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Joint PhD on History and Philosophy of Computing (Lille and Kent)
by info＠tomasp.net 12 Mar '19

12 Mar '19

Dear all, we are inviting applications for a 3-year funded joint PhD position in History and/or Philosophy of Computing in Université de Lille (France) and University of Kent (UK). We have some possible suggested topics (see below), but the theme is not fixed, so if you (or anyone you know) is interested in doing a PhD in History and/or Philosophy of Computing in Europe, please apply or let your colleagues know! =================================================== Joint PhD Scholarship on History and Philosophy of Computing (Université de Lille and University of Kent) We rely on computers to manage our communication, access to information, finances and even health. Despite recurring reports of software failures, programming mistakes and unintended consequences, most of our understanding of how computers work is of a highly technical nature. Consider, for example, the rich conceptual arsenal that programmers have developed to help them control what computers do. Where do these programming concepts, methods and practices come from? What are their inherent limitations? And can they provide a reliable way of controlling computers, as the word "science" in "computer science" suggests? We are inviting applications for a 3-year funded PhD position in History and/or Philosophy of Computing, jointly supervised by Liesbeth De Mol (CNRS - (UMR 8163, Université de Lille), Tomas Petricek (University of Kent) and Shahid Rahman (UMR 8163, Université de Lille).The position will be shared between Université de Lille and University of Kent in Canterbury in the framework of the call for proposals of co-supervised doctorates between I-site ULNE and the University of Kent. You will be expected to spend two years in Lille and one year in Canterbury. The scope of the project is open-ended and we encourage interested applicants to informally contact us as soon as possible in order to develop a more detailed research proposal. For sample possible research topics and information about how to apply, please see: http://hapoc.org/node/303 =================================================== Thanks, Tomas Petricek

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Call for nominations: Internet Histories Early Career Researcher Award
by Paul N. Edwards 08 Mar '19

08 Mar '19

Are you conducting groundbreaking research in the field of Internet or Web history? Then the newly established 'Internet Histories Early Career Researcher Award' may be something for you. We invite any interested early career researchers (masters students, doctoral students, and post-doctoral researchers) to send us an original article, between 6,000 and 8,000 words, by 15 October 2019. All selected articles will be published in a special issue of the journal Internet Histories in the second half of 2020 and also automatically be nominated for the “Internet Histories Early Career Researcher” Award, which carries a prize of 500 euros. The jury of this Award is composed of the following members of the international Editorial Board of Internet Histories: • Janet Abbate, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA • Kevin Driscoll, University of Virginia, USA • Greg Elmer, Ryerson University, Canada • Benjamin Thierry, Paris-Sorbonne University, France • Jane Winters, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK Please have a look at the call at https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/internet-histories-si-early-career-resea… ___________________________ Paul N. Edwards William J. Perry Fellow in International Security Center for International Security and Cooperation Stanford University Professor of Information and History (Emeritus) University of Michigan Contact: m: pedwards(a)stanford.edu<mailto:pedwards@stanford.edu> w: pne.people.si.umich.edu t: @AVastMachine

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From HuffPost UK: The Queen Has Posted On Instagram For The First Time
by Brian Randell 07 Mar '19

07 Mar '19

Hi: From HuffpostUK: "The Queen Has Posted On Instagram For The First Time HuffPost UK The Queen has posted on Instagram for the first time while on trip to the London Science Museum. The monarch shared a picture of a letter sent to her great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert, on the already established Royal Family account, which has been used in the past to share images of the Queen's activities by staff.The account already has 4.6 million followers, immediately elevating her to 'Instagram Influencer' status.> View this post on Instagram>> A post shared by The Royal Family ... Read the full story<https://apple.news/AbmOvrve7TWqb3_ZlZvHb3g>" In case you have trouble opening the link, here is the text of the Queen’s post: "153,610 likes theroyalfamily<https://www.instagram.com/theroyalfamily/> Today, as I visit the Science Museum I was interested to discover a letter from the Royal Archives, written in 1843 to my great-great-grandfather Prince Albert. Charles Babbage, credited as the world’s first computer pioneer, designed the “Difference Engine”, of which Prince Albert had the opportunity to see a prototype in July 1843. In the letter, Babbage told Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about his invention the “Analytical Engine” upon which the first computer programmes were created by Ada Lovelace, a daughter of Lord Byron. Today, I had the pleasure of learning about children’s computer coding initiatives and it seems fitting to me that I publish this Instagram post, at the Science Museum which has long championed technology, innovation and inspired the next generation of inventors. Elizabeth R. PHOTOS: Supplied by the Royal Archives © Royal Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019” And here is my transcription of the photograph of the two-page handwritten letter from Charles Babbage referred to in the post: “Sir: In presuming to place in your hands the accompanying volume I am actuated by a feeling beyond the mere desire of expressing my dutiful respect. When you did me the honour of examining the Difference Engine Your Royal Highness proved that you not only understood generally the nature of the mechanism, but also its important bearing on human knowledge. Having myself abstained from any publication on the subject solely because I wished to apply my whole effort to the completion of the invention, it has been my good fortune to find in a distinguished Italian Philosopher an excellent interpreter of the mathematical part of the subject, and also a Translator and Commentator whose comprehensive views have done full justice to the original. The control of the Analytical Engine over all the great Astronomical questions on which the safety of the Navy so much depends can scarcely fail to impart to the subject an interest in the mind of Her Majesty: that interest may be still further increased when the Queen is made acquainted with the fact that the author of that admirable Commentary is an English Peeress the daughter of the late Lord Byron. I am Sir With the most profound Respect Your Royal Highness’ Most Obedient Humble Servant Dorset St C. Babbage Manchester Square 15 September 1843" Cheers Brian Randell

