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Book announcement: Archaeologies of Touch: Interfacing with Haptics from Electricity to Computing
by david parisi 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

Hello SIGCIS'ers, I'm very excited to announce the publication of my book *Archaeologies of Touch: Interfacing with Haptics from Electricity to Computing*. The book will hopefully be of interest to members of this list, as it provides a macrohistorical framework for the emergence of Computer Haptics, moving forward from electrical experiments in the 1700s to psychophysics in the 1800s, and then engaging with the design of tactile communication systems in the middle decades of the twentieth century. The final two chapters address the more recent history of haptics, tracing the development of Computer Haptics as a dedicated & formalized field of study from the 1970s on. Catalog description & ordering info below. ARCHAEOLOGIES OF TOUCH: Interfacing with Haptics from Electricity to Computing *A material history of haptic technology that raises new questions about the relationship between touch and media* University of Minnesota Press | 472 pages | February 2018 ISBN 978-1-5179-0059-5 | paper | $28.00 ISBN 978-1-5179-0058-8 | cloth | $112.00 David Parisi offers the first full history of new computing technologies known as haptic interfaces—which use electricity, vibration, and force feedback to stimulate the sense of touch—showing how the efforts of scientists and engineers over the past 300 years have gradually remade and redefined our sense of touch. *Archaeologies of Touch* offers a timely and provocative engagement with the long history of touch technology that helps us confront and question the power relations underpinning the project of giving touch its own set of technical media. For more information, please visit the book's webpage: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/archaeologies-of-touch <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.upress…>, or feel free to contact me (use code MN82600 for 30% off). Thanks very much for you time and attention, David David Parisi, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Emerging Media Department of Communication College of Charleston E-mail: parisid(a)cofc.edu Bio: http://communication.cofc.edu/about/faculty-staff-listing/parisi-david.php Book: *Archaeologies of Touch: Interfacing with Haptics from Electricity to Computing* <http://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/archaeologies-of-touch> (University of Minnesota, 2018) Journal: issue: Haptic Media Studies <http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/nmsa/19/10>, *New Media & Society* (2017) Twitter: @Dave_Parisi <https://twitter.com/Dave_Parisi>

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March is (Unofficially) Tech History Book Month
by Brian Berg 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

As Chair of the IEEE Silicon Valley Tech History Committee <http://www.siliconvalleyhistory.com>, I am pleased to inform you of 3 upcoming events involving technology history books - all happening in Silicon Valley. I organized the first of these three - if it is sold out, get on the waiting list and inform me of how you heard about this and I will allow you in. 1. Tue, March 13, 7-9pn: *Decoding Silicon Valley: The Insider’s Guide <https://californiaconsultants.org/event/decoding-silicon-valley-the-insider…>* based on the book of the same name: a presentation by co-authors *Michelle E. Messina <https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellemessina/>* and *Jonathan C. Baer <http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbaersiliconvalley>*. Venue: SEMI, Milpitas, California UA. Free, with pre-registration. There will be a book-signing, with books available for purchase. 2. Thu, March 15, noon-1:30pm: *Minitel: The Web before the Web <http://www.computerhistory.org/events/upcoming/#minitel-web-before-web>*, with authors Kevin Driscoll and Julien Mailland in conversation with Internet History Program Curatorial Director Marc Weber, followed by a book signing of Minitel: Welcome to the Internet <https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/minitel>. Venue: Computer History Museum, Mtn. View, California US. Free, with pre-registration, and books will be sold there by Books Inc. 3. Wed, March 28, 7:30pm: the Saratoga Historical Foundation is hosting a lecture by author Tim Stanley about the new book *The Peopling of Silicon Valley - 1940 to the Present Day: An Oral History <https://www.amazon.com/Peopling-Silicon-Valley-1940-Present/dp/0984239154>*. Venue: Saratoga Foothill Club, 20399 Park Place, Saratoga, California US. Free to Foundation members, and $5 for the general public. The book will be available for purchase. This book puts a human face on the Valley. It does not pretend to be a history of the entire Valley during this period or of the technology industries for which the place is now famous. This is a personal history of a cross section of the people who have settled here and of the place they call home with just enough of the technology story to make it interesting. The book encompasses the five major migrations to the Valley since World War II: (1) the GIs, (2) Lockheed, (3) the chip makers, (4) the minicomputer folks, and (5) the software and web developers. Each is, if not the dominant group, at least a group representative of a particular period that lasted fifteen years or more. Each wave of people brought with it both increased economic prosperity and social change. This is their story, told as much as possible in their own words. Tim Stanley is also the author of *The Last of the Prune Pickers: A Pre-Silicon Valley Story <https://www.amazon.com/Last-Prune-Pickers-Pre-Silicon-Valley/dp/098423912X>*, a popular local history. 350 pages, 70 photographs. _________________________ Brian A. Berg / bberg(a)StanfordAlumni.org Berg Software Design 14500 Big Basin Way, Suite F, Saratoga, CA 95070 USA Voice: 408.741.5010 <(408)%20741-5010> / Cell: 408.568.2505 <(408)%20568-2505> 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

