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Contemporary (Post-WWII)

Memoir of a Homebrew Computer Club Member

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Computers/Information Technology
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Images
  • Links
  • Personal
  • Primary Source
URL: 

http://www.bambi.net/bob/homebrew.html

Author: 
Bob Lash
Excerpt: 

My first exposure to computers was at age 6 (1963), as a subject in Dr. Patrick Suppes' accelerated mathematics experiment at Stanford. I was taken to a small room with what I now know was a CRT display and an intercom. I was asked to push some keys in response to some shapes on the screen. Afterwards, they showed me around a large room filled with big cabinets, some with lots of blinking white lights. They said it was a "computer" and its name was the "PDP-1". A tall thin man asked me to hit a key on a console to make a "decktape". I had absolutely no idea what a "DEC tape" was at the time, but when I hit the key, a small pair of reels BEGAN TO TURN!! It was a moment I would never forget.

Annotation: 

This site is an informal memoir written by Bob Lash, an early member of the Homebrew Computer Club. Homebrew was a computer hobbyist group made famous by contributing to the success of two of it's members, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac. The site is definitely geared toward enthusiasts who are familiar with the early technology, but those who can invest the time to learn the lingo will find a rich source of information about the underground technology scene that inspired the development of personal computing in the mid-1970s. The site is basic with a simple text narrative wrapped around a few graphics. The links in the site lead mostly to a few images, but there are some links that point to the sites of other early members of the Homebrew community.

University Libraries Special Collections

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Images
  • Library/Archive
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Primary Source
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.umdnj.edu/librweb/speccoll/special_collections.html

Excerpt: 

The University Libraries medical history resources are located within Special Collections at the George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences on the Newark Campus, but serve the entire University and state of New Jersey. Primary clientele are UMDNJ faculty, staff, and students. Service is also provided to researchers throughout the state and elsewhere, both nationally and internationally. Special Collections consists of the Barbara Manisty Peck History of Medicine Room, which serves as a resource center for biomedical history in general and the history of the health sciences in New Jersey in particular, and the Stanley S. Bergen, Jr., MD University Archives. The Bergen University Archives documents both the history of the University from its founding in 1954 as the Seton Hall College of Medicine & Dentistry, as well as New Jersey's medical heritage. Special Collections is the only collection in the state entirely devoted to providing resources in the history of medicine in New Jersey.

Annotation: 

The University Libraries of the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey maintains this site to provide researchers with information about its special collections resources. The collections available at the library include university archives, faculty papers, various manuscripts, oral histories, post cards, medical artifacts, and a New Jersey AIDS collection. Only certain segments of the site are searchable, but the site is easy to navigate and their are several helpful finding guides. Historians of medicine and those interested in regional or state-specific records would be well served by this library, and the site can be a useful tool for identifying the availability of desired information before making a research trip.

History Lived

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Personal
  • Primary Source
URL: 

http://historylived.com/

Excerpt: 

The simple idea behind History Lived is to collect those memories, to record the true and complete story of America in the words of the everyday people that make America what it is.

The vast vision of History Lived is for it to transcend that simple idea and to become an unparalleled and unprecedented source for that American story. A place where we can all look to find the heart and soul of our nation. A place where the past reaches out to the present and helps unite us for the long journey into the future.

Annotation: 

Recently, many history professionals have envisioned the Internet as an efficient medium for collecting and storing a large amount of historical information. The History Lived Web archive is an effort in this mode. History Lived offers a venue for visitors to contribute personal narratives and images of their lives in order to "record the true and complete story of America in the words of the everyday people that make America what it is." The site then makes the submissions available to visitors by year (on the left of the screen) or by subject category (on the right). The site is just getting off the ground and the first several submissions range in scope from the story of a first love to a memory of the Challenger disaster.

Review: 

Recently, many history professionals have envisioned the Internet as an efficient medium for collecting and storing a large amount of historical information. The History Lived Web archive is an effort in this mode. History Lived offers a venue for visitors to contribute personal narratives and images of their lives in order to "record the true and complete story of America in the words of the everyday people that make America what it is." The site then makes the submissions available to visitors by year (on the left of the screen) or by subject category (on the right). The site is just getting off the ground and the first several submissions range in scope from the story of a first love to a memory of the Challenger disaster.

