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HP programmable calculators: economy of programmed cards?
by Michael McGovern 09 Dec '13

09 Dec '13

Hello all, I am an MPhil student at Cambridge in the HPS department working on our science museum’s calculator collection (the Francis Hookham Collection of Handheld Calculators) for a short essay. In working through the collection of calculators and associated ephemera, I have become very interested in HP’s programmable calculators, particularly the HP-65 and subsequent developments in which programs could be written stored on magnetic cards, sent to and ordered from a user library, and also purchased in packages from HP. Given the recent de-emphasis on computation as calculation, this is a fascinating instance in which calculation itself helped create a form of social organization; calculators were not about simply crunching numbers but sharing and writing programs. I was wondering if anyone on this list a) used these calculators and their magnetic cards or b) know of anyone who might be willing to discuss with me. I am trying to answer the following questions about the magnetic cards and these calculators: 1) How common were they to have? HPs were notoriously expensive and their being programmed in RPN may have led certain groups to turn to other companies like TI. I don’t know how much discussing RPN would figure into this account but I am interested in programming language entrenchment/preferences as well. 2) What was the incentive to enter programs into the HP user library? Was it financial? Did people code programs on spare cards and send them to each other? Was it enough to buy the various packs that HP marketed (Statistics, Flight, Medicine, etc.) or was this seen as facile/not trustworthy? 3) If you yourself worked with these HP calculators with magnetic card readers in the ‘70s and ‘80s, where were you working and to what extent was it desirable to shop for programs rather than simply writing them yourself? I am interested in how different calculators were used infrastructurally but also understand that it was often a source of personal satisfaction and intrigue, as can be seen in the case of Francis Hookham who collected so many calculators! Thanks so much for hearing me out and I hope to hear from some of you! Sincerely, Mikey McGovern

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new commission History and Philosophy of Computing
by Liesbeth De Mol 09 Dec '13

09 Dec '13

Dear all, as some of you already know a new commission for the History and Philosophy of Computing has been created by the Division for the History of Science and Technology. For more information on HaPoC please do have a look at our new website: www.hapoc.org We are convinced that this website should really be the dynamic result of the HaPoC community and, for this purpose, anyone interested to contribute to the website can create an account at the website. This account will allow you to post new publications, events, comments etc. You can create an account here: http://www.hapoc.org/user/register Membership to the new commission is free. If you are interested in HaPoC-related topics, please feel free to become a member by filling out the following form: http://www.hapoc.org/membership If you would have any more questions, suggestions, ideas, etc please do not hesitate to contact us at hapoc(a)info.org, my very best wishes, on behalf of the HaPoC council, Liesbeth and Giuseppe.

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CBI's archivist on "Social Issues in Computing" collection
by Thomas J. Misa 05 Dec '13

05 Dec '13

Title: The Future of the History of Computing Authors: Nelsen, R. Arvid Issue Date: Dec-2013 Abstract: The history of information technology is not the history of how wires got into boxes. Technological developments are intertwined in the social fabric, and their story includes the direct experience of individuals and the impacts felt by communities. Computers were once thought to be relevant only to specialists, but people today are more aware of the reach of computers into their lives. Similarly, the history of computing has traditionally been the focus of specialists in technology, but a greater variety of scholarly researchers is now studying archival collections about computing. The Social Issues in Computing Collection at the University of Minnesota’s Charles Babbage Institute seeks to collect a wider array of perspectives on the industry and even to change the way people think about computing and archives. Permanent URL: http://purl.umn.edu/161215 Appears in Collections: Journal of Opinions, Ideas and Essays (JOIE)

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UW-Milwaukee iSchool Dean job
by Thomas Haigh 02 Dec '13

