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Update: Two faculty jobs at the University of Virginia
by Kevin Driscoll 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

Hello SIGCIS, This is a short note to let you know about two job openings in the Dept. of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. Key dates: - November 8 is the date for priority consideration to the open topic position - December 9 is the date for priority consideration to the position specializing in media and the African American experience The two positions will remain open until filled. To be considered for both positions, candidates must submit two applications. Kevin Driscoll Assistant Professor Dept. of Media Studies University of Virginia -- African American and/or African Diaspora Experience, Assistant or Associate Professor http://jobs.virginia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=80103 The Department of Media Studies (http://www.mediastudies.virginia.edu) at the University of Virginia seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor or tenured Associate Professor. We welcome applicants specializing in media and the African American experience or media and African and/or African Diaspora studies, with a preference given to those in the first area. The appointment begins with the fall term of 2017, with an anticipated start date of July 25, 2017. The successful candidate at the assistant professor level must have a Ph.D or be ABD with expected completion by May; show evidence of research promise in the field of media studies; and demonstrate a commitment to innovative and effective teaching. Associate professor candidates must have an outstanding publication record of innovative research in media studies and proven teaching excellence. In either case, the successful candidate must hold a Ph.D at the time of appointment. This position is part of a larger University of Virginia hiring initiative in the Global South that seeks to foster inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary teaching and research. The candidate hired will be appointed for the first two years as an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow with the Institute of Humanities and Global Cultures, an appointment that will provide one course release per year. To apply, candidates must submit a Candidate Profile through Jobs@UVA ( https://jobs.virginia.edu) search for posting number 0619561, and electronically attach the following: a cover letter of interest that describes research agenda and teaching experience, a curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references. Also, separately by e-mail, please arrange for three (3) confidential letters of recommendation that speak to research excellence be sent to: Professor Aniko Bodroghkozy, Search Committee Chair at this address: mediastudiessearch(a)gmail.com For priority consideration, please submit all application materials and letters of reference by December 9, 2016. The position remains open until filled. Questions regarding the application process may be sent to the Search Committee Chair: ab4vs(a)virginia.edu. The University will perform background checks on all new faculty hires prior to making a final offer of employment. The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. -- Open Topic Media Studies, Assistant or Association Professor http://jobs.virginia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=80106 The Department of Media Studies (http://www.mediastudies.virginia.edu) at the University of Virginia seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor with an appointment to begin July 25, 2017. The successful candidate at the assistant professor level must have a Ph.D or be ABD with expected completion by May; show evidence of research promise in the field of media studies; and demonstrate a commitment to innovative and effective teaching. Associate professor candidates must have an outstanding publication record of innovative research in media studies and proven teaching excellence. In either case, the successful candidate must hold a Ph.D at the time of appointment. The research specializations for this position are open. Candidates should be well versed in theories and methods that would complement current departmental strengths in gender, global media, technology, and policy. To apply, candidates must submit a Candidate Profile through Jobs@UVA ( https://jobs.virginia.edu) search on posting number 0619564, and electronically attach the following: a cover letter of interest that describes research agenda and teaching experience, and a curriculum vitae. Three (3) confidential letters of recommendation that speak to research excellence will be requested of candidates continuing on to the second round. For priority consideration, please submit all application materials by November 8, 2016. The position will remain open until filled. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Professor Siva Vaidhyanathan, Chair of Search Committee, uvamdst(a)gmail.com/. The University of Virginia is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. Women, Minorities, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities are encouraged to apply.

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IBM history in Europe
by Petri Paju 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

Hello all, This article from past summer should be of interest to people interested in early computer business, especially IBM, and its relations to and with Europe and European integration. In it we write a lot about electric typewriters but the system and thinking were arguably of direct relevance to punched card business and soon computer manufacture: Paju, Petri and Haigh, Thomas. "IBM Rebuilds Europe: The Curious Case of the Transnational Typewriter." Enterprise & Society, vol. 17, issue 2 (June 2016), pp. 265-300. As Tom put it on his pages: This article blends perspectives from business history, European history, and the history of technology to explore IBM's development of a unique typewriter manufacturing system that overcame post-War trade restrictions to force cooperation between recent enemies. This laid the groundwork for its subsequent domination of the European computer industry and anticipated political efforts to build a common European market. There's a preprint online at: http://www.tomandmaria.com/Tom/Writing/IBMRebuildsEuropePREPRINT.pdf Final one at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/enterprise-and-society/article/ibm-… Best, Petri Petri Paju PhD, Researcher in the project Towards a Roadmap for Digital History in Finland History of Industrialization & Innovation Group, Aalto University, and Department of Cultural History, University of Turku http://utu.academia.edu/PetriPaju

