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Annual SIGCIS Workshop: Deadline Extended to Nov. 15
by Gallo, Jason A 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

We've received a number of excellent submissions for this year's SIGCIS workshop on November 9 in Dearborn Michigan. Thanks to all of you who have submitted. Since we did not send around a reminder email to the list that the original deadline was approaching, we have extended the submission deadline until August 15. Please consider submitting, if you have not already done so. The theme for this year is "Computing the Big Picture," and we are very fortunate to have Prof. Jennifer Light as our keynote speaker. An excerpt of the CFP is posted below, and the full text may be found at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop14. Best, Jason ---------------------- COMPUTING THE BIG PICTURE: SITUATING INFORMATIONT TECHNOLOGY IN BROADER HISTORICAL NARRATIVES SIGCIS Workshop 2014. November 9, 2014, Dearborn, Michigan Keynote Speaker: Jennifer S. Light, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Submission Deadline Extended: August 15, 2014 The Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society (SIGCIS - http://www.sigcis.org) welcomes submissions for our annual one-day scholarly workshop to be held on Sunday, November 9 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan. This is immediately after the end of the regular annual meeting of our parent organization, the Society for the History of Technology, details of which are available from http://www.historyoftechnology.org/features/annual_meeting/. Questions about the workshop should be addressed to Andrew Russell (Stevens Institute of Technology), who is serving as chair of the workshop organizing committee. Email arussell(a)stevens.edu<mailto:arussell@stevens.edu>. WORKSHOP THEME: When the history of computing began to emerge as a scholarly field forty years ago its first practitioners and consumers were computing pioneers, who favored technical accounts focused on the first electronic computers. Since then the field has developed in many directions, attracting scholars trained in a variety of historical traditions and working on a broad range of topics, time periods, and geographical settings. Work on the history of computing is increasingly influenced by methods and questions from broader fields and, in turn, is influencing scholars in other communities. This undermines the traditional, hardware centered, master narrative of computing and challenges us to integrate computing into a variety of broader historical stories. As a result, scholars working in or near the history of computing face some big questions: * What is the place of "the history of computing in the history of technology," 26 years on from Michael Mahoney's classic article on that question? * How can traditional historical narratives in areas such as gender studies, economic history, or environmental history be challenged by taking seriously the role of information technology? Conversely, what might these narratives bring to deepen our understanding of information technology itself? * Can historical questions and methods help to provide a coherent framework for new interdisciplinary areas such as software studies, Internet studies, and information studies? * What does today's history of computing literature have to offer to computer scientists and other audiences without specialist historical training? * How can we take seriously the complexities and unique features of computing technology while still producing work that transcends technical detail to tell stories and advance arguments of scholarly interest? We expect most submissions to focus on particular stories rather than on directly answering these weighty questions, but would appreciate it if presenters made an effort to connect their stories to broader narratives and in doing to provide a particular practical answer to one of the questions. SIGCIS has a tradition of welcoming all types of contributions related to the history of computing and information, whether or not there is an explicit connection with the annual theme. Our membership is international and interdisciplinary, and our members examine the history of information technologies and their place within society from a variety of scholarly perspectives including the history of technology, business history, labor history, social history, the history of science, science studies, communications, gender and sexuality studies, computing, and museum studies. SUBMISSION AND FURTHER DETAILS: Proposals for entire sessions and individual presenters are both welcome. We hope to run special sessions featuring dissertations in progress and other works in progress. The workshop is a great opportunity to get helpful feedback on your projects in a relaxed and supportive environment. All proposals will be subject to a peer review process based on abstracts. For information on submission formats and links to our online submission system please view the full call at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop14. As planning progresses we will post updates, the full program, and pre-circulated materials there. We will provide acceptance decisions by August 24. TRAVEL SUPPORT: The top financial priority of SIGCIS is the support of travel expenses for graduate students, visiting faculty without institutional travel support, and others who would be unable to attend the meeting without travel assistance. Awards are usually in the $200-$500 range and cannot cover the full cost of attending the meeting.

