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Photos from SIGCIS events incl new album from 2012 workshop
by Thomas Haigh 25 Sep '13

25 Sep '13

Hello everyone, The looming proximity of the latest SIGICS workshop (http://www.sigcis.org/workshop13, program posted and more messages coming soon) has prompted me to spend an afternoon posting pictures from last year's workshop and tidying up our online coverage of earlier events. You may be excited enough, or at least bored enough by whatever you should be doing right now, to visit our latest Facebook album full of shots from our 2012 workshop in Copenhagen on "Information Identities." The food was really good. Find it, no Facebook login required, at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576674705729509.1073741825.1749879 95898184 <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576674705729509.1073741825.174987 995898184&type=1&l=b33f8901b4> &type=1&l=b33f8901b4 Likewise, photos from SHOT 2012 events including our sessions and the lunch are at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576760025720977.1073741826.1749879 95898184 <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576760025720977.1073741826.174987 995898184&type=1&l=d62108e787> &type=1&l=d62108e787. To help you relive your time with us over the past few years the full set of links are as follows: For 2011 and later we are using Facebook albums hosted on the SIGCIS Facebook page <https://www.facebook.com/SIGCIS> . Hosting the pictures externally provides superior tools and helps integrate the workshop images into the social media experience of our members. The links below go directly to the pictures with no login required. However, please add your own tags if you were at the meeting, or recognize your friends on them. The Facebook albums cover: * 2012 SIGCIS Workshop "Information Identities: Historical Perspectives on Technological and Social Change" in Copenhagen. See the pictures. <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576674705729509.1073741825.174987 995898184&type=1&l=b33f8901b4> * 2012 SIGCIS events, including our lunch, within the main SHOT annual meeting in Copenhagen. See the pictures. <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576760025720977.1073741826.174987 995898184&type=1&l=d62108e787> * 2011 SIGCIS Workshop "Cultures and Communities in the History of Computing" in Cleveland, Ohio. See the pictures. <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.233609830036000.59331.17498799589 8184&type=1&l=2e0ac02581> * 2011 SIGCIS sessions in the main SHOT meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. See the pictures. <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.233602770036706.59324.17498799589 8184&type=1&l=47d50a0e27> * 2011 SIGCIS Lunch Meeting held during the main SHOT meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. See the pictures. <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.233592190037764.59322.17498799589 8184&type=1&l=08958addc2> * A small sample of pictures from earlier events. See the pictures. <https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.175022292561421.46333.17498799589 8184&type=1&l=522f24d6a4> Photos for our SIG events from 2007 to 2010 are hosted in image galleries within the SIGCIS.org site. <http://www.sigcis.org/image/tid> These include * 2010 SIGCIS Workshop on Materiality and Immateriality in the History of Computing and other SIGCIS events in the SHOT annual meeting that year in Tacoma, Washington. See the pictures <http://www.sigcis.org/image/tid/4> . * 2009 SIGCIS Workshop on Michale Mahoney and the Histories of Computing, and other SIGCIS events in the SHOT annual meeting that year in Pittsburgh, Pennslvania. See the pictures. <http://www.sigcis.org/image/tid/5> * 2008 SIGCIS events at the SHOT annual meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. See the pictures. <http://www.sigcis.org/image/tid/3> * 2007 SIGCIS events at the SHOT annual meeting in Washington, DC. See the pictures <http://www.sigcis.org/image/tid/2> . Best wishes, Tom

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Invite to Write Essay on Tech History and Stuxnet
by Paul N. Edwards 23 Sep '13

