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ACM FAT* - Call for Papers (Aug 16/23) and Tutorials (Sep 13)
by Michael Ekstrand 09 Aug '18

09 Aug '18

ONE WEEK LEFT to register paper submissions for ACM FAT* 2019, the second Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency. Abstracts must be registered by Aug. 16; full manuscripts are due one week later on Aug. 23. Read the full Call for Papers and submit your papers via HotCRP here: https://fatconference.org/2019/cfp.html We also invite proposals for tutorials. Tutorial submissions are due Sep. 13. FAT* tutorials will be in three categories: hands-on tutorials, demonstrating software packages for research in fairness, accountability, and transparency; translation tutorials, translating concepts in either direction between computer science and law, policy, and social science; and implications tutorials discussing known legal, policy, medical, or socio-economic effects of unfairness, lack of interpretability, data biases, or other computational challenges addressed by ACM FAT*. Full details are in the Call for Tutorials: https://fatconference.org/2019/cftutorials.html We look forward to your submissions. Michael and Michael Publicity co-chairs, ACM FAT* 2019 -- Michael D. Ekstrand — michaelekstrand(a)boisestate.edu — https://md.ekstrandom.net Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer Science, Boise State University People and Information Research Team (PIReT) — http://coen.boisestate.edu/piret/

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FW: [resaw.dac] Second call for papers: The Web that Was (June 2019, Amsterdam)
by Alberts, Gerard 08 Aug '18

08 Aug '18

Forwarded from the resaw list; best wishes, Gerard The Web that Was: Archives, Traces, Reflections A three-day conference, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 19-21, 2019. The third biennial RESAW (Research Infrastructure for the Study of Archived Web Materials) conference. Organized by the University of Amsterdam. *** Keynote speakers *** Megan Ankerson, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, University of Michigan Wendy Chun, Canada 150 Research Chair, Simon Fraser University Florian Cramer, Professor of Applied Research, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences Olia Lialina, Professor of New Media, Merz Akademie Fred Turner, Harry and Norman Chandler Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication, Stanford University *** Special event *** The conference will host a lecture-performance by Geert Lovink (Institute of Network Cultures, Hogeschool van Amsterdam) and guests on the history and preservation of Amsterdam’s early internet culture. *** Call for contributions *** As the first generation of web users goes grey, it's clear that the internet they remember is no longer around. The early web is now simply another object of nostalgia. Tech anniversaries are a dime a dozen, while once cool digital aesthetics have made several ironic comebacks. All of this reinforces a sense that we've left behind a digital history that was as clunky and slow as it was idealistic and naïve. How can we rethink this relationship to the web's past and the past web? This question is crucial today as the open web continues to lose ground to platforms and apps. How can this history be reconstructed and re-evaluated, and how are web archives and web histories impacted by technological change? What do traditional problems of preservation and historiography look like at scale? And what stories capture the diverse transformations and continuities that mark nearly 30 years of web history? There is of course no single web history, materially or conceptually speaking. There is instead a politics of archives, technologies and discourses that needs to be uncovered. How can we expand our view of web history beyond Silicon Valley and celebrated cases? And how can we reveal the technological, social and economic contexts that have shaped not just the present web, but how we access its past? What role do archives play in uncovering the histories of the web, platforms and apps, as well as their production and usage contexts? This conference aims to bring together scholars, archivists and artists interested in preserving, portraying and otherwise engaging with the web that was. In addition to paper submissions, we