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Fwd: Call for Papers: Information History of World War I
by Andrew Russell 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

Perhaps of interest… Andy Begin forwarded message: > From: Communication History Discussion List <communicationhistory(a)communicationhistory.org> > Subject: Call for Papers: Information History of World War I > Date: August 8, 2014 at 9:14:03 PM EDT > To: discussion(a)communicationhistory.org > Reply-To: "Communication History Discussion List" <discussion(a)communicationhistory.org> > > (Mailing list information, including unsubscription instructions, > is located at the end of this message.) > __ > > I am contacting you from the UK National Commission for UNESCO. Our Culture Director, Helen Maclagan suggested that we get in touch regarding the fact that we have received a Call for Papers from the Hungarian National Commission for UNESCO for a publication that they are producing on the Information History of World War I. They are looking for contributions from historians and archivists from around the world. We would be grateful if you or a colleague were able to publicise this Call among your networks in whatever way seems appropriate, bearing in mind that the deadline for submitting abstracts is 1 September. > > The proposed section headings are the: > > * destruction or loss of information during the war; > > * positive impact of the war on information creation/generation; > > * flow of information on the frontlines, in the hinterland or in-between; > > * parasites of the information flow; > > * visual war; which can be seen and read; > > * realignment of schemas, cultural patterns and mental models. > The full text of the Call can be found at the following link.<http://www.unesco.org.uk/call_for_papers%3a_information_history_of_world_wa…> > > Do let me know if you have any questions or whether we should take this matter up with someone else. > Many thanks for your help. > > With best wishes, > > Sophie > > -- > > Sophie Leedham > Policy and Communications Officer > UK National Commission for UNESCO > Suite 98, 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL > > Tel: +44(0) 207 766 3492 > Mobile: +44(0) 7887476082 > Email: sleedham(a)unesco.org.uk<ablick(a)unesco.org.uk> > Website: www.unesco.org.uk<http://www.unesco.org.uk/> > > -

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Science & Medicine Chair job at Smithsonian
by Thomas Haigh 08 Aug '14

