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Past expanding at alarming rate: The Onion
by Dag Spicer 26 Jan '15

26 Jan '15

http://www.theonion.com/articles/nations-historians-warn-the-past-is-expand… Dag -- 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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Jill Lepore on the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine)
by Dave Walden 22 Jan '15

22 Jan '15

This article in the January 26 issue of _The New Yorker_ (starting on page 34) is interesting. I have often thought about how various personal but useful websites relating to computing history can exist after the creators stop supporting them, e.g., http://tenex.opost.com/ or http://walden-family.com/impcode/ As the article points out, the formal archives are not so great for saving these personal website, even if the formal arthives had the space and effort, as websites created as personal efforts to save bits of computing history often aren't so careful about copyright issues. I'm not sure that the Wayback Machine at present is the answer as it doesn't seem particularly easy to access and search. PS, I did note one technical mistake in the article: Licklider did not help found BBN; he *was* key in founding BBN's computing activities. -- home address: 12 Linden Rd., E. Sandwich, MA 02537 home ph=508-888-7655; cell ph = 503-757-3137 (often don't carry it) email address: dave(a)walden-family.com; website: <http://www.walden-family.com/bbn/>http://www.walden-family.com/

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Exhibition of personal computing history and interdisciplinary study of computer history
by Kimon Keramidas 21 Jan '15

