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Videos up for Mistakes Were Made
by Laine Nooney 04 May '15

04 May '15

Hi all, You may remember an email I sent out on the list a little while back about an event <http://www.programseries.com/2014-2015/mistakes-were-made-computer-history-…> I ran at NYU called "Mistakes Were Made." For those of you interested who weren't able to attend, we've got our videos up of the talks and conversations! You can find them here on Vimeo: https://t.co/sxFe0f5O4w Enjoy! Laine Nooney www.lainenooney.com ISTC <http://socialcomputing.uci.edu/> @ MCC <http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/mcc/> @ NYU <http://www.nyu.edu> Postdoctoral Associate

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CHM Fellows Award - Evelyn Berezin (The Movie!)
by Dag Spicer 01 May '15

01 May '15

Dear friends, I thought you might enjoy this short film we created here at CHM about Eveyln Berezin, whom we made a CHM Fellow this year (along with Charles Bachman and Bjarne Stroustrup). These films were shown at the Fellow Awards ceremony last Saturday. Berezin designed some of the earliest commercial electronic computers for such firms as Elecom (Underwood) and Teleregister, including a massive-scale airline reservation system based on a triplex-CPU that didn’t fail once over its 11-year lifetime. She then started her own electronics manufacturing company building a groundbreaking word processing system (known as “The Data Secretary”), which grew to 500 employees at which point she sold the firm to Burroughs. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMF9poE2bAc Dag For the companion films.. Bjarne Stroustrup, inventor of C++ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcC26nnipxs Charles Bachman, database pioneer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0_gwrrS3jY -- Dag Spicer Senior Curator Computer History Museum Editorial Board, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard Mountain View, CA 94043-1311 Tel: +1 650 810 1035 Fax: +1 650 810 1055 Twitter: @ComputerHistory

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SIGCIS and SHOT updates
by Andrew Russell 01 May '15

01 May '15

Hi everyone - Faced with a pile of grading, I am doing some ‘productive procrastination’ and thought I would send a note with a few updates from SIGCIS and SHOT. 1. After some migration hiccups, everything now seems to be running well on the new web and listserv host for sigcis.org<http://sigcis.org>. The fearless Brent Jesiek sent an update email near the end of March (see http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/2015-March/002149.html) and I want to echo both his gratitude for your patience during the transition and his request to submit any questions, concerns, bug reports, etc. to him. With the transition to a new host complete, now is a good time to update your profile, revisit any custom subscriber settings (i.e. ‘digest’ mode), and even take a fresh look at the very impressive list of scholars in our Members Directory - http://www.sigcis.org/members. 2. SHOT Secretary Dave Lucsko recently sent an email to SHOT members (on 4/22) about travel and hotels for the SHOT annual meeting in Albuquerque on October 8-11, 2015. He pointed out that there is a major hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque the same weekend as SHOT, making it all the more urgent to book flights and hotel rooms early. (I would add that the time is right to begin thinking about clever puns about hot air and historians of technology.) See http://www.historyoftechnology.org/features/annual_meeting/index.html for more information. I believe that the SHOT Program Committee will announce their decisions about the program in the next couple of weeks; as far as I know, no decisions have been made yet. 3. Related, SIGCIS is developing ideas for the annual SIGCIS workshop, which will once again be held on Sunday at the end of SHOT (this year it's Sunday, October 11). This workshop, as usual, will have its own call for papers and its own submission process. More information about the workshop also will be available within the next couple of weeks. If you have any suggestions for special themes or topics that the workshop might consider, please let me know. 4. Finally, I wanted to share some highlights of a recent update from SHOT via Atsushi Akera, who is serving as a liaison between the SHOT Executive Committee and the SIG chairs. I’m sure Atsushi can provide more details (hi Atsushi!), but here’s the quick version: (a) SHOT continues to value the SIGs, particularly as a way to bring new voices and new energy into SHOT; (b) SIGs and their members should continue to think creatively about sessions and ideas for SHOT’s June 22-26, 2016 meeting in Singapore (poster sessions; open sessions; works in progress; etc); (c) SHOT is encouraging SIGs to cultivate connections within “counterpart” societies - they named 4S and HSS explicitly, but there are at least a half-dozen other societies where SIGCIS members are active, and where computer and information histories are hot topics; (d) SHOT encourages us to use Project Muse when we access Technology & Culture online, since that access method brings much-needed revenue to SHOT. I’m sure there are other things I’m forgetting, but that’s quite enough for now. As always, please continue to use the list for announcements, questions, manifestos, and so on! Cheers, Andy Russell SIGCIS Chair http://www.sigcis.org/<https://www.sigcis.org/> https://www.facebook.com/SIGCIS https://twitter.com/SIGCIS