The all-inclusiveness of the History Lived could be a benefit or a liability. While casting the net widely means that every visitor has something to contribute, the site may have trouble inspiring visitors to become invested in the site by actually taking the time to type out a narrative. The site's designers have tried to overcome this hurdle by specifically requesting entries on topics of popular interest or national importance, such as the death of Elvis or the fall of the Berlin Wall, and by constructing subject categories about which people may be most nostalgic like "Family," "Heroes," and "Traditions." These efforts have generated a few responses, and surely as the number of entries grows, more people may feel inspired to share. But until reaching this critical mass, obtaining submissions may be an uphill battle.

While History Lived may have trouble generating submission momentum, the site gets A's for most technical aspects. The layout is simple and attractive, and the subdued visual design excludes flashy styling, complicated features, or advertisements. In this sense, the site appeals to an older, more mature audience, as well as audiences who may be less comfortable with the online medium. Simplicity aside, navigation within the site is still a little tricky, requiring visitors to follow as many as four links to get to archived materials. Perhaps the two key organizational features, though, are the links for submissions (available at the top of every page) and the front-and-center list of the most recent submissions on the homepage. The ubiquitous links for submissions mean that information on participating and an email link are always one click away, minimizing obstacles to potential contributors. The list of recent submissions facilitates locating new records, but could also advertise the lack of new material if the same few submissions continue to greet repeat visitors.

Ultimately, History Lived is a good test of online collecting methodology. The site offers an easy submissions process, and organized access to the archived records. If the site can now inspire contributors for a significant body of records, it can become a valuable resource for historians interested in memoirs and personal histories of life in America.

Miles Travis
George Mason University
November 8, 2004

The Internet Public Library: History of Medicine

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Ancient (BCE-40 CE)
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Middle Ages (5th-15th Century)
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • University
URL: 

http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/hea30.00.00/

Author: 
The School of Information, University of Michigan
Excerpt: 

Ancient Medicine/Medicina Antiqua
http://www.ea.pvt.k12.pa.us/medant/
Ancient Medicine/Medicina Antiqua is a publication devoted to Ancient Greek & Roman medicine and medical thought from Mycenaean times until the fall of the Roman Empire.

Archaic Medical Terms
http://www.gpiag-asthma.org/drpsmith/amt1.htm
"This list covers archaic medical terms and some modern terms that have become everyday language, but have a different meaning or slant when used by doctors or had a different meaning in the past... Generally, the definitions given apply to UK usage and UK spelling (I am a doctor in the UK). If more than one definition is given, they are in order from most likely to least likely."

The Internet Public Library: History of Computers and the Internet

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Computers/Information Technology
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Links
  • University
URL: 

http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/hum30.03.30/

Author: 
School of Information, University of Michigan
Excerpt: 

A Brief History of Algebra and Computing: An Eclectic Oxonian View
http://vmoc.museophile.com/algebra/
A detailed history of algebra and computing that provides many hypertext links to the people and places that were important in its development. The author also includes many good resources to related sites and a list of print references with links where available.

A Chronology of Digital Computing Machines (to 1952)
http://www.davros.org/misc/chronology.html
"The computer, as we now understand the word, was very much an evolutionary development rather than a simple invention. This article traces the sequence of the most important steps in that development, and in the earlier development of digital calculators without programability." The author also includes a bibliography of books he used in doing his research.

4000 Years of Women in Science

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Ancient (BCE-40 CE)
  • Consumer Technology
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Images
  • Links
  • Middle Ages (5th-15th Century)
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Physical Sciences
  • Secondary Source
  • University
URL: 

http://www.astr.ua.edu/4000ws/

Excerpt: 

4,000 years of women in science! Did you know that? Women are, and always have been, scientists. This site lists over 125 names from our scientific and technical past. They are all women! This site grew out of the public talks given by Dr. Sethanne Howard, currently with the National Science Foundation. As we learn more, we add it to this page. We hope you will share what you know with us. This includes inventors, scholars and writers as well as mathematicians and astronomers. We hope you enjoy learning about some of these women.

Annotation: 

This site documents the history of women in science by providing a long list of biographies including female scientists from a range of disciplines. The site design is old and the navigation is basic, but a large amount of information on certain individuals is available throught this site and its links. The site offers a short introduction, the biographies, a few images, and a bibliography. Visitors can select whether to browse the biographies alphabetically, by date of birth, or by field. The site boasts more than 100 records, but many are one-sentence descriptions which are not useful. Some of the entries give summaries of the women's lives, their significant, and provide links to further online resources devoted that scientist. Other features of the site include an interactive quiz, crossword puzzle, and a long list of links to related sites.