08 Aug '14

Hello everyone, Below is a job announcement for the Curator/Chair of the Division of Medicine and Science at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History that Eric Hintz of the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center has asked me to forward. Note the August 18 deadline - Eric sent it a couple of weeks ago but I was travelling with family and must apologize for the delay. Eric tells me that the job is suitable for a mid-career scholar and that "Note: In addition to lots of scientific instruments and medical technology, the Division of Medicine and Science includes the museum's computing collections, which includes some truly incredible artifacts, e.g. <http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_334742> panels from the ENIAC, <http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_689592> Jack Kilby's integrated circuit, Robert Metcalfe's <http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_687626> prototype Ethernet card and invention notebooks, etc. " However he also cautions that a successful candidate would have to present him or herself with broader history of science interests in which the history of computing was a focus area. Particularly as the announcement calls for "research in the history of American science or medicine" and does not mention technology. Best wishes, Tom On Jul 21, 2014, at 12:40 AM, "Hintz, Eric" < <mailto:HintzE@si.edu> HintzE(a)si.edu> wrote: Dear Tom- I hope all is well. Here's a job announcement for Curator/Chair of the Division of Medicine and Science at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Note: In addition to lots of scientific instruments and medical technology, the Division of Medicine and Science includes the museum's computing collections, which includes some truly incredible artifacts, e.g. <http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_334742> panels from the ENIAC, <http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_689592> Jack Kilby's integrated circuit, Robert Metcalfe's <http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_687626> prototype Ethernet card and invention notebooks, etc. I'd be grateful if you would post this to SHOT's SIGCIS group or forward to any mid-career scholars who might be interested.. Thanks! Eric Hintz ====================== Eric S. Hintz, Ph.D. Historian, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution MRC 604, P. O. Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 PHONE: 202-633-3734 FAX: 202-633-4593 <mailto:hintze@si.edu> hintze(a)si.edu <http://invention.smithsonian.org/> http://invention.smithsonian.org ----- Supervisory Museum Curator (Chair), Division of Medicine and Science National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution Accepting Applications through August 18, 2014 The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History (NMAH) is seeking an experienced scholar to serve as Curator and Chair of the Division of Medicine and Science. The incumbent will pursue his/her own research in the history of American science or medicine; collect historically significant artifacts and manage existing collections; develop and direct exhibition projects and educational programs; and lead the Division of Medicine and Science's curatorial staff. This position is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced scholar-administrator to work with an unparalleled medical and scientific collection at one of the world's leading museums, serving nearly 5 million visitors per year in Washington, DC. This is a full-time, permanent, federally-funded position at the GS-14 level ($106,263 to $138,136 per year, plus substantial benefits), with promotion potential to GS-15. The position is open to all U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals. The National Museum of American History is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. DUTIES: * Serves as member of the Curatorial Affairs management team advising the Associate Director on long-term plans and intellectual emphases for the museum, the division, and specific exhibitions. * Leads and manages the Division of Medicine and Science staff; develops recommendations for research, collections, exhibitions, and educational programs; and implements museum plans and priorities. * Serves as Project Director for major exhibitions. * Pursues his/her own research of a substantial scholarly level in history of science or medicine; writes and publishes scholarly articles, monographs, books, and various forms of digital scholarship; and is active in professional organizations. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: Basic Requirements: 1. Degree in museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field related to the position. OR 2. Combination of education and experience - courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. OR 3. Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in #1 above. Additional Requirements (Specialized Experience): In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, you qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position, specialized experience is defined as researching, collecting, and exhibiting material culture related to history of American science or medicine. This experience is demonstrated through a range of research products such as scholarly articles, teaching, lectures, oral histories, archival holdings, museum collections, exhibitions, and/or public programming. To Apply: Interested applicants should consult the official job announcement and apply online via <http://USAJobs.gov> USAJobs.gov, Job Title: Supervisory Museum Curator (Chair), GS-1015-14, job announcement #14A-MR-299567A-DEU-NMAH. See <https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/373134900> https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/373134900. We will be accepting applications through August 18, 2014. For questions concerning the application process, contact the museum's personnel manager, Erika Mack-Dillaber: <mailto:macke@si.edu> macke(a)si.edu; 202-633-3555. For questions about the Division of Medicine and Science and the advertised position, contact Curator and Interim Chair Deborah J. Warner: <mailto:warnerd@si.edu> warnerd(a)si.edu; 202-633-3421.

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Source identified - Fwd: Charles Babbage, Novelist
by Marc Weber 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

From Tim Robinson's reply to Doron Swade: ... > Given your hint, I was able to track it down. It's in Passages, but not in the section on the Analytical Engine. Instead it's in the chapter "Recollections of Wollaston, Davy, and Rogers", p 194 in the original. > > He is referring to conversations with Rogers. He says, "I put into his hands a parcel of proof-sheets of a work I was then writing, thinking they might amuse him during his drive, and that I might profit from is criticism. Some years before, I had consulted him about a novel I had proposed to write solely for the purpose of making money to assist me in completing the Analytical Engine. I breakfasted with the poet, who entered fully into the subject. I proposed to give up a twelvemonth to writing the novel, but I determined not to commence it unless I saw pretty clearly that I could make about £5000 by the sacrifice of my time. The novel was to have been in three volumes, and there would probably have been reprints of another work in two volumes. Both of these works would have had graphic illustrations. The poet gave me much information on all the subjects connected with the plan, and amongst other things, observed that when he published his beautifully illustrated work on Italy, that he had paid £9000 out of his own pocket before he received any return for that work." > > Regards > Tim > > > On 8/5/14, 1:31 PM, doron.swade wrote: >> Dear Marc >> >> The source is 'Passages from the Life of a Philosopher', Babbage's autobiographical excursion. I am away from my sources in London at this time so can't check the page number but it is, as I recall, in the chapter on the Analytical Engine about where CB writes about tic-tac-toe arcade machines as another reference to funding the construction of the Analytical Engine. The references CB makes to novel writing appear in the nature of a passing musing rather than conscientious intention - but who knows. The intention may have been real and the reference only, casual. >> >> Best wishes >> Doron >> Marc Weber | marc(a)webhistory.org | +1 415 282 6868 Internet History Program Founder and Curator, Computer History Museum 1401 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View CA 94043 computerhistory.org/nethistory Co-founder, Web History Center and Project, webhistory.org