23 Sep '13

Dear James, I wish I could say yes to this, but I'm afraid it's a bit outside my competence, and on top of that my writing queue is completely full for the next year or so. I wish I knew who to suggest. There is an active mailing list for historians of computing where you might find some help: sigcis <members(a)sigcis.org>. You could also try Tom Haigh at UW Milwaukee, who knows everyone. Not a potential contributor himself, though. Best, Paul On Sep 19, 2013, at 15:35 , "Mulvenon, James" <James.Mulvenon(a)defensegp.com> wrote: > Dr. Edwards: > > For the Cyber Conflict Studies Association, I am leading a project entitled “Cyber Conflict After Stuxnet” that explores how cyber conflict, cyber policy, and the cyber environment have changed since the disclosure of Stuxnet. As part of this project, CCSA is seeking experts in the field to write essays on different facets of Stuxnet's deployment and effects. Dr. Michael Adas of Rutgers suggested we contact you to see if you would be interested or available. > > We are asking you to author an essay comparing Stuxnet to previous technology innovations in conflict and the potential ramifications for Stuxnet and cyber conflict. We conceive this as a 10-page essay (approximately 2,500 words), focused on this particular topic and based on your expertise in this field. The piece should be written in an essay/op-ed style, with limited to no footnotes. We invite you to view this essay as an opportunity to be thought-provoking and speculative about the future of cyber conflict. > > In addition to authoring this essay, we are planning a symposium event in the fall (13 November 2013), where authors can discuss their papers, provide feedback, and consider the implications of the project. This symposium will also serve as a forum for cross-disciplinary discussions on Stuxnet and related issues. If you cannot attend the symposium, but still would be interested in writing an essay, that can also be an option. > > We would like to invite you to author an essay and participate in our symposium for an honorarium of $2,000 ($1,000 after the completion of the symposium and $1,000 after the successful delivery of the final draft). Travel costs will be covered for those coming from out of the DC area. > > Please see the attached documents for more information, including information on timing, and let us know if you are willing to participate in this project. The timing is fluid, given our time constraints. We believe the project would benefit greatly from your contribution, and look forward to working with you. If you cannot participate, please provide other experts you think would be able to contribute to this essay compendium. > > If you have any questions, please contact me at this email address or 703-868-4324 or my co-Principal Investigator, Hannah Pitts, at hannah(a)cyberconflict.org or 805-901-2874. > > Warmest, > James > > James Mulvenon > Director, Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, DGI > Chairman of the Board, Cyber Conflict Studies Association > University of Michigan, 1991<Stuxnet Project One Pager - Final.pdf> ___________________________ Paul N. Edwards Professor of Information and History, University of Michigan A Vast Machine: Computer Models, Climate Data, and the Politics of Global Warming (MIT Press, 2010) Terse replies are deliberate (and better than nothing) University of Michigan School of Information 3439 North Quad 105 S. State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 (734) 764-2617 (office) (206) 337-1523 (fax) pne.people.si.umich.edu

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Fwd from Atsushi re SHOT Teaching Panel
by Thomas Haigh 20 Sep '13

