SHOT 2009
The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) held its annual meeting in Pittsburgh, October 15-18, 2009. This meeting marked the first year that SHOT has devoted the last day of the conference to programming of the special interest groups (SIGs). SIGCIS, the SIG for Computers, Information, and Society, held a day-long event on October 18th, entitled “The History of Computings” in honor of leading historian of science and technology (and specialist in the history of computing) Michael Mahoney (Princeton University), who passed away last July (2008). Between the history of computing scholarship of the regular SHOT meeting, and this special SHOT SIGCIS meeting, there were more papers on computing than at any previous SHOT conference. Additionally, on the afternoon of October 15th, immediately preceding SHOT, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing held its annual editorial board meeting (see related article).
On the first morning of regular sessions, CBI assistant archivist Stephanie Horowitz Crowe presented a paper entitled, “Experimenting with Web 2.0 at the Charles Babbage Institute” as part of a session on “Web 2.0 and the History of Technology.” She reported on numerous Web 2.0 initiatives she has organized and implemented at CBI to take advantage of the user-centered web (characterized by information sharing, inoperability, and collaboration). These initiatives include a news and information blog, “IM (Instant Message) an Archivist,” a CBI Facebook Group, a Google Map gadget, and Google photo site tool that has allowed members of the scientific and technical community to help us document photo collections—providing names, dates, locations and other information on photos at CBI where we have little or no information.
The session was organized by CBI director Tom Misa, who also served as commentator, and IEEE History Center staff director Michael Gesolowitz, who also presented a paper in the session (on the IEEE History Center’s Global History Network—a massive project to use the center’s website to collect data and experiences on the history of electricity and electronics from IEEE members). The session also included a paper by recent University of Minnesota History of Science Ph.D. and former CBI graduate research assistant, Suzanne Fischer (Henry Ford Museum) on “The History Museum as Communications Platform.”
Tom Misa presenting SIGCIS prize to Christophe Lécuyer
(Photo courtesy of Thomas Haigh)
That afternoon, SIGCIS held its annual lunch. This included the presentation of the inaugural SIGCIS/Computer History Museum prize for the best book on the history of computing to Christophe Lécuyer (University of California-Berkeley) for his book, Making Silicon Valley. The presentation was made by prize committee chair Tom Misa. The event also provided an opportunity for new members to introduce themselves, as well as for the highly successful and popular SIGCIS annual book auction (computer history books donated by SIGCIS members and presses, particularly MIT Press). David Anderson, with great energy, skill, and humor, served as the auctioneer. The auction raises funds for SIGCIS and, along with other donations, assists graduate students on the SHOT program to travel to the conference. Between “passing the cup” around and auction proceeds, SIGCIS raised a record sum for next year’s operations.
The SIGCIS Sunday conference was a well-attended, intellectually engaging event, and deeply meaningful, as scholars presented their work and paid respects to Mike Mahoney.
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Bill Aspray honoring Mike Mahoney |
It began with a plenary session on Mike’s life and work. William Aspray (University of Texas) gave a highly insightful and moving intellectual and personal biography of Mike, whom he knew for more than three decades as a student, colleague, and friend. Thomas Haigh (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and Gerard Alberts (University of Amsterdam) also gave plenary talks on different aspects of Mike’s contributions to the history of computing and software. Joseph November (University of South Carolina) served as program chair, and SIGCIS leader Tom Haigh was also instrumental in putting together this special event.
Other presenters/papers at the SHOT SIGCIS Conference in honor of Michael Mahoney:
Joseph November, “The Computer as File Cabinet or Oscilloscope: Two Computings of Biomedical Research.” Buhm Soon Park, “Chemistry by Computer: Machines and Ideas for Computational Chemistry.” Scott Campbell, “Agendas and the Promise of Computer Science at the University of Toronto.” Lars Heide, “Punched Cards in German Management of Resources in the Second World War.” David Anderson, “The Corridors of Power: Patrick Blackett and the Political Context of Early British Computing.” Jonathan Aylen, “You’ve Got to Roll with It: Radical Adoption of Computers and Changes to Managerial Routines in Llanwern Steelworks, South Wales.” Christina Turdean, “Reimagining a Gambling Technology: The Digitization of the Slot Machine (1970-2000).” Christopher McDonald, “A New Nervous System of Society: The Technology and Politics of Mass Computer-Communications Systems.” Hansen Hsu, “Connections Between the Software Crisis and Object-Oriented Programming.” Rebecca Slayton, “An Evolving Discipline: The Political Economy of Software Engineering.” Pierre Mounier-Kuhn, “The Emergence of Computing as an Academic Discipline in France.” Sten Henriksson, “A Brief History of the Stack.” Andrew Mamo, “Computing Societies: Communications Technologies and Social Science in the Cambridge Project.” Stephen Patnode, “The Impact of Computers on Corporate Paternalism in the Post-war United States.” David Nofre, “The Dutch Politics of Computing and the Limits of International Cooperation, 1945-1965.” Dave Goodwin, “Digital Equipment Corporation: The Mistakes that Led to Its Downfall.” Larry Owens, “Walking Around Computerville: The PC and the Encyclopedia of Computer Science, 1976-83.”
Other presenters/papers on computer history at general sessions of the 2009 SHOT Conference included:
David C. Brock and Christophe Lécuyer, “From Nuclear Physics to Semiconductor Manufacturing: The Making of Ion Implantation.” Nathan Ensmenger, “From Computer Operations to Operating Systems: The Hidden Cost of Business Computing.” Jennifer Light, “Nationality and Neighborhood Risk at the Origins of FHA Underwriting: A Study in Historical GIS.” Thomas Haigh, “Opening the Beige Box: Materiality and the Evolution of the IBM PC, 1981-1995.” Allan Olley. “The Right Job for the Tools: Transitioning to the Computer Age.” David Alan Grier, “The Material Origins of Virtualization.” Rachel Plotnick. “Computers, Systems Theory and the Making of a Wired Hospital: A History of Technicon Medical Information System, 1964-87.” Nathan Schulman, “Navigating the Cityscape: Digital Locative Media in the Modern City.” Hansen Hsu, “Cocoa Developers on iPhone: Boundary Work and Cultural Contestation within an iPhone Startup.” Racquel Gonzales, “This is a Man’s Man’s Man’s World?: The Gendering of Video Games through Television Advertising.” Lin Ling-Fei, “The Changing Discrepancies between Taiwanese and Chinese Semiconductor Industry from 1949-2002—The Myth of Technology Transfer Determinism.” Hyungsub Choi, “The Long Tail of the Third Industrial Revolution: Technology Platform and Supply Chain Relationships at SEMATECH.”
Jeffrey R. Yost