- Members - lists.sigcis.org

Congratulations to James Cortada
by Jonathan Coopersmith 25 Jul '24

25 Jul '24

He co-authored a very thoughtful and practical piece in the Chronicle of Higher E https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-roi-of-a-history-degree Stay sane, Jonathan Jonathan Coopersmith Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science Professor Emeritus Department of History Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-4236 979.739.4708 (cell) David Thompson, "Commercial Space Trailblazer, <https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/commercial-space-trailblazer/> " *Aerospace America* June 2024 "Technological obsolescence, <https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/05/technological-obsolescence>" National Academy of Engineering *Perspectives* May 23, 2023 Preserving space archives: https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/

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CfP: History and Philosophy of Programming Workshop (HaPoP-6)
by Mate Szabo 19 Jul '24

19 Jul '24

Call for contributions *Deadline: 15 August 2024* We are delighted to announce the 6th Workshop on the History and Philosophy of Programming (HaPoP-6). We invite contributions on the history and philosophy of programming broadly understood, including different conceptual and practical aspects of programming, the relation of programming practices to other social and scientific practices, the aesthetics of programming, the development of programming languages and others. In addition to general aspects of programming, this year’s workshop will focus on conceptions of ‘fairness’ and ‘bias’ in the history and philosophy of programming. Practices of coding and the evaluation of computer programs have changed with the rise of machine learning and so-called ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI). The increasing automation of programming has led to questions about programming practices, transparency, and evaluative standards in programming in general. In particular, there has been an increasing concern with ‘fairness’ and ‘bias’ within a wide range of programs and applications, affecting practitioners, decision-makers and users. In parallel, these questions have (re-)emerged in philosophy, computational linguistics, media theory, sociology, political theory and related fields. At the 6th HaPoP workshop, we want to develop a deeper understanding of strengths and limitations of conceptions of ‘fairness’ and ‘bias,’ within a reflection on programming at large. We hope to develop these concepts from a historical, philosophical, and technical perspective, bringing into view the epistemological standpoints and material histories involved. This call is anchored in the conviction that a new kind of foundational research is needed to come to terms with the social implications of and in programming, which cannot be addressed by any single discipline. We strive for accessible presentations as the workshop will be open to people from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. We invite abstracts on the history and philosophy of programming, including, but not restricted to the following topics: - Histories and Philosophy of Programming - Conceptions of fairness and bias in programming - Error, correctness, evaluation, and accountability in programming practices - Programming at the crossroads of formal, empirical, and social sciences - Labour conditions in and around programming - Programming and the law - Histories of feminist or emancipatory practices of programming - Histories of critical code studies - Teaching Programming We particularly invite graduate students and early career researchers from underrepresented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds. Travel funding will be available for graduate students and researchers without permanent employment. Requests for travel funding of up to 250 EUR should be directed to treasurer(a)hapoc.org. Final decisions on the allocation of travel funds will be made by September 25. Abstracts of a maximum of 500 words (including sources) should be sent to cambridge-2024(a)hapoc.org by August 15. Final decisions will be announced by September 15. Download the full call for contributions to HaPoP-6 <https://www.cdh.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HAPOP-6-CALL-REVISED.d…> Organisers Amira Moeding <https://www.cdh.cam.ac.uk/about/people/amira-moeding/> (PhD Student in History, University of Cambridge), Nanna Saeten (PhD Student in POLIS, University of Cambridge), Dr Richard Staley (History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge) Access If you have specific accessibility needs for this event please get in touch with the organisers <https://www.cdh.cam.ac.uk/events/38592/cambridge-2024@hapoc.org>.

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Annals 46(2) available online
by Troy Astarte 18 Jul '24