20 Sep '13

[Atsushi Akera asked me to forward the message below. Note that the report he mentioned is still available online: http://cra.org/uploads/documents/resources/workforce_history_reports/using.…. It includes the first version of what become our main “History Resources” page on the website. Tom] Hi Marie, Sorry, I should have replied to your original query. And perhaps Bill has done so already. (I’m been swamped and not on top of my email, so my apologies if this repeats material already sent to list.) But several years ago, Bill Aspray and I edited a volume called “Using History to Teach Computer Science and Related Disciplines,” which was based on a concept Bill came up with through his work with Computing Research Associates. In addition to the edited compilation, there was a conference… two if I recall… that brought the authors together so we could collectively talk about what we did, and mutually improve what we were writing about. It was not a SIG project, but given the way we work, I think you can call it something that came about in relation to our efforts as a SIG. I think the one thing the volume does is to document the different modes of engagement between history and contemporary STEM education today. These might be: · The value of using history to provide a better sense of the context in which students will pursue their profession · A module embedded within a technical course designed both to enhance learning of an (especially difficult) concept (Bode plots or Fourier transforms, for example, might be one good example) · Material designed to cultivate normative engagement on the part of students · Courses focused on digital literacy · Novel pedagogic strategies such as educational simulation (a simulated social-entrepreneurial environment, for example) designed to foster student engagement with humanistic subjects. I’m not sure whether I’ve captured all of the different modes, but these are the ones that I can think of. Since I served as the Director of First Year Studies at RPI for many years, I was also involved in much more general thinking about creating common experiences (lecture series, common reading across multiple courses), and how to develop these in ways that created a genuine culture of the humanities within an engineering school. (Student, for example, learned the protocols of critical inquiry in lecture series, where they became accustomed to asking questions of a public speaker because of the consistent format we applied to the lecture series.) Faculty development was also a crucial component—we become specialists in our fields, but never are given the training on how to teach. Objectives based course design; student centered teaching; different modes of instruction and the need to pace and vary content within the classroom. These are of course very general things not specific to our work as a SIG, but on the other hand, if we are talking about teaching, I think it’s important to raise the point that we don’t want to always start with content when we speak about teaching. The formulation of the panel (how SIGs contribute to teaching) is oriented in this way that may deserve mention during the panel… Traffic between the general and specific is important in successful teaching. (BTW, this is some of what I hope will come up in our own roundtables on teaching that’s taking place on Sunday morning; opposite, unfortunately, the SIG-CIS program! I’ll have to work on that!) - Atsushi _________________________________________________________ Atsushi Akera Associate Professor, Department of Science and Technology Studies Rensselaer Polytechnic institute 110 8th Street Troy, NY 12180 USA cel: 518.300.0613/fx:518.276-2659/e:akeraa@rpi.edu /w: <http://www.rpi.edu/~akeraa> http://www.rpi.edu/~akeraa From: members-bounces(a)sigcis.org [mailto:members-bounces@sigcis.org] On Behalf Of M. Hicks Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 4:49 AM To: sigcis Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Soliciting Input for SHOT Teaching Panel Thanks to all who replied so far. I'd still like to get a little more input because I know there are folks in our SIG doing great things with teaching and mentoring. If you have any general thoughts, or specific classes or assignments that you use to bring benefits from our SIG into your teaching, please do let me know. Best, 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 Sep 18, 2013, at 1:17, Marie Hicks <mhicks1(a)iit.edu> wrote: Hi everyone, I've been asked to participate in a panel at SHOT that discusses how SIGs influence our teaching of the history of technology. There will be one person from each SIG and the panel's goal is to tease out how each SIG's focus influences everything from the teaching of undergraduate survey courses to mentoring graduate students. How do the particular interests of the SIGs aid in "crafting a diversified pedagogical approach"? I'd like to be able to share some insights from members here who have thought about these issues and used specific theories, methods, or topics from the history of computing and information to develop or reorient their approaches to teaching and mentoring. If you have time, I'd be grateful if you would share your ideas with me in the next few days as I finalize my comments. I'd also really like to hear from grad students who can talk about how the SIGCIS might have influenced their learning experiences (as well as their teaching techniques). The panel will be featured on SHOT's new website so that folks can read the presenters' comments before the meeting. Abstract of the panel is below if you'd like to know more. Thanks in advance for your help, Marie Title: Integrating SHOT Special Interest Group Concerns into the Teaching of History of Technology: Rethinking Modes of Instruction in a Diverse Community Organizers: Honghong Tinn, National University of Singapore, Singapore Francesca Bray, University of Edinburgh, UK Discussants: Anna Åberg, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden Gregory Clancey, National University of Singapore, Singapore Marie Hicks, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA Ann Johnson, University of South Carolina, USA (Chair) Geoff D. Zylstra, the City University of New York, USA Abstract: This roundtable session proposes to discuss the way in which SHOT scholars have incorporated SIG themes in their scholarship as well as in their teaching practices. In recent years, several new Special Interest Groups (SIGs), such as the SHOT Asia Network and Exploring Diversity in Technology’s History (EDITH) have been formed in the Society for the History of Technology. Together with a myriad of well-established SIGs, such as Women In Technology History (WITH), the Prometheans, and the Special Interest Group on Computers, Information, and Society (SIGCIS), SIGs have offered scholars homes of productive space and meaningful interactions during and beyond the annual meetings of SHOT. While we are celebrating the diversification of SIGs as a community, the teaching concerns of the community should also consider the implications of such diversification. In the 2012 SHOT, after the plenary on “Transnationalism and the History of Technology: Lessons from Tensions of Europe and Other Projects,” Ann Johnson brought up an interesting question—how do we mentor graduate students on working in transnational research projects, even as we acknowledge the importance of transnational perspectives? This roundtable session plans to invite SHOT scholars to discuss (1) the possible contributions SIGs could make to advance the field’s graduate student mentoring and undergraduate teaching, and (2) how the recent diversification of SIGs may shape our teaching of survey courses. This session will discuss the hows and whys in crafting a diversified pedagogical approach towards the study of technology’s history, as well as examine the choices of scholars in identifying particular works or approaches in their teaching at both graduate and undergraduate levels. ______________________ 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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Hiroshi Yamauchi: Nintendo chief's video games legacy
by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo 20 Sep '13