The History of Dentistry

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Ancient (BCE-40 CE)
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Middle Ages (5th-15th Century)
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Professional Association
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.sadanet.co.za/dhw/history/overview.html

Excerpt: 

Oral disease has been a problem for humans from the beginning of history. Skulls of Cro-Magnon peoples, who inhabited the earth 25,000 years ago, show evidence of tooth decay. The earliest recorded reference to oral disease is from an ancient (5000 BC) Sumerian text that describes "tooth worms" as a cause of dental decay. There is historical evidence that the Chinese used acupuncture around 2700 BC to treat pain associated with tooth decay.

Annotation: 

This History of Dentistry site contains a descriptive narrative that tells the story of how dentistry developed through the ages to become the sophisticated medical science of today. The site begins with facts about prehistoric and ancient ideas about teeth and tooth disease, as well as early method of care and treatment. From there, the writer continues the story under a wide range of subject headings from "The Etruscan Practical Approach" to "The History of Toothpaste." Each article also includes links to endnotes as well. This site is part of the larger South African Dental Association site and there are a host of articles concerning contemporary dental issues that can be accessed from the side bar. The site acts as a primer on dental history and a guide to literary reference.

History of the Royal College of General Practitioners

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:25.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Educational
  • Government
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.rcgp.org.uk/history/index.asp

Excerpt: 

The College of General Practitioners was founded in 1952, The Practitioner described it as ‘an outstanding event in the history of British medicine.’ A claim that can best be understood in relation to the history of general practice in Britain and its troubled state in the years immediately following the introduction of the National Health Service in 1948.

Annotation: 

This large site contains much information about the institutional workings of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Great Britain. The site describes the establishment of general practice (primary care/family medicine) as a speciality and academic discipline. Background information is given concerning the history of general practice, foundation of the College, history of the College and its building, and a detailed chronology. The archives of the college also include institutional records, personal papers, photographs and recordings, although only a guide to these resources is available online. This site would be helpful to wide range of historians, especially those interested in the history of modern medicine in Great Britain or events following the shift in British medicine to fit the newly established national health system.

The Virtual Laboratory

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:24.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Early Modern (15th-18th Century)
  • Images
  • Life Sciences
  • Links
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Primary Source
  • Secondary Source
  • University
URL: 

http://vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/

Excerpt: 

"Experimentalization of life" designates a process that began in Europe around 1800 to reconfigure science, art, and technology. After experimental physiology had established itself as one of the paradigmatic disciplines of the 19th century, psychology and linguistics also became laboratory-based enterprises.

Experimental cultures emerged thereafter in a variety of places, as for example in literary movements relying on automatism, aleatorics, and combination. New media such as photography and film transformed the fine arts and the sciences. Cities became vast fields of experience in which people undertook all sorts of experiments in living.

The project investigates the experimentalization of life with a focus on the material culture of instruments, buildings and supply technologies. In a "Virtual Laboratory", relevant source materials as well as results of ongoing research work are made accessible online.

Annotation: 

The Virtual Laboratory is a resource for the history of the human and life sciences (especially psychology) and the "experimentalization of life." In addition to the typical aspects of science and technology, this site adds a dimension dealing with how art intersects these areas. The site is broken into logical sections including, experiments, technology, objects, sites, people, etc. The "people" section contains an extensive collection of career sketches for many important scientists. After each entry, a user can click a link to search the technology database and library for related materials. Other sections offer the same linking capabilities, thereby connecting experiments to concepts to technology to essays and more. This cross-linking makes the large site seem small and easy to navigate. The site archives historical texts and images, as well as new essays. The virtual Laboratory is in English, but much of the archived material is in German.

Alan Turing Archive

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:24.
  • Computers/Information Technology
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Library/Archive
  • Primary Source
  • University
URL: 

http://www.alanturing.net/

Excerpt: 

Largest web collection of digital facsimiles of original documents by Turing and other pioneers of computing. Plus articles about Turing and his work, including Artificial Intelligence.

The documents that form the historical record of the development of computing are scattered throughout various archives, libraries and museums around the world. Until now, to study these documents required a knowledge of where to look, and a fistful of air tickets. This Virtual Archive contains digital facsimiles of the documents. The Archive places the history of computing, as told by the original documents, onto your own computer screen.

This site also contains a section on codebreaking and a series of reference articles concerning Turing and his work.

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