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SHOT 2012 - Early Registration Ending Tomorrow
by Thomas Haigh 31 Aug '12

31 Aug '12

Hello everyone, A reminder that early registration for SHOT 2012 must be done by 1 September. After that it gets $20 more expensive - and why spend $20 more than you have to? Conference details at http://www.historyoftechnology.org/copenhagen/copenhagen_meeting.html SHOT Registration at http://www.historyoftechnology.org/copenhagen/copenhagen_registration.html. Now includes online option! SIGCIS Sunday workshop draft program at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop12/schedule. There will be more information soon about the SIGCIS lunch on the Friday of the meeting. It turns out that something went wrong earlier and the arrangement made by SHOT for our lunch was unworkable. The good news is that SHOT and the local organizers doing the necessary work needed to fix this problem so everything should be fine. Once arrangements are settled everyone who registers for the meeting will receive an email asking them to contact SHOT if they are interested in taking part in our lunch. It will be catered as usual, with a fixed charge to be collected from you when you arrive at the meeting and collect your badge and other materials. As usual we will subsidize the cost for graduate students. We will also publicize the lunch details via this list. Unlike the SIGCIS lunch, our Sunday workshop is on the SHOT registration form, and carries no additional charge. If you are attending the workshop but not the rest of SHOT then there will be a special one day registration option at lower cost. Contact SHOT2012(a)virginia.edu for details on this. Best wishes, Tom

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ASIST historical preconference day - Oct 27, Baltimore
by Thomas Haigh 27 Aug '12

27 Aug '12

Hello, I forwarded the call for this some time ago, and as inevitably as summer turns to autumn here is the program. Bob Williams, one of the organizers, has asked me to forward this and would love to see some historians there. The event features at least one SIGCIS member, Andy Russell, but will be of the greatest appeal to those with a specific interest in the history of information science. Registration is a little high –early bird is $240 for student non members, $315 for other non members, but if you scroll below you will see another message about $200 travel awards for interested students which could be helpful (though you would have to join ASIS&T to apply). Tom From: WILLIAMS, ROBERT [mailto:BOBWILL@mailbox.sc.edu] Sent: Monday, August 27, 2012 1:56 PM To: 'Thomas Haigh' Subject: please post to the SHOT group et. al. Tom: Please post the information below to the SHOT group and any others you can think of that might be relevant. Thanks and I hope to see you there. Bob Williams The ASIST 75th Anniversary History Preconference The History of ASIST and Information Science and Technology Worldwide Saturday, October 27, 8:15 am - 6:30 pm _____ Schedule Registration and Fees details at: http://www.asis.org/asist2012/historyofASIST.html 8:15-8:30 Introduction to the History Preconference Toni Carbo (Drexel University) and Robert Williams (University of South Carolina) Co-Chairs, 75th Anniversary Celebration Task Force 8:30-10:00 Theme 1: Development of ASIST The Fortuitous Confluence of the National Science Foundation, the American Society for Information Science & Technology, and Information Science Trudi Bellardo Hahn (Drexel University) and Diane L. Barlow (University of Maryland) “Speaking Volumes”: Cuadra, Williams, Cronin and the Evolution of the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology Linda C. Smith (University of Illinois-Urbana-Champagne) Remixing ADI/ASIST Conference History: Some Panels SIG-DL Wishes We Could Have Convened (And Some That We Did!), 1937–2012 Betsy Van der Veer Martens and June Abbas (University of Oklahoma) 10:00-10:30 Coffee Break 10:30-12:30 Theme 2: Evolution of the Field of Information Science and Technology Where is Archival Science in the History of Information Science? A Speculative Framework Richard J. Cox (University of Pittsburgh) Research on Relevance in Information science: A Historical Perspective Tefko Saracevic (Rutgers University) Making Sense of Sense-Making: Tracing the History and Development of Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology Naresh Kumar Agarwal (Simmons College) On the Origins and Development of Information Sciences as an Academic and Research Field in Croatia Franjo Pehar and Tatjana Aparac-Jelusic (University of Zadar, Croatia) Whither Information Science in France? Fidelia Ibekwe-SanJuan (Jean Moulin University - Lyon3, France) 12:30-1:30 Lunch and Keynote Presentation (Title to be announced) W. Boyd Rayward (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) Presentation Sponsored by ASIS&T Special Group on International Information Issues (SIG III) 1:30-3:30 Theme 3: Historical Contexts of Technology Innovations and Impacts Lodewyk Bendikson and Photographic Techniques in Documentation, 1910 – 1943 Michael Buckland (University of California-Berkeley) The rise and fall of Information Science at Lehigh University, 1962-1973 Donald Hillman (Lehigh University) How Binary Became Ubiquitous Karen Miller (University of South Carolina) Bancroft Gherardi and the Monopoly Bell System: Pioneers in Information Technology Standardization Andrew L. Russell (Stevens Institute of Technology) The Evolution of Access Rights to Digital Legal Information: A Case Study Xiaohua Zhu (University of Tennessee) 3:30-5:30 Theme 4: Development of Foundational Ideas and Theories in Information Science Pioneers of Information Science in Europe: The Œuvre of Norbert Henrichs Katherina Hauk and Wolfgang G. Stock (Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany) The ‘Term’ in the Classifier’s Garden Or: Dog, Man, Bites and Dollars Colin Burke (University of Maryland, Baltimore) The Dutch Connection: Donker Duyvis and Perceptions of American and European Decimal Classification Systems in the First Half of the Twentieth Century Charles van den Heuvel( Huygens ING – Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) Second Wind: The Two-Stage Citation History of “Networks of Science” (Price, 1965) Katherine W. McCain (Drexel University) Constructing Documentary Meaning: French Approach to Documentation Theory Caroline Courbieres (Université de Toulouse, France), 5:30-6:30 The History Pre-Conference Post Conference Reception (MESSAGE ABOUT TRAVEL AWARDS) On behalf of the ASIST History Fund Board of Advisors I am pleased to offer up to 20 scholarships of $200 each to attend the ASIST Pre-Conference on the History of ASIST and Information Science Worldwide to be held on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 in Baltimore, MD. This offer is only for student members of ASIST and will be limited to no more than 5 student members from any one institution. The student registration fee for the History Pre-Conference is $200 for early bird registration (deadline is Sept 7). If you are interested in applying for one of the scholarships write a brief explanation of your reasons for wanting to attend this Pre-Conference event and send it to the e-mail address below no later than Sept. 1. Also include a note that you currently (or plan to join this year) are a student member of ASIST, the name of your institution, e-mail address, and your student status. All levels of student graduate status are acceptable but a slight preference will be given to doctoral students when making the awards. An e-mail notification will be sent to those who win the scholarships by Sept. 5. If you do apply for the scholarship hold off registering for the History Pre-Conference until a notice is sent about your application. Full details about the History Pre-Conference may be found at: http://www.asis.org/asist2012/historyofASIST.html Robert V. Williams, Distinguished Prof., Emeritus School of Library and Information Science University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 29208 Ph: 803-777-2324 E-mail: bobwill(a)sc.edu Home Web page: http://faculty.libsci.sc.edu/bob/frontpg.htm

