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CFP: Business History Conference, Athens (Georgia) March 2010. Deadline Oct 1, 2009.
by Thomas Haigh 10 Sep '09

10 Sep '09

Hello everyone, Please find below the text of the call for papers for the 2010 Business History Conference. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. March 25-27, 2010. This is the leading event of its kind, and we have organized several SIGCIS panels for it over the years. The conference attracts a mixed group (mostly from history departments and business schools) and is more open to social, labor, and cultural history perspectives than you might expect. Im not sure if I will plan to attend or not. But if anyone else is interested let me know, and I will see if we can assemble a panel proposal. This year's theme is "The Business History of Everything," which should not be hard to accommodate. (Most proposals ignore the theme anyway). Registration charges are low (free for student BHC members), and the accommodation is under $100 a night so this is a pleasantly affordable conference. Note that the CFP also includes details on the associated doctoral colloquium. This has been a great experience for graduate students in previous years, and helps bring some new blood into the conference itself. BHC can pay at least some of the expenses for participants. Theres also a separate prize for the best dissertation and another for the best first presentation by a current or recent Ph.D. student. So if youre a graduate student whose work could be described as business history (broadly conceived) you should definitely be readying your proposal. BHC does not have as much involvement from history of computing people as it should do. Tom Haigh www.tomandmaria.com/tom CALL FOR PAPERS (Also at http://www.thebhc.org/annmeet/call2010.html) Call for Papers "The Business History of Everything" Business history for many years was primarily associated with the study of firms and formal business institutions. Recently its scope has widened drastically to include a far greater diversity of economic institutions and practices. It is now widely accepted that Business History is not just about the history of businesses. One of the driving ideas behind the foundation of the BHC journal Enterprise & Society (reflected in the choice of name) was that business historians now had to grapple with much more fluid ideas of what "business" was and draw on a new range of concepts and approaches to deal with this. There are in fact a very wide range of human enterprises that can usefully be conceptualized as "businesses" (the organization of production and services for use and gain), and "business history" provides approaches and methodologies for the historical analysis of economic and social institutions that can be applied across a huge range of fields. Work that has been primarily conceptualized in different scholarly discourses can be examined (sometimes against the grain) from a "business history" perspective, often with interesting or provocative implications. Just a few examples discussed inEnterprise & Society in the last few years include: the marketplace of Christianity; the culture and commerce of chewing gum; intellectual property law and musical creativity; the commercial aspects of cultural practices; and business histories of murder, sport, holidays, childhood, hunger, war, retirement, sex, fraud, sickness, and beauty. However, as yet, only a limited amount of these types of studies have been fully presented directly at the annual meetings of the Business History Conference. The Conference theme of "The Business History of Everything" aims to highlight the dual themes of widening the scope of business history and using its insights to re-vision many cognate areas of historical study. It also seeks to highlight the integration of the methods and practices of business history with other scholarly discourses and aims to stimulate fruitful encounters and interactions and help widen frames of reference and make kindred sub-disciplines more aware of the insights that a "business history" angle on their problems might generate. Also, in light of the current global economic crisis we would particularly welcome papers on