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Congrats!!! CBI HCI History Prize/Award to Jacob Gaboury for Image Objects
by Jeffrey Yost 01 Jun '23

01 Jun '23

Dear Colleagues, I want to offer a special congratulations to University of California, Berkeley's Jacob Gaboury who has just been awarded the 2023 (inaugural) CBI Human-Computer Interaction History Award for his brilliant book *Image Objects: An Archeology of Computer Graphics* (MIT Press, 2021). Thanks to HCI pioneers University of Maryland''s Ben Schneiderman and Catherine Plaisant for making this possible. Thank you to Liz Petrick, Teasel Muir-Harmony, Con Diaz, Fabio Paterno, and Dag Spicer for serving on the committee with me! Prize statement/announcement at https://z.umn.edu/HCI_23 Best, Jeff *Please connect at:* *Mastodon <https://mastodon.social/@JustCodeCulture> Twitter <https://twitter.com/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 Blog and Site* <https://www.blockchainandsociety.com> (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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OSTP seeking AI policy input
by Jonathan Coopersmith 30 May '23

30 May '23

FYI: OSTP Seeking Input on National AI Strategy The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is seeking <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aip-info.org/1ZJN-8B1NO-OUINPM-55U5ZB-1…> public input to inform a forthcoming National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The office is specifically interested in policies and procedures that could minimize the risks of AI, as well its potential impacts on innovation, national security, the economy, and civil rights. Comments are due July 7. 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> "A Chief Skunk Looks Back," <https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/a-chief-skunk-looks-back/> (interview with Sherm Mullin) *Aerospace America* March 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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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] software modernization failures
by vahrenkamp2＠gmx.de 30 May '23

30 May '23

Hi Jeffrey, have many thanks for the link to your IFIP paper 2010, where you put the focus on logistic projects. In the summary you mentioned some reasons for the failure. Was the programming language Cobol too slow, was the concept of a centralized database to ambitious, too much work to maintain the database with correct data, was a decentralized approach of data storage with the client server architecture more appropriate, were there problems of not a adjusted numbering systems for spare parts and other kinds of goods to be delivered? Already in 1948 the US Air Force started the logistic project SCOOP with Linear Programming, but it was not in operation, and it only served to produce a scientific image for the Air Force, see the autobiography Murray Geissler: A Personal History of Logistics, Bethesda 1986. With kind regards from Berlin Richard Vahrenkamp Logistic Consulting Berlin Last paper published: Mathematical Management - Operations Research in the United States and Western Europe, in: Management Review 34 (2023), Issum 1, pp. 69-91

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Origin Stories: Plantations, Computers, and Industrial Control
by Troy Astarte 30 May '23

30 May '23

Dear all, A colleague sent me this very interesting and thought provoking article exploring the links between the industrialisation of control in the 19th Century, the arrangement and organisation of the plantation, and Charles Babbages’ engines: https://logicmag.io/supa-dupa-skies/origin-stories-plantations-computers-an…. It makes a powerful argument for engaging with racialised consideration of labour in our understanding of the early origins of computing. p.s. please remember to uphold the list Acceptable Use Policy (https://www.sigcis.org/aup) when discussing intellectually provocative pieces! –––– I am currently recovering from severe repetitive strain injury and consequently limiting typing. I am mostly dictating messages, which may lead to some strange results. Best, Dr. Troy Kaighin Astarte (they/them / nhw) Lecturer, Computer Science / Darlithydd, Cyfrifiadureg Swansea University / Prifysgol Abertawe For students: my office hours are on the Intranet<https://fse-intranet.swan.ac.uk/intranet/staff_officehours?selected_staff_i…>. I fyfyrwyr: mae fy oriau swyddfa ar y fewnrwyd. Zoom office: https://swanseauniversity.zoom.us/my/t.k.astarte Supervision booking: https://doodle.com/bp/troyastarte/supervision 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.

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software modernization failures
by Jonathan Coopersmith 29 May '23

29 May '23

Any suggestions for a book or article on software modernization failures, especially for large projects? Why do they seem common -- and apparently remain so? Thank you. 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) "A Chief Skunk Looks Back," <https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/a-chief-skunk-looks-back/> (interview with Sherm Mullin) *Aerospace America* March 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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Monday Deadline for Internet Forum submissions
by tom＠abram.co 25 May '23

25 May '23

If you are thinking of submitting an abstract for the Forum below . https://archivesit.org.uk/ait-forum-on-the-histories-of-the-internet-call-fo r-papers/ . don't delay - we would love to hear from you Tom Abram Director - Archives of IT <mailto:research@archivesit.org.uk> research(a)archivesit.org.uk <http://www.archivesit.org.uk/> www.archivesit.org.uk > <https://archivesit.org.uk/sign-up/> Subscribe to our e-newsletter > Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/ArchivesIT> @ArchivesIT > Please support us at <https://archivesit.org.uk/get-involved-4/make-a-difference/> https://archivesit.org.uk/get-involved-4/make-a-difference/ Registered Charity No: 1164198 This e-mail is confidential and may be privileged. It may be read, copied and used only by the intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please contact the sender immediately by return e-mail. Please then delete the e-mail and do not disclose its contents to any person.