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Computer History Museum Event with the Co-Authors of "Ada Lovelace: The Making of a Computer Scientist"
by David C. Brock 06 Mar '19

06 Mar '19

Dear All, I wanted to let you know of an event taking place at the Computer History Museum at 7PM Pacific on March 28th, which will also be live streamed. It is a presentation and discussion with mathematician Ursula Martin and historian of mathematics Adrian Rice, co-authors of a new book, “Ada Lovelace: The Making of a Computer Scientist,” published by the Bodleian Libraries, and based on archival holdings there. The details of the event may be found here: https://www.computerhistory.org/events/upcoming/#ada-lovelace-making-comput… Information about the book is here: https://bodleianshop.co.uk/products/ada-lovelace-the-making-of-a-computer-s… I would appreciate any help you may be able to give in getting word of the event to people who may be interested. Best wishes, David +++++++++++++++ David C. Brock dcb(a)dcbrock.net 40 Russell Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Mobile: 413-522-3578 Skype: dcbrock Twitter: @dcbrock

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Finn Prize
by Ceruzzi, Paul 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

See the announcement, below. For a list of past winners, go to the SHOT main web site. The Bernard S. Finn IEEE History Prize (formerly the IEEE Life Members' Prize in Electrical History) is supported by the IEEE Life Members' Fund and administered by the Society for the History of Technology. The prize is awarded annually to the best paper in the history of electrotechnology-power, electronics, telecommunications, and computer science-published during the preceding year. Any article published in a learned periodical is eligible if it treats the art or engineering aspects of electrotechnology and its practitioners. The article must be written in English, although the journal or periodical in which it appears may be a foreign language publication. The prize consists of a cash award of $1,000 and a certificate. In addition, IEEE will provide a travel subsidy ($750 domestic, $1,000 international) to allow the winner to attend SHOT's annual meeting, and SHOT will waive the basic registration and awards-banquet fees for the winner. To nominate an article, please send a copy of the paper to each member of the prize committee. The deadline for 2019 nominations is April 15, 2019. For more information, please contact the committee chair or Jan Korsten, SHOT Secretary, SHOT.Secretariaat(a)tue.nl<mailto:SHOT.Secretariaat@tue.nl>. 2019 Bernard S. Finn IEEE History Prize Committee Paul Ceruzzi, Chair (2018-2020) Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum PO Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 ceruzzip(a)si.edu<mailto:ceruzzip@si.edu> Paul Israel (2019-2021) Rutgers University Department of History Rutgers University 44 Road 3 Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8049 pisrael(a)taep.rutgers.edu<mailto:pisrael@taep.rutgers.edu> Eden Medina (2017-2019) Department of History and School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering Indiana University Informatics West 225 901 E. 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47408 edenm(a)indiana.edu<mailto:edenm@indiana.edu>

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Ernie goes Quantum
by Ceruzzi, Paul 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