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The perils of professorships...
by Dag Spicer 27 Aug '12

27 Aug '12

Dea SIGCIS Friends, This is not directly related to computing but I thought it would be of interest, especially to those in academia. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/2012820102749246453.html Dag -- Dag Spicer | Senior Curator | Computer History Museum Editorial Board | Annals of the History of Computing 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. | Mountain View CA 94043 Tel: +1 650 810 1035 | Fax: +1 650 810 1055 Twitter: @ComputerHistory FB: facebook.com/computerhistory Technology married with the humanities makes our hearts sing. -- Steve Jobs

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CHM YouTube Video Update!
by Dag Spicer 24 Aug '12

24 Aug '12

Dear SIGCIS Friends, A new video from a recent (Aug 8) lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLE1w47eRY0&feature=em-subs_digest "The Art and Science of Google Doodles" Doodles are the fun, surprising and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists. In 1998, before the company was even incorporated, the concept of the doodle was born when Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin played with the corporate logo to indicate their attendance at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. Two years later, in 2000, Larry and Sergey asked an intern to produce a doodle for Bastille Day which was so well received by users that a chief doodler was appointed, and doodles started showing up more and more regularly on the Google homepage. Over time, the demand for doodles has risen in the US and internationally. Creating doodles is now the responsibility of a team of talented illustrators (called doodlers) and engineers. For them, creating doodles has become a group effort to enliven the Google homepage and bring smiles to the faces of Google users around the world. You will meet members of the doodle team and get a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process. They discussed how technology's evolution has enabled them to create more beautiful and highly interactive doodles, and the challenge that brings to the technical members of the team. You will also find out about possible risks and rewards involved when one's "canvas" is viewed by millions worldwide. Enjoy! Dag -- Dag Spicer | Senior Curator | Computer History Museum Editorial Board | Annals of the History of Computing 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. | Mountain View CA 94043 Tel: +1 650 810 1035 | Fax: +1 650 810 1055 Twitter: @ComputerHistory FB: facebook.com/computerhistory Technology married with the humanities makes our hearts sing. -- Steve Jobs

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Possible interview contact for project Whirlwind
by Dave Stearns 23 Aug '12

23 Aug '12

Hello Computer Historians, A friend of mine recently learned that his grandfather worked on the Whirlwind computer at MIT. His name is Bill Canty, and I think he's living in the Boston area. If anyone is interested in talking with him about his experiences, feel free to contact his grandson, Jack Canty, at email(a)jackcanty.com to arrange the details. Dr David Stearns Part-time lecturer, History Seattle Pacific University

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2012 workshop -- couple commentator/chair slots left
by Thomas Haigh 21 Aug '12