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New Book on Xerox PARC
by Tinnell, John 24 May '23

24 May '23

Dear SIGCIS, I’m writing to share news of my new book – THE PHILOSOPHER OF PALO ALTO: Mark Weiser, Xerox PARC, and the Original Internet of Things – which is out tomorrow! The book chronicles the rise of ubiquitous computing at Xerox PARC in the 80s and 90s, as well as related developments in wearable computing and AI at the MIT Media Lab. For a longer description + some upcoming author events in Palo Alto, see the University of Chicago Press website: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo194495767.html On June 13 at 4 PM EST, the press is hosting a virtual event, where I’ll be discussing the book with Patrick McCray (UC Santa Barbara) – here’s the registration link if you’d like to join: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/by-the-book-john-tinnell-in-conversation-with-… Best, John John Tinnell, PhD Director of Digital Studies Associate Professor of English University of Colorado Denver johntinnell.com <http://johntinnell.com/about/> -- Early Blurbs for The Philosopher of Palo Alto "This riveting, up-close account reveals how one man’s dream of benevolent computing helped set us on the road to the hyper-connected, surveillance-driven nightmare we inhabit today. A deeply unsettling and cautionary tale." — Fred Turner, author of From Counterculture to Cyberculture and The Democratic Surround "In the life of Mark Weiser, John Tinnell has found a morality tale for our times. For anyone looking to understand how technology is shaping society today, The Philosopher of Palo Alto is a compelling and necessary read." — Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows and The Glass Cage "Along with Doug Engelbart’s intelligence augmentation and Alan Kay’s Dynabook, Mark Weiser’s ubiquitous computing is one of the three big concepts that Silicon Valley has fed off of for decades. Tinnell has done a wonderful job of capturing the arc of Weiser’s ideas." — John Markoff, author of Whole Earth

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technological obsolescence
by Jonathan Coopersmith 24 May '23

24 May '23

I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful and helpful references about software modernization failures. I am the wiser as hopefully are the readers of https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/05/technological-obsolescence 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) "A Chief Skunk Looks Back," <https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/a-chief-skunk-looks-back/> (interview with Sherm Mullin) *Aerospace America* March 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 Participants: The Universal Ambitions of Computing (Pre 4S Workshop, Hawaii, Nov6/7, 2023)
by David Ribes 22 May '23

22 May '23

Workshop, The Universal Ambitions of Computing, Hawaii, Nov 6-7 2023 (Pre 4S) We are seeking applicants for our upcoming workshop in Hawaii (November 6-7, 2023) right before the Social Studies of Science (4S) annual conference, where we will be exploring “The Universal Ambitions of Computing” from an STS perspective—broadly construed, both historical and contemporary. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please send a CV and a one-page statement of interest on the topics of the workshop to dribes(a)uw.edu and francis(a)francislee.org before 17th of July. This workshop seeks to cultivate a conversation around the present capacities and future ambitions of computational universalism—ie. the practices of producing algorithms, infrastructures, data, and systems that work here, there, and everywhere—and to foster the exploration of new theories, concepts, and categories as well as cases that can shed light on this issue. Just as with the advent of formal statistics in the 17th and 18th century, computation in the 21st century is making wide claims to knowledge making and ontology. The tools, practices, and infrastructures of computation are becoming a new universal machinery of both truth-making and world-making. Computer science and cognate fields seem to be becoming the lingua franca of the 21st century, with enormous efforts invested in giving “the computational” the power to flatten complex relationships and turn complex worlds into flat and universal systems of knowing and doing. We want to explore questions such as: - What are the effects and consequences of this movement towards computational universalism? - What are the techniques and methods of computational universalism? Who are its actors and drivers? - How is power entangled with universalization? How are computational collectives intertwined and shape the spaces for agency in our world? What actors gain, and which ones lose? - What is excluded from becoming in the world through universalizing practices? The workshop aims to cover lodging and meals during the event (Nov 6-7). Unfortunately we cannot fund all participants’ travel, but we hope that if you are already attending the 4S conference that you will consider joining (we do have a small set of additional travel funds available, so please write to us to discuss if you are pressed for funds). Please note that a 5-page position paper on a topic of your choice will be due in October before the workshop. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at dribes(a)uw.edu and francis(a)francislee.org. We look forward to seeing you in Hawaii, Francis Lee, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, https://francislee.org/ David Ribes, University of Washington, USA, https://davidribes.com

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Internet Histories, Volume 7, Issue 2 (2023) 2022 is now available online
by Asger Harlung 22 May '23

22 May '23

To whom it may concern, The Editorial Staff of Internet Histories is pleased to announce that; Internet Histories, Volume 7, Issue 2 (2023) is now available online. One article (When Wikipedia met Tor) is open access. The full issue may be accessed at this URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rint20/7/2 In this issue: Articles When Wikipedia met Tor: trials of legitimacy at a key moment in internet history | Open Access Sebastiaan Gorissen & Robert W. Gehl Let’s play something awful: a historical analysis of 14 years of threads Brian McKitrick, Martin Gibbs, Melissa J. Rogerson, Bjørn Nansen & Charlotte Pierce Emigration to the internet: “Samizdat” and the genesis of contemporary Russian nationalism Dmitry Mikhailov, Nikolay Ternov & Ivan Bobrov Situating the Internet as infrastructure: the case of post-socialist Lithuania Migle Bareikyte The first propaganda war through computer networks: STEM academia and the breakup of Yugoslavia Mato Brautovic Book Review Resistance to the current: the dialectics of hacking Michael Kurzmeier Kind regards on behalf of the editors, Asger Harlung Editorial Assistant, Internet Histories

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