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50 years of ACM and IEEE Technical Journals
by STEPHEN KAISLER 04 Oct '23

04 Oct '23

Folks: I have over 50 years of ACM and IEEE Computer Society Technical Journals relative to Computing and IT. I have run out of space for storing them and would like to donate them to a university or college that might be interested in having these collections. All are in very good to excellent condition except for a few that were slightly damaged in transit by our beloved Postal Service. Some of the collections terminate when the respective organizations transitioned to electronic publication only. As you know, ACM has announced they will not publish in hard copy after December 31, so if some insititution is missing issues, they might be able to find them in this set of journals. If some institution wants this donation, they should contact me. The journals reside at my home in Laurel, MD, so they will need to come and collect them. I hesitate to recycle them, but I will be forced to do this beginning in the new year. Steve Kaisler, D.Sc.

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SIGCIS at SHOT 2023 and 2024 survey
by Elizabeth Petrick 04 Oct '23

04 Oct '23

Hello SIGCIS! Riding all the energy from our virtual conference a couple weeks ago, we're now looking forward to future SIGCIS events. With details from SHOT still not being finalized this year, we'd like to get a sense of how many people are planning to attend a Friday lunch at SHOT at the end of this month in Los Angeles. We'd also like to gauge how many people are planning to attend SHOT next summer in Chile. Please fill out the following survey if you have any interest in either of these two events or just want us to know your thoughts: https://forms.gle/gfJQBW8yhvY1ubbZ8 We'd appreciate your response by Thursday, Oct 12th. All the best, Liz ------------- Elizabeth Petrick Co-Director, STS Program Associate Professor Department of History Rice University http://elizabethpetrick.com/

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Bluesky Social invite codes
by Jeffrey Yost 02 Oct '23

02 Oct '23

Seeing many from SIGCIS on Bluesky and wondering if anyone else wants to give it a try, but is in need of a Bluesky invite code? The sky really does seem bluer over there.... If so, I have several to give away, please email me individually. Best, Jeff ** * * * * ** *Please connect on:* *Threads <https://www.threads.net/@justcodeculture> * Twitter <https://twitter.com/justcodeculture> *Mastodon <https://mastodon.social/@justcodeculture> **Linkedin <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-yost-b714566>* *Jeffrey Yost, Ph.D. * Director, Charles Babbage Institute <http://www.cse.umn.edu/cbi>; Research Professor, History Sci/Tech/Med 222 21st Avenue South, University of Minnesota; Minneapolis, MN 55455 *Studies in Computing and Culture book series, Johns Hopkins U. Press * Co-Editor *PI, NSF-funded CBI project "Mining a Useable Past: Perspectives, Paradoxes, and Possibilities with Security and Privacy."* *Blockchain & Society* <https://www.blockchainandsociety.com>* (crit. inq. essays & resources)* (Founder/Leader) *Interfaces: Essays and Reviews in Computing and Culture <https://cse.umn.edu/cbi/interfaces> *Co-Editor (w/ Amanda Wick) *Committee Member, National Academy of Engineering Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society* *Making IT Work: A History of the Computer Services Industry (MIT Press) <https://amzn.to/3gqe4R6>*

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You're Invited: The 87% Missing Report and Digital Preservation Advocacy
by Jessica Farrell 29 Sep '23

29 Sep '23

Register here! <https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FdaNks9nSICXVeeRJ_785g> While the video game industry and cultural heritage institutions agree that video games should be preserved for both entertainment and study, there is disagreement about whether the commercial market preempts the need for libraries, museums, and archives to expand their preservation activities. To better inform these discussions, the Video Game History Foundation <https://gamehistory.org/> and Software Preservation Network <https://www.softwarepreservationnetwork.org/> gathered evidence about what portion of historical games are actually still in commercial distribution. They believe this is the first major study <https://gamehistory.org/87percent/> to analyze the availability rates for a broad sample of historical games in this manner. The results are stark: Only 13 percent of classic video games published in the United States are currently in release (n = 1500, ±2.5%, 95% CI). These low numbers are consistent across platform ecosystems and time periods. Troublingly, the reissue rate drops below 3 percent for games released prior to 1985—the foundational era of video games. Join this talk hosted by the Open Preservation Foundation <https://openpreservation.org/> and featuring Software Preservation Network volunteers Phil Salvador, Library Director at the Video Game History Foundation and Kendra Albert, Clinical Instructor from the Harvard Cyberlaw Clinic to discuss the report’s findings and the possibilities of using this research method and approach to advocate for both resourcing the preservation of, and shaping the law around, other types of at-risk archival material. When: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 20:00 UTC | Check your time here <https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=The+87%25+Missing…> Where: Register Here <https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FdaNks9nSICXVeeRJ_785g> -- Jess Farrell | she/her/hers Community Facilitator <https://educopia.org/bitcurator-edu/> Software Preservation Network <https://www.softwarepreservationnetwork.org/> and BitCurator Consortium <https://bitcuratorconsortium.org/> Educopia Institute