invite proposals for audiovisual installations, posters, software demos, or other media that connects to the conference themes. Submissions in the form of an abstract may relate to, but are not limited by, the following topics: * Web and internet histories * Historicizing the web and digital culture * Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and critiquing periodizations * Past futures and paths not taken * Platformization and the changing structure of the web * Social imaginaries of the early web * Archives and access * Research methods for studying the archived web * Methods for platform and app histories * Ethics of (studying) web archives * Technicity of web archives * Software histories * Archived audiences and histories of internet use * Identity, intersectionality and web history * Digital activism and web history * Histories of net criticism * Media industries and their online histories * Web histories elsewhere: forgotten and marginalized web cultures * Realtime, time travel and other web temporalities * Future histories and the archive of tomorrow *** Submissions *** Submissions are welcomed from all fields and disciplines, and we would particularly encourage postgraduate students and early career researchers to participate. * Individual papers of 20 minutes length (750-word abstract and a short author bio of 100-150 words). * Panel sessions consisting of three individual papers, introduced by a chair (750-word abstract for each paper, a brief description of 300 words of the purpose of the panel, and a short author bio of 100-150 words for each speaker). * Posters, demonstrations, and audio/video/interactive installations (short abstract of no more than 300 words, a list of A/V or other requirements, and a short author bio of 100-150 words) * Workshops (a 500-word rationale for the workshop, including discussion of why the topic lends itself to a workshop format, and a short author bio of 100-150 words for the workshop organiser(s)). Deadline for submission is 19 October 2018. Acceptance will be on the basis of double-blind peer review. *** Timetable *** May 2018 - dates out June 2018 - first call for papers July 2018 - second call for papers August 2018 - third call for papers September 2018 - final call for papers and submissions open 19 October 2018 - submission of abstracts December 2018 - notification of acceptance 19-21 June 2019 - conference *** Organizing Committee *** Anne Helmond, University of Amsterdam, NL Michael Stevenson, University of Amsterdam, NL In collaboration with the RESAW Conference Committee: Niels Brügger, Aarhus University, DK (organiser 2015) Jane Winters, University of London, UK (organiser 2017) Valérie Schafer, University of Luxembourg, LU (coming organiser 2021) *** Program Committee *** Susan Aasman, University of Groningen, NL Gerard Alberts, University of Amsterdam, NL Megan Ankerson, University of Michigan, USA Anat Ben-David, The Open University of Israel, IL Josephine Bosma, independent art critic and theorist, NL Sally Chambers, Ghent University, BE Frédéric Clavert, C2DH Luxembourg Annet Dekker, University of Amsterdam, NL Matthew Fuller, Goldsmiths, UK Sophie Gebeil, Aix-Marseille University, FR Robert W. Gehl, University of Utah, USA Daniel Gomes, arquivo.pt, PT Stefania Milan, University of Amsterdam, NL Ian Milligan, University of Waterloo, CA Francesca Musiani, CNRS, FR Claude Mussou, Ina, FR Janne Nielsen, Aarhus University, DK Camille Paloque-Berges, CNAM, FR Thomas Poell, University of Amsterdam, NL Bernhard Rieder, University of Amsterdam, NL Marta Severo, University of Paris Nanterre, FR Kees Teszelszky, Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Royal Library, NL Fred Turner, Stanford University, USA Peter Webster, Webster Research & Consulting, UK Katrin Weller, GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, DE *** Sponsors *** The conference is financed in part by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) as part of the research program Innovational Research Incentives Scheme Veni in connection with the projects “The Web that Was” (275-45-006) and “App ecosystems: A critical history of apps” (275-45-009). *** Contact *** Website: https://www.thewebthatwas.net Email: organizers(a)thewebthatwas.net _______________________________________________ resaw.dac mailing list