20 Sep '13

Might be of interest: Two historians have assessed his impact on the modern world but how has Nintendo affected your own life? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24157526?ocid=socialflow_facebook_bbcn… Best wishes Bernardo Bangor University (Wales)

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Soliciting Input for SHOT Teaching Panel
by Marie Hicks 20 Sep '13

20 Sep '13

Hi everyone, I've been asked to participate in a panel at SHOT that discusses how SIGs influence our teaching of the history of technology. There will be one person from each SIG and the panel's goal is to tease out how each SIG's focus influences everything from the teaching of undergraduate survey courses to mentoring graduate students. How do the particular interests of the SIGs aid in "crafting a diversified pedagogical approach"? I'd like to be able to share some insights from members here who have thought about these issues and used specific theories, methods, or topics from the history of computing and information to develop or reorient their approaches to teaching and mentoring. If you have time, I'd be grateful if you would share your ideas with me in the next few days as I finalize my comments. I'd also really like to hear from grad students who can talk about how the SIGCIS might have influenced their learning experiences (as well as their teaching techniques). The panel will be featured on SHOT's new website so that folks can read the presenters' comments before the meeting. Abstract of the panel is below if you'd like to know more. Thanks in advance for your help, Marie Title: Integrating SHOT Special Interest Group Concerns into the Teaching of History of Technology: Rethinking Modes of Instruction in a Diverse Community Organizers: Honghong Tinn, National University of Singapore, Singapore Francesca Bray, University of Edinburgh, UK Discussants: Anna Åberg, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden Gregory Clancey, National University of Singapore, Singapore Marie Hicks, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA Ann Johnson, University of South Carolina, USA (Chair) Geoff D. Zylstra, the City University of New York, USA Abstract: This roundtable session proposes to discuss the way in which SHOT scholars have incorporated SIG themes in their scholarship as well as in their teaching practices. In recent years, several new Special Interest Groups (SIGs), such as the SHOT Asia Network and Exploring Diversity in Technology’s History (EDITH) have been formed in the Society for the History of Technology. Together with a myriad of well-established SIGs, such as Women In Technology History (WITH), the Prometheans, and the Special Interest Group on Computers, Information, and Society (SIGCIS), SIGs have offered scholars homes of productive space and meaningful interactions during and beyond the annual meetings of SHOT. While we are celebrating the diversification of SIGs as a community, the teaching concerns of the community should also consider the implications of such diversification. In the 2012 SHOT, after the plenary on “Transnationalism and the History of Technology: Lessons from Tensions of Europe and Other Projects,” Ann Johnson brought up an interesting question—how do we mentor graduate students on working in transnational research projects, even as we acknowledge the importance of transnational perspectives? This roundtable session plans to invite SHOT scholars to discuss (1) the possible contributions SIGs could make to advance the field’s graduate student mentoring and undergraduate teaching, and (2) how the recent diversification of SIGs may shape our teaching of survey courses. This session will discuss the hows and whys in crafting a diversified pedagogical approach towards the study of technology’s history, as well as examine the choices of scholars in identifying particular works or approaches in their teaching at both graduate and undergraduate levels. ______________________ 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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Consider contributing to SHOT's newest SIG, EDITH
by M. Hicks 12 Sep '13

