Marion O’Brien Donovan (household inventions), Jacob Rabinow (optical character recognition), Grace Murray Hopper (software), Ralph Baer (video games), Patricia Bath (cataracts treatments), InBae Yoon (laparoscopic surgery), and Van Phillips (prosthetic limbs). The museum also holds the technical artifacts and business records of several corporations and small entrepreneurial firms, including the Western Union Telegraph Company (telecommunications), the Mergenthaler Linotype Company (printing), Jogbra, Inc. (sports apparel), and Small Beginnings (neonatal care). In addition, the NMAH Library offers long runs of historical technology serials like Scientific American and American Machinist, and the American Trade Literature collection<http://library.si.edu/trade-literature>, which includes 300,000 catalogs, technical manuals, and advertising brochures for some 30,000 firms, primarily from 1880-1945. For a comprehensive catalog of objects, manuscripts, images, and research materials available at the NMAH (and other Smithsonian units), see http://www.collections.si.edu/. Topics: The Lemelson Center invites all applications covering the broad spectrum of research topics in the history of technology, invention, and innovation. However, the Center especially encourages proposals that align with one (or more) of its strategic research and programmatic areas, including 1) projects that illuminate inventors from diverse backgrounds or any inventions and technologies associated with under-represented groups, such as women, minorities, LGBTQ, and the disabled; (2) projects exploring innovation in sports and sports technology; or (3) projects that explore the broader ecosystem of individuals and institutions that support inventors, including inventors' professional organizations; angel investors, venture capitalists, and financiers; incubators and entrepreneurial coaches; patent agents and IP attorneys; product designers, manufacturers, and marketers; and bankruptcy-liquidation specialists. The Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship supports the work of an experienced author or senior scholar (associate/full/emeritus professor level or equivalent) from the history of technology, science and technology studies, business history, museum studies, STEAM education, or an allied field. Smithsonian staff are not eligible. The specific arrangement is flexible: the Molella Fellow may use the funds as a sabbatical supplement; for several short-duration visits; for a virtual appointment focused on research and writing; or for a series of lectures leading to a major publication. The stipend is $35,000. Funds may be used flexibly to support teaching buyouts, travel for several short-term visits, living expenses for longer residences up to seven months, and related research expenses. Dates are flexible. Applications are due 15 October 2025. Appointed fellows may begin their residencies on/after 1 June 2026 through 31 May 2027. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/arthur-molella-distinguished-fellowship. The Lemelson Center Fellowship Program annually awards 2 to 3 fellowships to pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and other professionals who have completed some advanced training (usually an MA or JD, but please inquire if you have questions). Undergraduates and Smithsonian staff should not apply. Fellows are expected to reside temporarily in the Washington, D.C. area and participate in the Center's activities. Fellowship tenure is based upon the applicants’ stated needs (and available funding) up to a maximum of ten weeks. Stipends will be $850/week for pre-doctoral fellows and $1,100/week for post-doctoral and professional fellows. Applications are due 15 October 2025. Appointed fellows may begin their residencies on/after 1 June 2026 through 31 May 2027. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellowship-program. Program Alumni: Click the links to see project descriptions for past and current fellows<https://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellows-1996-present>. Contact: Applicants may wish to consult with the fellowship coordinator before submitting an application; contact archivist Alison Oswald at oswalda(a)si.edu<mailto:oswalda@si.edu>.

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Cold War Computing
by Dag Spicer 25 Aug '25

25 Aug '25

Hey Everyone! Just a heads up: Coming up on September 18, the Computer History Museum is hosting the wonderful Professor Victor Petrov who will speak about cold war computing based on his 2024 CHM-SIGCIS Book Award winning book, “Balkan Cyberia.” See here: https://email.computerhistory.org/cold-war-computing? Summary: Amid the geopolitical bifurcation of the Cold War Bulgaria emerged as an unexpected epicenter of electronics and computing innovation within the socialist world. Long overshadowed by Silicon Valley–centered narratives of technological progress this history challenges the dominant West-centric framework that has shaped both popular memory and much of the historiography of computing. Drawing on recently declassified archives and transnational perspectives historian Victor Petrov reframes the story of Bulgaria’s computing sector as one of high-stakes espionage socialist visions of cybernetic modernity and ambitious technocratic reform. In doing so he situates Bulgaria not as a passive recipient of imported models but as an active inventive participant in the global technological order of the late twentieth century. Lecture is hybrid: online and in-person. Reserve your ticket now. Hope to see you there! Dag ----- Dag Spicer Senior Curator Computer History Museum Editorial Board, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing ACM History Committee 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View CA 94043 “History is a vast early warning system.” — Norman Cousins, American journalist (1915-1990). Join our Mailing List here: https://info.computerhistory.org/subscribe