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CFP: "Born Digital Cultural Histories" special issue, _Arts_
by Melanie Swalwell 07 Aug '18

07 Aug '18

Dear colleagues, I am writing to draw your attention to a CFP for an upcoming special issue of the journal Arts I am guest editing, themed around "Born Digital Cultural Histories". The call is pasted below, and is online at http://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/special_issues/born_digital_cultural_histo… Arts is an open access, online journal, and article processing fees are waived. There is no word count, and images are most welcome and will be in colour, which is welcome news if you have something visually rich to publish. Full instructions for authors are at http://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/instructions The deadline is the end of October. If the CFP might be of interest to people you know, I would be grateful if you'd bring it to their attention. Potential authors are very welcome to contact me with their ideas. Regards, Melanie Whilst many artefacts today are produced, distributed and consumed solely in digital form, this situation is not completely new. Artefacts from previous eras have also been 'born' digital. The advent of micro- or home computers in the mid-1970s and 1980s, for instance, saw a range of digital artefacts produced, amongst them digital games, demos, a range of experimental art, and other early software. These objects are complex and interesting as are the preservation challenges they pose. While issues of hardware and software deterioration are arguably becoming better understood, the earliness with which decisions about significance and preservation strategies must be arrived at marks these artefacts out as different from other forms of cultural heritage. Paper might address topics including, but not limited to: * Continuities and discontinuities between contemporary and historical digital culture * Histories of the digital everyday * Artists as archivists * Institutional responses to digital cultural heritage * Changing notions of the collection * Jurisdictions, overlaps, gaps * Resourcing, funding, partnerships * Relation of born digital preservation to digitisation programs * Permanence and entropy * Inter-agency cooperation, federations and networks * Models of collaboration, outside experts, volunteers * Access and exhibition * Legal issues, intellectual property, orphaned works, legal deposit * Workforce, capacity building, training * New preservation and conservation techniques * Case studies, including: architecture, broadcasting, apps, mobile and multiplayer games, demoscenes, net and media art * Preserving algorithmic culture Proposals might be theoretical, applied, policy, or otherwise oriented. Case studies of innovative practices, papers based on research with born digital artefacts, and new institutional approaches are equally welcome. Articles must be original, not under consideration elsewhere, and should make new contributions to knowledge. All articles in the issue will undergo double blind peer review. -- Assoc. Prof. Melanie Swalwell College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Flinders University GPO Box 2100 Adelaide SA 5001 Ph: +61 8 8201 2619 278 Humanities Bldg www.flinders.edu.au<http://www.flinders.edu.au/> http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/melanie.swalwell @melswal CFPs: "Born Digital Cultural Histories<http://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/special_issues/born_digital_cultural_histo…>" & Crafting, Hacking, and Making: DIY Pasts, Presents, and Futures<https://www.davidmurphy.online/cfp-crafting-hacking-and-making/> Fans and Videogames: Histories, fandom, archives<https://www.routledge.com/Fans-and-Videogames-Histories-Fandom-Archives/Swa…> Researching Creative Micro-computing in Australia<https://youtu.be/hR8-10qjoiI> Popular Memory Archive<http://www.ourdigitalheritage.org/archive/playitagain/> Play It Again blog<http://blogs.flinders.edu.au/play-it-again/> Australasian Digital Heritage<http://www.ourdigitalheritage.org/> Digital Heritage blog<https://blogs.flinders.edu.au/digital-heritage/> CRICOS Provider: 00114A This email and any attachments may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please inform the sender by reply email and delete all copies of this message.

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Origins of "archive" in computer science
by Brian Berg 06 Aug '18