02 Dec '13

Now that you all know what an iSchool is, perhaps one of you would like to try running one? See below. My school has finally posted its new call for a Dean. Tom University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Dean of the School of Information Studies The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the School of Information Studies (SOIS). For the full position profile and desired qualifications, please visit: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/news_events/sois-dean/sois-dean-search.cfm. UWM is one of two doctoral-granting institutions in the University of Wisconsin System and offers 188 degree programs including 94 undergraduate degrees, 59 master's degrees, 1 specialist program and 34 doctoral programs, through 14 schools and colleges. The 93-acre main campus, just blocks from Lake Michigan, is located in a residential neighborhood on Milwaukee's east side, offering faculty, staff, and students a wide range of cultural, athletic, and entertainment opportunities. The nationally ranked School of Information Studies offers a Bachelor Degree program in Information Science & Technology, programs leading to a Master Degree in Library and Information Science, a Doctorate in Information Studies, and two certificates in advanced study. The School has a strong research faculty, approximately 950 students, and state-of-the-art informational technology laboratories. The successful candidate must have an earned doctorate in library and information science or a related discipline, demonstrated leadership and proven administrative experience, and an academic record appropriate for appointment as a Full Professor with tenure in the School. Preference will be given to candidates who also possess experience in managing and developing traditional and emerging education programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and a history of success in budget and personnel management within an educational institution. For the full position profile and desired qualifications, please visit: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/news_events/sois-dean/sois-dean-search.cfm. The Committee will accept applications and nominations until the position is filled. Initial screening of applications will begin February 1, 2014 and continue until an appointment is made. Applications received after January 31, 2014 may not receive consideration. Nominations should include nominee's name, position, and telephone number. Application materials should include a cover letter, a complete resume, and contact information for at least five references. Correspondents are advised to submit materials by e-mail utilizing attachments. Chuck Bunting and Lesley Boyd, with Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, are providing support for this search. Please send all inquiries, nominations and applications to: uwmsois(a)storbeckpimentel.com. In accordance with Wisconsin's Open Records Law, requests for confidentiality by nominees and applicants will be honored, if so requested, except that names and titles of the finalists must be disclosed. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer For more information about the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, please visit the web site at: http://www4.uwm.edu.

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Voices of Science interviews with British computer scientists
by Lean, Thomas 02 Dec '13

02 Dec '13

Greetings, List members may be interested in the British Library's brand new Voices of Science web resource http://www.bl.uk/voices-of-science/ featuring edited extracts from National Life Stories' Oral History of British Science, along with links to around 1000 hours of complete life story interviews with nearly 100 British scientists and engineers. Of particular interest to SIGCIS members may be the interviews with computer scientists (from the 1940s to the present day), and with scientists and engineers in other fields talking about the use of computers in their work, and featuring both audio and a few video recordings. http://www.bl.uk/voices-of-science/themes/designing-and-programming-comp uters http://www.bl.uk/voices-of-science/themes/computers-in-use Happy listening! Tom ************************************************************************** Experience the British Library online at http://www.bl.uk/ The British Library’s latest Annual Report and Accounts : http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/annrep/index.html Help the British Library conserve the world's knowledge. Adopt a Book. http://www.bl.uk/adoptabook The Library's St Pancras site is WiFi - enabled ************************************************************************* The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this e-mail and notify the mailto:postmaster@bl.uk : The contents of this e-mail must not be disclosed or copied without the sender's consent. The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the British Library. The British Library does not take any responsibility for the views of the author. ************************************************************************* Think before you print

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History of Computing in Agricultural Economics
by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo 02 Dec '13

02 Dec '13

<Might be of interest A Brief Introduction to the History of Computing in Agricultural Economics Date: 2013-10 By: Debertin, David L. URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ukysps:158674&r=his These are the notes from the departmental retirement seminar on computing technology employed in agricultural economics presented by Dr. Debertin in April, 2013. These notes and photographs describe the history of computing in agricultural economics over a period of over 40 years from 1969-2013. Kind regards Bernardo (Bangor University - Wales) -----

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Social Sudies of Inormation and the iConfernce
by Thomas Haigh 01 Dec '13