21 Jan '15

Dear James and Andy et. al., It is great to see both of your emails at this point in time as I am in the process of completing an exhibition that deals with a lot of these questions and ideas, and I’ve wanted to share information with the SIGCIS listserv for a while. I work at the Bard Graduate Center, a research institute with graduate programs and exhibition space on the Upper West side of Manhattan that focuses on the study of material culture and design history. I consider myself very interdisciplinary and incorporate almost all of the people Andrew mentioned from the worlds of digital humanities and media studies in my work. As the Director of our Digital Media Lab I’ve been very interested in the intersection between concepts of materiality and the history of computing and the idea of computers as designed objects. I’ve taught courses on interface design from a sociocultural and design history perspective and that has led to the exhibition currently under development. As I began thinking about this exhibition(which I presented on at SHOT 2014), I thought about how computers are much more dynamic devices than they are usually presented in museums. I wanted to be able to display not just the physical artifacts, but the actual experiences, where possible, of using computing devices. This opened up a lot of interesting questions and possibilities. Where we have ended up is an exhibition comprised almost completely of used computing devices (purchased on eBay) that visitors will be able to physically interact with. No velvet ropes, no glass panes, full contact. We were not able to get all of those devices working fully, settling for tactile interaction, but five core devices that are of particular importance (a Commodore 64, Macintosh, Palm Pilot, iPad, and Microsoft Kinect) will be operational and running custom applications. These applications have been designed and scripted to walk visitors through the particular strengths and innovative affordances of those devices, giving them an experiential idea of why they were important. It will be a different kind of experience for most visitors, but one that I think captures the spirit of using computers in our lives. It also seems that it addresses a lot of the questions James is asking. The objects that will be on display sold tens of thousands if not millions of units making them distinctly banal in a sense, but also representative of the memories that most of us have of personal computers. The exhibition will be on display from April 2-July 11, and more information can be found here(The Interface Experience: Forty Years of Personal Computing <http://www.bgc.bard.edu/gallery/gallery-at-bgc/the-interface-experience.html>). I have written an accompanying catalog available through Univ of Chicago Press (http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/I/bo20339620.html <http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/I/bo20339620.html>) and we are also developing a media-rich app to accompany the in-gallery experience and also as a stand alone web site. It will be available at http://interfaceexperience.org. I hope that many SIGCIS members can make it to the exhibition and look forward to further conversations. BTW if anyone is interested I have included the project checklist: Cheers Kimon Keramidas Here is a list of objects in the exhibition: • Xerox Alto OS • Atari 2600 • Apple II • Visicalc • Osborne 1 • Sinclair ZX81 • Xerox Star 8010 Information System • IBM Personal Computer 5150 • MS DOS • GRiD Compass • Commodore 64 • Minitel 1 Terminal • Radio Shack TRS-80 MODEL 100 • Apple Macintosh Plus • Nintendo Entertainment System • Aldus Pagemaker • Nintendo Game Boy • Apple PowerBook 170 • Apple Newton MessagePad 120 • Sony PlayStation • Netscape Navigator • Wacom ArtPad II • Windows 95 • Palm Pilot Professional • Apple iMac G3 • VeriFone Omni 7000MPD • HP Compaq TC4200 • Nintendo Wii • Amazon Kindle • Apple iPad • Apple Magic Trackpad • Microsoft Xbox 360 with Kinect Kimon Keramidas, Ph.D. Assistant Professor and Director of the Digital Media Lab On Display April 2 - July 11, 2015 The Interface Experience: Forty Years of Personal Computing <http://www.bgc.bard.edu/gallery/gallery-at-bgc/the-interface-experience.html> Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture 38 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024 T 212 501 3061 F 212 501 3065 E keramidas(a)bgc.bard.edu <mailto:keramidas@bgc.bard.edu> W bgc.bard.edu <http://www.bgc.bard.edu/> W bgc.bard.edu/digital-media-lab <http://www.bgc.bard.edu/research/digital-media-lab.html> W dml.wikis.bgc.bard.edu <http://dml.wikis.bgc.bard.edu/> T twitter.com/BGCDML <http://twitter.com/BGCDML> BGC Exhibitions: W bgc.bard.edu/gallery <http://www.bgc.bard.edu/gallery/gallery-at-bgc.html> > From: James Sumner <james.sumner(a)manchester.ac.uk> > To: members(a)sigcis.org > Date: January 19, 2015 at 3:10:19 PM EST > Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] Mass-market historic computers, display and interaction > > > Dear all > > I've found the various discussions of computer restoration projects and visitor interpretation in recent days very useful. I'd be interested to hear from listmembers on a related question: > > For the collection following up on the Science Museum's recent "Interpreting the Information Age" conference, I'm currently working up a short paper on the problem of how to represent, to museum-goers and other general audiences, the history of computing machines which were *not* iconic, one-of-a-kind, or of obvious stand-out physical or technical interest -- in particular, mass-produced boxes and clone designs which were (often drearily) familiar to large user populations in their day, yet will nevertheless mean little to most people today without interpretation. My key question is how to make the machines not only intelligible, but interesting. Much of the answer I want to give revolves around the expected "look at how they were used", but I also want to give some attention to how to keep the nature of the machines in the picture. > > In particular, I'd be keen to hear people's experience of providing hands-on access to machines, in ways that are not possible for older, rarer and more valuable survivals (or, indeed, painstakingly engineered and authentic re-creations). There are, of course, quite a few museums and display collections internationally that include working models of representative machines -- I'm interested to hear of people's experiences of the practicalities, and in particular of interaction with audiences who *don't* remember the machines from "first time around". Please drop me an email if you would be happy to discuss. > > All best > James > > > On 18/01/2015 17:02, Andrew Russell wrote: >> Dag’s email made me think of fascinating work in media archaeology, digital humanities, and related areas by scholars such as Matt Kirschenbaum (see his book _Mechanisms: New Media and the Forensic Imagination_), Lori Emerson (http://mediaarchaeologylab.com/ at CU-Boulder), Andreas Fickers (playing with ‘Experimental Media Archaeology’ at Univ. Luxembourg), and others. >> >> There are some clear differences between these scholars and the types of computer restoration projects mentioned below - for example, Kirschenbaum and Emerson are both in English Departments and link their work to cultural theory in ways that the Science Museum and Computer History Museum do not. But there are also some clear areas of overlapping interest, especially a deep appreciation for machines (and their ‘materiality’) and the value that comes from preserving and working closely with them. >> >> To respond to Dag’s question, I think this is an incredibly valuable area of work. There’s a lot more to say about this -- in part because it is linked to the discussion triggered by Tom Haigh’s recent CACM column on the “tears of Knuth” -- but I’ll restrict myself to two observations for now: >> - if we broaden the scope of inquiry from “computers” to “media technologies,” we will find many more areas of intersection between museum professionals and academics who identify not strictly as “computer historians” but instead as media historians, media scholars, etc. (scholars such as Mara Mills and Lisa Gitelman come to mind). Jen Light described some of this overlap in her SIGCIS keynote address in Dearborn, and I hope we’ll hear much more