the impact of ruptures and breakdowns, destruction and reconstruction in business history. Finally, in recognition of Barack Obama's first year as the first black President of the United States, we intend to feature a major sub-theme on race and ethnicity in business history, including a projected plenary on "African American and Ethnic Business History" and a series of related panels. Alongside this, as always, the BHC program committee will also be pleased to entertain submissions not directly related to the conference themes. Potential presenters may submit proposals either for individual papers or for entire panels. Individual paper or poster proposals should include a one-page abstract and a one-page curriculum vitae (CV). Each panel proposal should include a cover letter stating the rationale for the session, the name of the panel's contact person, a one-page abstract and author's CV for each proposed paper (up to three), and a list of preferred chairs and commentators with contact information. Proposals also are invited for the Herman E. Krooss Prize for the best dissertation in business history. The Krooss Prize Committee welcomes submissions from recent Ph.D.'s (2007-09) in history, economics, business administration, history of science and technology, law, and related fields. To participate in this competition, please indicate so in a cover letter, and include a one-page CV and one-page dissertation abstract. Semi-finalists will be asked to submit copies of their dissertation after initial review of proposals. Finalists will present summaries of their dissertations at the Athens meeting. BHC also awards the K. Austin Kerr Prize for the best first paper by a Ph.D. candidate or recent Ph.D. (2007-09). If you wish to participate in this competition, please indicate so in your proposal. Proposals accepted for the Krooss Prize panel are not eligible for the Kerr Prize. The deadline for receipt of all proposals is 1 October 2009. Notification of acceptances will be sent by 15 December 2009. Presenters will be 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, and to submit their papers for inclusion in our on-line proceedings publication,Business and Economic History On-Line. The BHC also offers grants to graduate students who are presenting papers to offset some of the costs of attending the conference; an announcement of application procedures will be sent to those presenting papers at the meeting. Please send all proposals to BHC2010(a)Hagley.org. Hard copies may be sent or faxed to: Dr. Roger Horowitz, Secretary-Treasurer, Business History Conference, P. O. Box 3630, Wilmington, DE 19807, USA. Phone: (302) 658-2400; fax: (302) 655-3188. The program committee is: Jeff Fear (chair), University of Redlands; Sally Clarke, University of Texas; Tracey Deutsch, University of Minnesota; Robert Weems, University of Missouri; Shane Hamilton, University of Georgia; Steven Tolliday (BHC President-elect), University of Leeds. The Oxford Journals Doctoral Colloquium in Business History will be held in conjunction with the 2010 BHC annual meeting. This intensive workshop, sponsored by BHC and funded by Oxford University Press, will take place at the conference venue Wednesday evening, 24 March, and Thursday, 25 March. Participants will work closely with a small, distinguished group of BHC-affiliated scholars, including at least two of its officers. The assembled scholars and students will review dissertation proposals, consider relevant literatures and research strategies, and discuss the business history profession. Limited to ten students, it is intended for doctoral candidates in the early stages of their dissertation projects. Those interested in participating should submit a statement of interest, a preliminary or final dissertation prospectus of 10-15 pages, and a CV, and must arrange for a letter of support from your dissertation supervisor (or prospective supervisor). All application materials should be sent to Roger Horowitz by 1 December 2009, via email BHC2010(a)Hagley.org or fax 302-655-3188. All participants will receive a stipend that will partially cover costs associated with attending. The review committee will notify all applicants of its decisions by January 15.

