W. Ross Ashby journal (1928-1972)
Filed under personal journal | Tags: · complex systems, cybernetics, psychiatry, self-organization, systems theory
On Monday, 7th May 1928, while a 24 year old medical student at Barts Hospital in London, Ross started writing a journal. In it he recorded his thoughts, theorems, and goals that would eventually bring him recognition as a pioneer in the fields of Cybernetics and Systems Theory. 44 years later, his journal had 7,400 pages, in 25 volumes.
In 1972, shortly after Ross died, Stafford Beer wrote in his condolence letter to Ross’s wife, Rosebud, “Look after Ross’s papers. I have no idea what should be done with them, but they are very precious.” — For the next 30 years, only members of his family had access to his journals.
Eventually, scans were made of all original archive material, and in January 2003, Ross’s daughters gave the whole archive to The British Library, in London. Then, in March 2004, at the end of the W. Ross Ashby Centenary Conference, his daughters announced that they would make Ross’s Journal available on the Internet. Now, in 2008, the digitally restored images of all 7,400 pages and 1,600 index cards are available on this web site in various views, with extensive cross-linking that is based on the keywords in Ross’s original alphabetical index.
View online (HTML)
View online (Bookshelf view; HTML)
View online (Index view; HTML)
View online (Summaries view; HTML)
View online (Timeline view; HTML)
The Rutherford Journal, Vol 1-4, incl. Alan Turing web-book (2005-2012)
Filed under journal | Tags: · computing, history of computing, history of science, history of technology, philosophy of science, philosophy of technology, science, technology
The Rutherford Journal publishes invited articles from leading international scholars.
The New Zealand Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
Editor Jack Copeland
Publisher Department of Philosophy, The University of Canterbury, New Zealand
ISSN 1177-1380
View online (HTML articles)
View online (Issue 4: Alan Turing web-book)
Lutz Dammbeck: Das Netz (2003) [German]
Filed under screenplay | Tags: · computing, critique of technology, cybernetics, history of computing, history of technology, machine, silicon valley, technology
“1930 erschüttert der Wiener Mathematiker Kurt Gödel mit seinen Unvollständigkeitssätzen die Grundlagen der Mathematik. 1968 arbeitet der Physiker und Ingenieur Heinz von Foerster in seinem Biological Lab an der Universität von Illinois an der Verschmelzung von digitalen und biologischen Systemen. 1995 verhaftet das FBI in der Wildnis Montanas den ehemaligen Mathematik- professor Theodore J. Kaczynski als den „Unabomber“. Was verbindet diese Personen, Orte und Ideen zu einem Netz? Die Suche nach einer Antwort führt zurück in die 40er bis 60er Jahre des vergangenen Jahrhunderts, wo sich in Wissenschaft, Kunst und Technologie die Horizonte nach allen Seiten zu öffnen scheinen. Mit Kybernetik, Multimediakunst und militärischer Forschung werden die Fundamente der Moderne neu gesetzt. Das wird die Basis für heute weltweit vernetzte Maschinensysteme, die von Mathematik, Logik und binären Codes bestimmt werden. „Das Netz“ zeigt Konstrukteure, Maschinisten und Agenten dieser Systeme. Einer steigt aus, und versucht die Maschinen zu stoppen. Aber um welchen Preis.”
28 pages
PDF (30 MB, updated on 2020-4-17)
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