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The Turing-Welchman Bombe at Bletchley Park
by Brian Randell 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

Hi: I hope that it is acceptable use of this mailing list for me to use it to draw attention to the Crowdfunding project "To keep the Turing-Welchman Bombe working reconstruction on the Bletchley Park Estate” - http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/new-display?” "The National Museum of Computing needs £50,000 to keep the Bombe on the Bletchley Park Estate. The Bombe is a working reconstruction of the Turing-Welchman machine that helped break enemy Enigma messages in the Second World War. The reconstruction will be located near to the world-famous working rebuild of Colossus, the 1944 computer that sped up the breaking of Lorenz messages of the German High Command. Together, the original machines changed the course of history. They are credited with shortening the war by up to two years and saved countless lives. They also paved the way for our digital world. Sitting close together in Block H, hailed as one of England’s top 100 ‘irreplaceable places’, they will bring to life the incredible wartime code-breaking story and pay homage to the amazing achievements of the Bletchley Park code-breakers." I have no involvement with this project myself - other than as one of the over 200 people who have already supported it. Cheers Brian Randell — School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU EMAIL = Brian.Randell(a)ncl.ac.uk<mailto:Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk> PHONE = +44 191 208 7923 URL = http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/people/profile/brianrandell.html

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Information & Culture
by Forrest, Kathleen 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

Information & Culture: A Journal of History is actively soliciting articles for publication. The journal publishes high-quality, peer reviewed articles on the history of information. The social and cultural context of information and information technology, viewed from an historical perspective, is at the heart of the journal's interests. Typical papers might focus, for example, on the histories of information institutions, agencies, domains, or businesses; the history of information work and workers; the history of information in everyday life; the history of information and communication practices; the history of information artifacts (ranging from books to computers, information infrastructures and networks); the history of the organization and classification of information; the history of concepts and theories in the information domain; and intellectual and theoretical approaches for writing information history. The intention is to juxtapose papers on a wide variety of topics related to the history of information so as to stimulate connections between the research of library historians, information science historians, historians of computing, labor historians, gender historians, economic historians, business historians, political and diplomatic historians, cultural studies scholars, critical theorists, and science and technology scholars. Instructions for contributors are available at http://www.infoculturejournal.org/submissions Interested authors should contact the editor: Ciaran B. Trace School of Information University of Texas – Austin Email: cbtrace(a)austin.utexas.edu<mailto:cbtrace@austin.utexas.edu>

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Postdoc in AI, Policy, and Practice @ Cornell
by Karen Levy 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