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About Nina Wormbs
by Nina Wormbs 10 Sep '09

10 Sep '09

Hi, My name is Nina Wormbs and I am new on this list. I have, however, been a member of SHOT for some time now, and I am presently serving on the Executive Council. My research interests have mainly been broadcasting infrastructure, frequency allocations and technology policy within media, but I am finding myself getting more and more interested in looking at similar issues through the lens of information technology. Right now I am working on an article on the debate on cable-TV in Sweden 1972 (in Swedish alas), which included vivid discussions on future broadband infrastructure and wired cities, in part inspired by contemporary Canadian public investigations. I am looking forward to getting to know you. /Nina Associate Professor Division for the History of Science and Technology, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.

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NASA, Chief Historian
by Ceruzzi, Paul 21 Aug '09

21 Aug '09

The job of NASA Historian is open, to US citizens. Here is the link: http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=82842812&JobTitle=Superviso ry+Historian&sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&q=1650856+&AVS DM=2009-08-14+08%3a00%3a00 Paul E. Ceruzzi National Air & Space Museum

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Fwd: Invitation to write for the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, 2nd Edition
by Janet Abbate 20 Aug '09

20 Aug '09

The Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History is looking for someone to write a short (3000-word) entry on the Internet. The deadline is quite soon (Sept. 14). I am not affiliated with them, just passing this along since they asked for help finding qualified authors. Please contact Ashley Winseck directly at the address below if you are interested. Begin forwarded message: > From: Ashley Winseck <ashley(a)berkshirepublishing.com> > Date: August 19, 2009 12:02:17 PM EDT > To: abbate(a)vt.edu > Cc: Karen Christensen <karen(a)berkshirepublishing.com> > Subject: FW: Invitation to write for the Berkshire Encyclopedia of > World History, 2nd Edition > > Dear Janet Abbate, > > I’m sorry to hear that you are unable to do a piece on “Internet” > for us. I’m writing you now, at the suggestion of Karen > Christensen, with the hope that you might be able to help us track > down a potential author for the second edition of the Berkshire > Encyclopedia of World History, that would be able to write a piece > on the Internet. If you know anyone qualified to write this > article, please let us know. > > Thank you in advance for your assistance. > > All the best, > Ashley > > Ashley WINSECK > Project Coordinator, Berkshire Publishing > 120-122 Castle Street > Great Barrington, MA 01230 > +1 413 528 0206 | Skype: ashleywinseck1 > E-mail: ashley(a)berkshirepublishing.com > Website: www.berkshirepublishing.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Janet Abbate [mailto:abbate@vt.edu] > Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 11:01 AM > To: Karen Christensen > Subject: Re: Invitation to write for the Berkshire Encyclopedia of > World History, 2nd Edition > > Dear Karen Christensen, > > Thank you for the invitation to contribute to the Berkshire > Encyclopedia of World History. Unfortunately I won't be able to > produce an article in the near future, as you require. I wish you > the best with your project. > > Regards, > Janet Abbate > > On Aug 17, 2009, at 3:30 PM, Karen Christensen wrote: > > Dr. Janet Abbate > Dept. of Science & Technology in Society Virginia Tech > > > > > > Dear Janet Abbate, > > > > We are writing on the recommendation of our editorial board to > ask you > > to contribute an important new article to the second edition of the > > Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, a five-volume work > edited by > > William, H. McNeill, Jerry Bentley, David Christian, et al., about > > which a review in Booklist remarked, “...the benchmark against > which > > future history encyclopedias are compared....” > > We are updating and revising the Encyclopedia (from five to six > > volumes) for publication in the autumn. The changes we’re making > > include expanded coverage of environmental history, big history, > > communication and information technologies, and science, and our art > > section is being improved in many ways thanks to a new editor, Ralph > > Crozier, who combines expertise in art and world history. The new > > Encyclopedia of World History aims to emphasize cross-cultural > > contacts and connections between regions. Authors are asked to focus > > on these vital, meaningful comparisons. > > William McNeill continues to be an active senior editor, and David > > Christian (whose spin-off Berkshire title, the 92-page This Fleeting > > World: A Short History of Humanity, is garnering praise), Jerry > > Bentley, and J.R. McNeill are working with us again, along with > other > > editors and advisers. > > > > We’re on a tight schedule in order to ensure that the volume will be > > published in Autumn 2009, as we know there are students, > teachers, and > > scholars in a variety of disciplines eager to have this expanded > work. > > I hope to get your confirmation right away so we can send writing > > guidelines and a contract. > > http://www.berkshirepublishing.com/brw/pjdescr.asp?projID=86. > > Here’s what we would like to have you write: > > 'Internet' 3000 words > > > > Recommended article due date: 14 September, 2009 In addition to the > > thanks of the editors, publisher, and future readers, and the chance > > to connect with fellow scholars around the world, contributors will > > receive professional copyedited and illustrated copies of their own > > work, and for those who write over a certain amount a full set of > the > > encyclopedia, either in print or electronically. > > Berkshire is known for taking on challenging project such as this. > > In fact, Berkshire has just published the 5-volume Encyclopedia of > > China, the first major Western reference work on China since > Needham’s > > breathtaking Science and Civilisation series, published by Cambridge > > University Press. > > > > We are also expanding from the traditional encyclopedia model to > > include online content and forums, as you'll see from our beta site > > for another publication, the Encyclopedia of Sustainability, http:// > > www.indivisibility.org/bp/. As you will guess, these projects are > > interconnected and we are trying to ensure that each enriches the > > others. Certainly our work in world and environmental history is > > enriching publications on China and sustainability.. > > With best wishes, > > > > With best wishes, > > Karen Christensen > > > > C.E.O. Berkshire Publishing > > Tel +1 413 528 0206 | Skype: karenschristensen > > karen(a)berkshirepublishing.com > > Blog: www.berkshirepublishing.com/blog > > > Dr. Janet Abbate Dept. of Science & Technology in Society Virginia Tech