12 Sep '13

Begin forwarded message: > From: Ruth Schwartz Cowan <rcowan(a)sas.upenn.edu> > Date: September 12, 2013 11:06:05 CDT > To: with(a)lists.whitman.edu, edith.sig(a)MIT.EDU > Subject: [with] An important message about EDITH > Reply-To: with(a)lists.whitman.edu > > Dear EDITH and WITH friends and colleagues: > > I write to announce the beginning of the EDITH fundraising campaign, a very exciting chance to create an EDITH Travel Grant program fundamentally akin to WITH’s and to support other EDITH initiatives that will promote diversity and the study of diversity within our history of technology community. > > EDITH, you will recall, is our new SHOT special interest group focused on technology as it intersects with the study of race, class, gender, sexuality and disability. > > Many people within SHOT are delighted about the creation of EDITH – so much so, that the SHOT Executive Council has voted to give EDITH a unique fundraising matching grant. For 2013, 2014, and 2015, SHOT will match donations to EDITH on a one-to-one dollar basis, up to $1500 per year! > > EDITH has already secured a generous $500 donation for this year – so we are already one-third of the way to our goal for 2013! But in order to take full advantage of this thrilling opportunity, we need to raise another $1000 by the end of December to qualify for the entire SHOT match. > > PLEASE HELP BY STEPPING FORWARD TO MAKE A SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION TO EDITH BEFORE THE END OF 2013. NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL BECAUSE EVERY DONATION WILL BE DOUBLED BY SHOT! > > Beneath my signature you will find instructions for making your donation, which can easily be done either online or through the mail. Donors will be acknowledged on the soon-to-be created EDITH website, so if you wish your donation to remain anonymous, please also indicate that when you contribute. > > As you may already know, both WITH and EDITH will be holding SIG meetings next month at SHOT’s Portland, Maine meeting. We hope you will be able to join us in discussing further plans for supporting both SIGs. We look forward to developing plans for these new EDITH travel grants to support junior scholars and other deserving candidates, as well as other possibilities for future WITH and EDITH activities. > > So please consider making a donation to EDITH’s fundraising match campaign soon! If you are unable to donate money, you can still help a young scholar get to Portland (or to future meetings) by DONATING FREQUENT FLYER MILES. Just let me know how many miles you might be able to donate on which airline and I will connect you with a travel grant recipient who might be able to use them – you can reach me by email at: rcowan(a)sas.upenn.edu > > Thank you for all that you do to sustain both EDITH and WITH, > > Ruth > ----------------------- > > 1. You can send a check to SHOT treasurer Hugh Gorman - essential note: please make out your check to "SHOT" but be sure to put "for EDITH" or "donation to EDITH" on the memo line of your check. Please send your check (again, made out to "SHOT" but with a note specifying "for EDITH," to: > > Hugh Gorman > Dept. of Social Sciences > Michigan Technological University > 1400 Townsend Drive > Houghton, Michigan 49931 > > 2. You can make your donation online, through SHOT’s secure website, at: > https://associations.press.jhu.edu/cgi-bin/shot/shot_donation.cgi > Toward the bottom of this form, you will see a place inviting you to designate a priority for your donation - among the options, you will see one for "Other. (e.g., travel, prizes, or another activity of particular interest to you) - please specify" - in that box, please write something like "for EDITH" > > > -- > Ruth Schwartz Cowan, PhD > rcowan(a)sas.upenn.edu

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Bill Aspray is writing about Food in the Internet Age
by Thomas Haigh 12 Sep '13

12 Sep '13

[Bill sent the text below a little while ago, but it bounced from this list. I am resending on his behalf. Tom]. Dear colleagues, I am writing to point you to a book which may be of interest to historians of computing but which is appearing in a place they would not normally look: Springer Briefs on Food, Health, and Nutrition. This book, Food in the Internet Age, which I have written with two of my doctoral students (Melissa Ocepek and George Royer), will appear in late September. The first chapter provides a conceptual categorization of food-related websites, examines Internet traffic to these sites, and give three mini case studies of individuals with food websites that move from one conceptual category to another over time. The second chapter provides a business history of online grocer Webvan, which lost more money than any other dot-com startup, together with a more general account of the history of the online grocery business. The third chapter provides three case studies on food-related companies with a major online business model (Yelp, OpenTable, and Groupon) and discusses the harm they can create for individual customers and Main Street businesses. The final chapter uses business history and information studies theories to examine six models by which companies try to create trust online when sharing recipes: the community review model (Allrecipes), the laboratory testing model (Cook's Illustrated), the scientific model (Nathan Myhrvold and Modernist Cuisine), the expert chef model (ten celebrity chefs), the corporate publishing model (Conde Nast), and the corporate food products model (Betty Crocker). The same set of authors have another book, on food policy history, that we anticipate will appear in the same book series in 2014. Bon appetit! Bill Aspray=

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The NSA, Bruce Schneier, and the IETF
by Lee Vinsel 12 Sep '13

