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ACM History Committee fellowships awarded
by tmisa＠umn.edu 19 Jun '09

19 Jun '09

Dear SIGCIS colleagues, The Association for Computer Machinery's History Committee is delighted to announce the two winners of its inaugural short-term fellowship in ACM history: Irina Nikiforova, a Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech's School of History, Technology and Society, for her dissertation project entitled "ACM, Turing Prize Scientists, and their Web of Affiliations." Nikiforova will examine archival materials held at Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and the Charles Babbage Institute as well as online ACM materials concerning the Turing Award. Bernard Geoghegan, a Ph.D. student at Northwestern University and Bauhaus University--Weimar, for a specific project on "Staging the ACM Chess Championships" which will draw on archival materials presently in private hands. Geoghegan plans a journal article from this research as well as a museum exhibit. Each fellow will receive $2500 to support their project, which can be used for travel or other research expenses. An announcement of this year's (past) fellowship can be found at <http://history.acm.org/content.php?do=fellowship>. The ACM History Committee hopes to sponsor another round of fellowship support next year as well.

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Good books/articles on history of networking?
by Evan Koblentz 17 Jun '09

17 Jun '09

I'm looking for recommendations of good books/articles on the history of computer networking from before the ARPAnet era.

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Update -- Evans Signal Lab and computer development
by Evan Koblentz 16 Jun '09

16 Jun '09

Here's something I think my fellow SIGCIS members will find interesting. At the D.C. conference in 2007 I talked about the InfoAge Science Center, which was a Marconi station before W.W. I, a Navy comms station during W.W. I, an Army Signal Corp R&D lab during and after W.W. II, and shut down in the late 1990s. Recently we at InfoAge made progress in understanding what happened here applicable to computer development. The site is already noteworthy for its Marconi-era achievements and its many radar and communications achievements, but until very recently its role in computer development was severely understated. Last night I made a simple poster outlining this work. It's intended for lay audiences, but it might also open some eyes here in SIGCIS. Feedback encouraged. Of course I'd be happy to provide more detail about each bullet point. http://snarc.net/posters/10_summary-poster.pdf - Evan

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Members Digest, Vol 16, Issue 6
by Sue Thomas 16 Jun '09

16 Jun '09

This attachment didn't work - please could you resend or just send the URL? thanks 2009/6/16 <members-request(a)sigcis.org>: > Send Members mailing list submissions to > members(a)sigcis.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > members-request(a)sigcis.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > members-owner(a)sigcis.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Members digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. IFIP World Computer Congress, Call for Papers (Ceruzzi, Paul) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:35:24 -0400 > From: "Ceruzzi, Paul" <CeruzziP(a)si.edu> > Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] IFIP World Computer Congress, Call for > Papers > To: <members(a)sigcis.org> > Message-ID: > <39E881CB59D4454295FDDDA5605EE7FC01762670(a)SI-ECL01.US.SINET.SI.EDU> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > I see that the Call for Papers is just under the 100 KB limit for > permissible attachments to this List, so I am attaching it here. If you > have trouble opening the attachment, send me an e-mail. > > Paul E. Ceruzzi > National Air & Space Museum > MRC 311; PO Box 37012 > Washington, DC 20013-7012 > 202-633-2414 > <http://www.nasm.si.edu/staffDetail.cfm?staffID=24> > >

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IFIP World Computer Congress, Call for Papers
by Ceruzzi, Paul 16 Jun '09

16 Jun '09

I see that the Call for Papers is just under the 100 KB limit for permissible attachments to this List, so I am attaching it here. If you have trouble opening the attachment, send me an e-mail. Paul E. Ceruzzi National Air & Space Museum MRC 311; PO Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414 <http://www.nasm.si.edu/staffDetail.cfm?staffID=24>

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Talk by Peter Galison, Paris, June 13th 2009
by Sandra Mols 09 Jun '09

09 Jun '09

Apologies for crossposting Please find below the annoucement of a conference by Peter Galison, this Saturday 13th of June, in Paris. For further information, please refer to Lena Soler (l_soler(a)club-internet.fr) Best regards, Sandra Mols ----------------- Peter Galison, Harvard University, is giving a conference in Paris entitled "Tacit Knowledge and Scientific Sight" this Saturday 13th of June 2009, 10h-12h. Ths talk will take place at the Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (IHPST), grande salle, 13 rue du four, Paris. Abstract available at: http://poincare.univ-nancy2.fr/digitalAssets/51621_Galison-13mai09-Invitati…

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New awards from ASIS&T
by Thomas Haigh 02 Jun '09