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Roommates @ Pittsburgh?
by Evan Koblentz 12 Aug '09

12 Aug '09

Re: Pittsburgh conference -- I booked a room at the Hilton for Oct. 15, 16, 17 (Thurs., Fri., Sat.) .... would be glad to share it with another male non-smoker to reduce costs. And yes, I snore!! :)

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Fw: Bringing up Baby - Oxford DNB Life of the Day
by Roger Neil Barton 11 Aug '09

11 Aug '09

FYI kind regards neil Dr Roger Neil Barton Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Historical Research http://www.uclmail.net/~neil.barton/ ----- Original Message ----- From: <oxforddnb-lotd(a)oup.com> To: <ODNBLIFEOFTHEDAY-L(a)WEBBER.UK.HUB.OUP.COM> Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 12:00 PM Subject: Bringing up Baby - Oxford DNB Life of the Day To read this Life of the Day complete with a picture of the subject, visit http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/lotw/2009-08-11 Kilburn, Tom (1921-2001), computer scientist, was born on 11 August 1921 at 111 Town Street, Soothill Nether, near Dewsbury in Yorkshire, the only son of John William Kilburn, a clerk in a local woollen mill and later company secretary, and his wife, Ivy, nee Mortimer. From 1932 to 1940 he was educated at Wheelwright Grammar School, Dewsbury, where he did well, especially in chemistry and mathematics. He also enjoyed sport, particularly running. His headmaster persuaded him to concentrate on mathematics and, having earned a state scholarship and a county major scholarship, as well as a minor open scholarship, he went to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, in 1940. He followed the mathematical tripos, which was restricted under wartime regulations to two years, and was awarded a first class in both part one and part two. In later life he said that the examinations at times seemed very simple because he had a photographic memory, and could readily recall the detail in notes he had taken in lectures. Pioneering work at Malvern and Manchester On completion of his studies at Cambridge, Kilburn was invited to move directly into a post where his skills in mathematics and related disciplines could be of service in the war effort. He was therefore sent on a short City and Guilds course in electronics in London, before being posted to the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE), then billeted at Malvern. There he joined F. C. (Freddie) Williams, whose group (working in Malvern School's cricket pavilion) solved hard problems in electronic circuitry in radar and other important areas. Kilburn later enjoyed telling the story of his arrival at TRE, where Williams's disappointment at being given a mathematician rather than a 'proper' electronics expert was barely disguised. However, Kilburn soon established himself in the group and became a key member of the team, making steady progress up through the grades of the scientific civil service. His personal life settled down too, and on 14 August 1943, in a Congregationalist ceremony, he married Irene Marsden (1921-1981), a stores assistant, also from Dewsbury. She was the daughter of Joseph Marsden, a marine dealer. They had a son, John, and a daughter, Anne. During the war and immediately afterwards it was well understood that scientists and mathematicians would benefit greatly from access to some form of general electronic computer. However, no such computer existed. The biggest obstacle to creating a general computer was the lack of a way of storing instructions and data so that access to them could keep up with the speed of the computing circuitry. Williams and Kilburn began to investigate the possibility of using cathode ray tubes (CRTs) to store the information. Early experiments at TRE demonstrated the successful operation of a single-bit memory using the anticipation pulse method, on which a provisional patent was lodged in 1946. The bit was stored in the form of a charge on the phosphor of the CRT screen, and an electron beam could control whether a zero or a one was written. The charge leaked away, however, so it had to be rewritten continuously in order that information could be stored for long periods. This principle of regeneration was still in use more than half a century later. In December 1946 Williams took up the chair of electrotechnics at the University of Manchester and persuaded Kilburn to move with him on secondment from TRE, in order to continue their experimental work on the CRT storage. At this stage, the major challenge was to find a technique to allow large numbers of bits to be held on the CRT in such a way that each bit could be written or read at high speed and would keep its value indefinitely between rewrites. The continuing relationship with TRE was very useful to the project because it meant that Williams and Kilburn had access to a steady supply of parts for use in the circuits they were designing. After carrying out various experiments, including storing 2048 bits, Kilburn in December 1947 completed a report to TRE on his progress. In this he presented a definitive explanation of how a CRT could be used as an electronic storage device. However, Kilburn had not yet demonstrated in practice that a CRT could be used as the storage mechanism for an electronic computer. To achieve