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Ars Technica - The triumph and tragedy of OS/2
by Joly MacFie 30 Nov '19

30 Nov '19

Ars Technica used the Thanksgiving lull to rerun Jeremy Reimer's history of OS/2, first published in 2013. It's a good read. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/half-an-operating-sy… -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- -

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ACM History Fellowship Competition--Deadline Feb 15th, 2020
by Tracy, Kim 30 Nov '19

30 Nov '19

Dear Colleagues, The link below provides an announcement to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 2020 fellowship competition for research projects on or centrally related to ACM history. The ACM History Committee runs this program, which has resulted in 30 fellowships awarded since the start of this fellowship program in 2009. Many of these awards have gone to scholars (graduate students to senior scholars) in the SHOT and SIGCIS communities. The submission deadline for applications is February 15, 2020. http://history.acm.org/public/public_documents/acm_history_fellowship_annou…<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhistory.acm…> Thanks, --Kim Kim W. Tracy Visiting Asst. Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering (pronouns: he, him) ROSE-HULMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 5500 Wabash Avenue | Terre Haute, IN 47803-3999 Room: Moench D216 | tracy(a)rose-hulman.edu<mailto:tracy@rose-hulman.edu> Phone: 812.877.8343 | Fax: 812.872.6060 www.rose-hulman.edu<http://www.rose-hulman.edu>

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Formal Methods: historical source papers
by Cliff Jones 27 Nov '19

27 Nov '19

The Springer Journal “Formal Aspects of Computing” will produce an edition (31:6) which has papers relating to “Formal Methods”. At the moment, 5 papers, an editorial and an obituary of Zohar Manna are already visible on-line at https://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/165 If your institution has a Springer account, you ought be able to download PDFs free of charge The editorial is by Jones&Oliveira [you have to hunt down the page for some of these] Haigh on “Assembling a prehistory for formal methods: a personal view<https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00165-019-00494-z>“ [please read this first - the following articles offer historical source material - they are written by the experts involved - not by card carrying historians] Apt&Olderog on “Hoare Logic” Moore on “… ACL/2" Paulson,Nipkow&Wenzel on “… Isabelle” Pous&Sangiorgi on “Bi-simulation and co-induction” Dershowitz&Waldinger wrote the obituary of Zohar cliff jones

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SAGE & other Hardware in Hollywood
by Ceruzzi, Paul 26 Nov '19

26 Nov '19

We've had discussions about the question of SAGE's effectiveness for air defense, but at least Hollywood liked it. The sci-fi series "The Time Tunnel," produced by Irwin Allen and aired for one season on ABC in 1966-67, used SAGE consoles and tape drives for props, with sufficient "blinkenlights." Here's an overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MByhY6aSUo&list=PLdoMV9SEY_anq8jVhAK6f0Hg8… At the time of this production, SAGE was still very much operational, at least some of the centers were. I also just watched a new episode of "The Crown," in which Queen Elizabeth & the Royal family are gathered around a television watching someone accessing a time shared computer with an ASR-33 Teletype. Paul Ceruzzi Curator Emeritus, Department of Space History National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414

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Tony Brooker, R.I.P.
by Brian Randell 26 Nov '19

26 Nov '19

Hi: I’ve recently received this sad news of the passing of Tony Brooker, a British computer scientist who is best known for his very influential early work on compilers , and the compiler-compiler at Manchester University: > R A (Tony) Brooker’s son Richard has circulated this message: > I am writing to let you know that sadly Tony died on the 20th November, peacefully in his sleep. During 2019, he had become increasingly frail both physically and mentally and since July had been looked after in a nursing home not far from where he and Vera lived in Hexham. > > We have not yet finalised the funeral arrangements, but I anticipate that this will be a relatively small event for family and friends. > Please feel free to pass on the news to any of Tony's old colleagues or acquaintances with whom you might be in contact. > kind regards and best wishes, > Richard Brooker. The Wikipedia account of Tony's career suggests that his Mk 1 Autocode, which was available from March 1954, "was probably the world's first publicly available High-Level Language” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Brooker I remember Tony well - he was much liked and respected, and very influential in the early years of computing here in Britain. 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 = http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/people/profile/brianrandell.html

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George Marsaglia and Gail Gasram?
by Jeff Thompson 21 Nov '19

21 Nov '19

Hi everyone, not sure if this is exactly SIGCIS material so please feel to point me elsewhere! I’ve been researching random number generation for a course I’m teaching on chance and randomness in the arts, including George Marsaglia’s “Dieharder” software suite. In the documentation, he quotes someone named Gail Gasram as saying “Nothing is random, only uncertain.” But after a lot of digging, I find almost nothing on Gasram online except papers and books with the same quote. I posted this on the Statistics Stack Exchange site <https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/437174/who-is-gail-gasram> and got an interesting answer: “Gail Gasram” is “Marsaglia G” backwards! It was also noted that some sources cite “Gasram” as having written much of the Dieharder code, all of which leads to the question why would Marsaglia create this alter ego? Is this a mathematician inside joke or something more complex? If anyone has any info or suggestions for how to look into this, it would be most appreciated! Cheers and thanks for letting an artist lurk in the group! Jeff - - - Jeff Thompson Assistant Professor, Program Director Visual Art & Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology www.jeffreythompson.org @jeffkthompson