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New CBI Newsletter (Fall 2016, Vol. 38:2)
by Charles Babbage Institute 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

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Strachey 100 conference
by Troy Astarte (PGR) 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

Dear all, A final reminder for the conference below. This November marks 100 years since the birth of Christopher Strachey. We are holding a symposium to celebrate his life and research in Oxford on Saturday 19th November. There will also be an exhibition of material from the Strachey archive on Friday 18th November, followed by a banquet dinner at Hertford College on the evening of Friday 18th November. For more information and to register for attendance, please go to http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/strachey100/. ------------------------------- Christopher Strachey (1916–1975) was a pioneering computer scientist and the founder of the Programming Research Group, now part of the Department of Computer Science at Oxford University. Although Strachey was keenly interested in the practical aspects of computing, it is in the theoretical side that he most indelibly left his mark, notably by creating with Dana Scott the denotational (or as he called it, ‘mathematical’) approach to defining the semantics of programming languages. Strachey also spent time writing complex programs and puzzles for various computers, such as a draughts playing program for the Pilot ACE in 1951. He developed some fundamental concepts of machine-independent operating systems, including an early suggestion for time-sharing, and was a prime mover in the influential CPL programming language. Strachey came from a notable family of intellectuals and artists, perhaps most famous for Christopher’s uncle Lytton, a writer and member of the Bloomsbury group. We will be marking the occasion of 100 years since Christopher Strachey's birth on Saturday 19th November 2016, three days after his birthday, with a symposium of invited speakers. The morning will look back at Strachey’s life and works from a historical and technical perspective, and the afternoon will concern the future of Strachey-inspired theoretical computer science at Oxford University. There will also be a display of related archival material on Friday 18th November for anyone interested, and a banquet dinner at Hertford College on the evening of Friday 18th November. Hope to see many of you there. Best, Troy Astarte

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History of intellectual property in computing?
by McMillan, William W 28 Oct '16

28 Oct '16

Greetings, SIGCIS. I'm looking for historical sources on the development of intellectual property principles and practices to use in a graduate computer science class. Of course, there is plenty of information on IP in IT and the history of IP in general, but I would like to find sources that tell a story across the development of computing in particular and relate it to other factors in technology and society. Also, any syllabus examples or suggestions would be very welcome. Thanks, Bill

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Adjunct Position for Computers & Society
by Lee Vinsel 27 Oct '16

27 Oct '16

Hello SIGCISers, My college is hiring an adjunct professor to teach our course, Computers & Society, which was originally designed by Andy Russell before I took it over for four years. There's lots of latitude regarding *what* gets taught in the course. I paste the full ad below, but here is the bit that gives some description of the course. "This course examines the historical, social, political, and moral aspects of computers, the Internet, social media, and digital technologies more generally. The course topics and readings can be quite flexible, but usually consist of some computer history, ICT policy debates, computer and media culture, and ethical and societal aspects of the computing professions." And here's the link: https://www.stevens.edu/directory/division-human- resources/employment-opportunities Let me know if you have any questions. Lee Vinsel *ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR, SOCIAL SCIENCES* The College of Arts & Letters at Stevens Institute of Technology has spring 2017 adjunct openings in the Program in Humanities and Social Sciences for the following course: HSS 371 – Computers & Society This course examines the historical, social, political, and moral aspects of computers, the Internet, social media, and digital technologies more generally. The course topics and readings can be quite flexible, but usually consist of some computer history, ICT policy debates, computer and media culture, and ethical and societal aspects of the computing professions. See the Stevens Course Catalog for full description. http://www.stevens.edu/catalog/ Under this appointment, your responsibilities will include preparing and maintaining course syllabus, teaching assigned classes, attending all class sessions, grading and providing appropriate feedback to students, scheduling office hours, completing all assessments requirements, and attending at least one orientation meeting. You will also be required to provide your students and the College of Arts & Letters office with a comprehensive course syllabus before the start of the semester. The syllabus should include all course requirements, grading policy, assignments, expected exams and required reading. You will provide us with your textbook order in-time for materials to arrive well in advance of the first week of classes. Finally, you will be required to adhere to the policies as stated in the CAL faculty handbook. Qualifications: Experience teaching at the University level required. All candidates must have already taught the specific course listed, or an equivalent. On-line applications required at https://www.stevens.edu/directory/division-human-resources/employment-oppor… . Positions will remain open until filled. Applicants should be sure to include a cover letter, current c.v., statement of teaching philosophy, samples or link to work or portfolio (if applicable), and names and addresses of three references. For more information, please visit: www.stevens.edu/cal -- Assistant Professor and Director, Program on Science and Technology Studies College of Arts and Letters Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 leevinsel.com Twitter: @STS_News

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4-year support for doctoral study University of Colorado Boulder
by William Aspray 27 Oct '16

