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2016-2017 Adelle and Erwin Tomash Graduate Fellowship (Jan. 15, 2016 Application Deadline)
by Jeffrey Yost 22 Oct '15

22 Oct '15

Hi all, Below is an announcement for the 2016-2017 Tomash pre-doctoral fellowship competition for ABD students researching/writing a dissertation on some aspect of computer/software/networking history. Please pass along to any doctoral students who may be interested. If you have any questions about the fellowship, please contact me. Best, Jeff *2016-2017 Adelle and Erwin Tomash Graduate Fellowship* The Charles Babbage Institute is accepting applications for the 2016-2017 Adelle and Erwin Tomash Graduate Fellowship. The fellowship will be awarded to a graduate student for doctoral dissertation research in the history of computing. The fellowship may be held at the recipient's home academic institution, the Charles Babbage Institute, or any other location with appropriate research facilities. The stipend is $14,000. It is intended for students who have completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except the research and writing of the dissertation. Tomash Fellowship recipients must remain students in good standing throughout the term of their fellowship, but there is no restriction on holding other fellowships, scholarships, or awards concurrent to the Tomash Fellowship. Preference will be given to applicants indicating a need to use CBI materials, planning research in residence at CBI, and willing to make a brief presentation of their research findings to CBI staff. Questions pertaining to collection content and access can be directed to R. Arvid Nelsen, CBI Archivist, at nels0307(a)umn.edu. To Apply: Applicants should send to CBI a curriculum vitae and a five-page (single-spaced) statement and justification of the research project including a discussion of methods, research materials, evidence of faculty support for the project, and bibliography (bibliography does not count toward page count). Applicants should also arrange for three letters of reference and certified copies of graduate school transcripts to be sent directly to CBI. All materials must be received by CBI no later than January 15, 2016. Application materials should be sent to cbi(a)umn.edu. A confirmation email will be sent once your application has been received. Alternatively, applications may be mailed to: Charles Babbage Institute: Tomash Fellowship 211 Andersen Library University of Minnesota 222 - 21st Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 Please direct questions about the Tomash Fellowship to Jeffrey Yost, CBI Associate Director, yostx003(a)umn.edu, 612.624.5050 -- Jeffrey R. Yost, Ph.D. Associate Director, Charles Babbage Institute Faculty, Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine 222 21st Avenue South University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 612 624 5050 Phone 612 625 8054 Fax

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Assistant professor position at Chalmers
by Gustav Sjöblom 20 Oct '15

20 Oct '15

Dear SIGCIS members, Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, is looking for an assistant professor in the history of science and technology, deadline 1 December 2015. http://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=3425 The recruitment is part of the build-up of a research group in the history of technology and science at Chalmers. Current members of the group include SIGCIS members Per Lundin (author of Computers in Swedish Society) and Gustav Sjöblom (SIGCIS Vice Chair for Europe), so this is a great opportunity to do history of computing. The position is a four-year contract. There is an expectation that the applicant is prepared to teach undergraduates in Swedish after two years. If you have any queries, please contact me or Per. Best wishes, Gustav ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gustav Sjöblom Assistant Professor, PhD (Cantab) Teknikens ekonomi och organisation| Department of technology management and economics Innovationsteknik | Innovation Engineering and Management +46(0)31 772 1232 +46(0)70-2014011 (mobile) [cid:image001.jpg@01CC2F3C.8093B9D0] Chalmers tekniska högskola | Chalmers University of Technology Vera Sandbergs allé 8A SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden http://www.chalmers.se/tme/SV/organisation/personliga-sidor/sjoblom-gustav9… http://gustavsjoblom.blogspot.com/

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Oy! Another crazy computer history claim
by Evan Koblentz 19 Oct '15

19 Oct '15

NY's Metropolitan Transit Authority -- the people who runs the subways, trains, and buses -- hired a tour guide for Grand Central Station who's saying that the terminal's circa-1913 electromechanical signaling system is "the first electronic computer". Who was the chief engineer, Shiva Ayyadurai? This story is very unfortunately in Gothamist -- a very popular NYC site. I shudder to think how many people now accept it as fact. http://gothamist.com/2015/10/15/grand_central_computer_video.php#photo-7

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The "type" concept in programming languages
by Kevin Driscoll 18 Oct '15

18 Oct '15

This is a neat paper that traces the emergence of "type" as a technical term in programming languages by turning back to the documentation of FORTRAN, Algol 58, etc. Kevin -- Martini, Simone. “Several Types of Types in Programming Languages.” arXiv:1510.03726 [cs], October 13, 2015. http://arxiv.org/abs/1510.03726. Types are an important part of any modern programming language, but we often forget that the concept of type we understand nowadays is not the same it was perceived in the sixties. Moreover, we conflate the concept of "type" in programming languages with the concept of the same name in mathematical logic, an identification that is only the result of the convergence of two different paths, which started apart with different aims. The paper will present several remarks (some historical, some of more conceptual character) on the subject, as a basis for a further investigation. The thesis we will argue is that there are three different characters at play in programming languages, all of them now called types: the technical concept used in language design to guide implementation; the general abstraction mechanism used as a modelling tool; the classifying tool inherited from mathematical logic. We will suggest three possible dates ad quem for their presence in the programming language literature, suggesting that the emergence of the concept of type in computer science is relatively independent from the logical tradition, until the Curry-Howard isomorphism will make an explicit bridge between them.