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Call for Papers: The Economy of Promises 2020
by Hatton-Proulx, Clarence 20 Nov '19

20 Nov '19

Dear all, The Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie (CIRST) is proud to organize an international conference on the role of forecasts, projections, and anticipation in scientific research and technological innovation. Here is the call for papers<https://www.cirst.uqam.ca/en/nouvelles/2019/appel-a-communications-les-econ…>: Recent scientific developments in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in what is called "deep learning" has led to a renewed interest in the possibilities of applications of new algorithms to a wide range of fields (medicine, industry, automotive, etc.). This mirrors the fervor for technological progress already observed in the previous decade with nanotechnology and genomics. Discourses linked to these technological advances are typically framed in terms of an inevitable technological future that has, however, yet to unfold. Such discourses are even more prevalent when a given technology is viewed as a liberating force or a means to revolutionize human and social life. Forecasting, projection and anticipation are all part of scientific research and technological innovation. In their article on the sociology of expectations, Borup et al. (2006) acknowledge that "very little in innovation can work in isolation from a highly dynamic and variegated body of future-oriented understandings about the future." Research and innovation are framed by such understandings, that stimulate investment and organize scientific and technological fields. Presentations of 20 minutes in French or English will be accepted. We particularly welcome the following topics: § Economic predictions; § Announcements of a 4th industrial revolution; § Promises and research funding (promises formulated to receive a grant or the rhetoric of research grants); § Social dynamics of post-secondary education; § Sociology and anthropology of technological futures § Promises and climate change (forecasts to change policies, geoengineering, government promises-e.g. COPs-, expert committees, etc.); § Rhetoric of hope and fear in technological governance and regulation. Proposals for papers (between 200 and 300 words) must include a title and a short resume. The CIRST encourages student participation. A portion of the program will be reserved for graduate students presentations. Two travel grants will be offered to the most promising proposals from Canadian graduate students. It is also possible to propose a panel of up to 4 speakers. In addition to a summary of the panel's theme (between 200 and 300 words), the organizer must provide the names of the speakers, a summary of their presentation (200-300 words), and a short bio for each participant. All documents must be sent before January 10, 2020 to the following address: cirst(a)uqam.ca<mailto:cirst@uqam.ca>. Accommodation and travel expenses will not be covered, but daytime meals will be provided to the participants. The conference will take place during the week of August 24-29, 2020. The exact dates will be confirmed in the spring of 2020. Organizing committee: Daniel Letendre (CIRST), Guillaume Dandurand (University of Sherbrooke), Florence Lussier-Lejeune (UQAM) Scientific committee: François Claveau (University of Sherbrooke), Yves Gingras (UQAM), Vincent Larivière (University of Montreal), Mathieu Marion (UQAM), Florence Millerand (UQAM), Éric Montpetit (University of Montreal) Regards, [CIRST | Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie]<http://www.cirst.uqam.ca/> Clarence Hatton-Proulx Responsable des communications et soutien à la coordination Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie UQAM, Pavillon Paul-Gérin-Lajoie (N) Bureau N-8475 Téléphone : 514-987-3000 # 3971 Courriel : hatton-proulx.clarence(a)uqam.ca<mailto:hatton-proulx.clarence@uqam.ca> Suivez le CIRST<https://www.cirst.uqam.ca/> sur Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/leCIRST/> et Twitter<https://twitter.com/leCIRST?lang=fr>

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Linda Hall Library, 2020-21 Fellowships
by Benjamin Gross 15 Nov '19