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AV Processing Archivist Job (Full-Time) at IBM
by Jean-François Blanchette 01 May '15

01 May '15

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "David Kay, MLS" <davidkaymls(a)GMAIL.COM> To: AMIA-L(a)LSV.UKY.EDU Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2015 1:35:54 PM Subject: [AMIA-L] AV Processing Archivist Job (Full-Time) AV Processing Archivist Job Opportunity in New York State! Processing Archivist (Full-time) The Winthrop Group’s Information & Archival Services Division has an immediate opening for a full-time Processing Archivist at IBM locations in Somers and East Fishkill, NY. Under supervision of The Winthrop Group, the Processing Archivist will work in a corporate archive with a large videotape and media collection and assist in the duties described below. The work ends in December 2015 with the possibility of extension. Major tasks and responsibilities:  Develop and implement a work plan for creating a searchable inventory of unprocessed videotape collection  Begin cataloging and labeling videotapes and other video media  Conduct targeted quality control reviews  Train and supervise a temporary Inventory Archivist (3-4 months)  Begin preparing an inventory of paper records and born-digital records  Undertake content appraisal of records identified by the Corporate Archivist  Make recommendations for processing methods and, if needed, archival supplies Minimum qualifications:  MLS/MLIS or MA in History program, with a concentration in archives  Minimum of two to three years work in an archival setting  Experience with content appraisal, archival processing standards and procedures  Detail-oriented with ability to manage multiple projects  Excellent written and oral communication skills  Ability to interact well and cooperate with colleagues Preferred qualifications:  Experience with recognizing, identifying and describing audiovisual materials  Familiarity with different media formats and types of metadata  Experience with working in corporate archives  Experience with supervising qualified professionals  Familiarity with organizational records and content appraisal  Proficiency in using collection management and access systems  Skilled and accurate typist Compensation: Monthly rate (with full benefits) based on experience and level of qualification. Contact Information: Please send a resume; a list of no fewer than three references including names, titles, postal and email addresses, and telephone numbers; and a brief, sample finding aid to David Kay, Manager, Information & Archival Services, The Winthrop Group, at dkay [at] winthropgroup.com . http://winthropgroup.com/content/processing-archivist-full-time David Kay, MLS Manager, Information & Archival Services The Winthrop Group, Inc. -- Jean-François Blanchette, Associate Professeur Dept. of Information Studies, UCLA http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/blanchette

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Second CfP HaPoC 2015, 8-11 October 2015, Pisa
by Liesbeth De Mol 01 May '15