12 Sep '13

Hi, SIGCIS member Andy Russell has written a nice blog post on the NSA programs and Bruce Schneier's recent call for the Internet Engineering Task Force to fight back against the agency. He approaches the topic from a history of technology/STS perspective, and I'm sure it will be of interest to many on this list. http://americanscience.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-betrayal-of-internet-imagin… Best, Lee -- Assistant Professor Program on Science and Technology Studies College of Arts and Letters Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 AmericanScience.Blogspot.com Twitter: @STS_News

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Urgent: Additional presenter needed for a BHC Frankfurt panel
by Thomas Haigh 09 Sep '13

09 Sep '13

Hello everyone, You may remember the recent exchange of messages in response to my call for people interested in the Business History Conference to send ideas. The topics raised by Paul and Jim regarding the changing social role of IBM and other computer companies have stirred considerable interest, even though neither of them will be able to join us. Where we stand right now is that we have five very qualified presenters ready to talk about aspects of IBMs changing relationship to ideas about political economy/labor practices/social responsibility. That can and will be spun into a story about the conference theme of Virtues and Vices in that it relates directly to the construction of particular practices and identities as virtuous, and others as vices. We have at two participants interested in non-US parts of IBM, which gives a comparative perspective in vice/virtue and also lets us frame nationalisms as a kind of virtue (possibly becoming a vice in parts of post-war Europe). Current potential participants are me, Steve Usselman, Andrew Meade McGee, Petri Paju and Corinna Schlombs. Andrew Russell is available to comment. Topics include IBM vs. fortunes vs. those of the US, IBM and European nationalism, IBMs role in constructing a new kind of American identity, and computer companys 1960s-80s attempts to update its social responsibility to reflect new kinds of virtue around race, etc. Computer firms are clearly adopting ideas from broader society, but I think we can argue that their prominence and credibility as standard bearers for modernity gives them an important role in shaping general attitudes and practices. Five is a terrible number, because its too many for one panel and two few for two. BHC panels should have three presenters, or at a push four. So we need one more brave soul to come forward and work with us to get something together quickly. There is scope to broaden a panel in various ways firms other than IBM, other kinds of vice and virtue than those mentioned above (new conceptions of race, gender, shareholder value, etc.) and still maintain coherence. Another person would mean two panels, so we could even change the theme considerably for the second panel. For example, if someone has a topic that fits we could have an entire panel focused on computer companies and their responses to the social change of the late-60s and 70s. So, anyone out there who can go to Frankfurt next March and has something that could be made to fit? I would need to hear from you within 48 hours, with a draft abstract shortly thereafter. Tom From: Thomas Haigh [mailto:thaigh@computer.org] Sent: Friday, August 30, 2013 3:14 PM To: members(a)sigcis.org Subject: BHC annual meeting CFP, deadline September 15th Hello everyone, Does anyone want to participate in a history of IT panel for the business history conference? This is the rare occasion when it takes place in Europe specifically in Frankfurt. Ive been away from business history for a few years as activity has grown so much within SHOT, but my thoughts have recently been returning to the area. Particularly as I prepared my keynote address for this years Association of Business Historians meeting. We organized a few SIGCIS sessions for earlier meetings, but nothing since 2008 or so. There might be some scope to tie in with the conference theme, in exploring ways in which IT has contributed to perceptions of business as being good/bad. But most sessions at BHC dont have much to do with the theme, so that is optional. As always, all grad students whose work could plausibly be stretched into being a contribution to business history are encouraged to apply to the Oxford Journals Doctoral Colloquium in Business History. Its a great opportunity, and the people involved have been willing to consider a broad range of social/cultural/labor history topics with a clear relation to business. So dont think that you have to be a business school person to apply. Best wishes, Tom From: Carol Lockman [mailto:clockman@Hagley.org] Sent: Friday, August 09, 2013 1:22 PM To: Carol Lockman Subject: Reminder: BHC annual meeting abstract deadline/September 15th Hi all: Just a reminder! The deadline this year for abstracts for the BHC annual meeting is September 15th..Best for the few weeks left of summer! C. Carol Ressler Lockman Business History Conference Hagley Center The Virtues and Vices of Business a Historical Perspective Business History Conference Annual Meeting Frankfurt am Main, Germany March 13-15, 2014 The organizers invite papers and session proposals that address both the micro and macro levels of the virtues and vices of business in historical perspective. In