15 Nov '19

Dear SIGCIS Friends: I am writing to inform you that the Linda Hall Library<https://www.lindahall.org/> is now accepting applications for its 2020-21 fellowship program. These fellowships provide graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and independent scholars with financial support to make use of the Linda Hall Library's outstanding science and engineering collections. The Linda Hall Library holds over half a million monograph volumes and more than 48,000 journal titles documenting the history of science and technology from the 15th century to the present. Its collections are exceptionally strong in the engineering disciplines, chemistry, and physics. The Library also boasts extensive resources related to natural history, astronomy, environmental and earth sciences, aeronautics, life sciences, infrastructure studies, mathematics, and the history of the book. The Linda Hall Library is pleased to offer three types of fellowships this year: * Travel fellowships, lasting between one and three weeks, support brief, exploratory visits to the Linda Hall Library. Funding is available for up to $750 per week to defray the costs of travel and living in Kansas City. * Residential fellowships, lasting between one and four months, support scholars conducting more extensive research using the Library's collections. Fellowship funding is offered up to $3,000 per month for doctoral students and up to $4,200 per month for postdoctoral scholars. * A new History of Science and Medicine fellowship, sponsored by the Linda Hall Library and the Clendening History of Medicine Library<https://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/history-and-philosophy-of-medicine/…> at the University of Kansas Medical Center, will provide a doctoral student with a $3,000 stipend to conduct research in both libraries' collections for one month. All Linda Hall Library research fellows participate in a vibrant intellectual community alongside scholars from nearby libraries and universities, including the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Kansas, and the Clendening History of Medicine Library. Fellows may also attend the Library's many lectures and public programs. I encourage you to share this information with graduate students, colleagues, or anyone else who might be interested in the Linda Hall Library's fellowship program. All application materials are due no later than January 17, 2020. For further information, please visit https://www.lindahall.org/fellowships/ or e-mail fellowships(a)lindahall.org<mailto:fellowships@lindahall.org>. Thank you, and best wishes from Kansas City! -Ben Gross Benjamin Gross, PhD Vice President for Research and Scholarship Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology 5109 Cherry Street Kansas City, Missouri 64110 816.926.8718 grossb(a)lindahall.org<mailto:grossb@lindahall.org> www.lindahall.org<http://www.lindahall.org/>

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Special Issue on Machines and Mathematics
by Maarten Bullynck 15 Nov '19

15 Nov '19

Dear members of SIGCIS, I am happy to announce the publication of a special issue of Revue de Synthèse (vol 139: 3-4, 2018) on "Mathematics and Machines", edited by Liesbeth De Mol, Marie-José Durand-Richard and myself . The issue looks at the interactions between mathematics and manual, analogue or digital computation and focuses on the period before and after World War II. I attach our English translation of the introduction, explaining the topic and outlining the articles of the special issue. The issue itself is online here: https://brill.com/view/journals/rds/139/3-4/rds.139.issue-3-4.xml (While access to the issue is restricted, some of the articles can be found in preprint form on HAL-SHS Archives Ouvertes, https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/ notably nrs. halshs-01541616 and hal-01814822) CONTENT: VOL 139: 3-4, 2018: SPECIAL ISSUE: "MATHÉMATIQUES ET MACHINES", ed. by Liesbeth De Mol, Maarten Bullynck and Marie-José Durand-Richard * Liesbeth De Mol, Maarten Bullynck and Marie-José Durand-Richard _Introduction: Mathématiques et machines_ (pp.235-239) * Maarten Bullynck _Programming Men and Machines. Changing Organisation in the Artillery Computations at Aberdeen Proving Ground (1916-1946)_, (pp. 241-266) * Allan Olley _A Task that Exceeded the Technology: Early Applications of the Computer to the Lunar Three-body Problem_ (pp. 267-288) * Marie-José Durand-Richard _De l'analyseur différentiel à l'ordinateur : le parcours de Douglas R. Hartree (1897-1958)_ (pp. 289-326) * Loïc Petitgirard _Machines analogiques et mathématiques des systèmes dynamiques. Le groupe de « Dynamique théorique » de Théodore Vogel à Marseille (France), 1948-1964_ (pp. 327-360) * Liesbeth De Mol and Maarten Bullynck _Making the History of Computing. The History of Computing in the History of Technology and the History of Mathematics_ (pp. 361-380) * _Des mathématiques, des machines et des hommes_ (Review section, pp. 419-432) best wishes, Maarten Bullynck Département de mathématiques & histoire des sciences & UMR 8533 IDHE.S Université Paris 8

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Call for Members Interested in Small-Scale Research Projects Focusing on Individuals Associated with the Birth & Development of the UK IT and Telecommunications Industry
by helen＠archivesit.org.uk 14 Nov '19

14 Nov '19

Dear Members Archives of IT (AIT) maintains a digital archive of oral histories of the UK IT and Telecommunications industry: see https://archivesit.org.uk/. We offer funding for small-scale social, industrial and economic research projects using the archive and seek partners (individuals or institutions) who bring academic rigour and credibility to undertake the work. If you are interested in finding out more please respond to this email. Many thanks Helen From: Helen Carter, Administrative Director - Archives of IT - Registered Charity No: 1164198 Please Note: I am in the office on Tuesday from 9.30am - 3.00 pm and on Thursday and Friday from 9.00am - 4.00pm T: +44 (0)1279 600 345<tel:%2B44%20%280%291279%20600%20345> E: helen(a)archivesit.org.uk<mailto:helen@archivesit.org.uk> W: www.archivesit.org.uk<http://www.archivesit.org.uk/> @ArchivesIT<https://twitter.com/ArchivesIT> [AITlogo] Capturing the past, inspiring the future Support Us Using www.giveasyoulive.com/join/ait<http://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/ait> or Donate Here<https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/archivesofit> This e--mail is confidential and may be privileged. It may be read, copied and used only by the intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please contact the sender immediately by return e-mail. Please then delete the e-mail and do not disclose its contents to any person.

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