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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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2015 Fellow Award Nominations Now Open
by Dag Spicer 02 Jul '14

02 Jul '14

[http://i7.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/now_open2.jpg] [http://i8.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/red_line.jpg] WEBSITE<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-r/> EVENTS<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-y/> VISIT<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-j/> MEMBERSHIP<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-t/> GET INVOLVED<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-i/> FOLLOW: FACEBOOK<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-d/> TWITTER<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-h/> BLOG<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-k/> [http://i9.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/hall.jpg] [http://i10.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/fellows_nominations.jpg] [http://i8.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/red_line.jpg] The Computer History Museum’s Fellow Awards has been publicly recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of computing, including hardware, software, artificial intelligence, networking and the Internet. The Awards embody the Museum’s vision to celebrate the computing revolution and its worldwide impact on the human experience. Each year, new Award recipients are inducted into the Museum’s Hall of Fellows<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-u/> at a formal ceremony, which has grown into one of Silicon Valley’s leading events. The next class of Fellows will be inducted on April 25, 2015. Nominations are Now Open! <http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-o/> We are delighted to invite you, as a friend of the Museum, to nominate an individual whom you believe should be honored as a Fellow in 2015. The nomination period will last until August 30, 2014. All nominations must be made in writing according to the Museum’s guidelines. For detailed instructions, please click here<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-b/>. Thank you for helping the Museum celebrate the heroes of the Information Age! <http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-n/> [http://i1.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/thin_line.jpg] [http://i2.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/chm_logo.jpg] [http://i1.cmail1.com/ei/r/D7/33C/50F/072056/assets/thin_line.jpg] If you no longer wish to receive emails from the Computer History Museum please click here to unsubscribe<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-u-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-x/>. See Privacy Policy<http://computerhistorymuseum.cmail1.com/t/r-l-mlrdjit-jtdhejju-p/> for more information.

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Cool Code, Bro: Brogrammers, Geek Anxiety and the New Tech Elite
by Marie Hicks 02 Jul '14

02 Jul '14

Hi all, Journalist Nick Parish recently published an e-book on privilege, sexism, and heteronormativity in high tech called: *Cool Code, Bro: Brogrammers, Geek Anxiety and the New Tech Elite.* His e-book is free to download through July 3rd. Full disclosure: I was interviewed by Parish for this work, which how I know about it: http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Code-Bro-Brogrammers-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B00L9NO4DQ If you're interested in reading some of the stuff Parish references, but don't have time for the whole e-book, I've highlighted a couple of good ones, including Kate Losse and Sapna Cheryan, in this blog post: http://mariehicks.net/blog/?p=544 Best, Marie ______________________ Marie Hicks, Ph.D. Asst. Professor, History of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL USA mhicks1(a)iit.edu | mariehicks.net <http://www.mariehicks.net> | @histoftech <http://twitter.com/histoftech>

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Microcomputer History Museum
by Ceruzzi, Paul 02 Jul '14

02 Jul '14

While wandering the back roads of Virginia last week, I stumbled upon this museum: http://bugbookcomputermuseum.com/ The web site is actually misleading--the museum is there, and it is open to the public free of charge on a regular schedule. It is located in downtown Floyd, VA, which is somewhat off the beaten track, to put it mildly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd,_Virginia Floyd is not near Tysons Corner! But it was open, and I had a most enjoyable tour. The collection is focused on the pre-IBM PC microcomputer days. Its crown jewel is a "Mark-8," designed by Jonathan Titus of nearby Blacksburg--a legendary early microcomputer kit. There are other similar items on display as well. I guess this qualifies as a "busman's holiday." Paul E. Ceruzzi, Chairman Division of Space History, MRC 311 National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution PO Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414 http://airandspace.si.edu/staff/paul-ceruzzi

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EDSAC text is corrected; thoughts on email "firsts"
by Thomas Haigh 27 Jun '14