Ernie goes Quantum Thanks, Brian, for that post about Ernie. I suppose the US counterpart might be the 1955 RAND Corporation book, _A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates_. A book that I used in graduate school for a research paper in sociology. The reviews section of the Amazon.com listing for the book have interesting comments, although the jokes get tired quickly. RAND used cosmic rays to generate the numbers, although they had trouble with an early iteration of the table, which produced digits that were not random "enough." "Anyone who considers arithmetical methods of producing random numbers is, of course, in a state of sin." -- John von Neumann, at a 1949 conference on Monte Carlo methods. I have a paper coming out this spring that goes into some detail about this, in Tom Haigh, ed. _Exploring the Early Digital_. <https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783030021511>. Best, Paul Ceruzzi Curator Emeritus National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414 -----Original Message----- Message: 2 Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2019 15:51:14 +0000 From: Brian Randell <brian.randell(a)newcastle.ac.uk> To: "members(a)sigcis.org" <members(a)sigcis.org> Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] Ernie goes quantum Message-ID: <WM!88e6b46665e0153bf52169c8ca8de2b14fc02d895f85c672fd15991c9086f014cf5b3d84c17176f0c7a970ce0bdb7773!(a)mailhub-mx1.ncl.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Hi: Here?s an article in The Register about the new generation ?Ernie?: ?. . .For computing history nerds, the names Tommy Flowers and Harry Fensom likely conjure up images of the code-breaking Colossus. But after the war, they also had a hand in creating a dearly loved, much-anthropomorphised, millionaire-making machine: ERNIE. ERNIE ? Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment ? is the machine used to crank out millions of random numbers when the Post Office, and now NS&I, selects the winning Premium Bonds each month. He has been immortalised in songs by Madness and Jethro Tull, and even gets Christmas and Valentine's cards from punters that are most likely recipients of one of the 420 million prizes, worth ?19.1bn, handed out since the scheme was launched in 1957. . ..? Full story and pictures at https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/01/ernie_quantum_el_reg/ 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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Second CFP: History of Formal Methods 2019
by Troy Astarte (PGR) 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

Dear all, This is a reminder about the History of Formal Methods 2019 workshop, to be held in Porto this October. Full information is in the email below; the key date is 30 April for submission of abstracts. Best, Troy Astarte On 16 Jan 2019, at 14:41, Troy Astarte (PGR) <t.astarte(a)newcastle.ac.uk<mailto:t.astarte@newcastle.ac.uk>> wrote: Call for papers: History of Formal Methods 2019 Workshop, 11th October 2019, Porto, Portugal (co-located with FM’19) We invite submissions to the HFM2019 workshop<https://sites.google.com/view/hfm2019/home>. See the website (https://sites.google.com/view/hfm2019) for complete details and instructions on how to submit. Submission is via EasyChair<https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=hfm2019> (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=hfm2019) This is a workshop on the history of formal methods in computing. The aim is to bring together historians of computing, technology, and science with practitioners in the field of formal methods to reflect on the discipline’s history. There will be a round of abstract submission prior to the workshop which will determine who is invited to give a presentation at the workshop. Afterwards, presenters may submit papers based on their presentations for inclusion in the workshop’s proceedings. Scope The theme of the workshop is the history of formal methods in computing. By 'formal methods' we mean mathematical or logical techniques for modelling, specifying, and reasoning about aspects of computing. This could include programming language description, concurrency modelling, theorem proving, program specification and verification, or mathematical foundations of computing. Theoretical aspects of computing have been present almost since the beginning of electronic computers, and in various ways these techniques have evolved and changed, including into what are now called “Formal Methods”. Such aspects have been instrumental in developing fundamental understanding of computation and providing techniques for rigorous development of software, but have not always had the desired impact on practical and industrial computing. This makes the field ripe for historical research and we invite submissions to our workshop which take a historical view of the topic. This may include discussion of developments of various formal methods, evolving agendas within the field, consideration of the effect of social and cultural factors, and evaluation of the way in which formal methods have impacted computing more broadly. The workshop is intended to be of interest to current researchers in formal methods and to be accessible to people without any historical background. It should also be a venue for historians of science whose work covers formal aspects of computing as we believe understanding the the history of the field brings greater clarity to current technical research. We encourage early stage researchers to try their hand at historical reflection and gain an idea of the field’s grounding; we invite historians to contribute to the history of formal methods; and we invite researchers who have worked in formal methods for whom an historical talk provides the opportunity to reflect on their field. Submission information Submissions prior to the workshop will take the form of abstracts no longer than 500 words. If references are required, these can be added as an optional PDF file (and do not count towards the word count). All abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee whose details can be found on the website; based on these reviews, a decision will be made on who to invite to present at the workshop. Following to the workshop, proceedings will be published (details of publisher to be finalised later). Please indicate during your submission if you wish for a paper to be considered for inclusion in the proceedings—select “Yes” even if you are not totally certain. All papers submitted for the proceedings will be subject to peer review. Important Dates * Call for papers: January 2019 * Submissions: 30 April 2019 * Notification of acceptance: 30 June 2019 * Presentations ready: 1 September 2019 * Workshop: 11th October 2019 * Papers for proceedings: 31 December 2019 Chairs Troy Astarte Brian Randell (Newcastle University) sent by Troy Astarte on behalf of the HFM2019 Program Committee

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Call for Nominations-Dibner Award for Excellence in Museum Exhibits
by Benjamin Gross 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