18 Jul '24

Dear colleagues, It is my pleasure to announce the latest issue<https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/an/2024/02> of IEEE Annals of the History of Computing is available online. This issue, Logistical Histories of Computing, was edited by Matthew Hockenberry and Miriam Posner. Here’s what you can find inside. Guest Editors' Introduction Logistical Histories of Computing by Matthew Hockenberry, Miriam Posner From War Crystals to Ordinary Sand: Excavating Silicon Supply Chainsp. 13-23 by Ingrid Burrington Making Innovation in the Mexican Silicon Valley: The Early Years of El Centro de Tecnología de Semiconductores (1981–2001) by Verónica Uribe del Águila Hardware Standardization and State-Socialist Piracy: The Global Reach of the Zilog Z80 by Andrew Lison The Logistics of Labor and Life at Signetics by Kyle Stine Anecdote My Time With the JFEAC by Michael Barr Interviews Interview of J. P. (Jack) London by Jeffrey Yost Events & Sightings Computer Pasts/Computer Futures: April 4 2024 by Frances Corry Best, Dr. Troy Kaighin Astarte (they/them / nhw) Lecturer, Computer Science / Darlithydd, Cyfrifiadureg Swansea University / Prifysgol Abertawe Editor-in-Chief / Prif Olygydd, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing For students: my drop in hours are on the Intranet<https://fse-intranet.swan.ac.uk/intranet/staff_officehours?selected_staff_i…> (office CoFo 407) I fyfyrwyr: mae fy oriau swyddfa ar y fewnrwyd. Meeting booking: via Office Booking<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/8e101a47e22e4af793d033901758d0e4…>. Zoom office: https://swanseauniversity.zoom.us/my/t.k.astarte Every email has a cost to the climate. Please think before sending short emails. Mae gan bob e-bost gost i’r hinsawdd. Meddyliwch cyn i chi anfon e-byst byr. Due to RSI sometimes I’ll need to dictate messages and they might come out a bit weird. Thanks for your patience.

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Tribute to Tony Hoare on his 90th birthday
by Cliff Jones 16 Jul '24

16 Jul '24

The attached was published in “FACS/FACTS” - the contributors record interesting historical notes about Tony Hoare that might not be readily available The full edition can be read at: https://www.bcs.org/media/1wrosrpv/facs-jul24.pdf cliff jones

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Thank you Alexandre/SIGCIS
by Ceruzzi, Paul 11 Jul '24

11 Jul '24

Thank you, Alexandre, for your kind words about SIGCIS. SIGCIS has evolved and grown a lot since its days as a Listserv on an IBM mainframe at the Smithsonian in 1990 (before there was a World Wide Web!) It is gratifying to see that it is still vibrant, after so many other forums have come and gone. Speaking of which...SIGCIS may no longer be the place to go into the weeds about aspects of computing history—at least that is how I feel, not wishing to clutter people's in-boxes. I've opened a Substack Account <substack.com/@paulceruzzi> where I can post such items. It's free, and you don't have to subscribe. Comments welcome. Paul Ceruzzi Curator Emeritus National Air and Space Museum Original message: "Software is Ubiquitous, yet Overlooked" is the title of a paper in Nature Computational Science that was released just today. You can check it out at this link : <https://www.nature.com/articles/s43588-024-00651-2> It is available to read in html or to download as a pdf. It is a call for HPS/STS scholars (and also computational scientists themselves) to apprehend software beyond code. As a Historian of Science myself, I am taking advantage of this self-promotional post to pay tribute to the SIGSIS community. You will maybe recognize some of its prominent members in the references, in the quotations, and also in the authors list. This is quite simply because I do believe that the SIGCIS community is (and should be more of ) a source of inspiration for historians of science dealing with some sort of computing. In other words : Thank you all ! -- *********************************************** Alexandre Hocquet Archives Henri Poincaré & RWTH c:o/re https://poincare.univ-lorraine.fr/fr/membre-titulaire/alexandre-hocquet

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NEXT FRIDAY: ROMchip Presents: Chaim Gingold and Will Wright on Building SimCity
by Laine Nooney 10 Jul '24