about this at future SIGCIS workshops. >> - I bet that antiquarians, hobbyists, and museum experts working with cars and trains have put a lot of thought into the value of restoration and the extent to which they interact with academics. This is familiar territory for SHOT members, to put it mildly. To put this another way: I wonder if Wolfgang Schivelbusch likes going to railroad museums, and if staff at those museums know about or appreciate his work? >> >> Cheers, >> >> Andy >> >> >> >>> On Jan 18, 2015, at 10:20 AM, Brian Randell <brian.randell(a)newcastle.ac.uk> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Dag: >>> >>> Though I wouldn’t call them actual restorations, I think the Science Museum’s construction of Babbage’s No 2 Difference Engine, and the late Tony Sale’s of the Colossus Mk 2, were wonderful examples of what I understand is called “experimental archaeology”, up there with the Chateau de Guedelon (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10440300) and as such of *unquestionable* value. >>> >>> Cheers >>> >>> Brian >>> >>> On 16 Jan 2015, at 19:09, Dag Spicer <dspicer(a)computerhistory.org> wrote: >>> >>>> New piece today by the BBC on computer restorations, including the Computer History Museum’s IBM 1401 (1959). >>>> >>>> http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30546592 >>>> >>>> I’d be interested in hearing from SIGCIS members about their perception of the value of doing these kinds of things… >>>> >>>> Dag >>>> >>>> -- >>>> 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 >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> This email is relayed from members(a)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://sigcis.org/pipermail/members/ and you can change your subscription options at http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members >>> >>> -- >>> School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, >>> NE1 7RU, UK >>> EMAIL = Brian.Randell(a)ncl.ac.uk PHONE = +44 191 208 7923 >>> FAX = +44 191 208 8232 URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/people/brian.randell >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> This email is relayed from members(a)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://sigcis.org/pipermail/members/ and you can change your subscription options at http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members >> _______________________________________________ >> This email is relayed from members(a)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://sigcis.org/pipermail/members/ and you can change your subscription options at http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members > > > > > > From: Elizabeth Petrick <elizabeth.r.petrick(a)njit.edu> > To: members <members(a)sigcis.org> > Date: January 19, 2015 at 11:49:03 AM EST > Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] InfoAge Science Center > > > Hello everyone, > > I wanted to mention about the wonderful visit Lee Vinsel and I had last week to the InfoAge Science Center, courtesy of Evan Koblentz. > > Evan gave us a personal tour of the computer collection he runs there. It was great to see (and in many cases, see running) computers that I've only ever read about (Bendix G-15, PDP-8, Altair, Apple Lisa, Osborne). > > If you're in the New Jersey area, I highly recommend paying a visit here. I'll be teaching a course on computer history next year and I'm hoping to arrange to bring my students. I think they'll get a lot out of being able to experience these machines in person. > > Elizabeth Petrick > > Assistant Professor > Federated History Department > New Jersey Institute of Technology > > > > > From: Evan Koblentz <evan(a)snarc.net> > To: members <members(a)sigcis.org> > Date: January 19, 2015 at 8:42:11 PM EST > Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] InfoAge Science Center > > > Thank you Elizabeth! We enjoyed hosting you and Lee and are excited to hopefully show your students too. > > > On 01/19/2015 11:49 AM, Elizabeth Petrick wrote: >> Hello everyone, >> >> I wanted to mention about the wonderful visit Lee Vinsel and I had last week to the InfoAge Science Center, courtesy of Evan Koblentz. >> >> Evan gave us a personal tour of the computer collection he runs there. It was great to see (and in many cases, see running) computers that I've only ever read about (Bendix G-15, PDP-8, Altair, Apple Lisa, Osborne). >> >> If you're in the New Jersey area, I highly recommend paying a visit here. I'll be teaching a course on computer history next year and I'm hoping to arrange to bring my students. I think they'll get a lot out of being able to experience these machines in person. >> >> Elizabeth Petrick >> >> Assistant Professor >> Federated History Department >> New Jersey Institute of Technology >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> This email is relayed from members(a)sigcis.org <mailto:members@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://sigcis.org/pipermail/members/ <http://sigcis.org/pipermail/members/> and you can change your subscription options at http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members <http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members> > > > > From: Evan Koblentz <evan(a)snarc.net> > To: Sigcis <members(a)sigcis.org> > Date: January 19, 2015 at 8:47:21 PM EST > Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] Wes Clark @ VCF East > > > SIGCIS'rs, > > ...Previously announced that Ted Nelson and Bob Frankston will keynote the Vintage Computer Festival East this spring. Now we are very pleased to announce a third major speech there: Wes Clark. > > Thus the latest statistics for VCF East: > - Sixteen technical classes (Friday) > - Three keynotes (Saturday/Sunday) > - Twenty-one exhibits (thirty-plus expected -- Saturday/Sunday) > > Full details are at http://www.vintage.org/2015/east. > > We know that some of you respect the artifacts of computer history. As stated in recent discussions on this list, we in MARCH / InfoAge Science Center take a "pro-restoration" stance toward them. > > So: Come to VCF East. Leave your necktie and sportjacket at home. Get your hands dirty with some hardware and code. > > > > > From: Melanie Swalwell <melanie.swalwell(a)flinders.edu.au> > To: James Sumner <james.sumner(a)manchester.ac.uk>, "members(a)sigcis.org" <members(a)sigcis.org> > Date: January 20, 2015 at 1:54:51 AM EST > Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Mass-market historic computers, display and interaction > > > Dear James, > > There was a conference in 2013 at the London Science Museum devoted to the question of "Making the history of computing relevant". A colleague, Helen Stuckey, gave a paper on behalf of some of the Play It Again team which I lead. This project is focused on the history and preservation needs of 1980s microcomputer games from Australia and New Zealand, so pretty much the mass market machines you are talking about. In considering the question of how to present the history of 80s micro games we have emphasised the role of popular memory, and -- through a web interface that we call the Popular Memory Archive -- asked the public to share their memories of particular games and computing generally. User reflections (and uploads) on what these computers mean and meant to them are often very animated and frequently much more entertaining than, say, museum didactics. We have a nice emerging collection of photos of computers in domestic interiors, also, dotted throughout the various parts of the site, with several at http://playitagainproject.org/contribute We see the fact that these machines weren't unique but mass produced and familiar to many as a plus, rather than a negative -- it means that many people remember them and can share their memories. > > The papers from the London conference were published by Springer/IFIP so I can't just put it online (another version is published in the ACM Digital Library at http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2513570 which may be more accessible to those with library access). I'm also happy to make a copy of our paper available to anyone who's interested individually -- just email me off list. > > Regards, > > Melanie > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Members mailing list > Members(a)sigcis.org > http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members