27 Oct '16

I am seeking a student to begin doctoral study in August 2017 to study the history of information or the history of computing under my supervision. The successful applicant would be admitted into the information science department, which means they would also be required to learn a significant amount of technical and social science material as part of their degree program. Four years of financial support is guaranteed, assuming continued good standing in the doctoral program. Admission is highly competitive. We are a new department in a new college.Our first doctoral students began study in August 2016. Both the department and the college are highly interdisciplinary. The department is particularly strong in human centered computing and design, although we represent many other research areas as well. The college faculty includes five historians of media, communication, and information (William Aspray, Lori Emerson, Janice Peck, Peter Simonson, and Ted Striphas), and there are ample opportunities to study across departmental borders. For more information about the program, including information about how to apply, see http://www.colorado.edu/cmci/academics/information-science/graduate-degrees. The application deadline is December 7. Interested students can contact me at: aspray(a)colorado.edu<mailto:aspray@colorado.edu> -Bill Aspray

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keyword: 'domain'
by David Ribes 26 Oct '16

26 Oct '16

Can anyone offer some leads on the use of the term 'domain' within computing and information circles? Such as 'domain scientist' or 'domain knowledge'... I've used the term for years as an in vivo category drawn from my fieldwork, but have little sense of its historical genealogy. It was already well in place by 2003 when I started fieldwork in the worlds of cyberinfrastructure, and I have some suspicion it may have come from knowledge management/business ... -- David Ribes Associate Professor Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) University of Washington http://davidribes.com

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ENIAC TM table
by Brian L. Stuart 26 Oct '16

26 Oct '16

Does anyone by any chance know of a scan of Table 6-13 from Goldstine's ENIAC Technical Manual? Neither the scan of the manual on archive.org nor the printed version from Periscope include it. In the table of tables, it's listed as "in an envelope attached to the back cover." The reason I'm looking is that I'm trying to use the setup shown in Figure 6-2 to identify and shake out bugs in my simulator. However, there appear to be some omissions/ errors/ambiguities in the scans of the figures. I'm hoping the setup information in that table will help clarify some of them. Thanks in advance, Brian L. Stuart

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CFP: SIGCIS meeting @ CHM, March 18-19, 2017
by Andrew Russell 26 Oct '16

26 Oct '16

Dear colleagues - We’re very happy to announce a special SIGCIS meeting on March 18-19, 2017, hosted and sponsored by the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. More information is below; for the full call for papers and registration information, please visit http://meetings.sigcis.org/. And please share widely! The purpose of the meeting, Command Lines: Software, Power, and Performance, is to draw together scholars from a variety of fields that study software, including the history of computing, science and technology studies, software studies, code studies, game studies, media studies, web and internet history, and computer science and engineering. The meeting hopes to explore the connections between the creation and use of software and “power” in multiple senses, and the connection between software and conceptions of technical and cultural “performance.” We are delighted that the meeting will begin with two keynote speakers - Kavita Philip of University of California, Irvine, and Tom Mullaney of Stanford University. The SIGCIS organizing committee now seeks proposals for short papers (15-20 min.) to present new work at the conference. We welcome work that hinges on, links to, or reacts against the themes of the meeting. We also welcome submissions that may not connect specifically with the themes but have bearing on the larger project of SIGCIS--the study of computing and sociotechnical change. We especially encourage submissions from graduate students and early career scholars. Deadlines and Submission Protocol Proposals for papers are due by December 30th, 2016. Decisions will be made by January 16th, 2017. Proposals should include: a one-page abstract (maximum 400 words) addressing the paper's topic, approach, sources, and relationship to existing literatures a one-page CV Please email your proposal to SIGCIS organizing committee by midnight (Pacific time) on December 30th to Conference Assistant kera [dot] allen [at] gatech [dot] edu. Financial Support SIGCIS and the Museum will be able to provide partial financial support to graduate students to present at the meeting. Please note in your proposal if you would like to be considered for a travel award. Location and Logistics The meeting events will be held at CHM at 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA 94043. During the event, attendees will have access to CHM’s most recent major exhibit on software and its implications, Make Software: Change the World! There will be no official meeting hotel or transportation. The meeting has a $40 registration fee, waived for graduate and undergraduate students as well as independent scholars. Presenters and attendees may register here <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/command-lines-software-power-and-performance-t…>. We encourage early registration, as attendance will be limited. We hope to see you there! Organizing Committee David C. Brock, Computer History Museum <http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/author/dbrock/> Marie Hicks, Illinois Institute of Technology <http://mariehicks.net/> Laine Nooney, Georgia Institute of Technology <http://www.lainenooney.com/> Andrew Russell, SUNY Polytechnic Institute <http://arussell.org/>

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