Artificial Intelligence, Policy, and Practice (AIPP) is a new initiative at Cornell University, led by faculty in Computing and Information Science and spanning the Ithaca and New York City campuses. The initiative brings together researchers pursuing fundamental technical advances in AI with scholars considering its ethical, legal, and social implications. We seek a Postdoctoral Researcher who will help us explore how an integrated interdisciplinary approach to these issues can generate unique insights and provide an effective foundation for future innovation, policy, and advocacy. The initiative will focus on a number of key challenges in the near-term future of AI. We will investigate how AI might improve the quality of decision-making, while also posing new challenges to fairness, equality, autonomy, dignity, and privacy, among other core values. We will consider how AI risks exacerbating information and power asymmetries, while also providing a way to measure, model, and mitigate these dynamics. Our goal is to establish the appropriate role for AI in addressing pressing issues, while ensuring that it does so with due consideration of social context and ethical norms. The Postdoctoral Researcher will have the opportunity to help launch and shape this new initiative, conduct research, run seminars, stage events, and foster a truly interdisciplinary community. S/he will collaborate with one or more of the faculty supervisors associated with the initiative: Solon Barocas, Jon Kleinberg, Karen Levy, and Helen Nissenbaum. Applications are welcome from recent Ph.D. graduates with a range of disciplinary backgrounds (e.g., computer and information science, data science, the social sciences, public policy, philosophy, media studies, science and technology studies, or related fields). Law graduates or ABDs with strong backgrounds or work experience in related fields are also eligible to apply. An interest in and ability to do translational, cross-disciplinary work between fields is crucial. This is a one-year position with the possibility of a second year depending on performance and funding. The Postdoctoral Researcher may be located in Ithaca or New York City, depending on the location of the primary supervising faculty, but will have ample opportunity to spend time on both campuses. Applications should be submitted to: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/10902 and should include a CV, up to two publications (or writing samples), the names and contact information of three references, and a cover letter summarizing the candidate's relevant background, accomplishments, and fit with the position. A transcript of graduate work (unofficial is acceptable) may also be requested. For substantive questions related to the initiative or position, please contact sbarocas(a)cornell.edu. The position is available for a Fall 2018 start (or sooner, given the candidate’s availability). We will begin to review applications on March 5th. Diversity and inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities. -- Karen Levy Assistant Professor, Department of Information Science, Cornell University Associated Faculty, Cornell Law School http://www.karen-levy.net

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Footage of the ENIAC at the Moore School of Engineering, 1946
by Erik Rau 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

Freshly uploaded to our digital archives. Enjoy! Erik https://youtu.be/r2SCpzXqmP8 Sent from my iPhone

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ENIAC in Action -- paperback out, Kindle just $14.49
by Thomas Haigh 27 Feb '18

27 Feb '18

Hello SIGCIS, Our list policy allows one publication announcement per edition of a book, so I though I'd shamelessly exploit that to let you know that the paperback edition of _ENIAC in Action: Making and Remaking the Modern Computer_ which I wrote with Mark Priestley and Crispin Rope, appeared last month. It even had a real index, unlike the hardcover. List price $25. I also notice that Amazon is currently having a sale on the Kindle edition, which is marked down to just $14.49. As before, there are lots of resources associated with the book at http://eniacinaction.com/. Talk videos, related articles, technical reports, etc. Even a page listing things Walter Isaacson got wrong about ENIAC (http://eniacinaction.com/the-articles/eniac-errors-in-isaacsons-the-innovat ors/). Best wishes, Tom

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SHOT-Dibner Award (Submission Deadline: May 1, 2018)
by Benjamin Gross 26 Feb '18

26 Feb '18

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. 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. All the best 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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Query on NCR history, particularly NCR 315
by Thomas Haigh 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