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History of computing in cold war Eastern Europe, proceedings
by Petri Paju 21 Jan '15

21 Jan '15

Hello all, Here's an update about the conference on history of computing in cold war Eastern Europe which also dealt with some computing museum experiences and took place at one, a Hungarian IT museum in Szeged. Attached you can find some more detailed information from the Proceedings of the 8th IT STAR Workshop on History of Computing, 19 September 2014 Szeged, Hungary, a book titled -for some other audience than us- History of Computing (!) Included is my very short piece about IBM's operations in cold war Eastern Europe, something I hope to continue elsewhere. If you want to order a copy, "please send an mail to info(a)starbus.org, providing the name, postal address and e-mail of the individual/organization that should be invoiced for the order + the number of copies requested." I understand they'll make another print-run after they have collected enough orders (it's not a big number they need for that). Summing up, it's a worthwhile source if you're interested in this direction. Best, Petri Petri Paju PhD, Univ. of Turku, Finland http://utu.academia.edu/PetriPaju

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Restoraing computers....
by Dag Spicer 20 Jan '15

20 Jan '15

New piece today by the BBC on computer restorations, including the Computer History Museum’s IBM 1401 (1959). http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30546592 I’d be interested in hearing from SIGCIS members about their perception of the value of doing these kinds of things… Dag -- 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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gamestudies_annual_conferences
by Ignasi Meda Calvet 20 Jan '15