keeping with longstanding BHC policy submissions need not be directly related to the conference theme. The 2014 Program Committee consists of: Ed Balleisen, Duke University (chair); Chris McKenna, University of Oxford; Andrea Schneider, Society for Business History (Germany); Per Hansen, Copenhagen Business School (BHC President), and Jan-Otmar Hesse, University of Bielefeld. Is business good or bad, or both? Does business serve private or public interests, or both? A variety of theories from the social sciences furnish different answers to these questions and, by implication, different ideas about the role of the state in creating the good society. The 2014 BHC annual meeting aims to address these issues from a historical and empirical perspective by exploring the virtues and vices of business across societies from the early modern period to the present. Business firms large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs have been decisive in securing economic growth and development through the First, Second and Third Industrial Revolutions. By constantly innovating, imitating and competing, business has changed the lives of billions of people all over the world. Firms have brought forward new products and services that enrich and improve our lives. The wider business community, including not just companies but also trade associations and informal networks, have fashioned solutions to numerous pressing social problems, whether concerning the environment, health and safety, discrimination, social isolation, or other aspects of modern life. One can similarly point to examples of business as a progressive force enabling minorities and poor people to shape better lives. Yet, four hundred years of business history are also replete with examples of abusive and dehumanizing business practices, against other firms, individuals, and entire peoples. In some cases, as with plantation slavery and imperial expansion, the offending enterprises worked closely with state authorities. In others, the actions of business entities prompted calls for aggressive state intervention to minimize or end the negative effects of business. The occurrence of business scandals amid extreme cases of financial crisis offers especially well known historical instances of this type. But history offers an abundance of examples where business enterprises have generated serious externalities, yet nonetheless privatized profits while socializing risks borne by other stakeholders and sometimes by shareholders as well. Around the industrialized world, business interests have also regularly interfered with politics, sometimes supporting non-democratic regimes, lobbying against the public interest and fighting organized labor. Should we view such episodes of corruption and abuses of economic power as regrettable costs that society must pay for increases in income and wealth? Do these unseemly aspects of capitalism merely represent the unavoidable process of Schumpeterian creative destruction? Or should we rather understand them as the result of specific, and contingent, institutional frameworks, business networks, and systems of corporate governance that increase the likelihood and occurrence of business scandals and crisis? Another set of questions involve the evolution of societal understandings about the good and virtuous, or the bad and the vicious, that we use to praise or condemn particular markets, firms, or business practices. To what extent should we attribute the more abject failings of business, as judged from any particular social vantage point, to the decline of old and the rise of new social regimes that entail changes in discourse, narratives, cultural values, and norms? How have societies tried to set moral boundaries to the domain of business either by prohibiting some businesses and markets outright, or by proscribing commercial practices as beyond the ethical pale? And how and why have those moral constraints on business activity changed over time? Must we endure the vices of business so that society may enjoy its virtues? Do they result from state intervention that disturbs the delicate balancing act of markets, or from too little regulation that allows private business actors to pursue their own interests regardless of the costs to society? Or should we abandon the dichotomy of state and market altogether and replace it with a more historically based view of markets as embedded in social and cultural relations? Even if one accepts the embeddedness of market relations, we continue to face complicated questions about how to strike the best balance between private and public interests. How have societies attempted to strike this complex balance? What business networks, systems of corporate governance, and cultural, political and social values have historically contributed to achieving this balance most constructively? The committee will consider both individual papers and entire panels. Individual paper proposals should include a one-page (300 word) abstract and one-page curriculum vitae (CV). Panel proposals should include a cover letter stating the rationale for the panel and the name of its contact person; one-page (300 word) abstract and authors CV for each paper; and a list of preferred panel chairs and commentators with contact information. Graduate students and recent PhDs (within 3 years of receipt of degree) whose papers are accepted for the meeting may apply for funds to partially