01 May '15

Dear all, it is with great pleasure that I send you the second CfP for the third edition of the international conference for the history and philosophy of computing (HAPoC 2015) to be held in Pisa from 8-11 October. As some of you know one of the aims of this conference is to stimulate discussion and collaboration between historians, philosophers and computer scientists and it is thus a great opportunity to reflect further on our role as historians in the academic world and beyond, my best wishes, Liesbeth --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Second Call For Papers HaPoC 3: Third International Conference for the History and Philosophy of Computing 8 -- 11 October, 2015, Pisa hapoc2015.di.unipi.it --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The DHST commission for the history and philosophy of computing (www.hapoc.org) is happy to announce the third HAPOC conference. The series aims at creating an interdisciplinary focus on computing, stimulating a dialogue between the historical and philosophical viewpoints. To this end, the conference hopes to bring together researchers interested in the historical developments of computing, as well as those reflecting on the sociological and philosophical issues springing from the rise and ubiquity of computing machines in the contemporary landscape. In the past editions, the conference has successfully presented a variety of voices, contributing to the creation of a fruitful dialogue between researchers with different backgrounds and sensibilities. For HaPoC 2015 we welcome contributions from historians and philosophers of computing as well as from philosophically aware computer scientists and mathematicians. Topics include but are not limited to • History and Philosophy of Computation (interpretation of the Church-Turing thesis; models of computation; logical/mathematical foundations of computer science; information theory...) • History and Philosophy of Programming (classes of programming languages; philosophical status of programming...) • History and Philosophy of the Computer (from calculating machines to the future of the computer; user interfaces; abstract architectures...) • History and Epistemology of the use of Computing in the sciences (simulation vs. modelisation; computer-assisted proofs; linguistics...) • Computing and the Arts: historical and conceptual issues (temporality in digital art; narration in interactive art work...) • Social, ethical and pedagogical aspects of Computing (pedagogy of computer science; algorithms and copyright; Internet, culture, society...) Our invited speakers are Nicola Angius (Università di Sassari, IT), Lenore Blum (Carnagie Mellon University, USA), David Alan Grier (IEEE & George Washington University, USA), Furio Honsell (Università di Udine, IT), Pierre Mounier-Kuhn (CNRS & Université Paris-Sorbonne, F), and Franck Varenne (Université de Rouen, F). We cordially invite researchers working in a field relevant to the topics of the conference to submit a short abstract of approximately 200 words and an extended abstract of at most a 1000 words (references included) to www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=hapoc2015 Abstracts must be written in English and anonymised. Please note that the format of uploaded files must be either .pdf or .doc. In order to access the submission page, an EasyChair account will be required. Please notice that what is called “abstract” in the EasyChair “Title, Abstract and Other Information” section corresponds to the short abstract of this call, and what is called “paper” in the EasyChair “Upload Paper” section corresponds to the extended abstract of this call. Please check out the website of HaPoC 2015 for more information on the conference at http://hapoc2015.sciencesconf.org A post-proceedings volume is going to appear in the IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology series, published by Springer. IMPORTANT DATES: Submission deadline: June 19, 2015 Notification of acceptance: July 19, 2015 The 2015 conference is located in Pisa, the cradle of Italian computer science: here the first Italian computers were designed in the mid-Fifties and the first Master course in informatics was established in 1969. The Museum of Computing Machinery, part of the University of Pisa, shows some artefacts from the early days of Italian CS, as well a selection of personal computing machines. Besides its artistic attractions, among them the world-famous leaning tower, during the days of the conference Pisa will host the Internet Festival, devoted to all the aspects of the net (www.internetfestival.it)

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Antikythera Dy at CHM!
by Dag Spicer 28 Apr '15

28 Apr '15

Hello friends, We have a fantastic day of events and lectures about the Antikythera Mechanism on May 13 at the Computer History Museum. See Announcement below. If you don’t know what the Antikythera Mechanism is, I especially encourage you to attend. This unique object is forcing historians of early technology to drastically revise received wisdom about technological development in the West. The world’s oldest computer? You decide! Best, Dag PS The lectures will be available on YouTube after the event if you can’t make it in person to Mountain View, California. I will send a link to the group when ready. LECTURE ANNOUNCEMENT: Secrets of the Antikythera Mechanism In 1900, sponge divers off the coast of the tiny Greek island of Antikythera made an astonishing discovery: the wreck of an ancient Roman ship lay 200 feet beneath the water, its dazzling cargo spread out over the ocean floor. Among the life-size statues and amphorae was an encrusted piece of metal, which after nearly a century of investigation, is finally revealing its secrets. Called the Antikythera Mechanism, study has shown that this improbably preserved object is actually an ancient Greek astronomical computer of a technical sophistication not seen until the clock making traditions of Medieval Europe—1,500 years after the Mechanism is believed to have been made (about 200 BC). Recent advances in computer imaging as well as painstaking scholarship have finally elucidated nearly all details of the Mechanism. Join us as we dive into the mysterious history of the Antikythera Mechanism, guided by several world experts: marine archeologist Brendan Foley will describe his 2014 diving expedition to the original Antikythera wreck site; Michael Wright, former curator of mechanical engineering at the Science Museum in London, will describe the structure and recreation of the Mechanism at University College London and will be bringing a model of the device to the Museum for audience members to explore; and professor Nicolaos Alexopoulos will discuss sociology, engineering, and science in Ancient Greece. For a schedule of the day’s activities and lectures, as well as to reserve seating, please see: http://www.computerhistory.org/events/upcoming/#secrets-antikythera-mechani… -- Dag Spicer Senior Curator Computer History Museum Editorial Board, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard Mountain View, CA 94043-1311 Tel: +1 650 810 1035 Fax: +1 650 810 1055 Twitter: @ComputerHistory

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Fwd: Pam Laird Research Grant - 2015
by Andrew Russell 27 Apr '15