21 Aug '12

Hello everyone, My assistant has now put the draft workshop schedule for the 2012 SHOT meeting in Copenhagen into the appropriate format for our website. It's not quite checked and polished enough yet to go on the main workshop page, but we have several opportunities to participate as session leaders or commentator which is why I am sharing our current late draft version. You can see it at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop12/schedule. The gaps where we could currently use some volunteers are shown. If you are interested get me your name by Friday, and shortly thereafter we'll do our best at matching our pool of volunteers with the opportunities. (If you are someone already listed, please confirm continued availability and make sure we put you in an appropriate slot). Currently available: . Leader for dissertations in progress session. Should be someone who has finished a dissertation themselves and has experience in helping others shape their research. The chair is a hands on session leader rather than just a time keeper, and will need to have some questions and suggestions ready themselves as well as orchestrating the flow of discussion. . Leader for the works in progress session. Similar to the above, except that they are papers/chapters rather than dissertations. . Commentator for a traditional session. The panelists send papers a week or so ahead, and the commentator reads them and prepares an informal response of maybe 15 minutes which deals with all three and should, if possible, find some interesting contrasts or commonalities. It should definitely offer constructive but useful suggestions and observations. Best wishes, Tom

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Advice on a Syllabus for Computer Software: History, Culture and Theory
by Joline Zepcevski 17 Aug '12

17 Aug '12

Hello, I am not sure if this is the correct forum for this, however - I have a great opportunity to teach a history of software course in a private (fine) art college. I've spent quite some time working up this syllabus, but I would really appreciate any feedback or pointers from more experienced faculty members. If anyone has the time and inclination, I could really use the advice! The syllabus is available at: http://www.jzepcevski.com/Courses.html as a pdf Sincerely, Joline Zepcevski

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Fwd: When was first campaign for computer users' freedom
by William McMillan 17 Aug '12

17 Aug '12

Richard, it might not come across in the article or other available sources on UCSD Pascal, but I'm convinced from many hours of interviewing Ken Bowles that UCSD Pascal and the efforts in programmed instruction were definitely about freedom, about empowering the end user and the small enterprise. Political? Not so much, if that's your thrust. - Bill On Mon, Aug 13, 2012 at 4:51 PM, Richard Stallman <rms(a)gnu.org> wrote: > In the late 1970s, Ken Bowles and students at UC San Diego produced > UCSD > Pascal, which was largely an attempt to escape from the strictures of > mainframe computing. > > It sounds like this was about convenience, not freedom in the > political sense of human rights. But I will take a look at the > article. > > Advances in features (such as drop-down menus) are not the issue here. > > Thanks. > > -- > Dr Richard Stallman > President, Free Software Foundation > 51 Franklin St > Boston MA 02110 > USA > www.fsf.org www.gnu.org > Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software. > Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call >

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Early UCSD Pascal screen shot
by B. Degnan 17 Aug '12

17 Aug '12

-------- Original Message -------- > From: "William McMillan" <wmcmillan(a)emich.edu> > Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 9:59 AM > To: "Ian S. King" <isking(a)uw.edu>, "sigcis" <members(a)sigcis.org> > Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Fwd: When was first campaign for computer users' freedom > > OK, now I realize what people are saying -- the menus in UCSD Pascal were > not "drop-down." Sorry, I'm so used to letting the term trip from my > fingers that I mistyped. > > Yes, they were single letter menu commands on a character-based "graphic" > screen. > > They did influence the development of drop-down menus at Apple. > > - Bill > Just for reference purposes, I have a UCSD Pascal system running on my Sage II Computer. This micro pre-dates the Apple Lisa, it's all bare-bones, text-based. Here is a photo, not sure if version IV.13 is an upgrade from the original. http://vintagecomputer.net/pictures/2011/SageII_Televideo_Pascal/UCSD_Pascal _Terminal4.jpg Here is a set of photo screen shots of the terminal. http://vintagecomputer.net/pictures/2011/SageII_Televideo_Pascal/ Bill Degnan vintagecomputer.net

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Fwd: When was first campaign for computer users' freedom
by Andrew Russell 17 Aug '12

17 Aug '12

Hello everyone - This question (via Dave Farber's list) seemed like a good one for SIGCIS members to think about. My first thought is that answers would depend on one's definition of each of the operative terms (campaign, computer, user, freedom) :-) Andy PS you might cc Stallman and Farber on any responses that have examples of earlier 'campaigns.' Begin forwarded message: > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "Richard Stallman" <rms(a)gnu.org> > Date: Aug 4, 2012 1:43 AM > Subject: When was first campaign for computer users' freedom > To: <dave(a)farber.net> > > The free software movement, a campaign for computer users' freedom, > started in 1983. > > Do you know of any other campaigns for computer users' freedom prior > to that? I don't mean the same specific issue (free vs proprietary > software), I mean any issue of freedom from unjust power, specifically > in regard to computer users or computer use. > > The reason I'm asking is that the free software movement might have > been the first such campaign, but I can't sure yet. > > -- > Dr Richard Stallman > President, Free Software Foundation > 51 Franklin St > Boston MA 02110 > USA > www.fsf.org www.gnu.org > Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software. > Use free telephony http://directory.fsf.org/category/tel/ > Archives | Modify Your Subscription | Unsubscribe Now

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