20 Jan '15

?Dear all, I just want to share with you information about two annual conferences that might be interesting for some of you, especially those involved in game studies, fandom, videogames, computer programming, etc. => The Games+Learning+Society Center and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are excited to announce that the 11th annual Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Conference (July 8-10, 2015). http://glsstudios.com/gls11/submission-guidelines-for-gls11/ http://glsstudios.com/gls11/call-for-proposals-gls-2015/ => 2015 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences Canadian Game Studies Association (June 3-5 in Ottawa). Call for papers: http://gamestudies.ca/?p=372 All best, Ignasi Meda Autonomous University of Barcelona Center for the History of Science ignasi.meda(a)uab.cat

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Wes Clark @ VCF East
by Evan Koblentz 19 Jan '15

19 Jan '15

SIGCIS'rs, ...Previously announced that Ted Nelson and Bob Frankston will keynote the Vintage Computer Festival East this spring. Now we are very pleased to announce a third major speech there: Wes Clark. Thus the latest statistics for VCF East: - Sixteen technical classes (Friday) - Three keynotes (Saturday/Sunday) - Twenty-one exhibits (thirty-plus expected -- Saturday/Sunday) Full details are at http://www.vintage.org/2015/east. We know that some of you respect the artifacts of computer history. As stated in recent discussions on this list, we in MARCH / InfoAge Science Center take a "pro-restoration" stance toward them. So: Come to VCF East. Leave your necktie and sportjacket at home. Get your hands dirty with some hardware and code.

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InfoAge Science Center
by Elizabeth Petrick 19 Jan '15

19 Jan '15

Hello everyone, I wanted to mention about the wonderful visit Lee Vinsel and I had last week to the InfoAge Science Center, courtesy of Evan Koblentz. Evan gave us a personal tour of the computer collection he runs there. It was great to see (and in many cases, see running) computers that I've only ever read about (Bendix G-15, PDP-8, Altair, Apple Lisa, Osborne). If you're in the New Jersey area, I highly recommend paying a visit here. I'll be teaching a course on computer history next year and I'm hoping to arrange to bring my students. I think they'll get a lot out of being able to experience these machines in person. Elizabeth Petrick Assistant Professor Federated History Department New Jersey Institute of Technology

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Query re Gordon Welchman
by Dave Walden 18 Jan '15

18 Jan '15

Hello, Around 1951, Welchman taught what is said to be the first course on digital computer in MIT's electrical engineer department. I am wondering if anyone on this list has more information or a pointer to more information regarding Welchman and this course. From Brian Randell, I already have a statement by Welchman that he taught the course. I have sent a query to the MIT Archives. I have sent a query to Joel Greenberg (via the Bletchly Park website -- a direct email address will be appreciated) who wrote the recent biography of Welchman and Ultra to see if he (Greenberg) has anything about this course in the documents he obtained from the Welchman family. I will also ask Bob Everett or Jay Forrester if they know anything about the course. Best regards, Dave -- home address: 12 Linden Rd., E. Sandwich, MA 02537 home ph=508-888-7655; cell ph = 503-757-3137 (often don't carry it) email address: dave(a)walden-family.com; website: <http://www.walden-family.com/bbn/>http://www.walden-family.com/

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ENIAC history
by Ceruzzi, Paul 16 Jan '15

16 Jan '15

It is fascinating to see Tom and others finding new and interesting things to say about the ENIAC and its programmers, a topic that some of us thought was tapped out years ago. I've been asked to write a short piece about the ENIAC in context. I was reluctant to trot out the old cliché about how much power you have in a cell phone, etc. But I did come across this app for the iPhone, which puts the ENIAC in an interesting light: http://www.winchester.com/learning-center/ballistics-calculator/Pages/balli… Maybe this is old news to many of you, but it was a surprise to me. A ballistics calculator that does what the ENIAC was originally built for. So it is not just an "ENIAC in a box"; it is "The Aberdeen Proving Ground in a box." Recall that in addition to the ENIAC, Aberdeen also had IBM punched card equipment, including some custom-designed by Wallace Eckert (the IBM PSRC), a Bell Labs Model V relay computer, teams of human (mostly women) computers, and Lord knows what else. Who could have thought we'd come to this? Paul

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