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IEEE Annals Seeks Editor in Chief
by Jesiek, Brent K 28 Sep '23

28 Sep '23

Hi all, passing Special Announcement: IEEE Annals of the History of Computing Seeks Editor in Chief https://www.computer.org/press-room/special-announcement-ieee-annals-of-the… -- Brent K. Jesiek, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

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Register now! Unacceptable Loss: Video Game Preservation in Libraries and Archives
by Jessica Farrell 07 Sep '23

07 Sep '23

Dear friends, You're invited to Unacceptable Loss: Video Game Preservation in Libraries and Archives, hosted by Library Futures <https://www.libraryfutures.net/> in collaboration with the Software Preservation Network <https://www.softwarepreservationnetwork.org/>! *Register Here. <https://nyu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_goFgKmeUT1G2qWjwEhZktw#/registration>* [image: image.png] Join *Phil Salvador* (Video Game History Foundation),* Laine Nooney* (NYU and Unboxing Pod) and* Meredith Rose *(Public Knowledge) to discuss the new report "Survey of the Video Game Reissue Market in the United States <https://gamehistory.org/87percent/>" on *Tuesday, September 26th* at 1pm ET / 5pm UTC. While the video game industry and cultural heritage institutions agree that video games should be preserved for both entertainment and study, there is disagreement about whether the commercial market preempts the need for libraries, museums, and archives to expand their preservation activities. To better inform these discussions, the VGHF+SPN gathered evidence about what portion of historical games are actually still in commercial distribution. We believe this is the first major study to analyze the availability rates for a broad sample of historical games in this manner. The results are stark: Only 13 percent of classic video games published in the United States are currently in release (n = 1500, ±2.5%, 95% CI). These low numbers are consistent across platform ecosystems and time periods. Troublingly, the reissue rate drops below 3 percent for games released prior to 1985—the foundational era of video games—indicating that the interests of the marketplace may not align with the needs of video game researchers. Our experiences gathering data for this study suggest that these problems will intensify over time due to a low diversity of reissue sources and the long-term volatility of digital game storefronts. Our results question whether the commercial market alone can adequately preserve the medium of video games, particularly for the needs of researchers. While this study does not make specific recommendations for improving the state of game availability, it instead offers statistics that can guide future discussions about the role of cultural institutions in video game preservation. This event is hosted by Library Futures in collaboration with the Software Preservation Network. Autocaptioning will be enabled for the event. Please reach out if you have other accessibility needs! *Register Here: * https://nyu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_goFgKmeUT1G2qWjwEhZktw#/registration -- Jess Farrell | she/her/hers Community Facilitator <https://educopia.org/bitcurator-edu/> Software Preservation Network <https://www.softwarepreservationnetwork.org/> and BitCurator Consortium <https://bitcuratorconsortium.org/> Educopia Institute

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Book now for the Archives of IT Forum on the Histories of the Internet: 9 January 2024, London and Online
by Tom Abram 29 Aug '23

29 Aug '23

Tickets, details, program and speakers at <https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/archives-of-it-forum-on-the-histories-of-the…> [https://img.evbuc.com/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.evbuc.com%2Fimages%2F569313469%2F68…]<https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/archives-of-it-forum-on-the-histories-of-the…> Archives of IT Forum on the Histories of the Internet<https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/archives-of-it-forum-on-the-histories-of-the…> A one-day academic-practitioner forum fostering multidisciplinary perspectives on the history of computers and telecommunications www.eventbrite.co.uk    The Forum will * Illuminate how people, policies, initiatives and other social factors have shaped and are shaping technological developments * Feature talks and panels identifying a variety of competing perspectives on innovations or other key events in the history of information and communication technologies Places are strictly limited to enable and promote discussion and debate, so book now to * Join us and colleagues in person for a full day at the Hall of The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists for the panels, with networking over lunch and post event drinks * Or secure one of the online slots to participate from wherever you are, at your convenience Enquiries to forum(a)archivesit.org.uk