06 Aug '18

DIALOG is still being used today (as ProQuest Dialog <https://www.proquest.com/products-services/ProQuest-Dialog.html>) - and it thus has been in continual use since 1966. I documented it here <http://ieeemilestones.ethw.org/Milestone-Proposal:The_DIALOG_Online_Search_…> with an application for an IEEE Milestone which is due to be considered by the IEEE History Committee this October. I worked with Roger Summit, whose PhD thesis was the genesis of this system. I can ask him about the word "archive." _________________________ Brian A. Berg / bberg(a)StanfordAlumni.org Berg Software Design 14500 Big Basin Way, Suite F, Saratoga, CA 95070 USA Voice: 408.741.5010 / Cell: 408.568.2505 Consulting: Flash Memory/USB/Storage/Patents visit the Storage Cornucopia: www.bswd.com FMS Technical Chair: www.FlashMemorySummit.com IEEE Milestone <http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:List_of_IEEE_Milestones> Coordinator for Region 6 <http://www.ieee-region6.org/> IEEE SCV Section <http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r6/scv/> Past Chair / IEEE-CNSV <http://www.CaliforniaConsultants.org> Board Director IEEE Silicon Valley Tech History Committee <http://www.SiliconValleyHistory.com/> Chair On Mon, Aug 6, 2018 at 12:36 PM, Mike Humphries <mhumphries(a)mindspring.com> wrote: > Don’t know if this is helpful in your context- > > > Around 1974 I sold access to customers (including The Electric Power > Research Institute) in the SF Bay Area to a service that my company > Tymshare had made available online. It was a system for retrieving > abstracts from a large number of publications and papers. > > > It was called DIALOG and my understanding is it was produced by Lockheed > with government funding from NASA. My customers for this application were > mostly corporate librarians whose previous function was to take in-house > information requests and literally search in libraries for answers. > > > In that period data that was stored somewhere was referred to by a number > of different names. As in this case abstracts of articles that covered many > years and many subjects. The publications had been ‘archived’ and made > accessible online through commercial services like Tymshare and its > network. It was stored in a proprietary database used by DIALOG. > > > But also the term “database” was used loosely to refer to many forms of > data whether they were organized into a real database or not. Most were not > because there were no cross platform DBMS systems and few proprietary ones. > “Archive” was a term used previously in a non computer context apparently > for a long time. And like many such terms used in the non computer world > which had analogies to the computing process this one gradually became a > part of our computer world terminology. But instead of its common use in > the non computer world meaning stored documents, in the computer world it > became a more common term relating to the process of storing backed up data > or materials. Or the original source of data that was eventually loaded > into a database- i e “from the archives.” > > > I’m guessing you are going to find that like a lot of terms it worked its > way into early conversations and papers eventually becoming a normal part > of the terminology. Today I believe it is safe to say “backup” is much more > the go to phrase with “archive” being used as a verb some and also a noun > but not as much as “backup.” > > > Ironically I believe your best chance to get a good answer for this is to > locate an online database of articles or abstracts from computer > publications of the 60s and 70s and search for the term “archive” and > follow the trend of occurances per year as its popularity grew. DIALOG was > certainly one such source a long time ago. Although I have no idea what on > line accessible collections exist today online I can only guess they are > available. > > > Hope this is helpful > > > Regards...Mike > > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Aug 6, 2018, at 10:37 AM, Marc Weber <marc(a)webhistory.org> wrote: > > > Dear Matt, > > My first thought would be to ask Charlie Bourne, who’s a pioneer of > computerized information retrieval and wrote a couple of relevant books (one > on information handling in general with a section on computers, > <https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Information-Handling-Charles-Bourne/dp/B000L…>first > written in 1963, second on history of computerized retrieval from 2003 > <https://www.amazon.com/History-Online-Information-Services-1963-1976-ebook/…>). > He donated his archives to us last year, including proceedings of relevant > conferences going back to the late ‘50s. Let me know if you want me to put > you in touch with him. > > The library science/information retrieval folks were often thinking more > about these kinds of issues than computer folks at the time. Michael > Buckland at the UC Berkeley i-School is another possible resource, and he > in fact introduced me to Charlie. > > Best, Marc > > > On Jul 27, 2018, at 12:09, Matthew Kirschenbaum <mkirschenbaum(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > I've had a couple of additional backchannel responses to this (thank you) > but nothing terribly decisive. Is the question too diffuse, I wonder? Too > obscure? How would one go about running something like this down? What > would be some good industry publications to check to try to track the > emergence of "archive" as a computer systems term? > > > OED doesn't offer a usage in relation to computing or data before 1978, > but this seems late to me; certainly Wang was using the language of an > "archive" disk for much of the 1970s. > > > Best, Matt > > > > On Thu, Jul 26, 2018 at 2:23 PM, Matthew Kirschenbaum < > mkirschenbaum(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Dear all, > > > I'm trying to find early exemplars of the use of the word "archive" in > computer systems contexts, whether as a noun to denote an element of > computer architecture (i.e., the archive disk or archive tape) or as a > verb, i.e. "I've archived those files." > > > Examples might include the TAR ("Tape ARchive") format, Wang's > nomenclature of an "archive disk" in its systems, and Gmail's early mantra, > "Archive, Don't Delete." > > > I'd love to run down some early instances of this sort of thing, which I > assume goes back to the mainframe era. > > > Thank you-- > > > -- > > Matthew Kirschenbaum > > Professor of English and Digital Studies > > Director, Graduate Certificate in Digital Studies > > University of Maryland > > mkirschenbaum.net > > > > > > -- > > Matthew Kirschenbaum > > Professor of English and Digital Studies > > Director, Graduate Certificate in Digital Studies > > University of Maryland > > mkirschenbaum.net > > > _______________________________________________ > > This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion > list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member > posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list > archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and > you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listin > fo.cgi/members-sigcis.org > > > Marc Weber <http://www.computerhistory.org/staff/Marc,Weber/> | > marc(a)webhistory.org | +1 415 282 6868 > > Internet History Program Curatorial Director, Computer History Museum > > > 1401 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View CA 94043 > computerhistory.org/nethistory > > Co-founder, Web History Center and Project, webhistory.org > > > _______________________________________________ > > This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion > list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member > posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list > archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and > you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listin > fo.cgi/members-sigcis.org > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Aug 6, 2018, at 12:13 PM, Barbara B Walker <bbwalker(a)unr.edu> wrote: > > Thanks so much for this info, Henry! I was following this topic with > interest, nothing “duh” about it. > > > > If this is connected with the rise of the social sciences in government > and military in the Cold War US, there’s a growing scholarly literature > about that out there. It would be interesting to see if ARPA/DARPA were > involved. > > > > Barbara Walker > > > > > > *From: *Members <members-bounces(a)lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of Henry E > Lowood <lowood(a)stanford.edu> > *Date: *Monday, August 6, 2018 at 11:48 AM > *To: *Henry E Lowood <lowood(a)stanford.edu>, Matthew Kirschenbaum < > mkirschenbaum(a)gmail.com>, members <members(a)sigcis.org> > *Subject: *Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Origins of "archive" in computer science > > > > Matt, > > Another method – duh – would be to use online databases such as INSPEC. > Found this, for example: > > *Short Note On Information Retrieval Systems Applicable To Archive Data * > > Éric De Grolier, > > First Published September 1, 1965 Research Article > > https://doi.org/10.1177/053901846500400313 > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F…> > > Noticed that most uses of “archive data,” “data storage” etc. that popped > up seem to be related to social science data systems; the first big ones > were developed in the late 1960s, early 1970s, I believe, though I am no > expert. > > Henry > > > > Henry Lowood, PhD > > Curator for History of Science & Technology; Film & Media Collections > > HSSG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall > > Stanford University Libraries > > Stanford CA 94305-6004 > > PH: 650-723-4602 > > EM: lowood(a)stanford.edu > > > > *From:* Members <members-bounces(a)lists.sigcis.org> *On Behalf Of *Henry E > Lowood > *Sent:* Monday, August 6, 2018 11:27 AM > *To:* Matthew Kirschenbaum <mkirschenbaum(a)gmail.com>; members < > members(a)sigcis.org> > *Subject:* Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Origins of "archive" in computer science > > > > Matt, > > As Paul already suggested, industry publications (including ads) would be > a great place to start. The other place I would begin my search is in the > various encyclopedias and published lists of terms. That’s what I used to > track down the use of “virtual” a while back. > > Interestingly, even relatively recent encyclopedias do not define > “archive.” Just checked the 4th ed. Of the Encyclopedia of Computer > Science on my shelf – not in the glossary of terms. Only “archival > storage” (twice) and “archive compression test” (once) are even listed in > the general index. > > Henry > > > > Henry Lowood, PhD > > Curator for History of Science & Technology; Film & Media Collections > > HSSG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall > > Stanford University Libraries > > Stanford CA 94305-6004 > > PH: 650-723-4602 > > EM: lowood(a)stanford.edu > > > > *From:* Members <members-bounces(a)lists.sigcis.org> *On Behalf Of *Matthew > Kirschenbaum > *Sent:* Friday, July 27, 2018 12:10 PM > *To:* members <members(a)sigcis.org> > *Subject:* Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Origins of "archive" in computer science > > > > I've had a couple of additional backchannel responses to this (thank you) > but nothing terribly decisive. Is the question too diffuse, I wonder? Too > obscure? How would one go about running something like this down? What > would be some good industry publications to check to try to track the > emergence of "archive" as a computer systems term? > > > > OED doesn't offer a usage in relation to computing or data before 1978, > but this seems late to me; certainly Wang was using the language of an > "archive" disk for much of the 1970s. > > > > Best, Matt > > > > > > On Thu, Jul 26, 2018 at 2:23 PM, Matthew Kirschenbaum < > mkirschenbaum(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Dear all, > > > > I'm trying to find early exemplars of the use of the word "archive" in > computer systems contexts, whether as a noun to denote an element of > computer architecture (i.e., the archive disk or archive tape) or as a > verb, i.e. "I've archived those files." > > > > Examples might include the TAR ("Tape ARchive") format, Wang's > nomenclature of an "archive disk" in its systems, and Gmail's early mantra, > "Archive, Don't Delete." > > > > I'd love to run down some early instances of this sort of thing, which I > assume goes back to the mainframe era. > > > > Thank you-- > > > -- > > Matthew Kirschenbaum > Professor of English and Digital Studies > Director, Graduate Certificate in Digital Studies > University of Maryland > mkirschenbaum.net > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmkirschenba…> > > > > > -- > > Matthew Kirschenbaum > Professor of English and Digital Studies > Director, Graduate Certificate in Digital Studies > University of Maryland > mkirschenbaum.net > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmkirschenba…> > > _______________________________________________ > This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion > list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member > posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list > archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and > you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listin > fo.cgi/members-sigcis.org > > > _______________________________________________ > This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion > list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member > posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list > archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and > you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listin > fo.cgi/members-sigcis.org >