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Fwd: Charles Babbage, Novelist
by Marc Weber 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

From Doron Swade, who headed the construction of the two Difference Engines (at London Sci Museum and CHM): Begin forwarded message: > From: "doron.swade" > Date: August 5, 2014 1:31:57 PM PDT > To: Marc Weber <marc(a)webhistory.org> > Cc: Tim Robinson > Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Charles Babbage, Novelist > > Dear Marc > > The source is 'Passages from the Life of a Philosopher', Babbage's autobiographical excursion. I am away from my sources in London at this time so can't check the page number but it is, as I recall, in the chapter on the Analytical Engine about where CB writes about tic-tac-toe arcade machines as another reference to funding the construction of the Analytical Engine. The references CB makes to novel writing appear in the nature of a passing musing rather than conscientious intention - but who knows. The intention may have been real and the reference only, casual. > > Best wishes > Doron > Marc Weber | marc(a)webhistory.org | +1 415 282 6868 Internet History Program Founder and Curator, Computer History Museum 1401 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View CA 94043 computerhistory.org/nethistory Co-founder, Web History Center and Project, webhistory.org

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Charles Babbage, Novelist
by Matthew Kirschenbaum 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

Well, almost. On a recent trip the National Science Museum in London, UK I spotted mention of the fact that CB considered writing novels as a way to finance work on the Analytical Engine; but he never did. Exhibit cards being exhibit cards, there was no sourcing for this tidbit. I've checked some of the Babbage bios, like Hyman, but while they also make the same claim there's still no specific sourcing. Does anyone know where it actually comes from? Thanks, Matt -- Matthew Kirschenbaum Associate Professor of English Associate Director, Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) University of Maryland 301-405-8505 or 301-314-7111 (fax) http://mkirschenbaum.net and @mkirschenbaum on Twitter Track Changes tumblr: http://trackchangesbook.tumblr.com/

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Richard Goodman
by Dave Walden 05 Aug '14

05 Aug '14

Hello, Can anyone point me to any information on Richard Goodman who edited the first four volumes of the Annual Review in Automatic Programming. I know what I can read in volumes 1-3 and 5 (where there was a brief memorial statement); and I am trying to get my hands on a copy of volume 4 now. I don't need a lot -- just a little more than what I find in the Annual Reviews. Thank you, Dave PS, If anyone giving a presentation at the SIGCIS meeting in Dearborn in November thinks the presentation could evolve into a published paper (I don't think SIGCIS produces a proceedings, does it?), please keep the Annals of the History of Computing in mind as a possible place to publish. -- 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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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] in memoriam heinz zemanek
by mariann unterluggauer 17 Jul '14

17 Jul '14

On Jul 17, 2014, at 4:44 PM, Helena Durnova <hdurnova(a)ped.muni.cz> wrote: > Dear Mariann (I hope I may?), sure, no problem. > > thank you for sharing the news. I assume your interviews are then in German? Are they /Will they be available? Apologies if this is a stupid question… no, not at all. i will produce a special tribute to heinz zemanek for the austrian national broadcasting corporation for our weekend computer magazine, and can put the file on my server afterwards, if you are interested. > I did an interview with Heinz Zemanek back in 2008, on matters of communication between the East and the West. It was a very pleasant encounter. he mentions a little bit of that in a talk he gave 2009. would be interesting to hear more, as i only know some east/west stories from the networking chaps in vienna, and the iiasa. all the best, mariann > > Best regards, Helena Durnová > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: mariann unterluggauer [mailto:mariann@nomatic.org] > To: sigcis [mailto:members@SIGCIS.org] > Sent: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:23:49 +0100 > Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] in memoriam heinz zemanek > > > dear all, > i want to inform you that the austrian computer pioneer heinz zemanek died yesterday at the age of 94. sure he did do more as developing the mailüfterl in the 1950s, but still that machine is what he is best known of here in europe. > > the last years he was occupied in research the coming about of calendars, but you also might recall his "vienna definition language". he also was president of ifip from 1971-1974 (http://www.ifip.org/secretariat/zemanek.htm) > > i think google did a recording with him more recently. my interviews are not done in english. > > all the best, > mariann