Hello SIGCIS, I have promised to pass on this query I received from a non-member of the list. Please respond to him directly. His message is below. I already mentioned the obvious sources on NCR: the multivolume anniversary history from the 1980s, Ally's _My Half Century at NCR_ and the book co-authored by Burke on its wartime Bombes. Tom. QUERY FOLLOWS (reply directly to jawinders(a)hotmail.com <mailto:jawinders@hotmail.com> ) My name is Jason Winders, a sport historian in London, Ont. I am seeking a bit of direction from you on a book I am currently working on about the early origins of sport simulations using computers. In the late 1960s, Miami radio executive Murry Woroner decided to pit the greatest Heavyweight fighters of all time against one another in a unique tournament that culminated in Rocky Marciano squaring off against Muhammad Ali in 1969. Despite wildly popular radio broadcasts, and a final pay-per-view event watched by millions in theaters around the globe, not a single competitive punch was ever thrown in inside a ring during the tournament, instead, every jab, hook and uppercut took place within an NCR-315. I am looking to connect with an NCR historian who can speak to me about the creation, life, evolution and overall significance of the NCR-315. Thought I would come by the site and see if any names popped to the mind. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

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Call for Papers "Networks in Peril Destruction, Subversion and Sabotage (XIXth-XXIth Century)"
by Valerie 15 Feb '18

15 Feb '18

Dear colleagues, We hope that this call for papers may be of interest for you. Please feel free to circulate this CFP to your networks. Best regards, Valérie Schafer Call for Papers - Special issue of the French academic journal Flux http://www.cairn.info/revue-flux.htm Networks in Peril Destruction, Subversion and Sabotage (XIXth-XXIth Century) Benjamin G. Thierry and Valérie Schafer (ed.) From the appearance of the word “sabotage” in France at the end of the nineteenth century - and its theorization notably by Emile Pouget (Albertelli, 2016) - through the destruction of communications infrastructures in times of war, to the spate of recent worldwide cyber attacks, infrastructure networks always possess a large number of vulnerabilities despite their diversity (information and communications networks, energy, banking, transport, engineering structures...). They may become prime targets for what they represent or because of the organizations that they support. Are networks the subject of a particular technophobia, of a misotechnie (Jarrige, 2016)? Do they have specific or shared vulnerabilities (Baran, 1964; Abramovici and Bradley, 2009)? How are these vulnerabilities negotiated, evaluated and managed? How and why do networks become targets in conflicts? (Kempf, 2014; Pinsolle, 2015). Have the targets, issues, objectives and actors (Pasquinelli, 2010) fundamentally changed over time and are they different over space and between scales? This special issue aims to explore projects and acts of destruction, subversion and sabotage of infrastructure networks in an interdisciplinary approach, and to analyse past and current vulnerabilities and attempts to overcome these. Submissions Please submit proposals (in French or English) for papers to both benjaminthierry(a)gmail.com valerieschafer(a)wanadoo.fr Initial proposals should be one page long, outlining the specific focus and approach of the paper and providing a short bibliography. Selected authors will then be invited to submit a full paper which will undergo full peer review before acceptance for publication. Timetable Deadline for the submission of proposals: May 15th 2018 Notification of proposal acceptance: June 15th 2018 Submissions of full papers (French or English, 8000 words): October 15th 2018 References Abramovici M., Bradley P., 2009, Integrated circuit security: new threats and solutions, in: Sheldon F., Peterson G., Krings A., Abercrombie R., Mili A. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 5th Annual Workshop on Cyber Security and Information Intelligence Research: Cyber Security and Information Intelligence Challenges and Strategies (CSIIRW '09), New York : ACM. Albertelli S., 2016, Histoire du sabotage. De la CGT à la Résistance, Paris : Perrin. Baran P., 1964, On distributed communications. Introduction to distributed communications networks, août 1964 - Rand Corporation, Online archives. Jarrige F., 2016, Technocritiques, Paris : La Découverte. Kempf O., 2014, Penser les réseaux. Une approche stratégique, Paris : L’Harmattan. Pasquinelli M., 2010, The Ideology of Free Culture and the Grammar of Sabotage, Policy Futures in Education, Vol 8, Issue 6, p. 671-682. Pinsolle D., 2015, Du ralentissement au déraillement : le développement du sabotage en France (1897-1914), Histoire, économie & société, vol. 34e année, n°4, p. 56-72.

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