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Origins of "archive" in computer science
by Matthew Kirschenbaum 06 Aug '18

06 Aug '18

Dear all, I'm trying to find early exemplars of the use of the word "archive" in computer systems contexts, whether as a noun to denote an element of computer architecture (i.e., the archive disk or archive tape) or as a verb, i.e. "I've archived those files." Examples might include the TAR ("Tape ARchive") format, Wang's nomenclature of an "archive disk" in its systems, and Gmail's early mantra, "Archive, Don't Delete." I'd love to run down some early instances of this sort of thing, which I assume goes back to the mainframe era. Thank you-- -- Matthew Kirschenbaum Professor of English and Digital Studies Director, Graduate Certificate in Digital Studies University of Maryland mkirschenbaum.net

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Fwd: Help Save Some Of Australia’s Computer History From The Bulldozers
by Andrew Russell 06 Aug '18

06 Aug '18

Hi everyone - Perhaps of interest to our friends in Australia, or elsewhere? Andy >> https://hackaday.com/2018/08/04/help-save-some-of-australias-computer-histo… <https://hackaday.com/2018/08/04/help-save-some-of-australias-computer-histo…>

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Airtable is interested in hosting an historian to give them an informal talk about the history of databases
by David C. Brock 03 Aug '18

03 Aug '18

Dear All, I had a very nice message from the young company Airtable recently. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airtable) They would be quite interested in hosting an historian of computing at their offices in San Francisco for an informal talk and discussion about the history of databases. I was pleased to learn that there are several history buffs in the firm, and they’d welcome the chance to learn more about the history of the field in which they are engaged. If this fits the interests of anyone on the list, you could contact them directly through Peter Berkowitz here: peter(a)airtable.com If anyone were available on August 19th, they thought it could be a nice way to mark the birthday of Edgar Codd (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_F._Codd) 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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History of computing in the Middle East
by David C. Brock 01 Aug '18

01 Aug '18

For those who saw me pose the question below on Twitter: Apologies. I would very much appreciate the community’s advice on references to the history of computing in the Middle East, especially: the 1970s and 1980s; the introduction of personal computing; and Arabic language capabilities. Thanks as ever, 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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PROGRAMme autumn workshop, 16-17 october 2018, Bertinoro
by ldemol 23 Jul '18

23 Jul '18

Dear all, I am happy to announce the autumn workshop of the PROGRAMme project which will be organised from 16 to 17 October 2018 at Bertinoro University center in Italy. It is the first in a series of four workshops. Each will focus on one of the project’s main clusters in connection to the other three. The first workshop will focus on the cluster Logic and so concentrates on logic at the interface with machines, languages and systems. In order to register, please send a mail with your affiliation to: liesbeth.demol(a)univ-lille3.fr before September 15 2018. Registration is free but required in order to attend. For more details, including a provisional program, see: https://programme.hypotheses.org/autumn-workshop-formalisms-at-the-interfac… Organizers: Liesbeth De Mol (CNRS, Université de Lille) and Simone Martini (Universita di Bologna). Supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna. with best wishes, Liesbeth De Mol

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Donation of Books
by James Cortada 22 Jul '18

22 Jul '18

I have donated to the Hagley Museum and Library the bulk of my books about computing and since I had donated a large number to the University of Minnesota (CBI) in 2009 I wanted to explain why I did that. In the intervening years since 2009, the library at the University of Minnesota decided to allocate its remaining space more to archival materials rather than to large book collections. The Hagley had room for the books and its collecting strategy dovetailed neatly with mine. CBI and the University of Minnesota Library eagerly welcome new archival materials dealing with IT, as we saw recently with the massive acquisition of Jean Sammet's papers. I intend to continue donating my notes and other archival materials to CBI as I complete future book projects. My current project is a large history of IBM, to be published by MIT Press early next year. For a brief description of what I deposited at the Hagley see https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/new-collection- james-w-cortada-collection-information-technology-publications -- James W. Cortada Senior Research Fellow Charles Babbage Institute University of Minnesota jcortada(a)umn.edu 608-274-6382

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