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CFP: Annual SIGCIS Workshop: Nov 9, 2014
by Andrew Russell 17 Jul '14

17 Jul '14

Hi folks - Please find below the call for papers for the 2014 SIGCIS workshop, to be held on Sunday, November 9 in Dearborn Michigan. The theme for this year is “Computing the Big Picture,” and we are very fortunate to have Prof. Jennifer Light as our keynote speaker. The full CFP is posted at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop14; and the submission deadline is a little bit later than usual this year - August 10. Please let me know if you have questions, etc. We’ll be posting the CFP in various places (H-NET, SHOT, HSS, etc) in the next few days. If you don’t see it pop up in places you would expect, please let me know, or re-post it yourself. Cheers, Andy —————— COMPUTING THE BIG PICTURE: SITUATING INFORMATIONT TECHNOLOGY IN BROADER HISTORICAL NARRATIVES SIGCIS Workshop 2014. November 9, 2014, Dearborn, Michigan Keynote Speaker: Jennifer S. Light, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Submission Deadline: August 10, 2014 The Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society (SIGCIS – http://www.sigcis.org) welcomes submissions for our annual one-day scholarly workshop to be held on Sunday, November 9 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan. This is immediately after the end of the regular annual meeting of our parent organization, the Society for the History of Technology, details of which are available from http://www.historyoftechnology.org/features/annual_meeting/. Questions about the workshop should be addressed to Andrew Russell (Stevens Institute of Technology), who is serving as chair of the workshop organizing committee. Email arussell(a)stevens.edu. WORKSHOP THEME: When the history of computing began to emerge as a scholarly field forty years ago its first practitioners and consumers were computing pioneers, who favored technical accounts focused on the first electronic computers. Since then the field has developed in many directions, attracting scholars trained in a variety of historical traditions and working on a broad range of topics, time periods, and geographical settings. Work on the history of computing is increasingly influenced by methods and questions from broader fields and, in turn, is influencing scholars in other communities. This undermines the traditional, hardware centered, master narrative of computing and challenges us to integrate computing into a variety of broader historical stories. As a result, scholars working in or near the history of computing face some big questions: * What is the place of “the history of computing in the history of technology,” 26 years on from Michael Mahoney’s classic article on that question? * How can traditional historical narratives in areas such as gender studies, economic history, or environmental history be challenged by taking seriously the role of information technology? Conversely, what might these narratives bring to deepen our understanding of information technology itself? * Can historical questions and methods help to provide a coherent framework for new interdisciplinary areas such as software studies, Internet studies, and information studies? * What does today’s history of computing literature have to offer to computer scientists and other audiences without specialist historical training? * How can we take seriously the complexities and unique features of computing technology while still producing work that transcends technical detail to tell stories and advance arguments of scholarly interest? We expect most submissions to focus on particular stories rather than on directly answering these weighty questions, but would appreciate it if presenters made an effort to connect their stories to broader narratives and in doing to provide a particular practical answer to one of the questions. SIGCIS has a tradition of welcoming all types of contributions related to the history of computing and information, whether or not there is an explicit connection with the annual theme. Our membership is international and interdisciplinary, and our members examine the history of information technologies and their place within society from a variety of scholarly perspectives including the history of technology, business history, labor history, social history, the history of science, science studies, communications, gender and sexuality studies, computing, and museum studies. SUBMISSION AND FURTHER DETAILS: Proposals for entire sessions and individual presenters are both welcome. We hope to run special sessions featuring dissertations in progress and other works in progress. The workshop is a great opportunity to get helpful feedback on your projects in a relaxed and supportive environment. All proposals will be subject to a peer review process based on abstracts. For information on submission formats and links to our online submission system please view the full call at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop14. As planning progresses we will post updates, the full program, and precirculated materials there. We will provide acceptance decisions by August 24. TRAVEL SUPPORT: The top financial priority of SIGCIS is the support of travel expenses for graduate students, visiting faculty without institutional travel support, and others who would be unable to attend the meeting without travel assistance. Awards are usually in the $200-$500 range and cannot cover the full cost of attending the meeting.