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Looking for earliest mainframe contracts and computer contracts archive
by anushka 25 Aug '25

25 Aug '25

Dear SIGCIS members I was wondering if someone has any mainframe and/or supercomputer contracts? or if there is an archive of computer contracts? jurisdictions and time periods, no bar although the older the better. The query is fairly broad so time share, leases, procurement contracts across contexts are very welcome :) I wish to look at the evolution of vendor restrictions (if any, although i think there would be ?) Happy to e-meet you all! Regards Anushka PhD Candidate, Institute for Information Law University of Amsterdam Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

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Call for Proposals: Source Code Exhibition at Software Heritage Symposium 2026
by FICHEN Mathilde 22 Aug '25

22 Aug '25

Dear colleagues and friends, We’re excited to announce a special project to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Software Heritage<https://www.softwareheritage.org/> initiative, which was launched in 2016 as part of Inria<https://www.inria.fr/fr>, the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology. To mark this milestone, we are organizing a Source Code Exhibition, which will be unveiled during the Software Heritage Symposium 2026, hosted at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in late January or early February 2026. This exhibition offers an unusual approach by elevating source code from a supplementary element to the central focus of display. We aim to explore source code as a form of human expression—one rich with technical, historical, social, and aesthetic meaning. Each panel will feature a short source code snippet printed on a large-format poster, accompanied by a brief commentary written by the contributor. We’re inviting individuals from a diverse backgrounds—computer scientists, historians, philosophers, artists, activists, linguists, and others—to submit a proposal that resonate with one or more of the exhibition’s themes: * Source Code as Historical Testimony * Source Code as a Mirror of Society * Source Code as Cultural Artifact Whether your interest lies in vintage systems, subversive scripts, poetic programming, or something entirely unexpected, we welcome your perspective. At this stage, we are more interested in the ideas you wish to express than in perfect phrasing, so don’t hesitate to submit a well-articulated initial version of your proposal. 📅 Submission deadline: September 8, 2025 📎 Please find the full Call for Proposals below. EN: https://cnam-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/mathilde_fichen_lecnam_net/EW… FR: https://cnam-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/mathilde_fichen_lecnam_net/EY… We especially encourage contributions from individuals belonging to underrepresented groups in technology and culture. One of the goals of this exhibition is to reflect the diversity of people and practices that shape the world of source code. We look forward to reading your ideas! Warm regards, Mathilde, for the organizing team Mathilde Fichen Ph.D Candidate CNAM - HT2S<https://technique-societe.cnam.fr/histoire-des-technosciences-en-societe-ht…>, Software Heritage Personal page: mathfichen.github.io<https://mathfichen.github.io/>

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Your Retirement
by James Cortada 21 Aug '25

21 Aug '25

Congratulations on a wonderful career and for all the good you have done for we historians. I cannot recall how many times over the past forty odd years you have helped me, beginning with my first monograph about computing, Before the Computer, then with various sequels. You were knowledgeable, prompt and effective. And on top of that, you are a great guy! Now for some free retirement advice as a thank you for your prior help. #1. turn off your alarm clock for the first 30 days so that you can learn when your body wants to go to bed at night and wake up in the morning. #2 Do not volunteer to do anything for 90 days unless you already have a retirement plan; if not create one. The shrinks say that if you are not busy you will die; we don't want that. #3. Our parents taught us the power of NO--it's a beautiful word that you should use to liberate yourself from THE calendar. Retirement can be one of the most productive times of your life to enjoy and to help so many other people. Go for it. Jim -- James W. Cortada Senior Research Fellow Charles Babbage Institute University of Minnesota jcortada(a)umn.edu 608-274-6382

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Computer History Museum -- August Update!
by Dag Spicer 07 Aug '25

07 Aug '25

Hello SIGCIS Friends! Lots of great computing history happening at the Computer History Museum, both in-person and online! Here’s this month’s update: <https://email.computerhistory.org/chm30-august-watch-and-listen?ecid=ACsprv…> [chm_2021_30-08-Aug.jpg] CHM30 August | Watch and listen<https://email.computerhistory.org/chm30-august-watch-and-listen?ecid=ACsprv…> email.computerhistory.org<https://email.computerhistory.org/chm30-august-watch-and-listen?ecid=ACsprv…> If you’d like to get these automatically, just click on the “Mailing List” link below in my sig. Have a great day! Dag ----- Dag Spicer Senior Curator Computer History Museum Editorial Board, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing ACM History Committee 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View CA 94043 “History is a vast early warning system.” — Norman Cousins, American journalist (1915-1990). Join our Mailing List here: https://info.computerhistory.org/subscribe

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Computer History Museum - August Update
by Dag Spicer 07 Aug '25

07 Aug '25

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