that, a test device needed to be built-and the obvious choice was to build a computer. So Kilburn, with the assistance of Geoff Tootill, also on secondment from TRE, designed and built the simplest general purpose computer he could. It had a store size of just 32-bit words, and a very limited instruction set (including subtraction but not addition!), but this sufficed for carrying out any general calculation. The machine, known as the small scale experimental machine (or more affectionately as 'the Baby'), worked successfully for the first time on Monday 21 June 1948. The Baby was the world's first stored-program computer. It was 16 feet long, contained some 650 valves, and weighed half a ton. On that day in 1948, Kilburn not only demonstrated a working stored-program computer for the first time, but also ran the first proper computer program. This program determined the highest factor of a number. The number chosen for the first test was quite small, but within days the machine was able to run the program on 218; it found the correct answer (217) in 52 minutes, having obeyed about 2.1 million instructions with about 3.5 million store accesses. Kilburn was awarded a PhD for his work on the Baby by the University of Manchester in 1948. Further work at Manchester Having completed the project for which he had been seconded from TRE, Kilburn expected to return to Malvern. However, he was persuaded by Williams that he should stay on in Manchester. A major reason for this was that the government had placed a contract with a Manchester-based firm, Ferranti Ltd, to build a full-scale, commercially viable computer to Williams's specification, and Kilburn was the key person needed to lead the design and construction of the prototype. Kilburn therefore accepted a lecturing post at the University of Manchester in 1949 (he was promoted senior lecturer in 1951 and reader in 1955) and increasingly took over the leadership of computer research and development. Kilburn's experience at TRE and when working on the Baby ensured that he approached projects in a very practical way; he understood the value of the engineering prototype and the working model. The work on the new computer was therefore tackled in stages, starting from the original Baby and enhancing and expanding it through a series of working computers. In the process, a number of inventions were incorporated, including the introduction of index (or address modification) registers, and a two-level store based on a number of CRTs and a magnetic drum store. In the late summer of 1949 the ideas demonstrated by the enhanced computer, known as the Manchester mark 1, were transferred to Ferranti as the basis for the computer they produced and marketed in early 1951 as the Ferranti mark 1. Of course, the various stages of the Manchester mark 1 were more than an experiment in computer design; the machine was also available for others to use. One of the earliest users of the evolving Manchester mark 1 was Alan Turing, who came to the mathematics department at the University of Manchester towards the end of 1948. Kilburn continued to lead the computer developments at Manchester. His approach was always one of problem-solving and experimentation, but at the same time he fully recognized the need for practical feedback from real users of the systems that he and his team designed. In the 1950s and 1960s he led the design of further highly innovative computers, each of which, like the mark 1, was exploited commercially. In 1951 he started work on two new computers at the same time. One, called Meg, was really an enhanced mark 1 with floating point arithmetic included, and was probably the world's first floating point computer. This design, with some modification, became the Ferranti Mercury computer, nineteen of which were sold. The other machine, known as the Transistor Machine, was an experiment in the use of transistors for computer design, and was probably the world's first transistor computer. It too was built commercially, this time by Metropolitan Vickers. These successes were followed by the design of possibly the most influential computer produced in Manchester under Kilburn, the Atlas computer. Work on Atlas started in 1956, initially without any government or commercial backing, and progress was slow. However, in 1959 Ferranti agreed to support the project and to provide additional manpower. The goal was to produce a really fast computer which could provide a great deal of computing power for users. The design used the idea of a controlling program (called the supervisor) which would allow the computer to switch between different programs. This meant that when one program was held up (perhaps waiting for input data from a slow peripheral device), the supervisor would allow another program to take over the processing power. A host of other new ideas-some, like virtual memory and the 'compiler compiler', invented in Manchester-were included in the design of the hardware and software of Atlas. A small number of Atlas computers (and its derivatives) were produced, with machines at Manchester, Harwell, London University, and Cambridge doing sterling service supporting the academic and scientific community. In 1966 Kilburn started his final large computer project, the design of a machine called MU5. It introduced new ideas