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Fwd: Call for Papers: SHOT 2016 (Singapore, 22-26 June)
by Andrew Russell 16 Oct '15

16 Oct '15

All - With apologies to those of you (which is probably most of you) who have already received this - please see the beginnings of the CFP for SHOT 2016 below. The rest is at http://www.historyoftechnology.org/call_for_papers/index.html. The text from the website has some specifics about the Open Panel logistics, which is a relatively new procedure for SHOT: "Individuals interested in finding others to join panel sessions for the Annual Meeting may propose Open Sessions to the Secretary's office via email, starting October 15, with a final deadline of December 1. Open Sessions descriptions, along with organizer contact information, will appear as soon as possible on the SHOT website, on the Open Sessions List<http://www.historyoftechnology.org/call_for_papers/open_panels.html>. (The earlier the proposal is received by the Secretary, the earlier it will be posted to the Open Sessions List.)” [snip] Ready, set, go! Andy Begin forwarded message: From: Society for the History of Technology <shotsec(a)auburn.edu<mailto:shotsec@auburn.edu>> Date: October 16, 2015 at 2:02:21 PM EDT To: andrew.russell(a)stevens.edu<mailto:andrew.russell@stevens.edu> Subject: Call for Papers: SHOT 2016 (Singapore, 22-26 June) Society for the History of Technology 16 October 2015 Call for Papers: 2016 SHOT Annual Meeting (Singapore, 22-26 June) The Society for the History of Technology is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for our 2016 meeting in Singapore! Formed in 1958, SHOT is an interdisciplinary and international organization concerned not only with the history of technological devices and processes but also with technology in history, the development of technology, and its relations with society and culture --that is, the relationship of technology to politics, economics, science, the arts, and the organization of production, and with the role it plays in the differentiation of individuals in society. Accordingly, the Program Committee invites paper and session proposals on any topic in a broadly defined history of technology, including topics that push the boundaries of the discipline. The Committee welcomes proposals for complete sessions (preferred) or individual papers from researchers at all levels. We also welcome proposals from all researchers, whether veterans or newcomers to SHOT's meetings, and regardless of primary discipline. Submitters are encouraged to propose sessions that include a diverse mix of participants: multinational origins, gender, graduate students and junior scholars with senior scholars, significantly diverse institutional affiliations, etc. For more information, or to submit a proposal, please visit the 2016 Call for Papers site at http://www.historyoftechnology.org/call_for_papers/index.html<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001F9mMijumDz5dc4oG9WepCB9e7qOGvPjT3xM50n_PUBmQ…>. - David Lucsko, Secretary Society for the History of Technology Forward this email<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=ieifeldab&m=1103106318472&ea=…> [http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/SafeUnsubscribe_Footer_Logo_N…]<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001Xz26gWD0CDOi01mES8w44A%3D%3…> This email was sent to andrew.russell(a)stevens.edu<mailto:andrew.russell@stevens.edu> by shotsec(a)auburn.edu<mailto:shotsec@auburn.edu> | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001Xz26gWD0CDOi01mES8w44A%3D%3…>™ | About our service provider<http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp>. [http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/CC_Footer_Logo_New.png]<http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=TEM_BusLet_003> Society for the History of Technology | David Lucsko | Department of History | 310 Thach Hall | Auburn University | AL | 36849-5207

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Question about paper/cardboard computer models
by Jaroslav Švelch 15 Oct '15

15 Oct '15

Dear group members, I'm posting here for the first time, so first let me introduce myself - my name is Jaroslav Švelch, I'm at Charles University in Prague, working on history of computer games and hobby computing in 1980s Czechoslovakia (and behind the Iron Curtain in general). (A link to one of my articles: http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/svelch) In my research, I've come across a very popular early 1980s Czechoslovak computer programming learning aid, somewhat similar to Bell Technologies' CARDIAC (http://hackaday.com/2014/10/14/a-clever-cardboard-computer/) or MIT's Little Man Computer. I find it quite fascinating. Do you happen to know any literature (or unpublished knowledge) related to the history of these aids? Thanks! Best, Jaroslav -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jaroslav Švelch, Ph.D. New media and digital games researcher (http://svelch.com) Member of the PolCoRe research group (www.polcore.cz) Faculty of Social Sciences Charles University in Prague Phone: +420 773 988 425

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What can SIGCIS learn methodologically from the history of science, environmental history, etc?
by Thomas Haigh 15 Oct '15