defray their travel costs; information will be sent out once the program has been set. Everyone appearing on the program must register for the meeting. The BHC annual meeting has been organized locally by the Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte (GUG, Society for Business History) and the GUG participates in the program committee. GUG members are encouraged to propose papers for this meeting. The language of the conference will be English. All sessions will take place at Goethe University in Frankfurt, and lodging will be in a number of area hotels. The BHC awards the <http://www.thebhc.org/awards/krooswin.html> Herman E. Krooss Prize for the best dissertation in business history by a recent Ph.D. in history, economics, business administration, the history of science and technology, sociology, law, communications, and related fields. To be eligible, dissertations must be completed in the three calendar years immediately prior to the 2014 annual meeting, and may only be submitted once for the Krooss prize. If you wish to apply for this prize, please send a letter to the Krooss Prize Committee expressing your interest along with a one-page CV and one-page (300 word) dissertation abstract. After the Krooss committee has reviewed the proposals, it will ask semi-finalists to submit copies of their dissertations. Finalists will present summaries of their dissertations at a plenary session of the 2014 BHC annual meeting in Frankfurt and will receive a partial subsidy of their travel costs to the meeting. The <http://www.thebhc.org/awards/kerr.html> K. Austin Kerr Prize is awarded for the best first paper delivered by a new scholar at the annual meeting of the BHC. A new scholar is defined as a doctoral candidate or a Ph. D. whose degree is less than three years old. If you wish to participate in this competition, please notify the BHC program committee in your proposal. Proposals accepted for the Krooss Prize are not eligible for the Kerr Prize. The <http://www.thebhc.org/awards/halloran.html> CEBC-Halloran Prize in the History of Corporate Responsibility is awarded for a paper presented at the annual meeting of the BHC that makes a significant contribution to the history of corporate responsibility. Corporate responsibility is understood to embrace the many ways in which the firm relates to the political realm and the wider society. The deadline for receipt of all proposals (papers, panels, and Krooss Prize competition) is 15 September 2013. Please send them to <mailto:BHC2014@Hagley.org> BHC2014(a)Hagley.org. Acceptance letters will be sent by 1 December 2013. Presenters are expected to submit abstracts of their papers for posting on the BHC website. In addition, presenters are encouraged to post electronic versions of their papers prior to the meeting. The Oxford Journals Doctoral Colloquium in Business History will be held in conjunction with the BHC annual meeting. This prestigious workshop, sponsored by BHC and funded by the Journals Division of Oxford University Press, will take place in Frankfurt Wednesday March 12 and Thursday March 13. The colloquium is limited to ten students. Participants work intensively with a distinguished group of BHC-affiliated scholars that includes at least two BHC officers. The colloquium will discuss dissertation proposals, relevant literatures and research strategies, and employment opportunities in business history. This colloquium is intended for doctoral candidates in the early stages of their dissertation projects. If you are interested in being considered for this colloquium, please submit to Roger Horowitz by 15 November 2013 to <mailto:BHC2014@Hagley.org> BHC2014(a)Hagley.org a statement of interest, a CV, a preliminary or final dissertation prospectus of 10-15 pages, and a letter of support from your dissertation supervisor (or prospective supervisor). Questions about the colloquium should be sent to its director, Pamela Laird, <mailto:Pamela.Laird@ucdenver.edu> Pamela.Laird(a)ucdenver.edu. All participants receive a stipend that will partially cover the costs of their attendance at the annual meeting. The colloquium committee will notify all applicants of its decisions by 15 December 2013.

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Leaving CHM.
by Alex Bochannek 05 Sep '13

05 Sep '13

Dear SIGCIS and TEMSIG! My last day at the Computer History Museum will be Friday, September 13. I have decided to return back to industry after a combined sixteen years of involvement with CHM, including the last six as an employee. During this time, I have had the opportunity to learn a great deal from the community of academic and public historians and I want to especially thank SIGCIS and TEMSIG for warmly welcoming me when I was a newcomer. Attending the SHOT conferences and talking to many of you was an eye-opening experience and it greatly influenced my work at CHM. I am confident that some of the collecting and interpretive choices I made were a direct result of talks I listened to, panels I attended, and discussions I had at SHOT, the SIGCIS workshop, and the TEMSIG get-togethers. CHM is richer for it and the other curators will maintain the many excellent connections that have formed. Thank you! — Alex Bochannek, Curator & Senior Manager Computer History Museum 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043 Phone: +1 650 810 1894 Twitter: @awbchm

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