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Fwd: Historian of Technology Cruelly Crushes Internet Myths
by B. Randell 04 Jul '14

04 Jul '14

Hi: I was sent this by a colleague and thought it worth passing on to the list. Cheers Brian Randell > > http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2014/07/01/historian-of-tec… > > Cross-Check > > > Critical views of science in the news > Cross-Check Home > Historian of Technology Cruelly Crushes Internet Myths > By John Horgan | July 1, 2014 | 4 > The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. > > Email Print > > As readers of this blog know, since 2005 I’ve been teaching at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. One of the best parts of being an academic is hanging out with cool (compared to me), young (compared to me), up-and-coming scholars, some of whom know far more about the history of science and technology than I do. Take, for example, Andrew L. Russell, who joined Stevens in 2008 and is now assistant professor of history and director of the Program in Science and Technology Studies in the Stevens College of Arts & Letters. (See his website here.) Andy is the author of a new book, Open Standards and the Digital Age: History, Ideology, and Networks, published by Cambridge University Press, that challenges myths about the origins of digital technologies, including the Internet. (No less an authority than Vinton Cerf, a creator of the Internet, calls Andy’s book “remarkable” and gives it a five-star review on Amazon.) Andy’s historical perspective, in turn, informs his understanding of the Snowden affair, net neutrality and other current controversies. To get a taste of Andy’s outlook, check out his recent articles for Slateand IEEE Spectrum and—even better–read the following Q&A. > > Horgan: You’re on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and he asks you to sum up your book in a few sentences. What do you say? > > Russell: My book is a history of American information networks–telegraph, telephone, and computer networks. The main characters in my story are engineers you’ve never heard of, such as Bancroft Gherardi, Charles Bachman, and Louis Pouzin, who made technical standards that tied telephones and computers into networks. I’m fascinated by these engineers because they didn’t only focus on technical details; they also promoted distinctive visions of politics, business, and society that often flew in the face of the status quo. Once you understand what these engineers were trying to accomplish, you’ll have a much better sense for why the Internet is such a big deal in the broad sweep of history. > > Horgan: I thought the Internet was created by hippy geeks who envisioned a world with more peace, love, happiness and bandwidth. Are you telling me I was wrong? > > Russell: Yes! The core technologies that define the Internet–the TCP/IP standards–were sponsored by the US Department of Defense. It’s true that a small number of the people that worked on these defense grants had hippie sensibilities. I suppose that angle has gotten a lot of press and popular attention – hence your misconception. But your version leaves out an important detail: all of the people who built TCP/IP were, by definition, defense contractors. As I say in my book, I think the best term to describe the early stages of the Internet’s growth is “autocratic design.” It was overseen by arm-twisting Defense Department managers, not by a decentralized community of hippies! > > Horgan: Have you gotten any blowback from the Internet Illuminati? > > Russell: No–those folks keep doing new things, and tend not to be too interested in looking backwards. More to the point, most of my book is not about the Internet itself. In most of the chapters in the book, I show how some of the core concepts that we now associate with the Internet–such as “openness” and “consensus”–have deep roots in mechanical engineering in the late 1800s, trade associations in the early 1900s, and telecom and computer networks in the mid-1900s. If anyone is going to be upset, it will be journalists or law professors who have built their reputations on a mythologized version of the Internet’s history. > > Horgan: What’s net neutrality, and what’s your view on it? > > Russell: “Net neutrality” is a term coined by Tim Wu, who teaches at Columbia Law School. The animating spirit behind “net neutrality” is the concern that network operators and ISPs could – for whatever reason – slow down or block Internet traffic that they don’t like. I’m sympathetic, of course, but the nice slogan “net neutrality” obscures the complicated underlying issues. I’m skeptical about the remedies that net neutrality advocates are promoting, since