02 Jun '09

Hello everyone, The announcement below should be of interest, particularly the announcement of a prize for $500 for the "best paper... relevant to the history of information science and technology." This is from the ASIS&T (www.asist.org) SIG on the History and Foundations of Information Science. Congratulations particularly to Bob Williams, who has been working for many years on getting the ASIS&T History Fund up and running. The call is ambiguous, but it appears that they are looking for unpublished papers. The APA style manual is specified, which is unusual for history. I was chair of the ASIS&T group last year, and have always thought that we should do more to bring its members together with those of SIGCIS. Unfortunately this term coincided with the birth of my son, meaning I got less done toward this end than hoped for. I did revive its website, which can be found at http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGHFIS/index.htm. Another thing I did was to organize the following session for the 2009 annual meeting in Vancouver, showcasing some history and STS scholars who have found employment in information schools. New Directions in Information History * Thomas Haigh (organizer). Challenges and Opportunities in Information History * Greg Downey. Information history meets communication history. * Geoffrey Bowker. 'Did that really happen?' The search for the useful fact from the Enlightenment to the present * William Aspray, "The Use of History in Studying Information-Seeking Behavior in Everyday American Life" Tom -----Original Message----- From: sighfis-l-bounces(a)asis.org [mailto:sighfis-l-bounces@asis.org] On Behalf Of Richard Hill Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 1:01 PM To: asis-l(a)asis.org; sighfis-l(a)asis.org Subject: [Sighfis-l] Two new History Awards - ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ASIST HISTORY FUND 2009 RESEARCH GRANT AND RESEARCH PAPER AWARD The ASIST History Fund Advisory Board announces the following two awards for 2009: The ASIST History Fund Research Grant Award: This award will be for a maximum of $1,000 and will be awarded for the best research support proposal submitted by Sept. 1, 2009. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology may be proposed. The proposal should state: central topic or question to be researched, qualifications of the researcher (a brief vita should be included), and how the funds will be expended. All funds must be expended by Aug. 31, 2010. Submit proposals to: http://www.softconf.com/asist2/History by Sept. 1, 2009. The ASIST History Fund Research Paper Award: This award will be for a maximum of $500 and awarded for the best paper submitted by Sept. 1, 2009. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology will be considered. The paper should not exceed 30 pages double-spaced, including notes/references, using the APA style manual. The ASIST History Fund Advisory Board will review all submissions and decide if an award is to be made by Oct. 30, 2009. If an award is made the winner will be expected to present the paper at the 2010 ASIST Annual Meeting. Submit papers to: http://www.softconf.com/asist2/History by the due date of Sept. 1, 2009. ************** The ASIST History Fund was established by the ASIST Board of Directors in June, 2000 for the purposes of supporting and encouraging research and publication in the history of information science and technology. The Fund is supported by donations (including book royalties) from ASIST members. The Fund Advisory Board encourages further donations from anyone interested in supporting historical study of information science and technology. Members of the ASIST History Fund Advisory Board for 2009 are: Robert V. Williams, Chair Michael Buckland, Vice Chair Trudi B. Hahn Ben-Ami Lipetz Samantha Hastings _____ Richard B. Hill Executive Director American Society for Information Science and Technology 1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 510 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Fax: (301) 495-0810 Voice: (301) 495-0900 _______________________________________________ Sighfis-l mailing list Sighfis-l(a)asis.org http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sighfis-l

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Von Neumann EDVAC report
by evan＠snarc.net 01 Jun '09

01 Jun '09

>>> One of the great unanswered questions is how many copies were made in 1945 How many do we already know of? 1. Smithsonian 2. L. of C. 3. NARA (Aberdeen records in Georgia) 4. presumably NARA / ENIAC records in Maryland 5. Mauchly archive @ Penn? I've been there a few times recently but don't recall if it includes the EDVAC report, as I was there for other documents

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Von Neumann EDVAC report
by Ceruzzi, Paul 29 May '09

29 May '09

There is a copy of the EDVAC Report in the rare book room of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. I collected it from the Bureau of Standards (now NIST), and it has Sam Alexander's name stamped on it. Most of the other materials from the NBS collection went to the Charles Babbage Institute, where they have been catalogued. I believe that would also include other von Neumann reports you would be interested in. I have to warn you that the report is fragile and has to be handled with extreme care. It was reproduced by a process similar to mimeograph, which used a flimsy type of paper that is easily torn. One of the great unanswered questions is how many copies were made in 1945, and of them, how many survive. Paul E. Ceruzzi National Air & Space Museum MRC 311; PO Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414 <http://www.nasm.si.edu/staffDetail.cfm?staffID=24>

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Question about von Neumann papers
by Mai Sugimoto 28 May '09

28 May '09

Dear Sigcis members, I have questions about "Urtext Edition" of these historical papers: 1) John von Neumann, "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC" 2) Arthur W. Burks, Herman H.Goldstine, John von Neumann, "Preliminary Discussion of the Logical Design of an Electronic Computing Instrument" Recently my colleague and I are doing translation of these papers into Japanese for publication. In order to make the translation as correct as possible, we are looking for the version that is the closest to the original one. About 1), we are using this version so far: http://www.virtualtravelog.net/entries/2003-08-TheFirstDraft.pdf It seems that this version is a finely edited one. Does anyone have the original typescript of this paper? Or does anyone know where the typescript is? About 2), we are using 'A.H.Taub, ed: John von Neumann Collected Works' and also referring this version stored at U. of Michigan: http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/3972 Does anyone have some information on other version of this paper? I would really appreciate any kind of information about them. Thank you. Mai ----- Mai Sugimoto Ph.D Student, Program of Philosophy and History of Science, Kyoto University, Japan nix.pura(a)gmail.com

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