intended to help support the efficient running of system software, such as compilers and operating systems. The machine was a major influence on the 2900 series of computers sold by ICL. Teaching and university administration Kilburn's research focus was always the design of innovative computer systems (as indicated by the fact that he was named as inventor or co-inventor on over seventy-five computer and electronics patents), but he was able to find time to make important contributions too in the educational sphere. In 1960 he became the professor of computer engineering in the electrical engineering department. However, he was aware that the study in depth of the design and application of computer hardware and software was broader than was appropriate for students studying electrical engineering. So in 1964 he established a separate department of computer science. This was the first department in the UK to offer undergraduate degrees in the subject. Kilburn also became increasingly involved in the wider affairs of the university; he served as dean of the faculty of science from 1970 to 1972, and as pro-vice-chancellor from 1976 to 1979. He took early retirement in 1981, with the intention of spending more time with his wife, Irene, who was by that time seriously ill with chronic bronchitis. Tragically, however, she died on 3 August 1981, just before his official retirement. Throughout his career Kilburn received numerous invitations to visit research institutes and research groups in industry in Europe, the USA, and further afield. In practice, however, he accepted very few of these invitations because he disliked travelling and being away from home. He did, however, visit Australia, the USA, and the Russian Academy of Science on two occasions. Wider interests and final years Kilburn was in many ways a typical Yorkshireman. He had clear vision, enormous powers of concentration, and unshakeable determination when he set his mind on something. On the other hand, he was also very quiet and unassuming, and unfailingly polite. He enjoyed pursuits that may be regarded as very ordinary. When his children were young, he and Irene took their holidays in Blackpool, because it provided entertainment for the children and was close enough to Manchester to allow him to return with ease in time for the first football match of the season. He was passionately fond of football and described himself as an avid supporter of Manchester United. He claimed that the day in 1968 when he went to Wembley to watch the team win the European cup was one of the best of his life. He was equally thrilled when they won the treble in 1999 (league championship, FA cup, and European champions cup). He also enjoyed music, mainly jazz, and when he could he would play the piano for his own amusement. In the late 1940s, and for several years thereafter, the University of Manchester led the world in computer design. Kilburn's work was central to this remarkable achievement. His contributions to computer science were recognized nationally and internationally, and he received many honours in his lifetime, including election to the fellowship of the Royal Society in 1965 and appointment as CBE in 1973. He received the Royal Society's royal medal in 1978. One of the most unusual honours, however, was the organization in 1998 by the city of Manchester and the University of Manchester of a major celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first time the Baby computer worked. Kilburn played a very active part in the events that were arranged, including formally switching on a full-scale working replica of the original computer. He died at Trafford General Hospital, Davyhulme, Manchester, on 17 January 2001, of bronchopneumonia following abdominal surgery. An inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death. He was survived by his son and daughter. Hilary J. Kahn Sources R. B. E. Napper, 'Tom Kilburn (1921-2001)', www.computer50.org/mark1/kilburn.html, accessed 11 Aug 2004 + The Scotsman (22 Jan 2001) + The Times (23 Jan 2001) + The Guardian (23 Jan 2001) + The Independent (23 Jan 2001) + Daily Telegraph (27 Jan 2001) + M. Wilkes and H. J. Kahn, Memoirs FRS, 49 (2003), 283-97 + WW (2001) + personal knowledge (2005) + private information (2005) + b. cert. + m. cert. + d. cert. Archives SOUND BL NSA, North-Western Sound Archive, 1CD0011074 BD24 Likenesses C. Djanogly, bromide print, 1998, NPG · S. Samuels, bromide print, 1999, NPG [see illus.] · J. Morris, two photographs, PA Photos, London · photograph, 1948 (with Freddie Williams), PA Photos, London · photograph, repro. in The Independent · photograph, repro. in The Times · photograph, repro. in The Guardian · photographs, repro. in www.computer50.org/mark1/kilburn.html Wealth at death under £210,000: probate, 1 May 2001, CGPLA Eng. & Wales ======================================================================== © Oxford University Press, 2004. See legal notice: http://www.oup.com/oxforddnb/legal/ We hope you have enjoyed this Life of The Day, but if you do wish to stop receiving these messages, please EITHER send a message to LISTSERV(a)WEBBER.UK.HUB.OUP.COM with signoff ODNBLIFEOFTHEDAY-L in the body (not the subject line) of the message OR send an email to epm-oxforddnb(a)oup.com, asking us to stop sending you these messages.