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Job offer: Post-Doc (100%), 3yrs, DFG Schwerpunktprogramm Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelten
by Schmitt, Martin 01 Aug '23

01 Aug '23

Dear SIGCIS, the following job offer in the history of computing is in German only, but I thought it might be of interest to some of you on the list. It is about a project on the digital networked factory and the question of non-functioning technology. The 3 years project is loctated at the TU Darmstadt, Institute of History, History of Technology. If you have any questions, you can gladly contact my boss, Prof. Dr. Martina Heßler (hessler(a)pg.tu-darmstadt.de) Best Martin Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter | Post-Doc | digital enthusiast Technische Universität Darmstadt Institut für Geschichte Fachgebiet Technikgeschichte Mail: martin.schmitt(a)tu-darmstadt.de Tel: +49 6151-16-57327 http://www.computerisierung.com & Assoziierter Wissenschaftler LEIBNIZ-ZENTRUM FÜR ZEITHISTORISCHE FORSCHUNG | POTSDAM Vice Chair IFIP WG 9.7 „History of computing“ Zuletzt erschienen: „Banking the Future of Banking: Savings banks and the Digital Age in East and West Germany“, in: Dick van Lente (Hrsg.): Prophets of Computing: Visions of Society Transformed by Computing, New York 2022, S. 87–115. Die Digitalisierung der Kreditwirtschaft. Computereinsatz in den Sparkassen der Bundesrepublik und der DDR 1957-1991, Göttingen: Wallstein-Verlag 2021, https://www.wallstein-verlag.de/9783835333710-die-digitalisierung-der-kredi…

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email inventor lawsuit consequences
by Jonathan Coopersmith 31 Jul '23

31 Jul '23

a familiar face emerges in the last paragraphs of https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/29/technology/mike-masnick-techdirt-interne… “He understands the internet in a deep way that I don’t think is common,” said Corynne McSherry, legal director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The digital liberties organization gave Mr. Masnick an award for digital activism in 2017 <https://www.eff.org/awards/pioneer/2017>, when fighting a defamation lawsuit almost bankrupted Techdirt. A man who claimed to have “invented email” had sued Techdirt for $15 million over its blog posts questioning those claims. The suit garnered significant media attention; it’s not among the examples in the Wikipedia article on the Streisand effect, but it really should be. Mr. Masnick knew the lawsuit was ridiculous and unlikely to succeed, but the legal bills were a hardship. Techdirt turned to the internet and asked for donations. It got the support it needed, and the suit was eventually settled with no money changing hands. 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) "Technological obsolescence, <https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/05/technological-obsolescence>" National Academy of Engineering *Perspectives* May 23, 2023 It's taking longer to vote - especially if you are Black or Hispanic <https://theconversation.com/its-taking-more-time-to-cast-a-ballot-in-us-ele…> , theconversation.com Preserving space archives: https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/ *FAXED. The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine* (Johns Hopkins University Press)

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Call for nominations for the new HaPoC Council
by Liesbeth De Mol 25 Jul '23

25 Jul '23

Dear all, please find below the call for nominations to the HAPOC council, with best wishes, Liesbeth As every two years, the Commission for the History and Philosophy of Computing, HaPoC, announces its call for nominations for the new Council, to be elected during the next HaPoC Conference in Warsaw on October 18-20. HaPoC’s Council consists of 10 councilors, among which are voted a new president-elect and a treasurer. Nominations should be addressed to the Commission’s president at info(a)hapoc.org before August 18. Following HaPoC’s bylaws, the election procedure shall be as follows: (a) Any member of the commission can be nominated as a councilor. Nominations can be submitted by any member of the commission and shall be submitted to the president in writing. Nominations have to be received at least two months before the meeting of the commission. The president shall contact the nominee and find out whether he or she accepts the nomination. Acceptance is necessary for the nomination to become valid. (b) If there are ten or fewer valid nominations, the president informs the council and the nominees are declared elected unopposed. If there are more than ten nominations, the president shall notify the council of this and an election will take place during the meeting of the commission. The election will take place by approval voting: each present member can approve as many of the nominees as they want. The ten nominees with the highest number of approval votes are elected. In the case of ties, a lot is cast. (c) After the ten councilors are elected, they shall all declare whether they would accept an election for president-elect, treasurer, or president if the situation so requires. The members of the council then elect the president-elect, treasurer, and president if the situation so requires by approval vote. In the case of a tie, a lot is cast. Any further questions concerning the election of HaPoC’s Council should be addressed at info(a)hapoc.org

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