27 Jun '14

Hello everyone, I'm pleased to say that I have heard from The National Museum of Computing to confirm that the startling phrasing in the EDSAC press release was a mistake which has now been corrected in the online version. So we are not seeing a new outbreak of hostilities in the old wars over the "first computer," just a glitch in public relations oversight. Good to see all the interesting discussion of "firsts" on the list - still a significant concern in this community. My own position is that if something would not be of historical interest if it was the second then it is probably still not worth much attention as the first. So it is best to justify the significant of something in terms of its influence, use, distinctive features, evidence of a path not taken, etc. It reminded me of the case of the "inventor of email" you may remember me getting tied up in a couple of years ago (http://www.sigcis.org/ayyadurai) The interesting thing to me was that in his quest for fame he put a huge amount of energy and misguided ingenuity into pinning the earliest possible date on his electronic mail system and arguing that everything produced prior to 1980 was merely "messaging" and not mail. However he has never, as far as I can see, even tried to argue that his system had any influence developments outside the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Leaving aside the problem his system does not appear to have exhibited any significant "firsts" we are still left with the fascinating assumption that a completely isolated "first" with no historical legacy would give one a kind of moral ownership of the all subsequent innovations in the area. This is perhaps a kind of cultural leakage from the patenting process, as he also seemed to be confusing holding the copyright on a system with a particular name ("EMAIL") with holding a patent on the corresponding technology. The funny thing, as I tried to explain, is that the things that historians might find interesting or useful in his papers describing the system really have nothing to do with whether it was the first or the thousandth. Though admittedly we weren't really his target audience. Best wishes, Tom

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EDSAC, Firsts, and our new article "Engineering the 'Miracle of the ENIAC:' Implementing the Modern Code Paradigm."
by Thomas Haigh 27 Jun '14

27 Jun '14

Hello everyone, Hmm, the discovery of those diagrams is good news for EDSAC rebuilders but I was surprised to see that the press release twice calls EDSAC the first practical general purpose computer. One occurrence is in the boilerplate passage on EDSAC at the bottom of the release, which suggests that this is TNMOCs official position. That seems to violate the de facto truce concluded between early computer history enthusiasts in the early 1980s when they settled on the appropriate series of adjectives to go between first and computer. As Mike Williams once wrote, there is more than enough glory in the creation of the modern computer to satisfy all of the early pioneers, most of whom are no longer in a position to care anyway. (That's the introduction to the "The First Computers: History and Architecture" collection from 2000). ENIAC got the metaphorical trophy for first general purpose electronic digital computer in its original 1945 configuration whereas EDSAC went home with the award for first practical stored program computer. This reminds me that the second in my series of articles with Crispin Rope and Mark Priestley about ENIAC and its early-1948 conversion to what has sometimes been called read-only stored program operation was recently published in Annals. We try to switch focus from firsts to questions of practical capabilities, in support of our detailed analysis of ENIACs 1948 Monte Carlo program in the third and final paper, although we do conclude that an entirely practical version of the programming method described in the seminal 1945 First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC was implemented on ENIAC in March-April 1948, some months before the Manchester Baby ran what has usually been considered the first modern program. Williams also noted that, If you add enough adjectives to a description you can always claim your own favorite. For example ENIAC is often claimed to be the first electronic, general purpose, large scale, digital computer and you certainly have to add all those adjectives before you have a correct statement. In our own work we argue that the history is somewhat more complicated than can be captured by those "first [adjective] [adjective] [adjective] computer" phrases, but that doesn't mean that "general purpose" and "stored program" can be conflated. People who care about "firsts" also need to take care with those adjectives. The paper is Thomas Haigh, Mark Priestley & Crispin Rope, Engineering The Miracle of the ENIAC: Implementing the Modern Code Paradigm IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 36:2 (April-June 2014):41-59 and you can read it at http://eniacinaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/EngineeringTheMiracleoft heENIAC-scanned.pdf or, if you have access, from the IEEE CS Digital Library at http://www.computer.org/csdl/mags/an/2014/02/man2014020041-abs.html. Our www.EniacInAction.com website already includes a selection of technical documents and primary sources related to ENIAC's conversion and to the Monte Carlo programs it ran in 1948 (though it is not yet complete or attractively presented). Best wishes, Tom From: members-bounces(a)sigcis.org [mailto:members-bounces@sigcis.org] On Behalf Of B. Randell Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 4:43 AM To: members Cc: B. Randell Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] Fwd: News - Lost EDSAC diagrams reveal secrets of one of the earliest computers Hi: Begin forwarded message: From: Stephen Fleming <stephen.fleming(a)palam.co.uk> Subject: News - Lost EDSAC diagrams reveal secrets of one of the earliest computers Date: 25 June 2014 09:16:22 BST To: <brian.randell(a)ncl.ac.uk> Reply-To: <k> NEWS RELEASE Lost EDSAC diagrams reveal secrets of one of the earliest computers 25 June 2014 Some of the earliest diagrams of a computer have been rediscovered more than sixty years after they were drawn and are giving the EDSAC team at The National Museum of Computing fresh insights into their ongoing reconstruction of the world's first general purpose computer. You can read the full release here: http://www.tnmoc.org/news/news-releases/lost-edsac-diagrams-reveal-sec rets-one-earliest-computers Cheers Brian Randell 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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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] [Edith.sig] ICOHTEC in July-August
by M. Hicks 25 Jun '14