15 Oct '15

Dear SIGCIS, We just had a wonderful meeting, which I could enjoy all the more as it was the first of the seven SIGCIS workshops where I had no operational responsibilities. Nathan really did a great job with the keynote, and it was splendid to see so many people making the transition from list membership to physical participation at SHOT and SIGCIS for the first time. Better still were the people who had been "first timers" in 2013 or 2014 coming back for a second meeting, as this proves they found the experience useful. I think we accounted for a very significant fraction of the overall graduate student attendance at SHOT. My impression was that the research and delivery of the SIGCIS papers held up pretty well against the quality of material in most parts of the main SHOT program. However I also heard a suggestion from one person that many of the papers in both venues tended to be very narrowly framed, telling a particular story without really engaging with a broader literature or being explicit about what general lessons or methodological implications the work holds. To the extent that this is true, one could see an aversion to explicit historiography and to the drawing of broad conclusions as a kind of aesthetic preference rather than a failing of craft or scholarship. Still, I was wondering if list members might be able to suggest recent (say post-2010) papers from other traditions that are effective in using a focused historical study to make a compelling case that we should think differently about a topic of broad interest to the field in question. I'm not thinking necessarily about work related to IT, since the literature in many areas of history of science, environmental history, history of medicine, and other fields is more mature and appears to have developed a clearer sense of what the "big questions" are. However I have had few opportunities since grad school to read systematically in other literatures. So list members, please post away with your nominations of recent articles from other fields with an explanation of what cool thing you think the article is doing methodologically that those of us writing on the history of computing could learn from. Best wishes, Tom

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HSBC Archives
by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo 14 Oct '15

14 Oct '15

Dear all On the trail of the topic of SHOT 2016 in Singapur and the forthcoming special ed of the Annals on computing in south east Asia, some of you might be interested in the 150 year celebrations of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC). The HSBC Archives has posted three short videos (10 min each aprox) on the history of the bank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_qEYIv7gHk&feature=youtu.be&list=PLqeNOlDr… They would like some feedback, if possible through Tweeter using #HSBC150 and or directly to them @HSBC_NOW If you dont do Tweeter but interested then click below for some of the comments, pictures, etc. https://twitter.com/hashtag/HSBC150?src=hash Best wishes Bernardo Bangor University (Wales) Twitter @BatizLazo When tweeting consider using #bizhis or #histtech

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Postdoc openings in the Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research
by Kevin Driscoll 13 Oct '15

13 Oct '15

Hello SIGCIS, It was wonderful to spend time with many of you this weekend. I am looking forward to many more opportunities to cross paths both on- and off-line. I want to share news of two job openings that may be of interest to you or your students. Microsoft Research New England, is currently accepting applications for two postdoc positions for emerging scholars starting in July, 2016. The ideal candidate may be trained in any number of disciplines, but should have a strong social scientific or humanistic methodological, analytical, and theoretical foundation, be interested in questions related to technology or the internet and society or culture, and be interested in working in a highly interdisciplinary environment that includes computer scientists, mathematicians, and economists. A detailed description of the position, information about on-going research in the lab, and application instructions are available here: http://socialmediacollective.org/2015/10/07/the-social-media-collective-is-… Please don't hesitate to contact me off-list if you or your students have any additional questions. All my best, Kevin Driscoll Postdoctoral Researcher Microsoft Research New England

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Visiting Assistant Professor in History of Science and Technology and/or Science and Technology Studies at Carnegie Mellon University
by Lee Vinsel 13 Oct '15

13 Oct '15

Dear SIGCIS Members, Professor Jay Aronson of the Carnegie Mellon History Department asked me to pass this notice of a visiting professorship onto the SIGCIS community. Very best, Lee Visiting Assistant Professor in History of Science and Technology and/or Science and Technology Studies at Carnegie Mellon University The History Department at Carnegie Mellon University invites applications for a one-year visiting assistant professor in History of Science and Technology and/or Science and Technology Studies for the 2016-2017 academic year. We encourage applications from scholars who can provide social and cultural insight into fields that have a strong presence at Carnegie Mellon. The successful applicant will teach two courses per semester (four total), including at least one broad introduction to the history and/or social studies of science and technology. Applicants should have their Ph.D. in hand by June 30, 2016. Term of appointment: August 1, 2016-July 31, 2017. Compensation: $50,000 plus benefits, and $2,500 summer research budget. This position may be renewable for up to one additional year pending departmental approval and availability of sufficient funding to do so. Please send letter of application (including information about previous teaching experience); full CV; graduate transcript; a single writing sample the equivalent of 60 or fewer double-spaced manuscript pages; and three letters of reference to HST/STS Search Committee, Department of History, Carnegie Mellon University by email via the following address: historysearch(a)andrew.cmu.edu. All questions should be sent to this email address as well. Carnegie Mellon is an AA/EOE employer committed to diversity. Deadline for applications: January 31, 2016. -- Assistant Professor 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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