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RCA Bizmac and 501 lecture
by Evan Koblentz 10 Aug '09

10 Aug '09

Back on July 10, I posted asking for guest speakers for the upcoming Vintage Computer Festival East 6.0 (Sept. 12-13, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, New Jersey, USA) ..... good news, we scored a great keynote speaker. Ted Hurewitz worked on Bizmac (tube computer) and the 501 (transistor computer) for RCA at its Camden, N.J. facility in the 1950s. His lecture is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Sat. the 12th. Also: the event flyer is at http://www.snarc.net/vcfe6.pdf ..... I would sincerely appreciate any help from SIGCIS members to spread the word. Please share the link and/or print the flyer and distribute it as widely as possible. Thanks in advance!! - Evan

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Association for Computing Machinery Records, 1947-2007: Online Finding Aid now available at the Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota
by Arvid Nelsen 10 Aug '09

10 Aug '09

The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is proud to announce the availability of the online finding aid for the collection: Association for Computing Machinery Records, 1947-2007 (CBI 205) at <http://purl.umn.edu/51982>. Everyone at CBI is excited to make this collection accessible and we invite scholars to make use of the materials on-site or to make inquiries and requests for information via phone, email, or IM on the CBI website, http://www.cbi.umn.edu/ CBI is preparing online and physical exhibits about the history of ACM, featuring materials from this and related collections housed here. The on-site exhibit will be on display in the atrium of the University of Minnesota's Elmer L. Andersen Library, January 11 -- March 5, 2010. Further information about both exhibits will be posted to this list and on the CBI website as it becomes available. I would like to thank Pat Ryan and the ACM for their generosity with this collection and its processing. I would also like to thank Loralee Bloom, Project Archivist, for all of her wonderful work on the collection, as well as her student assistant Valerie MacDonald, whom CBI was fortunate enough to retain after completion of the project and who will - no doubt - prove immensely valuable in our exhibition ventures. Thank you, R. Arvid Nelsen CBI Archivist -- R. Arvid Nelsen, Archivist Charles Babbage Institute University of Minnesota 211 Elmer L. Andersen Library 222 - 21st Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 Phone: 612-625-4867 Fax: 612-625-8054 URL: www.cbi.umn.edu