they call on Congress and/or the FCC to create new regulations around the Internet. Regulation in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing–I’m no libertarian–but, to be honest, I’ve never met anyone who thinks that our current crop of representatives in Congress are capable of writing a good law in this area. And any rules the FCC passes are certain to be tied up for years in appeals litigation. Internet and telecom companies have lots of lawyers and lobbyists, and both sides of the debate are investing heavily in their public relations and legal campaigns. > > Horgan: Do you think the potential of the Internet to foster freedom outweighs its potential to enable oppression? > > Russell: My goodness, I hope so! But let’s remember: like all technologies, the Internet is a tool that humans created and use. It doesn’t exist outside of human societies. So, your real question is: “Does the potential of humanity to foster freedom outweigh its potential to enable oppression?” > > Horgan: Do you think Edward Snowden should be tried for treason or given a medal? > > Russell: Jeez, nobody will accuse you of throwing me softballs. I’m an historian, and we tend to be most effective when we can use a long-term perspective before passing judgment. So, my instinct is to wait and see. I’m sure the story will have more twists, and with these cloak-and-dagger things there is always a lot more going on that we don’t know about. In any case, he won’t be tried for treason as long as he stays in Russia! > > Horgan: How did a nice guy like you get interested in history of technology? > > Russell: It seemed like the shortest path to fame and fortune, which I’m sure is right around the corner. Right? The short version is that after I graduated from college (I was a history major at Vassar), I found a job at the Harvard Kennedy School working for a group called the “Information Infrastructure Project.” This was the late 1990s. I thought the subject sounded boring–the job I really wanted was in the Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics, and Public Policy–but I had student loans to pay and I couldn’t afford to be picky. It didn’t take me long to realize that this whole Internet thing was pretty interesting! After I worked for a couple of years, and learned a lot, I decided to go to grad school to study American history and focus on the Internet’s history. I started at the University of Colorado at Boulder, but when I finished my MA I moved to Johns Hopkins to complete my PhD in a more focused program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine. My friend and colleague Jim McClellan wrote a great article–“Accident, Luck, and Serendipity in Historical Research”–that sums up my story very well. [Horgan note: I recently did a Q&A with McClellan about his latest book.] > > Horgan: I hear you’re starting a new program in science and technology studies at Stevens. What’s the point? I mean, the goal? > > Russell: Yes, it’s two years old! We have a great group of faculty, and we offer two majors: Science, Technology & Society (STS), and Science Communication. Our goal is to nurture a community of students, faculty, and staff at Stevens and in Hoboken who think in deep and broad terms about the issues that matter most to us: environmental sustainability and resilience; the future of medicine and healthcare; Internet security and privacy; and directing innovation toward social justice. The best way to confront these issues is to draw on the wisdom and creativity that our humanistic traditions can inspire, and to blend those humanistic sensibilities with scientific and technical know-how. We have a nice diversity of really smart students, and several of them are combining their STS or Science Communication major with another major at Stevens. [Horgan note: See my post on the science communication program here.] This is producing some really cool combinations, for example, STS and Chemical Biology; Science Communication and Biomedical Engineering; and STS and Visual Arts & Technology. Like I said–these students are really smart! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > About the Author: Every week, hockey-playing science writer John Horgan takes a puckish, provocative look at breaking science. A teacher at Stevens Institute of Technology, Horgan is the author of four books, including The End of Science (Addison Wesley, 1996) and The End of War (McSweeney's, 2012). Follow on Twitter @Horganism. School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU EMAIL = Brian.Randell(a)ncl.ac.uk PHONE = +44 191 222 7923 URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/people/brian.randell

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