10 Jul '24

Join us Friday, July 19, as *ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories *hosts a conversation with game development legend Will Wright as he turns the tables and interviews Chaim Gingold, author of the new MIT Press book *Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine*, a deep dive into the trailblazing simulation game *SimCity* and its place in the history of games, simulation, and computing. The event will be at 2PM EDT on the *ROMchip *Twitch channel, https://www.twitch.tv/romchipjournal. RSVP HERE <https://www.tickettailor.com/events/romchipajournalofgamehistories/1284446> . *About the Book**“One of the best origin stories ever told and the best account I've seen of how innovation actually occurs in computerdom." - Stewart Brand* *Building SimCity* <https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547482/building-simcity/> explores the history of computer simulation by chronicling one of the most influential simulation games ever made: *SimCity*. As author Chaim Gingold explains, Will Wright, the visionary designer behind the urban planning game, created *SimCity* in part to learn about cities, thinking about the world as a complex system and appropriating ideas from traditions in which computers are used for modeling. As such, *SimCity* is a microcosm of the histories and cultures of computer simulation that engages with questions, themes, and representational techniques that reach back to the earliest computer simulations. Gingold uses *SimCity* to explore a web of interrelated topics in the history of technology, software, and simulation, taking us far and wide—from the dawn of programmable computers to miniature cities made of construction paper and role-play. An unprecedented history of Maxis, the company founded to bring *SimCity* to market, the book reveals Maxis's complex relations with venture capitalists, Nintendo, and the Santa Fe Institute, which shaped the evolution of Will Wright's career; Maxis's failure to back *The Sims* to completion; and the company's sale to Electronic Arts. A lavishly visual book, *Building SimCity* boasts a treasure trove of visual matter to help bring its wide-ranging subjects to life, including painstakingly crafted diagrams that explain *SimCity*'s operation, the Kodachrome photographs taken by Charles Eames of schoolchildren making model cities, and Nintendo's manga-style “Dr. Wright” character design, just to name a few. *About Will Wright and Chaim Gingold*Will Wright is the renowned creative force behind groundbreaking simulation games such as *SimCity*, *The Sims*, *Spore*, *SimEarth*, and *SimAnt*. *SimCity*, released in 1989 by Maxis, the videogame developer-publisher cofounded by Wright, revolutionized the gaming industry and paved the way for *The Sims* (1999), one of the best-selling videogame series of all time. In 1991, “Dr. Wright” was awarded an honorary doctorate by Nintendo. Wright received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in 2001 and was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 2002. His latest project is *Proxi*, a game about bringing your subconscious to life. Chaim Gingold began his career in videogame design apprenticed to Will Wright on *Spore*, where his chief accomplishment was designing the critically acclaimed* Spore Creature Creator. *His projects, like *Earth: A Primer*, a science book made of interactive toys, have been featured by *Wired*, *CNN*, and the *New York Times.* He is the author of *Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine*, which was recently published by MIT Press. *Praise for Building SimCity*“I learned more about the history and practice of simulation from this book than I ever knew. While I was usually stuck in the trees when designing *SimCity*, Gingold rises above to see the entire forest." — Will Wright, Designer of *SimCity* and *The Sims*; co-founder, Maxis “Much more than a book about *SimCity*, or even about video games, its large scope includes the invention of interactive computer graphics for simulations of all kinds, including the 'beyond reality' universes of games. Highly recommended!” — Alan Kay, winner of the 2003 ACM Turing Award “*Building SimCity* tells the riveting and timely story of how the very unlikely idea of simulating cities became one of the most successful videogames of all times, tracing its origins back to the history of computing.” — Yasmin B. Kafai, Lori and Michael Milken President's Distinguished Professor, The University of Pennsylvania; coauthor of *Connected Gaming: What Making Video Games Can Teach Us about Learning and Literacy* *About ROMchip**ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories* <https://www.romchip.org/> is a free, online scholarly journal for game history. *ROMchip *develops, edits, and publishes ad-free, open access game history research for a range of audiences. It supports any discipline of work enlivening the history of games in local and global contexts, and embraces diversity in how game history is studied, documented, collected, preserved, and practiced. *ROMchip* is a donation-based organization fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation <https://hackclub.com/fiscal-sponsorship/> (d.b.a. Hack Club), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 81-2908499).

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SIGICS update
by Andrew Russell 01 Jul '24

01 Jul '24

Dear SIGCIS friends - I’m writing to share the news that I’m stepping down as SIGCIS Co-Chair. I started as Chair back in 2014, and became Co-Chair when Melanie Swalwell joined me in this role in 2020. I’m really proud of what we’ve built and sustained together as a community! At the same time, I think it’s healthy for SIGCIS to have some rotation in leadership. The tipping point for me came a couple of months ago, when I was named as Officer-in-Charge (aka interim president) of my university, SUNY Polytechnic Institute. This assignment is as rewarding as it is time-consuming, and leaves me little choice but to pull back from some of my professional commitments, including SIGCIS. Fortunately, Melanie Swalwell has agreed to continue on as SIGCIS Chair. She will be writing to the list soon with an update about SIGCIS in 2023 and beyond. Thank you for your support and kindness over the years, and for making SIGCIS a welcoming and fun place to be :) All the best, Andy — — — — — — — — — — — Andrew L. Russell, Ph.D. Officer-in-Charge SUNY Polytechnic Institute 100 Seymour Road Utica, NY 13502 257 Fuller Road Albany, NY 12203 https://sunypoly.edu/ https://arussell.org/

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SIGCIS 2024: registration codes and updated meeting website
by Babintseva, Ekaterina 26 Jun '24