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Hello, I'm new here
by julie hugsted 10 Aug '09

10 Aug '09

Dear Sigcis, I just joined the Sigcis mailing list and was encouraged to write a brief presentation of my studies and fields of interest - which I also find makes good sense so you know a bit of who I am and what I do. My name is Julie Hugsted, I study history on University of Aarhus, Denmark, where I currently write my masters thesis on historiography of computing. Since it is my impression that from institution to institution, people define historiography differently I will just clarify that it is the history of how the history of computing has been written that I work with. I have undertaken most of my masters degree on respectively Department of History and Area Studies: http://www.iho.au.dk/en and Department of Science Studies http://www.ivs.au.dk/en The latter is where I have undertaken most courses. I have focused on history of technology, mainly history of computing during my master. All the best Julie -- Julie Katrine Hugsted phone: DK: (+ 45) 51 92 02 83

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SIGCIS Workshop - Chairs and Commentators Needed
by Thomas Haigh 08 Aug '09

08 Aug '09

Hello everyone, Preparations are coming along nicely for the SIGCIS workshop, held all day on the Sunday of the SHOT meeting. SHOT registration is now live, at http://www.historyoftechnology.org/pittsburgh/pittsburgh_registration.html. The deadline for regular registration in September 15. The SIG pizza lunch meeting, which you should register for with the main SHOT registration at modest additional cost (just $5 for grad students thanks to a subsidy from SIG funds) is NOT THE SAME as the workshop. There will be no charge for workshop registration but we will have a web registration system up soon just for the workshop so we will know how many cups of coffee to order, people's meal preferences (meals at your own cost), how many for dinner, etc. When you register, please try to stay for the whole of Sunday, as we will have sessions up to 5:45pm and then a dinner in the evening for those able to stay overnight (or leave really late). Joe November, the program chair, has been keeping things updated on the draft program at http://www.sigcis.org/files/SIGCIS%202009%20Workshop%20Preliminary%20Schedul e%20--%2008-04-2009.pdf. Joe tells me that we still need chairs and commentator volunteers, as noted below. We will give preference to people who are not already on the workshop program as speakers. We want to bring as many SIGCIS members onto the workshop program as possible. This includes those who are already taking part as presenters, commentators or chairs in the main SHOT meeting. If you are interested please send your names and preferences to november(a)mailbox.sc.edu. Here's what we still need for the traditional sessions. Total one chair, three commentators. A commentator for Traditional Paper Session 2: The Computings of Management Lars Heide, Copenhagen Business School, "Punched Cards in German Management of Resources in the Second World War" David Anderson, University of Portsmouth, "The Corridors of Power: Patrick Blackett and the Political Context of Early British Computing" Jonathan Aylen, Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, University of Manchester, "'You've got to roll with it': radical adoption of computers and changes to managerial routines at Llanwern steelworks, South Wales" Chair: Janet Delve, School of Creative Technologies, University of Portsmouth A chair and a commentator for Traditional Paper Session 3: Political Institutions in the Histories of Computings Andrew Mamo, "Computing Societies: Communications Technologies and Social Science in the Cambridge Project" Stephen Patnode, Temple University, "The Impact of Computers on Corporate Paternalism in the Post-war United States" David Nofre, Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, "The Dutch politics of computing and the limits of international cooperation, 1945-1965" A commentator for Traditional Paper Session 4: Computings as They Rose and Fell Dave Goodwin, Birkbeck College, University of London, "Digital Equipment Corporation: The mistakes that led to its downfall" Larry Owens, University of Massachusetts Amherst, "Walking Around Computerville: The PC and the Encyclopedia of Computer Science, 1976-1983" Chair: David Hemmendinger, Computer Science Department, Union College Best wishes, Tom Haigh

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