27 Apr '15

See below - perhaps it will be of interest to those of you working on the history of communication technologies, broadly defined. Andy Begin forwarded message: From: Andrew Butrica <abutrica(a)earthlink.net<mailto:abutrica@earthlink.net>> Subject: Pam Laird Research Grant - 2015 Date: April 27, 2015 at 1:16:02 PM EDT To: Mercurians(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:Mercurians@googlegroups.com> Reply-To: mercurians(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:mercurians@googlegroups.com> The Mercurians once again is offering the Pam Laird Research Grant (US$1,000) to defray the cost of travel and housing to use a research collection to pursue research in the history of communication technologies. We have added this new initiative to encourage and reward high-caliber research in the history of communication technologies, broadly defined. One of the Mercurians' missions is to encourage scholarship in the history of communication technologies. There is no research grant program (either within or outside SHOT) that we are aware of dedicated to supporting scholarship on the history of communication technologies. While the history of communication technology literature is vast and always growing, the quality of the research effort or resulting publication too often falls short of scholarly expectations. In general, the research grant is awarded in alternating years. We awarded two such grants during the 2011 SHOT annual meeting in Cleveland. The winners were Carmen Krol, a PhD candidate in the Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University, and Michael Lemon, a PhD student in Latin American History at Indiana University (Bloomington). Subsequently, The Mercurians announced during the 2013 SHOT meeting in Portland, Maine, that Ian Johnson, a PhD student in the History Department at Ohio State University, had won. This year's winner will be made known during the 2015 SHOT meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this October. Eligibility. The grant is intended for and limited to junior scholars-meaning either current graduate students or recent postgraduates (no more than three years beyond the terminal degree in their field). Requirements and Application. Only travel to an appropriate archival collection to carry out research on an aspect of the history of communication technology, broadly defined, will be supported. The archive can be open to the public, private, or even closed, provided that necessary permissions have been obtained from the archive. Complete the application form (available at: http://www.mercurians.org/grant-form.doc) and e-mail it and a curriculum vitae (no longer than 3 pages) as attachments to the Mercurians c/o abutrica(a)earthlink.net<mailto:abutrica@earthlink.net> Your curriculum vitae should include pertinent publications, fellowships, or accomplishments relevant to your proposed research, and professional societies and affiliations. The deadline for submitting an application for the grant is June 1, 2015. For further information or questions, please contact Andrew Butrica at abutrica(a)earthlink.net<mailto:abutrica@earthlink.net> or visit our website: http://www.mercurians.org/Prize-Grant.htm Good luck! Andrew J. Butrica MERCURIANS ANTENNA Newsletter mercurians(a)earthlink.net www.mercurians.org

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REMINDER: Computer History Museum Prize 2015 - Deadline, 15 May
by david nofre 22 Apr '15

22 Apr '15

*REMINDER: Computer History Museum Prize 2015 - Deadline, 15 May** * The _Computer History Museum Prize_ is awarded to the author of an outstanding book in the history of computing broadly conceived, published during the prior three years. The prize of $1,000 is awarded by SIGCIS, the Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society. SIGCIS is part of the Society for the History of Technology. *2015 Call for Submission** * Books published in 2012-2014 are eligible for the 2015 award. Books in translation are eligible for three years following the date of their publication in English. Publishers, authors, and other interested members of the computer history community are invited to nominate books. Send one copy of the nominated title to each of the committee members listed below. To be considered, book submissions must be postmarked by _May 15, 2015_. For more information, please contact Prof. Joseph November, the 2015 prize committee chair, at november(a)sc.edu. Current information about the prize, including the most recent call and a list of previous winners, always may be found at http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize.

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a while back, this list was discussing...
by dave.walden.family＠gmail.com 18 Apr '15

18 Apr '15

...getting accurate computing history to a larger audience. The following article in today's Boston Globe is perhaps a little bit relevant to that discussion: http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2015/04/17/lab-work-starting-online-ne…

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Taking about the past of the Internet as the future
by sigcos＠bobf.frankston.com 17 Apr '15

17 Apr '15

In my talk at IFTF this coming week (http://rmf.vc/IFTF2015) I plan to present a my own take on the history of the Internet as I watched it evolve as a byproduct of shifting intelligence into our devices. Some sense of this is in http://rmf.vc/IEEERefactoringCE. I realize that the "Institute For the Future" framing seems to be the opposite of history but the first step is to revisit the last fifty years in light of what we've learned since. We tend to fit the Internet into the story of telecommunications rather than recognizing that it a discontinuity and part of a very different story. For those in the New Jersey area I'm going to be at http://www.vintage.org/2015/east/ this weekend. Where do vintage computer fit into the mission of SIGCOS? BTW, for those of us without MUSE access how do we read http://www.infoculturejournal.org/abstracts/50.2? Bob Frankston http://Frankston.com @BobFrankston

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