25 Jun '14

That's great! I've used the article in my history of computing class and the students really enjoy it. Congratulations, Donna! Marie ______________________ Marie Hicks, Ph.D. Asst. Professor, History of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL USA mariehicks.net | mhicks1(a)iit.edu | @histoftech On 23/06/14, "Rachel P. Maines" <rpm24(a)cornell.edu> wrote: > Very cool, Donna! Wish I could be there. > > Rachel Maines > > From: edith.sig-bounces(a)mit.edu <edith.sig-bounces(a)mit.edu> on behalf of Donna Drucker <gall_wasp(a)yahoo.com> > Sent: Monday, June 23, 2014 10:28 AM > To: Edith.sig(a)mit.edu > Subject: [Edith.sig] ICOHTEC in July-August > > Dear colleagues, > > I am writing to see if any of you will be attending the International Committee for the History of Technology Symposium (ICOHTEC) in Brasov, Romania, July 28-August 2. I will be there July 30-August 4. If you are, please e-mail me off-list, and we can arrange to meet for a drink or a meal while we are there. > > I also wanted to share some good news: one of my articles, "Keying Desire: Alfred Kinsey's Use of Machines for Sex Research" (Journal of the History of Sexuality, January 2013) won the 2014 ICOHTEC prize for best submitted article in the history of technology. It will be officially announced at the conference and on the ICOHTEC Web site in July. > > Warm greetings from Germany, > > Donna Drucker > Technische Universität Darmstadt Edith.sig mailing list Edith.sig(a)mit.edu http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/edith.sig

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Fwd: News - Lost EDSAC diagrams reveal secrets of one of the earliest computers
by B. Randell 25 Jun '14

25 Jun '14

Hi: Begin forwarded message: > From: Stephen Fleming <stephen.fleming(a)palam.co.uk> > Subject: News - Lost EDSAC diagrams reveal secrets of one of the earliest computers > Date: 25 June 2014 09:16:22 BST > To: <brian.randell(a)ncl.ac.uk> > Reply-To: <stephen.fleming(a)palam.co.uk> > > NEWS RELEASE > > Lost EDSAC diagrams reveal secrets of one of the earliest computers > > 25 June 2014 > > Some of the earliest diagrams of a computer have been rediscovered more than sixty years after they were drawn and are giving the EDSAC team at The National Museum of Computing fresh insights into their ongoing reconstruction of the world's first general purpose computer. > > You can read the full release here: http://www.tnmoc.org/news/news-releases/lost-edsac-diagrams-reveal-secrets-… Cheers Brian Randell 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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CHM Fellows Nominations Open
by Dag Spicer 24 Jun '14

24 Jun '14

Dear SIGCIS Friends, Today nominations for the 2015 CHM Fellow Awards open! I encourage SIGCIS people to participate as you are uniquely situated to reflect upon the relative contributions of many of the historical actors we study as part of our work in the history of computing. Fellows are recognized for moving the ball forward in computing and include the inventors of the first commercial microprocessor, Ethernet, Moore’s Law, artificial intelligence, Linux, packet switching, the mouse… the full list of Fellows is here: http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/ Applications and information on the nomination are available here: http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/nominations/ Nominations close August 30, 2014. Thank you everyone for considering … hope to see some nominations from SIGCIS! Best wishes, 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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Blog post on the history of the Turing test...
by Allan Olley 23 Jun '14

23 Jun '14

Hi, I wrote a blog post on the history of the Turing test for a website that is organized by students in my old department (the Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology), addressing the recent claims that a computer Eugene Goostman had passed the Turing test. It is my own limited perspective on a limited issue and history of AI is not my usual beat, but I hope it is of some interest. http://thebubblechamber.org/2014/06/can-machines-think-yet-a-brief-history-… -- Yours Truly, Allan Olley, PhD http://individual.utoronto.ca/fofound/

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