01 Dec '13

Hello SIGCIS people, This message will be of interest to a subset of you, but I think it's worth sending anyway. It's about a chance to participate in a new community and an upcoming conference workshop. Some background. These is such a thing as an "iSchool." The "I" is for "information." Most of them used to be library schools, but now they do things to do with computers as well/instead of things to do with libraries. The schools vary widely, but they have an organization and a conference. It's called the "iConfernce." Quite a few SIGCIS people, including Bill Aspray, Nathan Ensmenger, Eden Medina, Paul Edwards, Greg Downey, Dave Stearns, and me find ourselves employed in iSchools. History itself is marginal, at best, in most of these schools but STS is somewhat better established and easier to position on the curriculum. Given the job market, people with STS training have also been going to work in iSchools. However, STS-like perspectives are spread over many different sub communities with names like "social informatics," "values in design," "information policy," "internet studies" whose currency varies from school to school. My experience with SIGCIS has made me realize the value that simple tools, such as a listserv and syllabus repository, can have for a scattered community. I'd also seen people looking to send messages to the iSchool STS community making their own long lists of email names, because there is no established list that reaches this group. Thus was born www.socialstudiesof.info, which (as I can admit here among friends) is basically trying to repeat some of the things that more or less worked with SIGCIS over the past eight years to bring together the metacommunity of people with STS interest in iSchools. If you find this project interesting I encourage you to sign up, submit your syllabi, spread the word, etc. More specifically, and as explained in the message below, the iConference is in Berlin next March. Early registration runs out on Dec 15. I'm the lead organizer of a full day workshop there on "Exploring the Social Studies of Information." It's going to be informal and participatory, but if you're interested or need this for travel money I can probably find a spot for you on a roundtable or discussion group somewhere on the program. I'd love to see a strong showing at the workshop from this community, and a renewed attempt (in this niche at least) of finding ways to integrate history of computing with STS and with the broader iSchool concept of "information history." Best wishes, Tom From: Thomas Haigh [mailto:thaigh@computer.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 11:35 PM To: 'ssi_discussion(a)googlegroups.com' Subject: iConference: please help us in "Exploring the Social Studies of Information" Hello SSI colleagues, You may recall that some time ago we posted a call for those interested in contributing to a workshop proposal for the upcoming iConference in Berlin (March 4-7). Happily our proposal for a full day event "Exploring the Social Studies of Information" was accepted, is featured on the iConference registration form, and will indeed be taking place. Our current description is at www.socialstudiesof.info/workshop14. We have a little more than three months before the workshop, and will be tweaking the exact format and lineup for much of that period based on the number of people registering and the lineup of people we can persuade to take part. However early registration for the iConference closes on December 15 so we'd like to get as many people as possible on board by then. http://ischools.org/the-iconference/registration/ All of you would be most welcome at the workshop. Anything you could do to spread the word without your own communities would also be much appreciated. So . If you are already going to the iConference, please do register for this workshop and include it in your plans. . If you are NOT already going to the iConference, but would like to, we would love to put you on our program. . In either case, if you would be willing to participate in a roundtable discussion or help to lead a breakout discussion on the relationship of a specific research community/tradition to SSI then please let me know and we will try to find a suitable spot for you on the program. This is compatible with any plans you might have in regular sessions. (All workshops are held at the same time, on Tuesday, 4 March. This means that you can combine participation in the workshop with whatever session you may be scheduled in on the main conference which runs Wednesday to Friday). . If you aren't going to the iConference and don't want to, umm, no action is necessary. The workshop will be quite informal, with no traditional research presentations and few formal talks of any kind. The program is being structured around roundtable "plenaries" and smaller breakout discussions on specific topics. Everyone who comes will have a chance to introduce themselves and their interests. It's a community, or metacommunity, building opportunity. We do not intend SSI to be a competitor or alternative to established identities such as "social informatics" or "information history" which will have their own sessions at the conference, and in fact are seeking participants from as many different research traditions within the iSchool world as possible. The event will be, in large part, a chance to get to know people with complementary interests from different research traditions. Best wishes, Tom Haigh www.tomandmaria.com/tom

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Johnniac - in Memory of Willis Ware
by Dag Spicer 30 Nov '13

30 Nov '13

Dear Friends, Since Willis Ware has passed, I thought I’d pass along some links related to his work, which you might otherwise not know about. Here is a “eulogy” to the Johnniac computer, written by Willis Ware in March 1966 at Johnniac’s decommissioning: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/papers/2008/P3313.pdf It’s also a useful source document in the history computing. Johnniac lives at CHM now. See it on online exhibit here: http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/birth-of-the-computer/4/94 In September of 1998, CHM hosted a panel discussion on Johnniac, which included Willis Ware: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVnOCT_r3so&list=UUHDr4RtxwA1KqKGwxgdK4Vg&in… (Ware appears at 25:30 ff.) Best wishes, Dag -- Dag Spicer Senior Curator Computer History Museum 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 650.810.1035 direct 650.810.1055 fax Follow Us: CHM Blog I Facebook I Twitter I YouTube

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John Miller-Kirkpatrick, UK home computing pioneer
by Tony Smith 29 Nov '13

29 Nov '13

John Miller-Kirkpatrick created arguably the first British home computer, but his death in 1978 at the ridiculously young age of 31 means he has largely been forgotten and the limelight focused instead on the likes of Clive Sinclair and the Acorn team. Here is an essay about John's life, his important place in the history of British home computing, and why he should be remembered: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/29/unsung_heroes_john_miller_kirkpatri… Tony Smith Features Editor The Register http://www.theregister.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)203 189 4611 Mobile: +44 (0)7793 440 395 Mail: The Register, First Floor, The Lightwell, 12-16 Laystall Street , London, EC1R 4PF, UK ABCe independent audit Nov 2012 for The Register: 43.66m page impressions, 7.33m unique readers.

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Recordings of the 1976 International History of Computing Conference
by Grider, Gary A 29 Nov '13

29 Nov '13

I am told by our physics library that the International History of Computing Conference at Los Alamos in 1976 was recorded (audio). Are others aware of these recordings? I am attempting to recover these recordings from our library and do something sensible with them as part of our history of computing at Los Alamos project. Talks by Stan Ulam, Mauchly, Burks, and dozens of others are potentially salvageable (something like 30 hours of audio). If someone has already restored these gems, let me know and I won't bother. Thanks Gary Grider High Performance Computing Division Leader Los Alamos National Laboratory

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