Dear colleagues, I am pleased to announce that nominations are open for the Society for the History of Technology’s Dibner Award. The Dibner Award for Excellence in Museum Exhibits was established in 1985, through the generosity of Bern Dibner, to recognize excellence in museums and museum exhibits that interpret the history of technology, industry, and engineering to the general public. Winning exhibits, in addition to being well designed and produced, should raise pertinent historical issues. Artifacts and images should be used in a manner that interests, teaches, and stimulates both the general public and historians. The award consists of a plaque and up to $1,000 to cover expenses for a member of the design team to accept the award at the SHOT awards banquet. Exhibits are eligible for this award if they have been open to the public for no more than 24 months before the deadline for nominations on 1 May 2019. The Society especially encourages nominations from local and regional historical societies. Virtual exhibits are not eligible for the award. Further information about the prize, including nomination forms, a list of past recipients, and the members of the Dibner Award Committee can be found on the SHOT website<https://www.historyoftechnology.org/about-us/awards-prizes-and-grants/the-d…>. Please note that if you are nominating your own exhibition, you should only fill in the first two sections of the nomination form. If you are nominating an exhibition from another organization with which you have no conflicts of interest, then please complete all three parts. Should any questions arise while completing the nomination form, please feel free to contact me or any other member of the Dibner Committee. Sincerely, -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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Ernie goes quantum
by Brian Randell 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

Hi: Here’s an article in The Register about the new generation “Ernie”: “. . .For computing history nerds, the names Tommy Flowers and Harry Fensom likely conjure up images of the code-breaking Colossus. But after the war, they also had a hand in creating a dearly loved, much-anthropomorphised, millionaire-making machine: ERNIE. ERNIE – Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment – is the machine used to crank out millions of random numbers when the Post Office, and now NS&I, selects the winning Premium Bonds each month. He has been immortalised in songs by Madness and Jethro Tull, and even gets Christmas and Valentine's cards from punters that are most likely recipients of one of the 420 million prizes, worth £19.1bn, handed out since the scheme was launched in 1957. . ..” Full story and pictures at https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/01/ernie_quantum_el_reg/ 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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Internet Histories, Volume 2, Issue 3-4, September - December 2018 is now available online
by Asger Harlung 03 Mar '19

03 Mar '19

Dear Sir/Madam; It is the pleasure of the editorial team of the journal Internet Histories to announce that Volume 2, Issue 3-4 has been completed. Below, please find an overview of contents of this double issue. This information is sent out as BCC email to contacts given by the editors. It is not a newsletter, but a direct email with information that we hope will be of interest. In case the email should be delivered to another address, or the information isn’t wished for in the future, please reply directly to this email. Please also consider submitting an article to the journal, more information about submission can be found here http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=rint20&page=…. Kind regards on behalf of the Internet Histories editorial team, Asger Harlung, Editorial Assistant, Internet Histories ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to the complete issue: Internet Histories, Volume 2, Issue 3-4, September - December 2018<https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rint20/2/3-4> This new issue contains the following articles: Articles The 90s as a turning decade for Internet and the Web<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Valérie Schafer & Benjamin G. Thierry Pages: 225-229 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1521060 The Internet as a transnational project: connecting Central America through computer networks (1990–1996)<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Ignacio Siles Pages: 230-246 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1500793 Talking by letter: the hidden history of female media fans on the 1990s internet<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Andrea Horbinski Pages: 247-263 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1500794 Having it both ways: Larry Wall, Perl and the technology and culture of the early web<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> | [Open Access] Michael Stevenson Pages: 264-280 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1495810 Building and defending the alternative Internet: the birth of the digital rights movement in France<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Patrick Pétin & Félix Tréguer Pages: 281-298 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1521059 Original Article Technology, ethics and religious language: early Anglophone Christian reactions to “cyberspace”<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Peter Webster Pages: 299-314 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1468976 Interview Behind the scenes: an interview with Pierre Beyssac<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Camille Paloque-Berges, Victoria Peuvrelle & Valérie Schafer Pages: 315-328 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1431496 Articles Interfacing counterculture and digital cultures: an interview with Geert Lovink<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Valérie Schafer Pages: 329-339 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1526525 Book Reviews The web as history<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Helen Hockx-Yu Pages: 340-342 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1509579 Sophie Gebeil, Book Review Julien Mailland & Kevin Driscoll, Minitel Welcome to the Internet, Platform Studies, MIT Press, 2017<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Pages: 343-346 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1496310 Book Review Bit by Bit: How Video Games Transformed Our World by Andrew Ervin<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Published by Basic Books, 304 pages, $27, ISBN-13: 9780465039708 Rudi Bonfiglioli Pages: 347-350 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1449621 Web 25: histories from the first 25 years of the World Wide Web<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Jane Winters Pages: 351-353 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1439149 Miscellaneous Thanks to reviewers<https://www.tandfonline.com/action/doSecureKeyLogin?uuid=06eb5cc1-0aa1-46cd…> Pages: 354-355 | DOI: 10.1080/24701475.2018.1535824

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