IT History Society

Abstract Who Invented the Computer? Unfortunately for those of us who would like history to be heroic and uncomplicated, there isn't a simple answer. This talk will identify the likely suspects and describe what they did and didn't do to contribute to the invention of the computer. It's a story of dreams and disappointments, of successes and failures, of big...

Bob Metcalfe's key points on the Ethernet Innovation Summit are summarized in this article: http://community.comsoc.org/blogs/alanweissberger/bob-metcalfes-closing-keynote-ethernet-innovation-summit-may-23-2013-chm-mt-vi 40 years of Ethernet history discussed during day one; day two featured "movers & shakers" talking about current and future market trends and technologies. .................................................... Metcalfe's closing keynote talk along with the Q & A session can be viewed at: http://www.netevents.org.uk/celebrating-40-years-of-ethernet-innovation-closing-keynote .................................................... NetEvents announces 2013...

Have you been longing for a working Apple 1 computer? Or maybe a reproduction of a Pascaline? This Saturday, May 25 at 10:00 am (CET) you'll get your chance when Auction Team Breke r of Cologne, Germany, holds an auction of "Mechanical Musik Instruments as well as Science Technology and Fine Toys & Automata." Along with the Apple 1—one of...

Introduction The World IP Day program was to promote and celebrate the many benefits of intellectual property in San Jose and the SF Bay Area. San Jose and Silicon Valley lead the nation in patent generation and the city co-hosted this West Coast event to celebrate the contributions of innovators and creators worldwide. Marcian E. "Ted" Hoff's keynote speech is...

Somehow my career has repeatedly led me into doing unexpected and wonderful things. One such piece of serendipity has been the role I landed at the Jerusalem Science Museum as the curator of an exhibition in honor of Alan Turing. This project took a year and half, and gave me the occasion to work with some amazing people at the...

Being the curator of the Alan Turing Year exhibition at the Jerusalem Science Museum, I was invited to sit on a panel dedicated to Turing’s legacy at the ICON Science Fiction, Imagination and The Future festival in Tel Aviv. My talk there was well received, and touches on some interesting truths, so I decided to share its content here. I...

Introduction: In this informative March 11, 2013 lecture at the Computer History Museum (CHM), Grady Booch asked and tried to answer this question: "What does it take to make "sentient" devices (that can feel, sense, think and reason) out of silicon and software?" But before we can address that question, there are many others that need to be thought about...

Introduction The February 10, 2013 Stony Brook (SBU) Northern CA Alumni Association meeting featured a very informative and enlightening talk by Ike Nassi, PhD (1974 Computer Science) about what he learned at SBU, the friends he made there, and use of his social network to further his career. Ike was able to create and maintain a very "dense social network"...

It's hard to imagine not being able to work at IBM if you're a woman who happens to be married, but Gizmodo has published a memo from January 10, 1951 that discusses a "temporary modification" of IBM's personnel policy—yes, it finally allowed female employees to continue working once they were married. It says: Effective immediately and until further notice: 1...