26 Jun '24

Dear SIGCIS community, This is a reminder to please register for the SIGCIS meeting here<https://www.historyoftechnology.org/annual-meeting/2024-joint-icohtec-shot-…> if you are planning to attend in person or online. To attend the SIGCIS meeting virtually, please use the promo code "SIGCISSONLINE" (note the extra S at the end of SIGCIS) at the top of the registration form. This will make the option for "SIGCIS SUNDAY ONLY ONLINE Registration" appear ($30). Please note that only one of the SIGCIS conference rooms will be hybrid-enabled. If you are only attending SIGCIS in person and not SHOT, use the promo code "SIGCISSUNDAY" at the top of the registration form. This will make the option for "SIGCIS SUNDAY ONLY Registration" appear ($100). The meeting program, as well as information about the venue, transportation, and raffle books (please bring books or send them with the people attending the conference to help us fundraise!), is now available at the updated SIGCIS meeting website. <https://meetings.sigcis.org/registration--location.html> We look forward to seeing you virtually or in person on July 14! Best wishes, Katya Babintseva (Purdue) Morgan Ames (UC Berkeley) Xiaochang Li (Stanford) Gili Vidan (Cornell) Colette Perold (U-Colorado Boulder)

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Quick historical inquiry
by Susannah Glickman 19 Jun '24

19 Jun '24

Dear all, I am passing on a question I could not answer from my mentor Richard John: “Is there any reliable historical writing (in English or any other language—eg Japanese) on the influence of U. S. anti-trust policy on the adoption of the transistor by the Japanese computer electronics industry in the 1950s? Though Bell began to license its transistor patent before the 1956 U. S. Justice Department consent decree—recent legal scholars have attributed great significance to that ruling in shaping the future course of consumer electronics” Richard R. John, rrj2115(a)columbia.edu <mailto:rrj2115@columbia.edu> All the best, Susannah -- Susannah E. Glickman Assistant Professor Department of History Stony Brook University

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New book + book chapter
by Chaar Lopez, Ivan 17 Jun '24

17 Jun '24

Dear SIGCIS colleagues, Passing by to share two new publications with you. My first book is out now with Duke University Press, and you can get it 30% off through this link<https://t.co/ErdGjdbGko>. The Cybernetic Border: Drones, Technology, and Intrusion (abstract below) touches upon how cybernetic logics and data routines, since the mid-twentieth century, slowly became a dominant arrangement in the making of geopolitical borders and the management of populations. Lastly, my colleague and former Border Tech Lab researcher, Victoria Sánchez, and I wrote a book chapter on artificial intelligence, microwork, and the racial politics of care. Our chapter (open access here<https://uplopen.com/reader/chapters/pdf/10.1525/luminos.190.n>) tackles the emergence of Sama as a former nonprofit devoted to impact sourcing and the development of a labor supply chain for data annotation and platform moderation. Drawing on corporate plans, user configurations, and discourse analysis, we interrogate the tensions inherent in Sama's commitments and sociotechnical arrangements for ethical AI through an analytical lens (racial politics of care) that builds on critical race STS and feminist STS. The chapter is part of an edited volume on Feminist Cyberlaw<https://uplopen.com/books/e/10.1525/luminos.190> (open access) edited by Meg Leta Jones and Amanda Levendowski. Salud, Iván In The Cybernetic Border, Iván Chaar López argues that the settler US nation requires the production and targeting of a racialized enemy that threatens the empire. The cybernetic border is organized through practices of data capture, storage, processing, circulation, and communication that police bodies and constitute the nation as a bounded, territorial space. Chaar López historicizes the US government’s use of border enforcement technologies on Mexicans, Arabs, and Muslims from the mid-twentieth century to the present, showing how data systems are presented as solutions to unauthorized border crossing. Contrary to enduring fantasies of the purported neutrality of drones, smart walls, artificial intelligence, and biometric technologies, the cybernetic border represents the consolidation of calculation and automation in the exercise of racialized violence. Chaar López draws on corporate, military, and government records, promotional documents and films, technical reports, news reporting, surveillance footage, and activist and artist practices. These materials reveal how logics of enmity are embedded into information infrastructures that shape border control and modern sovereignty. -- Iván Chaar López Assistant Professor, Department of American Studies PI, Border Tech Lab University of Texas at Austin Author of The Cybernetic Border: Drones, Technology, and Intrusion<https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-cybernetic-border> (Duke University Press, 2024) [cid:9f2a691f-7df5-4675-b719-ac64f075f063] [cid:1526a7b6-cf1d-469e-a63c-e8a15a8a52ff]<https://outlook.office365.com/bookwithme/user/874259e3445b46e79161f6c9a78a0…> Book time to meet with me<https://outlook.office365.com/bookwithme/user/874259e3445b46e79161f6c9a78a0…>

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